“You’re on speakerphone,” she mentions. “Max is here also.”
“So you two decided it was a good idea to go off and elope?” Doug says, his voice changing to serious.
“It wasn’t like that,” I chime in. “It happened and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I know this will not go well with the association.” I look at my wife. “But it is what it is. I don’t give a shit if we tell the press or not.”
“It’s too late about that. There was a picture circulating already. I just want to congratulate you both and wish you nothing but happiness. Allison, I take it you will handle the press?” he says. “Now I have to go. Somehow the kids seem to think that finger painting my walls with my shaving cream is a good idea.” He hangs up.
“So which one do you like better?” she asks as she shows me two pictures of us. “I like this one,” she says as she shows me a picture of the two of us standing on the terrace, her hand on my chest with her ring showing, as my hand hangs from her shoulder, my ring showing also.
“I don’t care, angel.”
She starts typing and then shows me.
#MadMax is officially off the market. Max Horton wed girlfriend Allison Grant yesterday in an intimate ceremony. The couple is excited for this next chapter in their life.
“Send the picture to Denise also, please. She is probably pissed that we didn’t tell her,” I say as there is a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Allison says and Parker comes in and closes the door behind her.
“Andre said to tell you that everything is set up.” She wrings her hands together nervously. “Max, I know that we don’t know each other, and I know that we started off on the wrong foot. And I totally understand if you don’t want us here. You just have to understand that Matthew is used to protecting her, so it’s hard for him to let go,” she says with tears.
I look at her and then at Allison, who is wiping away a tear. “I have a sister also. Our mother, she’s a drunk. Our father took off when we were kids,” I start out saying as Allison sits next to me and holds my hand. “She got married to not only a drunk but a drug user. When my sister was sixteen he tried to rape her.” I look at Allison, who puts her hand in front of her mouth. “It’s not my story to tell, but she called me and I went there. It was right after the rape charges. I was already skating on thin ice with the Stingers. Well, I went there and I beat him to a pulp, his face all bloodied and broken, my knuckles bleeding and sore. I just couldn’t stop hitting him. The only thing in mind was the sound of Denise’s wails. My mother, who yelled and screamed the whole time, called the cops on me. Doug came, bailed me out, and made sure that Denise was taken care of. From that day, it’s been just the two of us. I have no idea where my mother is or even if she’s alive, but I know that I would have done the same thing Matthew did if Denise went off with someone and eloped.”
“Max,” Parker says from her standing place, “will you make sure that my daughter is happy?”
I nod. “Every single day.”
“Would you do whatever it takes to protect her?” she asks.
“With everything that I have.”
“Do you love her, so much that your heart hurts when you are fighting? Do you love her so much, you would try and give her family a chance to be part of your life? Do you love her?” She stands there, five foot two, back straight, head high, asking me these things.
“With your daughter I can breathe easy. With her, I can smile just because. With her I know what love is.” I look down at Allison. “With her love I know that I can face anything, even the wrath of Matthew and Cooper.”
She is about to say something else when there is another knock at the door. This time Cooper walks in.
“So Karrie is sitting down at the table and has already started eating. I will add she is eating for two, but I’m afraid there will be nothing left if you guys don’t get out there.” Then he looks at the tears on his wife’s face and then at the tears on his daughter’s. “What’s the matter?” he asks as he takes his wife in his arms.
“I’m just asking my son-in-law some questions.” She smiles at her husband. “I’m starving and exhausted. Let’s leave Max to get dressed and go make sure she doesn’t eat all the food.”