(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 57: A Mother’s legacy for her dear son

Chapter 57: A Mother’s legacy for her dear son

"Of course, I’ve gotten over my silly feelings in that regard. I don’t hate medical Doctors, and I know it’s not right to blame them for something that they couldn’t control." Andrew smiled at the shocked, stunned faces of Maxwell’s family. Oh no. Was he not supposed to answer honestly?

"I tried to warn you." Maxwell muttered, and Andrew watched as Maxwell’s Mother’s face went through shock, and quickly into guilt.

"I am so sorry for bringing up such a terrible topic at the dinner table. Please forgive me." Andrew waved it off with a smile.

"It’s been years, Mrs. Beckett. I’ve managed my grief just fine since then. But, that is why I left Harvard and went to Cambridge to finish my schooling. I needed to get out of the country, and have a change in scenery." Andrew admitted easily, warmly, and a look of horror crossed her face.

"No, grief isn’t something you so easily get over. I shouldn’t have prodded somewhere I shouldn’t have. I...is your Father still around?" Maxwell’s soft groan from beside him and Andrew stifling laughter. How was Maxwell’s family to know that this was a sore topic for him? These were normal questions.

"Well, I would certainly hope so." Andrew answered, and there was a beat before even his Mother but her head in her hands and she groaned.

"I am making a mess of this." He heard her mutter, and Andrew laughed.

"It’s alright. How were you to know that I have a messy family? To answer what I assume was your next question, yes, my Father was never in the picture. That’s how I had to find out the hard way that I was a true alpha after I manifested. No, I do not feel comfortable disclosing who he might be, but as my Mother used to say, I do look like him." Andrew was quite comfortable with the awkward environment that permeated the room. He reached over and took a sip of his water as he felt the whole family stare at him.

Feeling Maxwell’s smaller, warm hand on his thigh did relax him slightly.

"Andrew, you don’t have to tell them any of that." Maxwell told him softly, and Andrew opened his mouth to protest, when Mr. Beckett interrupted him.

"Maxwell speaks the truth, Dr. Knox. You really don’t have to tell us anything. I know you are anxious to have us like you, but never do it at your own expense. In the future, keep in mind that it could be viewed as a weakness." Andrew blinked, stunned, and Mr. Beckett’s other sons stared at him in surprise as well.

"You like him?" William asked incredulously, and Mr. Beckett sniffed, cutting his food with perfect manners.

"He makes impeccable bread." Mr. Beckett said and it was Maxwell who laughed this time.

"He does. He’s a great baker. You should have some of his cinnamon buns, Father." Maxwell’s eyes danced as he spoke of Andrew, praising him, and Andrew smiled at him as Mr. Beckett’s shoulders relaxed.

"You...like to bake?" Maxwell’s Mother broached lightly, and Andrew smiled.

"Yes. It was either that, or starve. My Mom, bless her, was a horrible cook. I learned from a young age that if we wanted to eat things that weren’t from a package, I had to pull my weight." Andrew watched as she paled again, and Andrew laughed. "Don’t feel bad. It’s quite a fond memory. She would try over and over, but when the firefighters had to ask her to stop trying, that was when she really let me take over." Maxwell’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at Andrew.

"You never told me that." He protested, and Andrew smiled down at him.

"I seemed to have forgotten. They were quite desperate too. Mom was devastated." Andrew chuckled, remembering her expression. Andrew knew that she’d been that way because she had wanted to provide a home for Andrew without his father around, but he was never upset with what she had provided. He just hoped that she knew that.

"What did your Mom do before she passed?" Maxwell’s Father asked, and it was an easy subject for him to speak on.

"She was an accountant. She used to manage some pretty big books, but had to pass them off once her illness progressed too far. From what I gathered, before my Father was involved in her life, she was on her way to making quite the name for herself." Andrew’s smile grew tight, but he continued. "After, she started from scratch, and old clients came to rely on her. Her old company she passed off to her partner. I believe she named the company A&D Finance?" A hush fell over the room, and Andrew wasn’t sure why until Maxwell’s Father laughed.

"Dr. Knox, I am very, very curious who your Father was, simply so I can shake some damn sense into him if your Mother was the one who started that company. Do they know that she passed?" Andrew was pretty sure that they did.

"I...I think so. If I’m honest, the time around the funeral was a mess for me." Andrew admitted, and Maxwell’s Father’s gaze was soft.

"Then I will let my contacts know that I have her son in my circle. I don’t know why I didn’t connect the dots. Knox is not a common last name." Andrew laughed.

"I only have my Mother’s hair, unfortunately." Andrew told them, and Maxwell squeezed his thigh.

"That is not true." Maxwell grumbled, and Andrew’s cheeks flushed.

"Maxwell, I-" Maxwell glared up at him, his blue eyes narrowed into bright points, and Andrew fought the urge to kiss him.

"If you say you’re fine, I know you’ll be lying. Do not lie to me." Andrew sealed his lips, only because Maxwell wasn’t going to believe him. He was truly fine. In fact, he was actually quite pleased to know that the company his Mom had started was still around.

"May I ask about the company? I have some shares in it that I inherited from my Mom, but I’ve never really paid attention to it. Honestly, I thought it had closed down ages ago." Maxwell’s parents shared a look, before Maxwell’s Father tossed his head back, and laughed.

"Dr. Knox, no, Andrew, your Mother was quite gifted, and if your story is as you said, she was quite determined to leave you with a good legacy. I would suggest you check into your stocks, since I’m sure they’ve made hand over fist. A&D Finance has taken over the whole of the downtown core. You can’t move without realising that they have their finger in every single pie. Your Mother was a prolific woman, but I am sure they think she’s still alive, and retired." Andrew’s eyes went wide.

"Oh no! That’s horrible. I was pretty sure I sent out news about her funeral to...everyone..." Andrew looked thoughtful for a moment, as he tried to recall that time. He had sent out invitations to everyone, except his Father. It hadn’t mattered, the damn blue hydrangeas had arrived the day of anyways.

Maxwell’s Father’s eyes were soft when he looked over at Andrew, scanning him and Andrew wondered what he saw for his expression to relax.

"I think, Andrew, they might be sad, but they’ll be happy to note that her son is doing well. I’ll reach out to my contact after dinner. I suspect you might get a frantic phone call or a visit in the near future." His eyes sparkled and Andrew felt his shoulders relax.

"I don’t think I’d mind that. From what I remember, the people Mom worked with were all good people." Andrew said, and Maxwell’s Father laughed

"I’m glad to see that they have your stamp of approval. Especially since we use their services as well." Andrew’s eyes went wide, and when he looked down at Maxwell, he had a little smirk on his face.

"A few shares, huh?" He teased, and Andrew’s face turned red.

"I didn’t-why would I think my Mom was that important when she was my Mom?" Andrew protested, and Maxwell snorted, laughter pouring out of him until he had to bend over. Andrew grew more red by the second.

"Max, stop teasing the poor man. I’m worried he’ll stay that colour." Maxwell’s Father spoke, and Maxwell laughed harder.

"But it’s cute when he gets like this." Maxwell protested, and Andrew turned his face away, biting his lip.

"C-Cute?" Maxwell’s Mother stuttered, and that sent Maxwell off onto another round of laughter.

"Look at him! How can he not be cute when he’s that red?" Maxwell said, and Andrew coughed.

"I’m too tall to be cute, Maxwell." Andrew protested weakly, more to defend himself to Maxwell’s family than anything else. He didn’t mind that Maxwell called him cute.

"Height has nothing to do with it." Maxwell told him, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at Andrew, and the strand that had been holding Andrew back snapped.

Fuck.

Turning, he reached his hand out and took Maxwell’s face in his hand, pulling the other man’s face towards his own as he stole the smile right off of his lips. It was a gentle kiss, even if it was uncontrollable, and Andrew pulled away, pressing another kiss onto Maxwell’s forehead. He wanted to pepper the man’s whole face with kisses and steal the joy he’d heard in his voice as he had spoken about Andrew. Andrew’s heart was a frantic staccato in his chest at his own possessive thoughts.

When Andrew opened his eyes to stare at Maxwell, Maxwell’s cheeks were bright pink with embarrassment, and Andrew froze.

Uh oh. Had he fucked up?