Page 74 of It's Not Home Without You

The second quote was:A sky full of stars and he was staring at her.—Atticus. And boy did he stare at me every time he came into the shop; he couldn’t take his eyes off me. To be fair, I couldn’t take mine off him either. Then I got a bouquet of beautiful paper roses. The petals were made from poetry books. Max gave me a bouquet of poems and sonnets. All of this just made it harder to resist him. He was still going along to what I had asked of him in the hospital.

We were keeping our relationship on the down low, way on the low.

Forty-five days, one thousand eighty hours, and I was head over heels in love again. Max hated it though, and he told me so every night when he came to visit me at Grandpa’s. People assumed I was the reason for the canceled wedding, but no one said anything to my face.

Cowards much?

Only those who were kiss-asses to the Newtons gave me nasty looks. Since they weren’t my friends, it didn’t bother me. Today’s quote made my heart melt.We loved with a love thatwas more than love.—Edgar Allan Poe.

I had yet to write something down, but I would soon. I justknew the moment I grabbed the chalk and professed my love to him that was it. We couldn't hide anymore.

“If you don’t date him, I will,” Emma said when Max sent the bouquet.If only she knew. Our relationship was just between us, and it was nice getting to know each other again. We talked a lot, about what happened to him after I left, what I did, and about Abigail and Ashton. Although it was painful, it was part of what made us who we were today.

I talked to Emma the day I got discharged out of the hospital, and I told her I wanted to expand her coffee shop into a diner. At first, she didn’t want my help; she didn’t want me to invest my money and then lose it. I knew I would not lose any money. It was time for Sunny Pines to grow, and nothing said growth like a bomb diner. Since Max would never cash my check, I had money to spend, plusenough to get a car. My grandpa’s Chevy was dead. D-e-a-d, dead.

Emma’s Coffee would become Emma’s Diner with renovations starting soon. That also meant more job opportunities for others in town. I totally got the idea the day after my hangover and Jana’s burger sparked a demand that wasn’t available in town. Emma insisted on changing the name to something else since we were co-owners now, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Let’s be honest, I would never be the town’s favorite girl, but I was done caring and trying to make others happy.

When the door chimed, I felt it in the way my skin prickled, the static in the air, the way my belly fluttered; it was him.

“May I get a cup of coffee, Miss Pratt?”

I looked up, trying hard not to beam at Maximilian. He was here, and he was mine.

“You want me to fix it for him, Freya?” Jess looked warily between us, but I shook my head and bit my lip.No one was fixing my Max shit but me.

“It’s okay, Jess. I know just how Mr. Dunnett likes it.” I watched with glee as his eyes darkened. The problem with a nonexistent boyfriend, we barely had time for stolen kisses. Jess left, muttering something unintelligible under her breath.

“Freya,” Max said, his voice thick with desire.

“Maximilian.” I dragged out his name, letting it roll off my tongue. Something he didn’t have to tell me because I’dknown it since we were young,he loved the way I said his full name.

“I’m two seconds away from not giving a fuck and taking that smart mouth right now,” he harshly whispered.

And because I still loved to tease him, I said, “Your coffee is ready, Mr. Dunnett.”

Oh yeah, total foreplay.

“Freya, tonight, pack a bag,” he stated before walking away, making me shiver all over. Most nights I fell asleep on him, which I felt bad about because the couch was shit to sleep on. Even my grandpa said so. I watched him leave, thrilled and scared at the same time. Max had sold his loft above the practice. I knew he did it mostly for my sake. I didn’t try topersuade him to keep the place. It was nice knowing I would never have tospend the night in the same place he and Abigail had spent countless nights together.

“The sexual tension was so thick, I think I got pregnant.” Jess’s smart-ass remark interrupted my thoughts.

“Jess.” I smiled at her. “Mind your own business.”

“Then you better tell Max to stop professing his love on the board.”

I stuck my tongue out at her because she had a point. Jess dropped her smile, tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, and looked at the board with longing. Oh my God, did Jess have a crush on Max?

“Honestly I don’t understand why you aren’t with him? You both like each other.”

“It’s not that simple,” I answered immediately.

“If the love of my life offered to ride off into the sunsetwith me, my response would be when do we leave and what do I pack?”

“I’ll remind you of this when you’re in love,” I added dryly.

Jess turned to me.“Please do. If I’m stupid enough to ignore it like you are, you have my permission to kick my ass.”

Was it really that simple? How long did one have to wait to date after a canceled wedding? Plus, Abigail left town after Max broke up with her. I felt terrible for her; I wish things would have gone differently, but it was what it was. I told Max I wanted to reach out to her and apologize, but Max said I would be the last person she would want to see. He was right. I knew how much it hurt to lose Max. I hoped she found someone to make her happy.

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