Rogue

trip.

They dropped the architect off in London, and then flew to the Azores, and from there to St. Bart's. Arabella loved his house there, and a week later they took off on his boat. It was the largest sailboat she had ever seen, and they headed for the Grenadine Islands, just north of Venezuela. She had had to reorganize all her portrait sitting sessions to be with him, and travel with him, but it was worth it. She lay naked on the sun deck with him, as they glided quietly through the transparent green waters. It was February by then, and they both agreed it was the perfect life. It was snowing everywhere else in the world but eternal summer for them. Best of all, it was the summer of their love.

Maxine was walking through snowdrifts then on the way to her office, and she was busier than ever. She'd had a number of new referrals, and a rash of school shootings around the country had her flying to several cities to consult with teams of psychiatrists and local authorities about how to deal with the children who'd been involved.

In her personal life, things were going well with Charles. The winter was flying by. And even Daphne was settling down. She and Charles might never be best friends, but she had stopped making overtly rude comments about him, and once in a while she even let her guard down when he was around, and they had a good laugh. He was making a superhuman effort with her kids. It was easiest for him with Jack and Sam, and he had taken both of them to several basketball games. Daphne was too busy with her own social life to join them, although he always invited her as well.

Maxine was extremely careful not to let them know that she and Charles were sleeping with each other. He never stayed at the apartment, except when all the kids were staying with friends. She tried to stay at his apartment once or twice a week, but she always came home before the children got up to go to school. It made for short nights for them, and very little sleep for her, but she thought it was important to do that. And once in a while, they went away for a weekend. It was the best they could do.

They had been dating for two and a half months on Valentine's Day, and Charles had made a reservation at La Grenouille. It was their favorite restaurant for dinner, and he called it their cafeteria and took her there at least once a week. He was a regular at their family dinners now on Sunday night, and he even cooked for them now and then.

Maxine was touched when she got two dozen red roses from him at the office on Valentine's Day. The note said simply “I love you. C.” He was a very sweet man. Her secretary brought them in with a big smile. She liked Charles too. And Maxine wore a new red dress for dinner with him that night. He told her she looked great when he picked her up, and Sam made a face when Charles kissed her when he arrived, but they were used to it by now.

It was a perfect evening, and Charles came upstairs afterward. She poured him a glass of brandy, and they sat in the living room, as they often did, talking about what was going on in their lives. He was fascinated by her work, and after the recent school shootings, she was scheduled to speak to Congress again. This time he was going to come. He told her he was proud of her, and then he reached up and took her hand. The children were all sound asleep.

“I love you, Maxine,” he said gently, and she smiled at him. She had finally broken through that barrier herself, particularly once she felt that he was making a real effort with her kids.

“I love you too, Charles. Thank you for a lovely Valentine's Day.” She hadn't had one like that in years. Their relationship worked perfectly for her. Not too much, not too little, he didn't monopolize her time, and she could count on seeing him several times a week. And she still had plenty of time for her work and her children. It was exactly what she wanted.

“The last two months have been wonderful,” he said peacefully, “the best in my life, I think.” He had far more in common with her than he had had with his wife in twenty-one years. He had realized long since that Maxine was the woman he had been waiting for all his life. He had made up his mind in the last two weeks, and he was going to share his thoughts with her tonight.

“It's great for me too,” she said, as she leaned over and kissed him. They had left the lights off in the living room, it was relaxing and romantic that way, and she could taste the brandy on his lips.

“I want to spend more time with you, Maxine. We both need to get more sleep,” he teased. “You can't keep getting up at four A.M. when we spend the night together.” They had decided against it that night in fact, because she had early patients to see the next day and so did he. Listening to him, she was suddenly afraid he wanted to move in. And she knew only too well that that would traumatize her kids. They had finally gotten used to her dating him. Living together would have been too much, and it wasn't her style. She liked the fact that she had her apartment, and he had his.

“I think this works for now,” she said quietly, and he shook his head.

“Not for me. Not in the long run. I don't think either of us are the dating type, Maxine. And I think we're old enough to know what we want and when it's right.” Her eyes opened wide as she listened to him. She didn't know what to say, or even what he was saying to her. “I knew it with you right away. We're like two peas in a pod… twins… we're both doctors. We have the same views about many things. I love your company. I'm getting used to your kids… Maxine… will you marry me?” She gave a sudden gasp at what he said and was silent for a long minute while he waited, looking down at her in the light from the street shining into the room. He could see her eyes wide with fright. “It's going to be okay. I promise. I know this is right.” She wasn't as sure. Marriage was forever. She had thought it would be with Blake too, and it wasn't. How could she be sure of that now with Charles?

“Now? It's so soon, Charles… it's only been two months.”

“Two and a half,” he corrected. “I think we both know it's right.” She thought that too, but even if it was, it was too early for her kids. She knew that for sure. She couldn't tell them she was marrying him. Not yet. They'd go nuts.

“I think the children need more time,” she said gently. “And we do too. Forever is a long time, and neither of us wants to make a mistake. We've done that before.”

“We don't want to wait forever either. I want to live with you,” he said softly, “as your husband.” It was what so many women wanted, a man who offered marriage in months, and meant it. And she knew Charles did. But she had to mean it too, and she wasn't ready. “What do you want to do?”

She was thinking quickly. She was surprised to realize that she didn't want to turn him down, but she wasn't ready to marry him yet either. She had to be sure. “I'd like to wait to tell the children till June. That's six months from when we started. That's respectable. They'll be out of school then, and if it throws them for a loop, they can deal with it over the summer. It's too soon to tell them now.”

He looked mildly disappointed, but he was aware that she hadn't turned him down, and that pleased him immeasurably. He had been nervous about it. “And get married when?” He held his breath, waiting for the answer.

“August? That would give them two months to get used to the idea. Enough to adjust, but not enough time to really stew about it. And that's a good time for us too, before they go back to school.”

“Does everything in your life revolve around your kids, Maxine? Isn't anything just about you, or us?”

“I guess not,” she said apologetically. “But it's important that they feel comfortable about this, or it'll be harder for us,” especially for him if they objected. She was afraid they still might, even in June. They weren't going to be thrilled about it, she knew. They had just barely accepted him, and it didn't even occur to them that she might remarry. They had stopped worrying about that in the beginning, when she reassured them that she wouldn't, and she had believed it then. And now she was going to turn everything upside down with this announcement. “I want my kids to be happy too.”

“They will be eventually, once they get used to the idea,” he said firmly. “I guess I can live with a wedding in August, and telling them in June. I was hoping we could tell people right away.” He smiled at her. “This is very exciting. But I'm willing to wait!” He pulled her close to him then, and he could feel her heart beating. She was feeling skittish and scared and excited all at once. She loved him, but this was so different from what she had had with Blake. But then again, she and Charles were older and this made more sense. Charles was the kind of solid, reliable man she had always wanted, not a madman like Blake, however charming he was, that you could never count on. Charles was no rogue, he was a man. And this felt right, even if it was surprising. She had been shocked when he asked.

This all seemed so soon to Maxine, but she agreed with him. At their age, they knew what worked and what they wanted. Why waste more time?