“My pleasure.”
“Good job grabbing this bag.”
He grinned. “Video games honed my killer instincts.” She laughed and punched him lightly on the arm. “Silly.” Her smile faded as she met his gaze. “Mind if I ask you something?”
He shook his head. “Of course not.”
“I saw you look at me in a panic when that little boy grabbed your leg.”
He winced. He’d hoped he’d been subtle.
“Do you think I’m still fragile?” She bit down on her lower lip. The same lip he’d tasted earlier, and it was all he could do not to groan and kiss her again.
But this was a serious conversation. One that was long overdue since, after the night at the hospital, Keith had made certain they were never alone again. At least, that was Lucas’ take, since Maxie had avoided him like the plague… until his brother passed away. Despite her grief, she’d been less skittish around him after Keith was gone.
He grasped her hand gently. “No,” he said, forcing his mind back to her question, which he knew was important. “I don’t think you’re fragile. I didn’t think you were fragile then, either. You were just—”
“Broken,” she said softly. “And guilt-ridden.”
Her words surprised him. “Why in the world would you feel guilty? The doctor said there was nothing you could have done to change the outcome.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. “Your brother didn’t believe that. He blamed me. He said I worked too hard, and if I hadn’t been putting together the crib, there wouldn’t have been physical stress on my body and—”
“Are you kidding me?” Lucas exploded, causing people around them to stop and stare, and Maxie jerked back at his harsh tone.
“He was wrong,” Lucas said in a more modulated voice. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a minute to calm the fuck down.
She nodded in agreement, which went a long way toward chilling him out.
“I know that now,” she said. “But right after, I was so lost and depressed, searching for answers, and that was a point Keith kept hammering home. That it was my fault. Added to the postpartum depression, I couldn’t help but fall deeper into depression and guilt.”
Lucas stared down at her hand, running a thumb over her silken skin. “My brother knew how to manipulate people’s emotions and not in a good way.”
She drew a deep breath. “He was angry. Angry that I lost the baby and that I turned to you that night.”
Never mind that he hadn’t been around, Lucas thought in disgust. But he’d figured that was part of the problem. He and his brother hadn’t spoken since he’d seen Lucas at the hospital until one night when he’d been drunk and run into Lucas in the lobby. Keith had warned Lucas to stay the hell away from his wife.
“Did he take his anger out on you too?” His entire body stiffened at the thought.
“Not physically. Keith preferred mental abuse.” She shuddered at the memory. “It built up gradually, his manipulation. At first things were good. Then he started coming home later, claiming he was at work. When I figured out the truth, I confronted him. He agreed to work on the marriage. Looking back, I think things spiraled after he fell into debt. His behavior became more erratic. And I was tied to him by then, first with work, then with the pregnancy.”
Lucas inhaled, drawing a deep breath of chocolate, which served to remind him of where they were. Though they were sitting in a room full of noisy people, the world had shrunk to the two of them.
Oblivious, Maxie continued. “After that night, when he didn’t show up until the morning, reeking of booze and other women… I told him I was done. Leaving him.”
Lucas’ entire body froze. “What happened?”
Her tongue darted out, moistening her lips. “He said all it would take was a whisper or two in the right ears to let the SEC think there were violations going on at Blink. That he could derail the IPO and ruin you with one phone call.” Her fingers dug into his skin as she revealed yet another despicable layer to his brother.
“That bastard.” Every time Lucas didn’t think things could get worse, another bombshell dropped. “And you believed him.”
She lifted one shoulder. “I had no reason not to.”
So Maxie had stayed in a miserable, emotionally abusive marriage because she’d been protecting him.
And didn’t that make him feel good.
* * *