Chapter 4 He let out a deep sigh

"Just let me out there." She gestured toward Miranda's flat.

Miranda's flat was just in front of Maxwell's car.

"Wait." Before he exited the vehicle and before Scarlett had a chance to inquire as to why he was opening her door, he informed her.

As she stepped outside, Scarlett grinned.

"Thank you."

Maxwell grinned.

"So, see you around?"

"Maybe."

She was flirting with him, for crying out loud.

She was unable to recall her most recent flirtation.

"Goodnight and thanks again."

"Anytime." Maxwell followed Scarlett as she walked up the stairs and headed into the apartment. He went around the car, climbed in, and drove away.

After arriving at Miranda's door, Scarlett knocked once and waited. She knocked again, but no one responded.

"I'm coming." From inside, she heard someone yell.

At last, the door opened, revealing Sofi to her.

"Where have you been, Scarlett? Oh my god. "Minutes ago, you were supposed to be here," she continued. "Andy almost called the cops."

"What?" As Scarlett entered the cozy flat, she giggled at her friend's sense of humor.

Sofi declared, "Andy, Scarlett is here," as she closed the door.

Andy and Ivy entered the medium-sized sitting area from one of the bedrooms.

"Where have you been? I nearly dialed the police.

"I apologize. There was no Uber available, and my car wouldn't start. However, I received a ride. As she embraced Ivy and planted a kiss on the top of her head, Scarlett whispered.

Scarlett and Andy moved to the living room, and Andy took the other seat next to Sofi, who went to the kitchen.

"A ride uh?" Sofi stirred and asked from the kitchen. "With whom?"

It dawned on Scarlett that they had met three times and she had no idea who he was.

"I don't know his name." "Oh, my goodness, didn't anyone ever tell you not to accept rides from strangers, and a male stranger at that?" she said, shaking her head and furrowing her brows. Andy stated, "Was he hot though?"

Scarlett chuckled.

"First of all, he wasn't a stranger, not really." "Secondly," she added, "yes, he was hot."

That was the beginning of their girl's evening.

There was something about her that drew Maxwell in, but he couldn't quite place it. She was not like the people he had slept with after Bea or dated before Bea.

He couldn't help but stare at her since she was so captivating; one glance wasn't enough. The irony of his predicament-admiring someone else's daughter when he had never been fond of children-made him smile as he recalled her baby. Okay, so perhaps it was going a bit too far, but based on what he had heard and seen, they were noisy and messy, two things he detested. Until Bea's letter, he had never considered having children of his own. He aspired to fatherhood. He wanted to be referred to as "dad" by his daughter, and he desired the title and all of its associated benefits.

He imagined a miniature version of himself and Bea running about his living room, calling him "dad," laughing as he followed her, and a smile pulled at his lips.

When he realized he still didn't know her name, his smile vanished. He hadn't learned her name despite their three encounters.

He would undoubtedly see her shortly.

As he pulled into his garage, he thought and a smile tugged at his lips.

Scarlett awoke the following morning, prepared breakfast for everyone, and prepared to depart. When Ivy finally woke up, Scarlett fed her and prepared her for the day's activities. Before she went, Andy woke up and decided to go out with Sofi and Ivy. She was forced to leave Ivy with them and return home by herself. She had the entire day to herself because they planned to take her home in the evening.

Late that afternoon, while cleaning, Scarlett heard someone knock on the door. She was shocked to see who was standing on the other side of the door when she went to see who it was.

When she opened the door, she said, "You."

Maxwell raised his head from the ground and gazed at the well-known face. Shock swept through his body, and his heart stopped beating. He gasped.

He didn't know why, but he had a smile on his face when he got up this morning. He decided to look at the address Tom discovered for Scarlett Bennett, the adoptive mother of his daughter. Without wasting any time, he left the house to find Scarlett Bennett after finishing some work for his new business.

It was quick to locate the residence because of the GPS. All he could think as he stared at her was, "This isn't happening."

Still too stunned to speak, he let go of the breath he had been holding.

"What are you doing here?" She grinned.

"What are you doing here?" In the hopes that this was an error, he asked. It was very evident to him that he had not dropped her off here yesterday. So, he wondered, what was she doing here?

"I live here," she stated rather literally.

Maxwell was perplexed.

"The owner of the house?" He inquired.

If she was the home's owner...

She whispered, "I own the house..." "...now at least," she replied.

"Who owned it previously?" He prayed in private that she would tell him a name he was already getting to know and that he would be heading out to find her, hopefully with a new address in hand.

She merely stared at him, motionless. She blinked quickly and shook her head. Then she turned to face him again.

"I apologize for my impolite behavior. Would you like to enter?" She smiled at him.

Her demeanor changed so quickly that he thought he had walked right in.

She opened the door wide, and he stepped in and replied, "Sure."

Maxwell went inside, waited for her to close the door, and then followed her down the short, narrow hallway into the living room.

As they walked into the living area, Maxwell noticed a duster on the table and some toys in the corner.

She was doing some cleaning.

"I'm sorry about the mess." Picking up the duster and carrying it to the kitchen, which was open to the living room, she added. "Have a seat please."

Maxwell waited for her to come to sit with him.

"Can I get you anything?" From the kitchen, she inquired.

"Water is fine." "I need to cool down," he said.

He observed her movements in the kitchen before she approached him and brought him a tray containing a cup of clear water.

"Thank you." Taking the glass from the platter, he sipped it.

Maxwell set the glass on the table, then turned to face Scarlett, who set the tray down and sat down next to him.

"I want to express my gratitude for yesterday. Either I would have arrived late or not at all. Before he could say anything, she spoke.

"Don't mention." He stared at her the entire time, trying to process the possibility that the lady he might or might not be attracted to could be his daughter's adoptive mother. He was attempting to concentrate on what she was saying rather than his current predicament because his mind was a complete chaos.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself yesterday." She claimed that Maxwell was unable to respond before she went on.

"I'm Scarlett Bennett."

As her name validated his suspicion, Maxwell froze. He realized that she was the person he had been searching for, and that was precisely what he was terrified of. That she would be the one in the end.

He'd already mentally called it a 'baby stealer'. All he wanted was to become close to her, earn her trust, and then carefully remove his child from right in front of her.

Could he accomplish it today, though? She had been with her child-his child-when he had glimpsed the way.

"Are you okay?" When his face had soured, Scarlett inquired.

"Yeah, I...I just realized I have to be somewhere." He got to his feet. "I apologize for showing up unannounced."

Scarlett gently stood up.

She said, "It's alright." "At least I got a chance to thank you for last night, again." She guided him to the exit.

Scarlett stood watching Maxwell descend the stairs, round his car, and open the door after opening the door for him and waiting for him to exit. But he glanced at her before he entered.

According to Maxwell, "I'm Maxwell by the way," "Maxwell Thom..."

Now he couldn't reveal who he was. He believed his daughter's mother would already be aware of his identity thanks to the media, but she wasn't. That might work in his favor. She would probably fall to his feet or refuse to talk to him if she knew who he was. And he was certain it would be the latter based on the small taste of what he had received from her the night before.

It was difficult to accept that there were still ladies like her in the world who were not as preoccupied with wealth and prestige as the majority of them. She was different; she was good, kind, and unconcerned with rank or money. She was also likely to turn her back on him and go if she learned who he was. He could not allow that to occur. Not right now.

"Maxwell Thomas." He smiled as he spoke.

She nodded and gave him a smile that fell short of her eyes.

"It's nice meeting you."

Maxwell answered, "Same," and then, with his thoughts racing, he got into his car and drove away.

Scarlett watched until his car was out of sight.

Thomas Maxwell.

Scarlett pondered.

Now that she knew his identity, how did he discover her?

She walked into the house and closed the door. She put her hand on her throbbing heart and sighed, leaning her back against the door.

What on earth could he have done to her steady heart? He was really beautiful. He was...perfect. She had never before felt this way simply by being around a man. However, there was something about this one that made her heart race-and angry.

She sounded like a schoolgirl complaining about her crush of the week, for crying out loud.

In an attempt to avoid thinking about Maxwell Thomas when the man in question couldn't stop thinking about her, she returned to the kitchen, picked up the duster, and went into the living room to finish cleaning.

It didn't feel right.

Maxwell pondered.

Everything did. He no longer knew who he was.

He had an idea of Scarlett Bennett's appearance and, more significantly, her relationship with his daughter before he had ever attached an image to her name. Then, twice during the week and at the start of the week, he had met a woman. Her interactions with that child demonstrated her love and concern for them. Those two women were two separate women to him. He now understands, however, that those women are identical. It was Scarlett Bennett. The person he believed to be loving and caring was Scarlett Bennett. Scarlett Bennett exceeded his expectations; she was stunning, modest, inspired him, and most importantly, she truly cared about his child.

Maxwell let out a sigh.

Now that he was aware that she was the mother of his child, the woman whose life he planned to ruin, what was he to do?

When Maxwell parked his car in his driveway and got out, he was completely bewildered. After slamming the door, he proceeded through the living area, up the stairs, down the hallway, and into his room. He collapsed on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He let out a deep sigh.