Saving This (The McCallans #5) (17 page)

He pulled the truck into the garage, parking next to the other vehicle already inside. It was a midnight blue ’69 Chevelle SS 454. Anna was eyeing it as Max held open her door. Normally it would be covered in a car sheet, but he’d driven it not long ago and failed to swathe his baby before leaving it.

“Another one in the family?” she asked, eyeing him with a smirk. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“The muscle car infatuation? Oh, yes. I had this one before Teague and Jay restored their first Boss. All of us worked on this baby two years before.”

She walked around the car as Max flipped on the garage light and pressed for the rollup door to shut. “It’s beautiful. I don’t know anything about cars, really, but I appreciate the value of the classics.”

He was listening, but at the same time admiring the two beauties in the same space. His car was dark and beastly; Anna—with her blonde hair, gorgeous skin, and brilliant white smile—was almost the opposite. She was so chill and easy going, he could totally picture how much fun she would have riding in this car. Opposite splendor. He could also picture her sitting on his lap and—

Her dark eyes appeared right in front of him. She seemed to know he’d zoned out on her but didn’t make mention of it. Instead she just smiled at him.

He grabbed her wrist and gently yanked her toward him until her chest was pressed up against him. He took her hat and flipped it backwards, pulling her mouth against his. He could taste memories from last night just by kissing her. Her soft skin, the way she touched him, and the way it felt to be inside her… His reaction to her was instant, and she pressed her hand against his cock to let him know she wanted more.

Taking her hand, he pulled her into the house. “Let me give you a tour. But this kind of tour will be one-of-kind,” he winked.

Chapter Twenty

“Explain.” Craig dropped a pile of tabloids on the coffee table, visibly irritated. His surprise visit to Max’s Malibu mansion really wasn’t much of a surprise.

Max leaned forward on the couch with his cup of tea in-hand. He did a quick perusal of the covers, immediately getting an idea of why his father was so disgruntled. There were photos of Max, of Anna, of him
with
Anna…

“Anna’s my girlfriend,” he stated. And it felt damn fucking good to just say it out loud.

His dad sat in the seat across from him, his eyes never leaving Max’s face. “Is that so.”

Taking a careful sip of tea, Max sat back against the couch again. “Yes, it is so. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now.”

His father’s silence was expected, but to Max’s surprise, Craig didn’t look upset anymore. “I guess it’s not the most horrible thing,” he finally concluded.

“Not horrible, huh? Come on, Dad. I don’t care about social pairing.”

“Yes, I’ve gathered that. What I mean is, she’s cute. It’s a change from the dolled-up Barbies. I like it. Something fresh, new, and definitely a bit…soft.”

“Soft?”

“Yes,
soft
. Show people your generous side.”

Max shook his head at this point and set his mug on the table. “This is not for the public. I don’t give a fuck what my relationship with Anna ‘says’ about me. And if you think this is a fucking
opportunity
to improve my image, you can kiss my ass. You and Grandpa already put her in the tabloids with Tyse last year. Now you can deal with the rumors that she’s back for another shot at one of us.”

Craig sighed, which was somewhat shocking to Max. His father rarely ever showed signs of meekness. He leaned forward onto his knees and steepled his fingers together. “Tell me what’s going on, Max. Three months without work, you turn down every offer you receive, and you’ve become a surly little shit to me. I’m not mad. I promise you, I’m not. I just want to understand.”

Max took a moment to measure his father’s words. “Are you actually going to
try
understanding, or are you going to interject your opinions into my life anyway? I assure you, this is not a ‘phase’.”

The quiet hum of silence made for a distressing wait as Craig looked him over while calculating his words. At last he replied, “I will listen. I’ll give you that. It doesn’t mean I have to agree with you. But if you’re set on leaving McC Studios for good, I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I’ve given you an explanation but you don’t seem to think I’m serious. I want to pursue other things right now. And that includes staying out of the spotlight.”

“So you’re willing to walk away from everything?”

“You really think me stepping back is going to wipe me off the grid completely? God, Dad…
I wish
. But it’s not that simple.”

“You
wish
?” he repeated, clearly aghast. With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead with both hands. “Then why the big ordeal of leaving the studio? You can pursue other things without cutting your ties completely. And you’re telling me you have absolutely no desire to act, direct, produce…
any
of that?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I truly do enjoy that.
But as a career.
It’s not all of who I am. I’m tired, Dad. I really am. I’m tired of calculating every fucking thing I have to say, who I’m around, and where I’m seen. I’m just
tired
.”

“I’m fifty-five years old but do you see me with my tail between my legs? It’s your rite of passage. You were born a McCallan and you were born with the privilege of being able to offset all of that! Look at where you live,” he motioned to their surroundings. “You have the funds to take care of yourself however the hell you want.”

“And it’s been fine up until this point, but you have
got to back off
.”

“You can have anything you want. You’ve got a goddamn personal assistant to take care of anything you need her to and you leave her flailing around on her own because she doesn’t know what to fucking do with herself. You’ve got a personal security detail, a personal chef, and a personal trainer—all of whom you continue to ignore. You’ve got housekeepers who are at least somewhat employed. They’ve got this place to upkeep for you. Look at this house you live in!”

“I don’t need it. Honestly, it’s the least of my concerns.”

“Wow, okay.” Sarcasm at its finest. “And your twenty percent?”

“I don’t want that either. And I
don’t want it to go to my son
.” He noticed the look of surprise on his father’s face, now aware that Max knew about his little business objective. “I don’t care what your reasons are, but I want you to fix it. I don’t want Chase’s future to be designed by other people.”

“Like yours was?”

His father said this as a spiteful dig back, but Max wouldn’t take it that way. Yes, he’d grown up privileged, but his future wasn’t set in stone.

“Yes, like mine was. And I don’t resent that, by the way. But I do want to take some time to reassess my life, stay out of the public’s eye for a bit, and enjoy my privacy with Anna.”

“What about presenting at the AMAs?” his father asked smugly, like he knew there was still some kind of hold over his son.

“I’m not backing out of prior commitments. I will gladly fulfill that responsibility. I’m talking about things I don’t want to be a part of. I don’t want to direct this movie you’ve got in your hands. It isn’t the direction I want to go. Why can’t you branch out and network with another director for it? What about Pratt? He’d be a perfect fit.”

“And answer question after question as to why my son backed out of our movie?”

“You haven’t even released any information on it. No one will know the difference.” Max didn’t like the look on his father’s face, which made his stomach drop. “You already did?”

“Of course I did! We’re set to start filming in a month. The cast already has their scripts. I can see
you
haven’t bothered to look at it. Your fucking name is all over it!”

Max massaged his temples with frustration, but was still unwilling to budge. “I’m not changing my mind. You’re gonna have to deal with it because I’m already booked with something else.”

Craig leaned forward on the couch. “With what?” he demanded.

“Before I share any of my plans with you, you need to make this right. Respect my choice to do something different and stay out of my decisions.”

“What in the fuck has gotten into you?” Craig asked as he stood. “Are you really willing to do this to yourself?” He scoffed and Max thought he heard him mumble, “Both sons fucking me over,
unbelievable
.”

Max stood. “I’m sorry it’s so difficult for you to understand we have other goals than yours. Maybe with time you’ll be able to—”

“I’m firing all of your staff tomorrow since you seem so adamant about separating yourself from me. I’ve employed them to make your life easier, and if you’re not grateful for what your success has brought you, you can do everything on your own from now on. See how you like
that
for your goals.” He stormed out of the room.

When the front door slammed shut, the house became uncomfortably quiet. Max stood in silence for a few seconds, a mix of disappointment and anger brewing inside of him. He was somewhat surprised by his dad’s reaction, but on the other hand, believed he wasn’t serious enough to follow through. He’d most likely regret his immature performance in the morning.

Before turning for the stairs, he saw Gretchen stopped near the kitchen with a drink in her hand, as if she’d been on her way in to deliver Craig his usual glass of pricey bourbon. Max could tell she’d heard what his father had said by the way she hung her head and turned away like she hadn’t.

He changed his direction and entered the kitchen behind her. He would have told her to just dump the drink down the sink, but she was already pouring it back into the decanter at the wet bar.

“Would you like something, sir?” she asked, turning to face him respectfully.

With a sigh, Max shook his head. “No thank you, Gretchen. And could you please stop calling me ‘sir’?”

“Mr. McCallan.”

He gave her a look that said, “Are you kidding me?” but saw she was trying to hide a smile.

“You know it’s in my terms of employment,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“And you know my dad is an asshole,” he countered.

She chuckled but quickly recovered as she washed the glass that was in her hand. “He’s right, you know. He hired me, he can fire me.”

“You’re an amazing house manager. He’s not going to fire you.”

“It’s not beneath him enough to do such a thing, sir—eh, Mr…”

“Call me Max. Please?” She didn’t respond. In fact, she pressed her lips together tightly to prove she wouldn’t commit such a sin. “You either call me by my first name, or
I
will be the one firing you,” he joked.

She only smiled as she dried the glass and set it with the others at the wet bar.

He actually knew quite a bit about the staff that worked for him. He didn’t believe his father knew anything other than their last names that were signed on the confidentiality agreements. Those who worked for the McCallans may not realize it, but Max was a silent observer. He tried to maintain a decent detached distance, but it was hard not to be aware of facts because he genuinely cared.

It was probably a bad idea to cross those boundaries with his father’s employees, but it was too hard to forget his own past—the days with Teague where they’d harass their bodyguards or house staff with jests and crass humor. There were times where Max and Teague had more fun with their paid personnel than with people they were actually related to. And when Jay joined the unruliness more often in their late teens… Good God, they were probably the most annoying trio of boys to deal with. Sometimes he couldn’t blame his father for being so strict with them.

Max cleared his throat as if to erase his thoughts of such painfully enjoyable memories.

“How is your daughter doing at Colorado State?” he asked.

Gretchen paused after turning to face him. But she lowered her eyes as soon as she caught herself staring too long. Max knew the deal. Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t speak unless spoken to… It was all part of the ridiculous list of do’s and don’ts his dad required of employees. It was like they were all expected to be emotionless robots.

“She’s doing very well,” she nodded. “Thank you for asking.”

“What’s she studying again? Was it physical therapy?”

Surprised, Gretchen nodded. “Yes, she wants to be a physical therapist.”

“What’s she got left, two years?” He was trying to do the math in his head, but regretfully couldn’t remember if Gretchen’s daughter was in her second or third year.

“She might graduate in the spring.”

“Really,” he stated, wondering how the time had gone by so quickly.

Then he zoned in on the word ‘might’ and wanted to ask what that meant, but the doorbell rang and Gretchen hurried to answer it. Within a few seconds Max could decipher who was entering the house when he heard a familiar voice say, “He better be here.”

Kate.

With a silent groan, he clenched his jaw to prepare himself for whatever mood she was in today, but most importantly, why the hell she was coming inside his house. She rarely ever came in to speak to him.

Max rounded the corner just as Kate was headed for the kitchen with Chase in tow, and seeing his son dissolved any previous irritation he’d had.

“Daddy!” A smile lit up his face as he jumped up in down with excitement. It was an amazing sight, and it seemed as if Chase was not only getting a bit more comfortable around him, but was happy to be around him.

“Hey buddy, how are you?” Max knelt down to Chase’s level to receive a hug, and then scooped him up. God the kid looked a whole two inches taller than a month ago! Looking into his son’s dark brown eyes—eyes that perfectly matched his mother’s—he was about to ask what he’d been up to lately when Kate spoke.

“I need to go out of town for a while.” She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and waited for his reaction.

If Kate Donnelly had been smiling, it would have been an entirely different person standing in front of him. There was no doubt the woman was beautiful on the outside, but there were so many ugly traits inside of her, Max could only see those instead. It wasn’t just the rich and famous that were stereotyped to be pompous and superior. It was also the wicked hearts of those who only sought out a shallow life for themselves.

Greed and callousness didn’t fall into a particular income bracket.

“You don’t even have to ask,” Max replied. “Of course he can stay with me.”

She narrowed her bitchy gaze at him. “For one, I wasn’t asking because he’s your son; and another, we apparently need to go over certain ground rules again.”

It was the same bullshit she always brought up, and because they rarely spoke but a few words about Chase’s pick-up and drop-off between the two of them, this was a bad sign.