The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

Three days later Lark was stirring the sauce for spaghetti when the door of the condo opened. Margot was at the island working on an essay and waiting for dinner to be served. Lark's stomach was rolling knowing Max was being brought in by the security team after a late cardiac rehab appointment. He thought she'd gone back to Houston with her family, and she'd been incredibly careful not to let him see where she was each time they videochatted. She wanted it to be a surprise. Hopefully, it was a happy

one.

His security agent gave her a wink and a wave as he dropped Max's medications on the counter and his bag by the door. She looked over her shoulder to see Max's mouth hanging open at the sight in front of him.

"What is going on?"

"Your father took your mom to the Caribbean and removed all her electronic devices. Their house and my parent's house are on lockdown with a full security team at both locations to keep the triplets from entering it. Margot didn't want to miss any more time from school, so she is staying with us until your parents are home and your mother is sane."

"Mom was off the deep end," Margot didn't even look up from her books. "She was so wrapped up in the stupid lawsuit for the school she was making me crazy. I swear not dealing with LJ gave her more time to focus on me and I wasn't liking it. Grady took my case from her and gave it to Lark. Lark's handling it without any of mom's emotional bullshit. She was also right on the money for Mori and Ronnie. They need to stand on their own two feet, spoiled pricks," Margot grunted.

"I thought you were in Houston," Max walked towards Lark with the biggest, widest smile which put his dimples on full display as he leaned over her and looked into the pot she was stirring. "Is that Nana Prue's spaghetti recipe?"

"Yes, though adjusted for the sodium. I didn't go to Houston, but I knew you would argue with me if I told you ahead of time. I thought you and I could spend time together without everyone in our ears. You gave me a key to the condo when I was sleeping in the guest room."

"Where are you sleeping now?" His voice was hopeful, and Lark could hear the excitement trembling in it. "In the master suite where I belong," she looked up at him relishing his happiness.

"Mom argued at first," Margot piped in, "because she said she was worried I'd hear you guys fooling around until Dad said you can't get freaky for another six weeks. She didn't take kindly to me pointing out I caught them in her downstairs office not even a month ago. There isn't enough therapy in the world to fix me after seeing my mother on her knees and my father's bare ass." Margot made a loud gagging noise. Max threw his head back and laughed loudly, "god Margot. What have they exposed you to?"

"Seriously, bro, you could walk around here in your briefs, and it would be less skin than I've seen from our parents.

"I promise not to cause irreparable retinal damage." The siblings exchanged grins of shared parental grossness. He walked over and kissed the top of Margot's head, "I'm glad you're here kiddo. I'm really glad Mom is away from the triplets though."

Max kissed Lark's cheek, "this is the best surprise."

"Well, you have time to get the smell of hospital off you in the shower. Dinner which is Nana Prue's spaghetti sauce minus the copious amounts of salt she liked to put in it, garlic bread and a fresh garden salad."

"Last night," Margot gave him a wide smile, eerily like his own, as if torturing him, "we had pizza and Lark made the crust from scratch and she put so much pepperoni on it, it was delicious. I took it to school with me for my lunch."

"Is there any left?"

"Yes, and you can't have it." Lark grinned at him. "Pepperoni has a butt-ton of sodium in it."

"Aw man," he pouted.

"Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll make your mom's taco recipe. I already searched how to make it still taste good without all the salt."

"Yes!" he fist-pumped excitedly.

"Go get cleaned up for dinner."

"Yes ma'am," he kissed her cheek and then cupped her jaw, "I am so happy you are here." "What about me?" Margot teased.

"I already told you I'm happy you're here, squirt."

Thirty minutes later they were seated at the dinner table and Max was digging into his dinner with gusto. "This is way better than hospital food. I promised maman I would eat what they insisted in my deal with her, but it was horrible. I was wondering why she wasn't calling and texting me all the time. Dad really took her away?"

"Yes." Lark nodded as she twirled noodles around her fork. "Mori and Ronnie are losing their minds, but we've been asked not to interfere so if they reach out to you, don't answer. Though they probably think you're in on it if they haven't called you yet. Your mom isn't allowed to talk to them, and Fallon cut them both off. Riggs and Henri met with them and told them they had four weeks on their own to prove they weren't as messed up as LJ and if they can't get their s**t together, your dad is cutting them off completely like he did your brother. Your dad wants to prove to your mom they can be self-sufficient if they try, and she doesn't need to burn herself out. The world will still spin without her trying to control it." "s**t, Papa isn't messing around," Max grinned as if thoroughly impressed with their plan.

"No, he's not."

"Max," Margot asked quietly, "I have a science project I need help with. It's for the extracurricular class I'm taking at the college. I missed time because we were in Houston, which is why I really didn't want to miss any more. Can you help me?"

Max was beaming, "I would love to help you, Margot."

"Thanks."

Lark sat back and listened with a

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smile on her face as the two began discussing the project and what she needed to accomplish and prove in her paper. Max was relaxed and happy, his hand holding hers atop the table. His thumb was rubbing against the top of her hand. She couldn't stop thinking of how wide his smile was when he approached her at the stove earlier. She'd surprised him and it made her heart happy.

He turned his attention to her near the end of the meal, "how is Gracie making out. I can't believe you are here and not with your family there."

She nodded and took a breath, "you

are my family, Max. I love my parents and my sisters, and I want to be there for them, but this is where I want to be more. I need to be here, Dad has Mom and Fallon for support. I can actually help Dad more here by being in the office here in Dallas and helping to keep things moving. My presence at Gracie's bedside isn't going to impact her recovery but me being here, helping with your meal prep and emotionally supporting you, will impact your

recovery. I love you and this is where

I need to be."

"I love you, chère," he said smiling softly.

"You should. I'm awesome." She grinned back.

"She is awesome," Margot grinned. "She's letting me intern for her this summer. I know nothing about law, and I have no desire to be a lawyer, but she was telling me there are several corporations which use their firm for patents and stuff and its great insight to learn the process."

Max looked between them, "I was fine with coming home to an empty condo, but this is the best thing to happen in a long time. I'm so glad you're here, both of you."

"Would you like dessert?"

"I can have dessert?"

"Don't get too excited," Margot grunted, "she bought frozen yoghurt, and it has low fat and low taste. She also emptied your pantry and removed all the potato chips, candy, soda, and energy drinks. If you're looking for your bourbon and wine, she put it away."

"Why? I'm not going to drink it."

"It's a temptation. Out of sight out of mind. It was the nurse's suggestion when I talked to her yesterday." "You've been talking to my team?"

"You are the one who put me as the next of kin on your paperwork and you told the doctor they could share anything with me." She smirked.

"No regrets," he smiled at her, "but are you sure we can't have something other than low fat frozen yoghurt?"

"Vanilla too," Margot added as if revolted by the notion.

"Yoghurt tonight. Tomorrow I'll make cookies."

Margot stood up and began clearing

the table. "I'll clear up the dishes since you cooked Lark." She blinked and inhaled," I'm really grateful you stepped in Lark. Mom was ready to drag me kicking and screaming with her to Houston with a bunch of tutors and to make me finish school online. I'm really lucky to have you as my new sister-in-law."

"I'm glad you're here, Margot. You sure you got this?" she waved at the dishes.

"Yes. A hundred percent." She walked towards the kitchen. Max was staring at her, and she shrugged, "what?" "You are amazing.'

She twiddled with the napkin on the table and then exhaled, "I want to get married Max."

His eyes widened at her words. "You do?"

"I do but there is something I need from you."

"What?"

"I need for me to be the person you talk s**t out with. You need to be the person I talk s**t out with. If you

and I can't figure it out on our own, then we can talk to a third party, like a counsellor but it needs to start with us and our family weighing in unsolicited needs to end."

He appeared surprised. "Where is this coming from?"

"We have so many people constantly weighing in, offering their two cents, and overall sabotaging us and

we need to stop talking to the world and focus on us. We need to cut out the noise from the external sources."

She crossed her fingers hoping he understood what she was asking.