The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

A Walk With Mom

Lark walked with her arm linked through her mom on one side and her grandmother on the other as they walked towards the hotel. They decided to go for a stroll ahead of dinner. It had been two days since the scene with Oona and despite the time, her father was still not talking much to her. It seemed he couldn't get Oona's comment about the things the hotel reception desk staff stated about Max breaking furniture out of his head.

She'd worked alongside him and Bobbie most of the day in an office doing virtual calls with clients but when the day was done and she decided she wanted to stretch her legs, he'd begged off to go through some emails on his own. Bobbie said she booked a therapy session with her husband and when she'd left Grady hightailed away from her as if unwilling to be alone with her.

She'd called her mom and Nana and asked them to go for a walk with her because she was feeling confused over her father's treatment.

"You're sure he's not upset with me?"

"Lark," Nana Prue patted her hand. "He loves you and you're his little girl. No adult wants to think of their child having s*x, especially hearing how she chained a man to a bed and tortured him to the point he broke a bed into pieces."

"If you weren't my daughter, I'd say it was hot. You are my daughter. It's nasty." Everly contributed. "Your father is traumatized but he's not upset with you. I think this past week has been a lot for him in general, for all of us really. Learning about Gracie and even reconnecting with Sawyer has taken its toll. He's forgiven Sawyer and sometimes there is pain in releasing the anger you've held onto as a shield for three decades. He's working through a lot of emotions and there are a lot of changes he's going through. He's feeling a bit lost because his you're all grown up Lark and he's looking at you and seeing all he missed with Gracie and it's making him nostalgic. Then you flaunt your relationship and it's making him feel he's losing his other little girl too. It's a lot."

"I guess."

"He's probably embarrassed by all the s****l things going on. You and Max. Johan and Gracie." Her grandmother threw her thoughts in. "Fallon was flirting with the bartender last night trying to get him to agree to give her drinks despite the fact she's underage."

"Not to mention Nana and Granddad hooking up. My retinas will never recover."

Nana Prue chuckled at Lark's comment, "I didn't know you were watching, little perverts."

"Nana, the entire street saw the pair of you."

"You could have looked away." She showed no remorse, and neither should she. She lifted her chin proudly.

"It was like watching a trainwreck. We couldn't stop staring. Mom," Lark looked to her mother for support, "tell me if you saw Nana Prue with her skirt hiked up and her leg around some man's hip you wouldn't have been looking awestruck at the scene."

"I probably would have thrown some change at her for the free show." Everly giggled as Prue reached past Lark to swat at her. "Should we expect a friendlier thanksgiving this year?"

"No. Turns out my memories were way better than the reality."

The three women chuckled before Everly tried to change the subject. "Regardless, it's been a crazy week for your dad. Cut him some slack, Lark, and maybe keep your wild escapades with Max to a dull roar for a bit.'

She twisted her lips and then asked quietly, "but what if I'm not enough."

Everly lifted an eyebrow and Prue came to a dead stop yanking her backwards.

"What on earth do you mean not enough?"

"Max has all these experiences with women, and I'm scared he'll get bored. The guy runs a s*x toy company. His imagination is unparallelled and I'm scared I will not be able to hold his attention and then women far prettier than me, like Oona will distract him. Why stick with one boring lay when you can have experiences with different woman all the time?"

Everly laughed gently as she draped her arm over her shoulder and hugged her sideways, "the difference between you and all those other women, Lark is love."

"Mom," Lark rolled her eyes feeling like a preteen.

"Your mom is right, Lark. We know for men and women s*x is different and for women it's far more emotional than it is for men but," Nana Prue held her gaze, "not all men are cheaters and sometimes chasing the high of an orgasm is only as good as the person you're chasing it with."

Lark wasn't sure how she felt talking about the "o" word with her grandmother, but she also knew never to discount anything the woman said. "What if it's not something he can control? His entire family thinks he's an addict and what if I can't keep him satisfied."

“Lark, honey, do you see the way he looks at you?" Everly brushed a tendril of hair behind Lark's ear. "He looks at you the way Olivier looks at Bobbie and the way your dad looks at me. I know it doesn't seem like it, but he's been raised in a house where he knows a committed relationship with someone you love can be amazing. He might have been lost for a while, but he loves you sweetheart. I can't promise he's never going to piss you off or mess up. I can't even promise there won't be a time in your life where the s*x is rushed, boring and you're doing it out of duty because the kids are exhausting and life is a hassle, but I know once he commits to you, he's all in, even for the dull parts."

"Lark, I know you're thinking you need to be able to bend like a pretzel for Max to be interested in staying with you forever, but you could be a pillow princess and he'd still be the happiest man in the world, because it's you," Nana Prue smiled.

"How do you know the term pillow princess, Nana?" Lark made a sneer of disgust.

"Takes one to know one. At my age, I am entitled to lay there and take it." She laughed loudly at Everly and Lark's wide eyes. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, Lark."

They started walking back in the direction of the hotel. "You really don't think I need to dress up in leather all the time and handcuff Max to a bed to make him stay interested?"

"Jesus Lark!" Everly stumbled on her feet, "I didn't pull that s**t out until after my tenth wedding anniversary."

"You weren't married to man-w***e Max!" she protested her mother's wide-eyed censure.

"Honey. Right now, your hoo-ha is new to him. Save the gadgets and gizmos for when it starts to get tired."

"So, it does get tired?"

"Like I said, when the baby keeps you up for a month straight with colic and you consider smothering Max with a pillow because he snores while you're up breastfeeding the baby at two in the morning, yeah, s*x gets tired. Then the kids get older and suddenly you have a whole house to explore in again. Relationships, real ones, the good ones, are not a flat road you can just coast along. You're going to have times where it feels exhilarating like a freefall down the hill of a rollercoaster. Then other times it's going to feel like you're trudging up a hill of nails, barefoot while some asshole pours cheap vodka into your wounds and not even letting you get a drink of it." Everly patted her shoulder, "but when things get tough, when the s**t hits the fan and the first person you reach for is the same one you considered smothering the night before because you know, deep down, in your heart of hearts, he is the one who is going to help pull you over the hump of the hill, then you know he is the one."

"Your mom is right, Lark. Right now, is the fun part. Enjoy the ride. There is plenty of time in your lives for you to worry about whether or not you're spicy enough for Max." Nana Prue smiled softly.

"I'd also like to remind you of what you said earlier."

"What?" Lark looked confused.

Everly smirked, "the guy makes s*x toys for a living. Girl, you don't even need to have an imagination. Let his run amuck. You only need to keep your mind open."

They walked in silence for a block and then Lark whispered, "I'm so lucky to have you both. I don't know what I would do without you. I keep thinking of Gracie and how her mother is a waste of space." She rested her head on her mom's shoulder as they strolled quietly. "I was surrounded by strong, loving supportive women who I have always known I could come to with anything, even my fears about not being enough for my boyfriend. How do girls who don't have moms and grandmothers like you two survive?"

"It's funny." Everly said quietly, "but your dad and I were talking about this exact thing this morning before he was going to work. Gracie is probably going through so many emotions and feelings and the person she bounces ideas off is Sawyer."

"When we went for coffee this week, she told us she didn't have any close girlfriends. Her best friend in high school slept with her boyfriend and then her best friend in college tried to sleep with Sawyer. She's such a nice person, Mom. She deserves so much better than shitty friends.'

"I wanted to hate her," Everly whispered. "A part of me thought anything who came from Sawyer and Charlotte must be a psychotic, manipulative nutcase who was going to throw our entire lives into chaos." "But?"

"She fits," Everly wiped a tear away. "I wish Charlotte hadn't been such a b***h and would have let us have her from the beginning. I would have loved having her as my daughter for all thirty-two years of her life so far. She belongs with us." "I feel the same way," Nana Prue said with a smile. "I feel robbed of my granddaughter."

"Your dad is already dreading going back to Dallas without her next week." Everly nodded her agreement. "I don't even know how he's going to cope. Last night they sat up in the lounge until two in the morning talking.'

Approaching the hotel Lark smiled, "speaking of Gracie. There she is with Fallon and Mori. I know they were going for manicures this afternoon."

Everly snorted, "looks like Sawyer went with them. God he's a greasy bugger. I mean I know on the inside he's actually been really decent but outwardly he reminds me of," she paused and looked at Prue, "well, your ex-husband with smaller veneers.

As Nana Prue grumbled at her Lark waved happily to the women who noted them and were waiting

outside the hotel. Having dinner with her sisters and parents was starting to be her favorite part of the day. She couldn't wait to hear about their day.