Page 97 of Maxwell

Maxwell sat on the sofa. “I’ll take a Macallan if you have it.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re really in bad shape.” After he’d poured two glasses, he handed one to Maxwell and sat across from him.

Maxwell took a moment to enjoy a generous sip of the whiskey before meeting Ethan’s direct gaze.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ethan asked.

“Not really.”

“Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

He sighed. “Shit hit the fan, but it wasn’t my shit.”

Talking about his problem might be exactly what he needed. While he had told Monica what happened, talking to another man could give him a different perspective, especially someone like Ethan, who had almost lost Skye for good during a period in their relationship.

Ethan crossed his ankle over his knee and took a sip of whiskey. “You can’t give up.”

“There’s nothing else for me to do. Jasmine doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“That’s a temporary situation because she’s upset.”

“She should have believed me.”

“From what I understand, she found a woman in your bed,” Ethan said dryly.

“Circumstantial.” Maxwell drank some of the liquor. He might need a refill before this conversation was over.

“That’s hard circumstantial evidence to get over. What exactly did she see?”

“A friend named Jenny in my bed, wearing my shirt. I know how bad that sounds, but nothing happened. I wasn’t even at home at the time.”

“You have a history, Maxwell. A well-documented one.”

“I know, but I swear to you, I wasn’t cheating on Jasmine. I haven’t touched another woman since she and I got together, and I didn’t invite Jenny into my home. Jayson had a key to the condo, and he let her in, as a surprise to me. I didn’t know this then, but apparently she’s always had a crush on me or something and wanted to hook up now that she’s divorced. Jayson thought he was doing her—and me, I guess—a favor.” Maxwell scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’ve sent Jasmine a bunch of texts, but they’re no longer showing as delivered. I’m pretty sure she’s blocked me.”

Ethan placed his glass on the side table with a decisive click. “Do you remember how Damon kept after Audra when they first met? He sent gifts and flowers to her job for weeks. He showed up outside her building.”

“That’s stalker energy.”

“The point is, he kept showing up and kept proving he wasn’t going anywhere.”

“That worked because Audra actually cared about him.”

“Are you saying Jasmine doesn’t care about you?”

“I’m saying roses won’t fix this.”

“Not by themselves. Grand gestures get her attention but won’t win you her trust.” Ethan considered his brother. “That’s a completely different task, and it involves being consistent and showing her your character hasn’t changed, and you’re the same man she fell for. Consistency is the boring part. Consistency matters, even when there’s no audience to perform for—probably even more so. She doesn’t need charming right now. She needs to know the man she fell in love with truly exists, and you need to make your presence known, day after day, whether she acknowledges you or not.”

“She won’t even respond to my texts, Ethan!” Maxwell exclaimed.

“Then stop texting and show up.” Ethan spoke in a flat, unbothered tone.

“No. I need to respect her feelings. I’m not like you.”

He saw the faint smile that lifted the corner of Ethan’s mouth. He didn’t give a damn. He probably took the comment as a compliment.

“I’m not telling you to be like me. Be yourself, and show up in your own way. Be consistent in your own way. You’re a smart man. Figure out how to get her attention. Flowers, gifts—that’s easy. Every man does those things when he messes up. All it costs is money. Make better use of your time. I know you have plenty since you’re not attending family events.” He paused to make sure the jab landed. “You don’t get to quit because this is hard or because she’s not making it easy for you. If you walk away from this relationship, you’re not just giving up on getting her back. You’re giving up on your future—yours and hers.”