Cherish Me Forever: A Fake Relationship Romance (The Maxwell Brothers)

I left Daisy with a quick kiss and wink behind River’s back this morning before practice. We’ve officially gotten our playoff schedule, and our first game is in two days at our home rink. We always play better here, but that means nothing when it comes to the playoffs. Every team comes prepared with their skills sharpened and their focus impermeable, which is admittedly something I’ve had to work hard to reach as of late.

I have other things on my mind, like Daisy.

Her appointment with Dr. Gibson is today, and I’m eager to know what’s going on. This is new territory for me, but caring for her comes naturally, unlike keeping my touching to a minimum when her brother is home.

Do you know how hard it is to keep my hands to myself when we’re in the same room? The other day, I followed her up to the roof of the apartment building just to get a taste. I watched her mess around with her compost container and stood back with a grin until she was done.

She yelped when she saw me, but I quickly caught it in a kiss, which led to a fast fuck that only left me wanting more.

With my focus bouncing between Daisy, keeping a secret from River, and the playoffs, I’ve hardly had room to think about Miles. His texts have come and gone, and though the worry is there, something Daisy said to me stuck.

I’m enabling him.

I’ve heard it before. Something my mom used to say to my father before he up and left us long ago. She was ‘doneenabling him,’ afraid her sons would turn out like him if they continued being raised by a gambling man.

Unfortunately, Miles was already locked in by the time he left—not that anyone knew other than me. I still remember the two of them sitting at the kitchen table when Mom was away at work, flipping cards and betting with cold peas from Dad’s untouched dinner. Like father, like son, he’d say.

It’s time that comes to a stop, though. Now that I have something worth having in my life, I can’t very well continue feeding my brother money and supporting his habits.

“I’m stopping to run an errand. I’ll see you in a few,” Malaki says as we both head out to the parking lot.

I shake my thoughts away and acknowledge him before slipping inside my car to head home. It isn’t long until I’m parked in the parking garage with the engine idling, phone in hand as I research another article about Lupus.

I may know more than River about the disease, and he’s the doctor genius.

The more knowledge I have, the better I can take care of her.

I surprised her, River, and their parents just yesterday. While on FaceTime, I showed some of my cards, which caused River to furrow his brows and her parents to enter into an hour-long discussion over medication.

Daisy sat quietly, staring at me with confusion.

I shrugged. What does she expect?

After waiting impatiently for her call, I head up to my apartment to shower before she gets home. I’m not even halfway up the stairs before River comes through the door without knocking.

I pause, hand on the rail, and raise my brow. “Everything okay?”

My heart rate speeds up the longer I look at him. His heavy browline deepens as he looks around my place.

Is he looking for her?

I swallow my thick spit. Ready or not, here we fucking go.

“Where is Daisy?”

My walk back down the stairs slowly as I think about my next choice of words. River is my best friend, the one I’ve been closest with for almost my entire life. Loyalty to our friendship runs deep, not to mention his family’s ongoing support over the years. They were the ones to dust me off after everything happened in the past and the only true pillar of stability I’ve had for the last six years.

I mean, they send me a good luck text before every game.

Even when I was in the juniors.

“Have you seen her?”

I pull my attention back to River. Have I seen her? So he isn’t specifically looking for her at my place?

“No.” Something doesn’t feel right. “Doesn’t she have an appointment?”

River runs a hand through his sweaty hair. “Yeah, but I was on a run, and Dr. Gibson called me to ask where she was. She didn’t show.”

My chest screams for air. “What do you mean she didn’t show?”

Without waiting for his explanation, I dial her number while heading out the door. We’re both in the elevator a second later, Daisy’s soft voice from a years-old recorded voicemail hits my ears, and I clench my jaw.

River and I walk through their apartment door.

“I’ve already searched here,” he says.

“Well, did she take an Uber?” I shake my head and call Malaki for Reese’s number. Unsurprisingly, they’re together, and Reese says she hasn’t heard from Daisy all day.

“I’ve already called her best friend from back home too, just in case,” River adds. “She has no idea where Daisy is.”

“Well, we need to go search the route she would have taken to the appointment. I thought you were going with her?” I ask.

It’s hard to hide the anger in my voice. My worry is coming out in all sorts of different shades of red, and if River can tell, he doesn’t mention it.

“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten,” he snaps, “but Daisy is pretty independent. She didn’t want me to tag along.”

A frustrated growl tears from my chest as I pull up the cameras. It’ll show me what time she left at least, and then we can figure out if she was heading to her appointment.

River comes and stands over my shoulder. “This isn’t creepy at all,” he mutters. “Do I even want to know why you have access to the security cameras?”

“They’re mine,” I answer.

“Wait, what?”

I go back through the footage until I see the elevator open, ignoring River’s questions. He’s always believed that the cameras were security from the apartment building, and I let him believe it, unwilling to dig into Miles’s shit.

Daisy appears on the screen with her lip tucked in between her teeth as she steps off the elevator towards her apartment. She nibbles on it worryingly, and as soon as the next person comes into the frame, I know exactly why.

My heart stops.

There’s a cracking sound from the bones in my hand with how hard I squeeze my phone.

“Is that Miles?” River pulls the phone from my grip. “I haven’t seen him in years. What the hell is he doing with Daisy?”

Fuck.

“What the hell?” River mumbles beside me. “Are they together? Like a couple?”

I’d kill my own brother over her.

Without answering, I pull the phone back into my hand and quickly switch the footage to my apartment. I scroll further back in time until I see him walk off the elevator toward my apartment. He knocks twice, and the door opens.

“Why is Daisy at your place?” River asks, glancing at the time on the footage. “At six in the morning?”

I press the sound button.

“With nothing but an oversized t-shirt on? Did Malaki fuck my sister again?”

“Will you shut the hell up?” I snap, already on edge.

I’ll admit, the thought pisses me off, even if I know it’s not true.

Her voice is soft and sleepy as it flows out of my speaker. “Miles?”

“Daisy?” Miles rocks back on his feet and puts his hands in his pockets. “It’s been a while.”

She rubs her eyes. “What are you doing here, Miles?”

He gets right to it, attempting to push through the door. Daisy slams it shut and blocks the doorknob from my brother.

“Um, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he seethes.

My teeth grind with obvious anger from the way he’s talking to her. How fucking dare he speak to her like that?

“Kane isn’t here,” she says.

He scoffs and sends her a scathing look that does nothing but pull my attention to his skinny face. His clothes are wrinkly, and he looks as if he hasn’t slept for weeks. “And you expect me to believe you?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Daisy crosses her arms.

“Because you’ve been protecting him for years. Now I know why he hasn’t been texting me back.” Miles leans in close to Daisy, and my shoulders tense. “It’s because of you.”

When Miles pokes his finger into Daisy’s shoulder, I curse under my breath.

“What is he talking about?” River asks me. “Protecting you for years?”

I shake my head and brush him off. We both put our attention back to the scene unfolding.

“You promised you’d never ask anything of him again.” Daisy shakes her head. “All those times I checked on you, dropped off pamphlets, made sure you were staying off online gambling sites, you’ve been lying?”

Wait, what?

“How could you, Miles? After everything? Do you know that you basically wiped him clean? He makes millions, and he didn’t even have enough to pay his rent!” Daisy’s voice rises with anger, and all I want to do is reach through the phone and separate them. “And to think that you”—Daisy pokes his shoulder just like he did to her—“knew this entire time that he hasn’t even spoken to your mother because she still thinks he’s the one who turned out like your father, and you’re still coming around to ask for money?”

I feel River’s stare.

The air shifts with the whipping of his head, but I refuse to look at him.

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Let’s go,” Daisy says.

“Go?” Miles repeats.

“I know exactly why you’re here. You’re here for money. I’ve seen your texts on his phone.”

Daisy, what the hell are you doing?

River tenses. “What the hell is going on?”

“Are you going to come up with the money, Daisy? Because if we show up without anything, they’ll probably kill me and then take you for their prize.”

My throat closes with the thought. Too many thoughts filter in, and I’m seeing red by the time I take my next breath.

“I have money,” she says. “But I’m only paying off your debt on one condition.”

“Money?” River repeats. “She can’t have thatmuch. She’s a mascot.”

“What’s your condition? That I go back to rehab? You going to pick me up and take me to those stupid gambling anonymous classes again?”

Again?

Daisy shakes her head, and I almost miss the next thing that comes out of her mouth from the ringing in my ears.noveldrama

“We’re going home.”

Miles squints. “Home?”

“And we’re telling your mother the truth. Kane took the fall for you, Miles. He hasn’t been home in six years because of you.”

Miles stares at her for a long time, and River stares at me.

By the time I settle my thoughts, Miles is agreeing with Daisy, and they’re stepping onto the elevator to head back to her apartment for clothes.

I click my phone off and rush over to my keys.

I know exactly where they are, and when I get there, I’m going to fucking strangle my brother to the point that he passes out.

“Wait up.” River moves in front of my door, and the confusion on his face stops me in place. “What the hell is going on?”

With my blood pressure rising to the point that my fingers tingle, I decide it’s now or never. Too much is out in the open. Going back is impossible.

“You know you’re like a brother to me.” I grip the keys tightly in my fist. “We’ve grown up side by side, your parents giving me more support than my own.”

River interrupts me, seemingly becoming more confused by the second. “What is Daisy talking about? Taking the fall for him?”

“I took the fall for Miles when all that shit went down six years ago. He begged me to throw the game of poker that led to me in handcuffs, being charged with illegal gambling. It was all so he could get off the hook with some high-roller that was wanted by the police. I covered for him to protect my mom. If I ratted him out, he would’ve ended up in prison. It was easier for me to take the fall.” Something he begged of me. “Mom was able to avoid the judgmental stares at the grocery store, and instead of both of her sons being involved, it was just one.”

River’s eyebrows furrow deeper the more I talk, but I keep going because there’s no way I’m going back on the truth now. It’s not a secret I’m worried about any longer. I’m much more worried about the other secret—the one with pretty blue eyes and a heart of fucking gold.

“Kane. What the hell, man.” River sighs. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I hate that he’s showing his concern, because after I tell him the rest of the truth, that concern is going to morph into something much worse.

“That doesn’t matter,” I say, moving on quickly. Every second I’m not with Daisy is a second too long. “I need to tell you something else.”

“Alright, what?” He wipes the sweat off his forehead with his shirt, and I prepare myself for a sucker punch.

“You know I’d never do anything to jeopardize our friendship.” I clench my jaw. “Not purposefully.”

“Uh, yeah?” He shakes his head. “What the hell is going on? Is this where you tell me that Miles and my sister were secretly together at some point or something?”

My stomach knots. “Not Miles.”

“Then who⁠—”

River’s mouth shuts suddenly. A look of betrayal flashes in his eye, and I hope he hears my next words and believes them before he decides to punch me.

“I’ve never loved anyone,” I admit, “but her. It’s only ever been her.”

I don’t wait a moment longer to move past River. I tear open my apartment door and head for the parking garage.

Daisy is with Miles, and I know exactly where they are.

If River wants to hate me, that’s fine.

If Miles wants to refuse to believe he has a gambling problem, then so be it.

If my mom wants to continue to disown me, let her.

All I care about is Daisy, and I refuse to hide it any longer.

River’s anger is nothing compared to the anger I have for Miles for dragging Daisy into his mess.