Cocky Romance: Chapter 19

I’ve never been good at feeling helpless.

I found out my one-night-stand knocked me up?

I gave myself a few days to panic and then went looking for him.

That ignorant buffoon didn’t want to be a part of me or the baby’s life?

I shrugged him off and prepared to live life as a single mother.

Morning sickness made me allergic to the smell of gasoline?

I clipped my nose and kept working to earn my certificate so I could provide for my daughter.

Life tried its best to knock me flat on my face, but it never quite succeeded. I’m stubborn like that. Crazy like that. I’d rather foolishly charge on, believing things will get better than let the panic sink under my skin.

Dad called me his ‘little choo-choo train’ because I keep chugging at my own pace, no matter what. It’s a trait I’ve taken from my childhood and nurtured into life as an adult. If I just keep moving, if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I can make it through the darkness. I can push through the bad times. It’s how I’ve lived my entire life.

Nothing stops me in my tracks.

Stopping is defeat.

And yet, here I am, frozen solid, while the world becomes a blur around me.

“Today, I will officially step down from Stinton Group.”

The man uttering those words has the most electric blue eyes and a square jaw chiseled by an angry sculptor. He clutches the edges of a podium, tan fingers digging into the wood.

It’s Max.

But it can’t be.

Because that version of Max is saying things the real Max would never say.

“Thank you for all your support and please continue rooting for Stinton Group in all its ventures.”

Max gives the camera a long and cold stare. His icy blue eyes are like a punch to the gut. I curve my fingers over the phone as if I can touch his face.

He’s wearing a grey suit that perfectly hugs his broad shoulders. His hair is brushed away from his forehead.

All business. All intimidating stares.

And yet he’s saying utter nonsense.

Resigning?

Max Stinton is leaving Stinton Group?

That’s like a fish deciding it’s ‘resigning’ from the ocean.

Ridiculous.

It can’t live anywhere but under water. It’s literally built for it. Thrives in it.

A fish out of water isn’t a fish.

It’s sushi.

I dig my fingers into the phone, my head throbbing harder.

Why would he do that?

Why would he cut off his own limb?

The Stinton Group livestream goes dead and, immediately, my phone starts ringing.

I jump when I see Max’s name sprawling across the screen.

My eyes widen.

The livestream just ended a second ago. Did he walk off the stage and immediately call me?

I quiet my thrashing heart and send his call straight to voicemail.

No, I can’t be distracted by that.

He lied to me.

I bared my heart to him. Gave him the perfect opportunity to admit the truth.

Rather than be upfront, he chose to hide behind lies.

Coward.

So what if he’s resigning? I’m not going to assume it’s because of me. I definitely will not allow this gesture to make my heart waver.

Who’s to say this isn’t just another manipulation tactic by Stinton Group? Maybe Trevor and Max sat together and concocted this plan in order to introduce Trevor to the world again. Max isn’t above dirty deeds like lying and twisting his words until they become something beautiful and distracting.

He was able to fool me once, but I’m smarter now.

I’ve been bruised by love and I…

I don’t realize I’m crying until I taste something salty on my lips. The phone shakes in front of me because I’m trembling so hard.

It rings again.

Max.

I wish I could turn it off completely, but I don’t want to risk missing an emergency call from Beth’s school.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I set the phone back in my purse, dry my face, and pop my car open. The auto shop looms before me with its giant doors and shiny glass panes.

My thoughts turn to Max again.

I officially step down from Stinton Group.

His voice hadn’t wavered while he made the announcement, but it must have cut him to even utter that sentence. He shut his eyes to decency and let the darkness consume him just to protect that company. He worked like a maniac to bring Stinton Group to the heights of power. And it’s a legacy he protects at all costs, even if it means tearing someone else down.

Now he’s just… letting it go?

Do not let him get to you, Dawn.

I force myself to keep moving even though all I want to do is drop to my haunches and cry. That first step is hard, but I keep putting one foot in front of the other until I’m standing in the garage.

Marco and the other mechanics all stop what they’re doing to watch me.

Clint pokes his head out of his office. The moment he sees me, he gives me an up-and-down survey. It’s my first time arriving at the garage in ‘casual’ clothes. No matter how packed my schedule, I’ve always worn my over-alls or a jumper when I go to the shop.

It’s a habit. Just being near a car makes my hands itch to get under the hood and diagnose it. I’ve never missed an opportunity to work in the garage.

Except today, I didn’t come to tinker with an engine.

I came to hand in my resignation.

Clint glances at the envelope in my hands and his face turns pasty white. Flinging his arm toward his office, he croaks, “Let’s talk in here.”

The entire workshop stops and stares at me.

I give Marco and the guys a nod before trailing my manager into the office.

Clint flops into his chair and wags a finger at the envelope. “Does it have to come to this, Banner? Do you have to walk away when this place is perfect for you?”

“I can fix cars anywhere,” I say, playing with the edge of the envelope.

“You told me once that Cross Roads Auto felt like home.” His eyes burn into me. “Has that changed because the name became Stinton Auto?”

“I wasn’t at home because of the shop, Clint. It was because of you.”

His eyes flicker. His throat bobs.

“You looked after me without making it seem like you thought I was weaker. You allowed me to bring Beth here in the evenings so I could keep an eye on her and have peace of mind. You treated us like your family—”

“You are family, Banner. Which is why I can’t accept this.” He shakes his head.

“You don’t have a choice, Clint.”

“Can’t I change your mind? Even if this place is owned by Stinton Group, it’s managed by me. I wanted someone I could trust to take over.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t work under Stinton Group any longer.”

“So no more commercials?”

“No.” I shake my head. I don’t care what Max says. If he tries to push the contract at me, I’ll shred it into tiny pieces and shove it down his throat.

“What are you going to do now?” Clint asks.

“There are tons of opportunities.” My voice has a cheerful tone, but there’s a line of unease beneath it. I’ve never been good at faking how I feel. Especially in moments like this one. Especially when something this beautiful comes to an end. “Every automotive network is clamoring to give me a show. And other garages are trying to poach me left, right and center.”

Clint pools his fingers together and slides them over the desk. His pale hands are lined with callouses. Hard and square. The hands of an honest, hardworking man. Because his skin is so pale, the stains on his hand and under his fingernails are more apparent. Clint doesn’t bother to scrub it off anymore. It’s there. Like a part of him. A tattoo of love and labor.

“Banner, I ask you to think this through.” He spreads his hands toward me. “Please. I don’t want you to make a permanent decision on a temporary feeling.”

“I have thought it through.” My chin wobbles but I still push it up. “Nothing’s going to change my mind.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t be. I have more job offers than I know what to do with.” I slide the resignation toward him.

“I’m not talking about what you’ll do next. You’re smart and you’ll succeed at anything you put your mind to.”

My heart thumps. “Thank you, Clint.”

“What I’m talking about is suddenly cutting ties with Stinton Group.”

I stiffen. “It’s not going to be a problem.”

I hope.

“The company was brutal enough to send that binder here. They wanted you to find out what Stinton had done in the most cruel way possible. If they can do something like that, if they can play dirty games like that, what else are they capable of?”

“I’m not afraid of them.” If Max tries to keep me locked in the contract after what he did to me, he’s not even human. “I’ve never been afraid of Stinton Group and their corruption. Max can—”

“You think I’m worried about Max Stinton?”

I blink slowly.

Clint huffs out a breath that shakes his entire body. “Oh no, Banner. This is way beyond Max Stinton.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you seriously not see it? That bomb wasn’t for you. It was for him.”

His words slam me down like a wrestler dragging his opponent to the mat.

A light bulb goes off.

Clint’s right. I was too emotional to recognize it, but the way the binder got into my hands was strange. It very clearly wasn’t Max’s doing. Someone wanted me to find out who he really was and what he’d done. They were weaponizing Max’s secrets. Turned it into a bomb that exploded between us both. It doesn’t make Max any less guilty, but it does prove that I can’t let my guard down thinking this is over.

“Whatever Max Stinton did and whatever darkness is inside him, there’s someone above him that would make Max look like a Boy Scout.” Clint taps his finger on the desk. “Do you understand me? There’s someone even worse than Max Stinton who has you in his crosshairs now. And he just took out the one man who was capable of protecting you.”

I shudder. “You saw the press conference too?”

“It’s everywhere. Max Stinton resigning from Stinton Group is like a chocolate M&M turning into a skittle. Doesn’t make sense.”

I blow out a breath as my mind whirs.

Clint’s chair creaks in the silence. He gets up and rounds the desk. “Dawn,” he calls my name softly, “I don’t know what happened between you two, but… are you sure that Max Stinton was the one who gave those orders?”

“Yes.” I swallow past the lump in my throat.

“I’m guessing you two aren’t together anymore.”

I blink rapidly. “I’d be crazy if I was still with him.”

“How have you been handling?”

“Great.”

Awful.

I can’t sleep.

I can’t eat.

I’m putting on a brave face for my daughter but, inside, I feel hollowed out.

At least I haven’t cried anymore. Seems like I emptied my entire body of tears that day in the farmhouse.

“You know that I’ve got your back, right? Whatever you need.”

I smile painfully.

“No matter what the Stintons try to do, I’m here for you. We’re here for you. We might not be a big conglomerate with an army of lawyers, but we protect our own. Just because we fix things for a living doesn’t mean we don’t know how to burn things down.”

I laugh. “If I were a hugger, I’d give you a big one right now.”

“It’s alright. I feel it in here.” He taps his chest. Slowly, painfully, Clint reaches over the desk and takes my resignation. “You’ll always have a home here, Banner.”

I sniff and turn away from him.

This garage was my refuge but now, when I see this place, the glass pane looking out of Clint’s office, the lift and the tool trolley, all I see is Max.

There’s a black van waiting outside my apartment when I get home.

I give the strange vehicle a stink eye. It’s taking up three parking spaces.

Talk about obnoxious.

I climb out of my truck and give the van a wide berth as I head toward my building. Suddenly, the van door screeches open and two bulky men leap out.

My alarm bells start wailing.

I dig my fingers into my purse, taking stock of them from the corner of my eye. The beefy guys are heading right for me.

Is this a kidnapping in the middle of the day?

I quicken my steps, my eyes on the front door and my heart pounding desperately. What if Clint was right about someone above Max wreaking even more havoc on my life? What if the lines that mysterious ‘big boss’ draws are worse than Max’s rock bottom decision-making?

The men are practically breathing down my neck.

I’m still too far from the door.

Deciding retreat isn’t going to work for me, I whirl around and swing my purse at the beefy guy on the left. My bag connects with his shoulder and bounces off him like a penny at the base of a mountain.

The musclehead doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he studies me. “Ms. Banner?”

Fear builds in the back of my throat, but they haven’t nabbed me yet. Maybe there’s still time for me to outsmart them and make a run for it.

“Who’s asking?” I snap.

“George Stinton. He would like to have a word with you.”

Everything in my body goes still.

George Stinton? I’ve heard that name before. Long ago, when I was doing my research on Stinton Group to find a way to get in touch with Trevor, I looked up the company. George Stinton was plastered all over the company website. There was even a video of him talking about how he ‘took a small loan of five hundred grand’ and ‘built this company from the ground up’.

Rich kids.

“Here.” Musclehead Number Two lifts a cell phone at me.

I take it hesitantly. So far, I’m not getting body-snatching, kidnapper vibes from them. If their intent was to abduct me, they would have done it by now.

“Hello?” I grumble.

“Ms. Banner, this is George Stinton. I’m sorry for the scary looking men in front of you. I would have sent a nicer welcoming party, but I didn’t think you’d pay as much attention.”

My nostrils flare. “So you sent your goons to try and intimidate me?”

“Are you intimidated? I sincerely doubt that.” He chuckles.

I hate him on sight.

Well, technically I haven’t seen him yet.

I hate him at first sound then. His voice is a thick and scratchy worm in my ears. There’s a seedy undertone as well, as if he’s spent too much time in a musty cell, cooking up ways to wreak havoc on the city.

“I’d like to have a meeting with you. I simply sent a car and a few companions.” Stinton laughs. “Do you have time, Ms. Banner?”

“If I said I didn’t?”

“I’d ask you, politely, to make time.”

“I don’t work for Stinton Group anymore.”

“Oh, on the contrary, Ms. Banner, I have a contract in front of me that says you do.”

My body goes rigid.

My breath hitches.

Did Max hand the contract over to his dad? Did he run and spill all about Beth the moment our relationship crashed and burned? Is this his revenge?

A blistering rage bubbles in my chest. I don’t want to believe it. I hope the man I fell for isn’t such a backstabbing beast, but I can’t even find a convincing argument. Max lied to me. Who’s to say he isn’t that cold and heartless?

“Get in the car, Ms. Banner.”

“My afro can’t fit in a burlap sack. In case you were thinking of trying to put something over my head,” I bite out.

He laughs. “Oh, I can see why Max was so enchanted by you. What a biting wit you have.”

“I have biting teeth too. In case you want to test me.”

His chuckle makes me want to stick a pen in his shoulder. Not enough to make him bleed. Just enough to make him bawl out in pain and acknowledge his own mortality.

“I’m looking forward to this, Ms. Banner.”

The line goes dead.

Stomach roiling, I follow the beefy men to their van and get inside. There’s no blindfold or burlap sack over my head. Instead, there’s sparkling water, champagne and snacks in the back of the luxury van. The vehicle seems like one that transports celebrities. The windows are tinted and there’s so much room in front of me that I could fit a bathtub between me and the front seat.

I don’t touch any of the snacks.

I’m not in Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage.

I’m in a gilded cage.

On my way to Stinton Group, I text Sunny and Kenya to let them know where I am. Just in case my body washes up in the river tonight.

The muscleheads escort me all the way to Max’s office, as if they’re afraid I’ll vanish if they take their eyes off me for a second. I guess a man as calculated as George Stinton would assume I’d be the type of guest who’d run.

Which I would.

As I walk down the familiar hallway, I grit my teeth and force myself not to think about Max. Or why George Stinton is using Max’s office to hold his meetings. Or why Hills looks at me with surprise in his eyes when he sees me being escorted in by the beefy guys.

Without a word, Max’s best friend ducks his head and pretends he didn’t see anything.

A flash of hurt zips through me.

Yeah, I know Hills and I aren’t exactly friends, but the fact that he doesn’t care at all about what’s happening is a blow.

I have enemies on all sides here in Stinton Group.

One of the beefy guys opens the door and I strut inside. Sure, I might be shaking slightly, but I’m not going to let George Stinton see. He already thinks he has the upper hand because of that stupid contract. I have to make him see that I’m not some doll he can jerk around.

“Ms. Banner.” A tall man with greying hair and Max’s sharp blue eyes lounges behind the desk. He unfolds himself from the chair and prowls toward me with the grace of an aging panther.

I can see why Max’s mother would fall in love with him. He’s practically rolling in dark charisma.

There’s a similar intensity in Max, but it’s tempered by the tiny glimmer of kindness that Stinton Group never managed to snuff out. While Max had some lines he wouldn’t cross, I get the feeling that his father would cross all of them and laugh about it.

“Don’t look at me with such fierce eyes, Ms. Banner, I’m not going to hurt you. Why would I? When you’ve done such good for Stinton Group. When you’re family.”

My eyebrow pops so high it almost explodes off my face. I jut a finger to the space between us. “We are not family.”

“On the contrary, my granddaughter is the tie holding our little world together. That’s especially true for Trevor.”

I start trembling at the mention of Beth. “I don’t care who you are, you conniving old man. You do not talk about my daughter as if she’s a bargaining chip.”

“Oh? But it was fine when Max did it?” He chuckles and leans against his desk. “You know, Ms. Banner, I really don’t respect a hypocrite.”

The poison-tipped arrow hits its target. I flinch. “What do you want?”

“I gave you a few days to settle in to the new normal, but now it’s time for us to work out our next steps. I’d like to discuss what happens next between you, Trevor and Stinton Auto.”

“There is no me and Trevor.”

“According to the paternity test that you will be legally obligated to take, there is.” He smiles sharply. It’s the bloody grin of a lion who just tore into an innocent gazelle, dangerous and disarming.

I knew I was walking into a trap.

Panic billows in my heart. I latch on to anything I can to keep the upper hand even though it feels like I’m grasping at straws. “That contract protects Beth. It says that she shouldn’t be mentioned to the press or to the family.”

“Ms. Banner,” he picks up the contract and dangles it in front of me, “you really should read the fine print before you sign things.” His eyes glitter. “It’s true that we can’t mention anything about Beth to the press, but you can. And you will. Unless you want us to start talking about custody battles and lawyers.”

I can’t breathe. Even so, I don’t waver and fight back with all my might. “Trevor is a train wreck. No self-respecting judge will give him parental rights.”

“No, but we can make it very ugly, very quick. We can start pulling out your dirty laundry one-by-one. And then we can go to your dad’s laundry. Re-open that investigation on how your mom died in that car accident. Didn’t he always believe it was his fault for misdiagnosing her car and sending her out into an icy night?”

I launch myself at his desk. “The police cleared him of the charges.”

“Yes, but he always carried that guilt with him, didn’t he? Wondering if the police were wrong and if the accident was his fault.”

My body trembles.

The owner of Stinton Group is dirtier than I could have ever imagined and the depths he’d go just to get his way makes me shudder.

“I was right to keep Beth away from this family. You’re all disgusting, low-down animals.”

“No, Ms. Banner, we’re your disgusting in-laws. For as long as you and Trevor both shall live.” He chuckles. “Or at least, for as long as I hold on to this contract.” He taps the page. “You are the face of Stinton Auto. And Trevor is the new CEO of that company. Whether you like it or not, you are contractually obligated to do interviews with him. And if the interviewer happens to bring up your daughter, you’re going to answer in a manner that is positive for Stinton Group and for Trevor. Are you understanding the picture I’m painting?”

I am.

And it’s like a noose tightening around my neck.

When Max had control of me, the rope wasn’t so itchy. It didn’t burn. There was still room to breathe.

But George Stinton is out for blood.

I won’t have anything left when he’s through with me and, even then, he’ll find a way to pick off my carcass and make a stew of my bones.

I don’t have a choice.

“That’s right.” He croons like a vet who just shot a frantic horse with a tranq. “You’re a smart woman, Ms. Banner. You know what you’re up against here.” He flutters the contract again and tucks it into a binder. “Now, shall we discuss your first joint appearance with—”

The door bursts open before he can utter another word.

Max storms in, looking like an unleashed tiger with his blue eyes bright enough to burn me. He’s still wearing the pristine grey suit from the press conference, but his hair is wind-torn and limp. I look closer and notice the sweat dripping all over his forehead in punishing drops.

Did he run here?

My heart jumps in my throat.

Oh, no.

I’m not looking at Max to save me.

I’m not going to give him that benefit of the doubt.

Stupidity doesn’t look good on me.

Neither does blind hope.

He walks forward.

Every step drives me further and further into a whiplash of confusion and longing.

He lied to me.

But screw it.

I’m happy to see him because the devil I know is better than the devil I don’t.

Max stops in front of me, his blue eyes tearing me apart. “Dawn.” He says my name so raggedly, so intently, that it turns me inside out. “Are you okay?”

I glare at him.

George Stinton keeps his cool, but there’s a tremor of displeasure in his voice when he says, “What are you doing here, Max? I don’t remember inviting you to this meeting.”

Max ignores his father.

His gaze remains on me for a beat—long, heavy and assessing, as if he wants my fury to burn him. As if he wants to feel that pain.

That look sears me all the way to my heart and it feels like he’s touching me even though he hasn’t moved his arm once.

Finally, he turns to his father. “I told you not to drag her into this.” His voice is darker and harsher than I’ve ever heard it. It makes me shudder.

George Stinton sighs heavily. “You’re the one who dragged her into this, Max. Now, I’m here. And you’re no longer a part of Stinton Group. This matter doesn’t concern you.” He juts his chin at the door. “Leave before I have you escorted out.”

“Actually, there’s something I need to discuss with Ms. Banner.”

The tension in the room spikes to a dangerous level.

“You don’t have anything to discuss with her.” George Stinton pins Max with steely eyes. “Didn’t you renege all rights when you officially resigned?”

I gasp. So… Max isn’t in cahoots with his father.

He really cut off ties with Stinton Group and walked away?

“I might not be involved in Stinton Group’s affairs anymore, but this pertains to Ms. Banner and the contract.” He marches past his father, brushes the old man back and opens a drawer. Pulling something out of the depths, he lifts it to the light. “Before I left, I knew I needed to tie up loose ends.” He snaps the drawer shut and walks over to me. “Ms. Banner,” he places the document in my hands while staring me in the eyes, “I officially release you from your duties as the face of Stinton Auto. You have more than fulfilled your contractual obligation and as promised in the original contract, no one from Stinton Group is allowed to come near you again. I’ve also forwarded the compensation for your efforts to your bank account.”

My fingers close over the document, but I don’t look at it. I’m stuck staring at Max. On the phone screen, he’d looked as intimidating and dominant as ever. But up close? He looks… horrible. Like he hasn’t slept a wink in weeks. Dark bags hug his eyes and wrinkles that were never there before deepen around his lips.

“You can’t do that!” George Stinton sputters. “You have no authority. Ms. Banner made a contract with Stinton Group, not with you personally.”

“I had authority when I drafted the contract. And I had authority yesterday when I got this document notarized. The one who represented Stinton Group until,” he checks his watch, “three hours ago, was me.” Max turns and gives his father a hard stare. In quiet, cool tones, he growls, “You don’t get to tug her around anymore, dad.”

A flush spreads over George Stinton’s cheeks. “You think this will end here, Max? Do you think resigning from Stinton Group makes you any less of a Stinton? You can’t shift loyalties this late in the game. No matter what sweet nectar you think is between her legs, it won’t change the fact that you are and will always be a Stinton. You will always belong to this family.”

“I belong to myself,” Max says firmly.

My heart skips a beat.

He stands straight and tall, pushing through his exhaustion to fight his father.

For me.

I don’t want my heart to flutter, but it does.

Clearing my throat, I step forward. “Mr. Stinton, I went along with your ridiculous kidnapping today because you are, technically, Beth’s grandfather. However, if you come after my child, I will stop at nothing to hunt out every dirty deed you’ve ever done in your life. I will plaster it over the newspapers and online and on every hilltop I can find. You made me into a star. You made me Stinton Group’s darling, and I will use the fame you gave me to rip this company to shreds, even if it means I get burned in the process too.”

His eyes almost bulge out of his head.

He looks like he wants to throw a stapler at me.

I hold my ground. “I’m going to assume this talk about ‘owning me’ is over,” I flap the new contract the way he did the old one, “since you love and respect legal documents so much, I’m sure you’re not going to contest this.”

Chest heaving, George Stinton stalks past me and stops in front of Max. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“No, we won’t.” Max frowns. “We have nothing more to talk about.”

George Stinton laughs, but it’s devoid of all humor and joy. He points a finger at me. “Don’t blame me for what happens next.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Just wait and see.”

I scowl as he flees the office like the coward he is.

Silence descends, swift and heavy.

I look into Max’s eyes.

He saved me yet again.

My heart is pounding and I’m grateful, but I still taste the burn of his lies on my tongue.

Nothing’s changed.

He still lied to me.

And I still don’t trust him with my daughter or my heart.