Unraveling the Underboss

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{Max’s POV}

It’d been weeks since that woman snuck out on me.. I couldn’t find her, no matter how hard I looked. I figured out her name, after I got the videotapes from the club, and ran facial recognition. Sophie Winters.. it was sweet, something I hadn’t expected. She was much more innocent than she had let on, I could tell by the way she acted once I got her upstairs.

It was no small feat to figure out her identity, but I hadn’t been able to find her yet. The way she strode up to me, her confidence, her humor. We had such amazing chemistry, surely she had felt it too, right?

{Sophie’s POV}

[One Month Later in London]

I sat hovered over the trashcan once again, I’ve been sick for days, I don’t understand, I didn’t eat anything that would’ve caused this. So I decided to go to the doctor, but sitting here in the office, was anxiety inducing. It wasn’t often that I ended up in a doctor’s office, now that I’m here I feel a bit silly. It’s probably just a stomach bug, it’ll go away on its own.

I heard the door open as the doctor walked in, smiling over to me. “Hello, I’m Doctor Smith, and I believe I have some good news, according to your charts you underwent IVF treatments, yes?” She asked, her hazel eyes scanning my face.

I nodded. “Y-Yes..”

“Well, congratulations, your fertility treatments did the trick, you’re expecting!” She smiled.

My stomach flipped, causing me to once again puke into the trash can. “Pregnant.. did she just say I’m pregnant? No.. I can’t be.. I hadn’t had s** with Austin in months.. he said he wanted to wait until my next fertile cycle, then we just kinda stopped for a while.. that means.. it must be.. but it can’t be.. right.. the one night stand that I had. Sh**, what was his name.. Mark.. Mike.. Max.” I thought to myself. “It was Max..” I sighed, my thoughts making me dizzy and nauseous already. I don’t even know how to reach him.. or what I’d say.. anything.. maybe I just leave it be. I’d always wanted a child, even if this isn’t how I thought it would happen. I would still love to have a baby of my own. A soft smile danced across my lips, as I looked to the doctor.

“Thank you, thank you so much!” I said gleefully. “What are the next steps?” I asked.

[Five Years Later Back Home]

I couldn’t believe I was back here after all this time, I had finally gotten my teaching license. Sadly, right after my graduation I got a call from my mother, my father was sick, they put him on hospice, told us he doesn’t have long, so here I am, back home.

Things are different this time though, I’m not the same sad, scared girl I was before. Now I have my sunshine, my world, my Mavis. I thought about trying to find her father.. to tell him about her. It was a one night stand.. and all I knew was his name and the club we were in. There wasn’t really any way for me to find him, so instead I just decided to forget him. A good choice for me.. but Mavis.. she’s five now, she has so many questions, questions I didn’t know how to answer, or even know the answers to. She’s a miracle, my miracle, she looks exactly like her father. She has his tan skin, black hair, and icy blue eyes.

She’s beautiful, and so amazing, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s smart, funny, kind, and unbelievably selfless. Being her mother is the greatest gift I’d ever received. Now, being back in this town, I just wanted to protect her.

As we pulled up to the hospital, my anxiety was weighing heavily on me. I got out, unbuckling Mavis before packing her inside. Once in, I made my way to the front desk, trying my best to remain calm. “Excuse me..” I said softly, to the nurse behind the desk.

She turned towards me, smiling brightly. “Hello, what can I do for you?” She asked. Her hair was light brown, pulled up into a tight bun, her eyes deep brown, her skin tanned.

“I’m here looking for my father. Thomas Winters.” I said, moving Mavis to my other hip. She was still asleep, I knew she was exhausted after the flight, so I thought it best that I just let her rest.

“Of course, please, follow me!” She said, leading me to the elevator. She took me up to the second floor, and walked me down the hallway, until we reached the door, 204. She knocked, then opened it softly, “Mrs. Winters, your daughter is here to see you.” She said, before stepping back out into the hallway, allowing me to step inside.

As I locked eyes with my mother, I could see the pain, and fear in her eyes, melt slowly, into confusion. I knew this would happen, but I wasn’t sure how to have this conversation with her. We weren’t exactly on speaking terms when I left, so I never told them about Mavis. “Sophie.. who’s this?” She asked, pointing to the sleeping child in my arms.

I could see my father on the bed beside her, beginning to stir. “Soph.” He smiled, looking at the black haired girl in my arms. “Who do you have there?” He asked, his voice sounding weaker than I’d ever heard it. A loud cough erupted from him, and I quickly made my way to his side.

“This is Mavis.. your granddaughter..” I said softly. “I’m sorry.. I should’ve told you.. I should’ve been here..” I whimpered, sitting down beside him.

He smiled softly, placing his hand on mine. “It’s okay Sophie.. I know your mother and I didn’t make things easy before you left, but you’re back now. That’s all that really matters, and you’ve even brought us a surprise visitor.” He chuckled.

“You had a daughter.. all alone..” my mother whimpered, rushing around the bed and looking down at Mavis and I. “I’m so sorry darling, I never should have pushed you to stay with Austin.. this is my fault. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, and refusing to listen, we could have had time with you and our granddaughter.” She cried, placing her hands gently against my face. “Please, forgive me, come back home..” she plead.