When they were back in the car, Anna looked at Maxwell and his satiated expression, and felt even more tender towards him. That afternoon had been wonderful.
"I thought you'd be exhausted and rest after all your performances..."
"We'll rest at home, Anna. We've left Ian under Adam's influence for too long. We don't know what he's capable of. He could be putting his ideas into Ian's mind right now. Adam could be convincing our son that a life with him will be fun. And besides..." Maxwell glanced briefly at Anna, before turning his attention back to the road. "... If Adam finds out what we were doing this afternoon... I don't think he'll like it."
"We're married, Max. What do you think he imagines we do in bed? Sleep?"
"Anna, I don't think he's thought about it yet. Ian must have distracted him from thoughts like that. I know that you... That he was the first man in your life and... He won't like knowing that he's not the only one anymore."
"How do you know that?"
"Well... Adam and I are friends, too. We confide in each other..."
"You didn't confide in him that you were with me. You're not a very loyal friend, Max."
Maxwell laughed amusedly.
"An unprecedented war would have broken out if I had done that, Anna. You wouldn't want to be the reason for innocent lives being lost."
Anna laughed too.
"Well, it wouldn't be a very fair war, would it? Werewolves against humans? How long would it take for the werewolves to kill all the humans? Three minutes?"
Maxwell became serious.
"No, Anna. It wouldn't be a war between werewolves and humans. It would be werewolves against creatures of my kind."
Anna took a deep breath.
"I've never asked before, but... What are you anyway? I've never noticed anything different about you. Why aren't you a werewolf, like your brother, if you're children of the same father?"
"Anna, I... If I told you, I'd have to kill you later." He said it trying to sound funny, but the truth contained in that old phrase wasn't subtle enough to be ignored.
Anna was silent for a moment, trying to understand Maxwell's reasoning, then suddenly remembered something important and stared at Maxwell with wide eyes and an o-shaped mouth.
Maxwell could feel the heat in her gaze, and when he saw her expression, he became worried.
"What's wrong?"
"I've got a bladder infection, and the doctor told me not to have sex these days!"
Maxwell stared at her for a few moments and then began to laugh, and Anna was infected by his tranquillity and began to laugh too.
...
Anna and Maxwell arrived at the apartment and everything was quiet. Ian was watching his favorite show on television with his grandfather, and rushed to welcome them with a hug as soon as they arrived.
Maxwell claimed to be tired and went straight to his room. Anna preferred to look around the house, trying to find out if Bonnie and Adam were there. But they weren't. The cook told her about Ian and Adam's adventures in the kitchen.
Anna felt satisfied when she heard that her father hadn't taken his eyes off his son. She walked to the bedroom, and while Maxwell slept peacefully, she sat in front of the computer and looked at the pictures of Adam playing with Ian. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel. It was clear that they had chemistry and that they liked each other. She couldn't tell if that was good or bad. She didn't want him to feel the loss of someone else he cared about. For he would certainly miss his grandfather when they were gone. However, she promised herself that one day she would tell Ian his father's true identity. She knew it wouldn't please Maxwell, but she had to think about her son's feelings too.
She turned off her computer and picked up her cell phone. She thought that the line there was secure and that no one would hear her. She called the mansion. She needed to hear her triplets' voices. They were happy to hear her voice, and revealed that they had talked to their father earlier. Anna looked at Maxwell with tenderness. He was attentive to all his children and willing to do anything for them. She couldn't have found a better person to love and be a father to her children. She hung up after saying goodbye and asking them to take care of her grandparents.
She got up and went to the closet. She didn't want anything too extravagant for dinner that night, so that Adam wouldn't look at her as if they were on a date. But she didn't want to go anyway. She wanted him to enjoy her company. She knew him well, and she knew that he liked to be seen with beautiful, well-dressed women. She chose a suit, consisting of a skirt and blazer.
When she was ready, she went up to Maxwell and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He didn't wake up. Then she left and thanked God that her father and Ian were no longer in the room to ask her embarrassing questions. She always had the impression that her father knew when she was lying.
She chose not to take Maxwell's car and dismissed the bodyguards, already knowing that they would follow her covertly. This was her reality, and she had gotten used to it, even if she didn't like it. However, as the taxi took her to the address, she leaned back quietly in the back seat. Soon, she would no longer have to walk around with all that security behind her. Her father must have seen the messages sent between her and Adam, and already knew that if they didn't follow her, they would be undercover in the restaurant. She knew that her cell phone had been cloned as soon as she noticed that the messages were showing up as viewed, without her having read them. She didn't care and told Maxwell that, for fun, she sent him cheeky messages and short pornographic videos, knowing that Henry would be watching.
As soon as Anna arrived at the restaurant, Anna realized that Adam wasn't there yet. She knew it was one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, and every table there was hotly contested. She stood looking at all the tables, embarrassed by the stares that were turned towards her.
It wasn't long before a waiter came to her rescue. He asked her name and found the reservation in her notebook. He asked her to accompany him, and took her to the table she considered the best placed. He didn't know how Adam had found the time to do something like that, since she had invited him in the afternoon.