Page 70 of Moving Forward

“Max.”

“Stop. Just . . . stop,” I say. “Let me go.”

He doesn’t. Instead, he gently pulls me toward him. “I’m sorry.”

“You need to stop showing up like this,” I tell him sternly. I don’t face him—I won’t give him that. He gave up on me. On us. And now he’s giving up on giving up. I can’t have that kind of roller coaster in my life. “I don’t want you here.”

“And I don’t want you to leave me!” he interrupts. “Just look at me.”

I wipe my eyes and turn to him. His neck is bent and his eyes are twinkling, filled with something I really don’t want to acknowledge right now.

“You already beat me to the chase. You left me and now you’ve lost me,” I tell him, my words uneven and forced.

“Have I?” he asks quietly, almost pleadingly. His face is a map of every emotion he’s ever felt. With anyone else, he might hide away, but not with me. It makes me want to confess everything that lives inside my heart. “Really?”

Biting my lip, I keep my gaze leveled on the sharp angle of his cheeks. This way I can lie.

“Max,” he whispers, his breath tickling my cheek. He slowly releases my elbow and lifts my chin with the tips of his fingers until I’m looking at him. “Is that true?”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “No.”

He releases a relieved sigh that seems to take away most of the tension in his body. “I don’t want you to leave me, Max. Everyone else has. I can’t lose you too.”

“Then why did you leave? Why did you choose to”—I motion to his swollen fist—“do that rather than come see me? I needed you.”

“I was scared. The thought of losing you . . . how hopeless I felt . . . I couldn’t do it—I didn’t know how to.” He cups my cheek. “The short amount of time I’ve known you . . . you’ve become everything to me. Everything.”

“You can’t keep doing this to me. You either have to be all in or you’re out. You were scared of losing me? Well, I’ve been terrified of losing you. I still am.”

Someone walks around the house, already rowdy and drunk, but Cain ignores them. A raw intensity boils in his gaze. “I’m in, I promise. I can’t pretend anymore. I’ve never needed or wanted anyone the way I want you.”

“You promise?”

His lips are feather-light on mine. “I promise with every inch of my soul. As long as you make that promise too.”

I open my eyes and look into his. An intense wave of emotion washes over me as I whisper against his soft lips, “I promise.”

###

“Well, hello there,” Erin grins as we walk up to the table.

“Hey,” Cain answers, sliding a piece of cake across the table to her. He sets our joint piece in front of us.

Tom, who clearly wasn’t in on the Cain-Max drama, looked like he was on the verge of passing out when he handed it to us. Cain kissed my temple as I was scooping out ice cream, and that didn’t help the awkwardness. I love that he can do that so freely, just kiss me to kiss me, like it’s already a habit. So when he did, I sank into his embrace and enjoyed the moment. I completely forgot about Tom until he cleared his throat. Cain and I had jumped apart, embarrassed. I gave him the best smile I could muster and Cain mumbled something, but Tom just stared at us with his mouth open.

Cain squeezes my thigh. “You’re not telling me the truth. How bad does your head hurt?”

I take a small bite of the cake. “It’s fine.”

He pulls on my leg until I face him. “Don’t lie to me,” he commands softly. He slowly rubs his thumb along the edges of my bandage, his fingertips massaging the side of my head. “I know you’re in a lot more pain than you’re letting on.”

“I took some Tylenol. I’m okay.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Every time I close my eyes, I see you going overboard. That isn’t something I can forget and it’s not something I can ignore. Tell me the truth, Peaches.”

I huff halfheartedly. I’ve lied to everyone else, but with him it’s impossible. The fact that he’s catching on when no one else has makes me want to bare my soul to him, even if it’s just about a silly headache. “Alright. My head’s pounding, I feel a little dizzy. But I don’t want to leave. Not yet, anyway. Let’s just enjoy this, okay?”

“This is new to me. I thought we were supposed to suffer in silence eternally,” Cain deadpans. He leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose.

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