Page 181 of Catch the Sun

“I want to see you,” I say, nodding fervently. “Of course I do. I’ve missed you so much.”

He cants my head back up to his, one finger tucked under my chin. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” My eyes dart across his face. His blue, blue eyes, perfect nose, full lips, and mess of rich brown hair. He’s beautifully the same and so different, too. Even through the dark night I see a maturity in his gaze. A growth. During our time apart, his charming, boyish glow has transformed into a masculine ruggedness. Bristles line his jaw—not quite a beard, but more than stubble.

I place my fingertips to the side of his cheek, my focus dipping to his mouth before panning back up. His eyes glitter under the milky starlight.

And then he sighs again. That same contented, finish-line sigh.

Max pulls me against him, hugging me tight, holding me like he never plans to leave. I melt into him and let him warm me, let him fill every hole left empty in his absence.

“There’s so much I want to tell you, Sunny,” he confesses.

I let him hold me for a few more beats before pulling back, a giddiness rising inside me as the shock starts to dwindle. “God, me too. I know it’s late…” Ibite my lip, watching as a smile hints on his lips. “How long are you in town?”

“A few days,” he says, hands sliding back in the pockets of his dark-wash jeans. “Then I’ll need to get back to work. I don’t want to interrupt your life. I just—”

“A few days.” I nod absently, feeling like there’s not enough time in the world to keep me from missing him once he’s gone. “Okay. A few days.”

A few days.

A few days to cherish him. To hug him. To breathe him in, hold his hand, and make new memories.

A few days to add as many check marks to my notebook as possible.

***

The fire sets his gaze aglow, sprinkling red-orange embers into the blue of his eyes. I’m immediately taken back to a senior-year bonfire over three years ago, where we sat side by side on a log bench and every inch of me burned hotter than the flames, thanks to that mere inch between us.

It’s funny how you know your life is going to change. A heavy look, a careful word, a leg brush or a quick touch. An orange flower held in the hand of a little boy.

Somehow, I knew that when Max handed me that rose and then chased after my father’s shiny car, he’d reach me one day. He’d find me and I’d find him, and we could finally stop running in opposite directions.

I wonder if thatone dayis finally here.

As wood crackles and smoke rises, our knees touch on the small bench near the firepit, just a few yards from Natine’s house, following our return from the park.

I glance up at Max staring down at me. He looks the same way I feel—mesmerized.

“I don’t even know what to say,” I confess, studying his face, relearning every crease and divot. “God…I feel like I’m dreaming.”

He smiles softly. “Feels that way, doesn’t it?”

“How are you? I mean…jeez, that sounds so casual, considering our history.But I want to know everything about you. Where you’re living, how your dad is doing, your career…”

Do you still love me?

Are we passing ships, or am I anchored in your heart?

Max spins his own Dr Pepper can in his hands as he glances down between his knees with a long sigh. “I’m doing good. Really good,” he says. “Chevy and I started up a business after you left. I helped him flip this huge house outside of town and we sold it for a big profit. Then I finally finished the reno on our old house and sold that, too. It kind of snowballed after that. Chevy and I have become close. He’s really been a lifeline for me.” A smile lifts when he looks my way. “Dad is doing okay. He’s in an assisted living center. He has moments of clarity, but…”

I move my hand to his lap and squeeze his knee. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He’s doing better and the facility takes good care of him. I try to visit him as much as I can. A few times a week, usually. Sometimes he recognizes me, sometimes he doesn’t. I’ve accepted it. Nothing else I can really do.” His attention lands on my hand still cupping his knee. “The money you left me… It changed our lives, Ella. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Tears blur my vision as I nod. “Of course. I’m so glad I could help,” I whisper. “It was the easiest decision I ever had to make. And it came right along with the hardest.”

Our gazes hold for a long beat before he glances into the orange flames. “I never resented you for leaving. I hope you know that.” The tendons in his neck stretch, his jaw clenching tight through the bevy of emotions funneling between us. “And look at the life you’ve built for yourself. I’m so proud of you. You’re living your dream, riding horses, looking as free as I’ve ever seen you.”

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