Page 100 of Moonlit Kisses

“We can lie like this for however long you need.” His hand comes up to stroke my hair slowly. He caresses all the way down my back, then starts back at the top of my head and repeats the process over and over. Long, gentle strokes.

* * *

I slowly come into wakefulness. I must have fallen back to sleep, which isn’t a surprise. Max is gone, leaving me alone in bed.

He steps through the door from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his slim hips, water droplets running down his smooth skin as he uses a second towel to dry his hair. He beams at me, then kneels on the edge of the bed, dropping to his hands to crawl toward me. Skimming his finger across my forehead, he pushes my bangs away from my eyes. “How are you feeling?”

I smile softly. “Better, thank you. Sorry about my mini meltdown.”

“You can have a mega meltdown if you need to. I’m here for all of it. You need to allow yourself some grace as you come up to the first anniversary. Take some time for yourself. Do what you need for your emotional health.” He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my temple. “Anything you need from me, just let me know.”

I nod as I soak up his warmth and affection. “Thank you.” I stretch out. “What time is it?”

“Almost twelve.”

I fly into a panic, scooting out of bed quickly. “Oh my God. We’re going to be late.” I quickly grab some clothes. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Max chuckles at me as I run around our bedroom naked. “No need to rush, Dimples,” he calls out as I jump into the shower.

I quickly wash myself, avoiding getting my hair wet, then climb out to dry off and get dressed. Max leans against the doorjamb with his arms crossed, watching me dress. His eyes singeing my flesh. Once I’m dressed, I step into his body and wrap my arms around him. “Come on. I’m ready.” I land a kiss on his lips, planning to pull away quickly so we can get moving, but he wraps his arms around me and deepens the kiss.

I sigh.

In fact, my entire body sags against his and sighs. I don’t know how I ever survived without Max’s kisses. He gentles the kiss and pulls away slightly. I slowly open my eyes to find his affectionate smile.

“C’mon, let’s go.” He grasps my hand, and we make our way out of our bedroom.

Yesterday, I used my grandmother’s recipe to make shortbread, so I collect it from the kitchen and meet Max at his car. It doesn’t take long and we’re arriving at Mom and Dad’s house. “We’re the last ones here.”

“It’s okay, Dimples. Stop worrying.”

“I hate to be late. It’s rude.”

Max presses a tender kiss against my temple and rests his hand at the small of my back. “Mom sets a loose time for lunch. Any time around this time is fine.” He slides his hand across to my opposite hip and drags me in close. “Come on.”

We make our way inside. The front of the house is quiet, meaning everyone’s already in the dining room at the back of the house, probably wondering where we are. Holding my hand, Max leads me through the neat home to the back room which overlooks the deck. It only takes a moment for his family to realize we’re here. They’ve been incredible to me, and I love having pedicure afternoons with Sarah and Emma. They’ve taken me into the fold as if I’ve always been part of their tight-knit family. I even call Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield, Mom and Dad, which I know delights Max’s mom to no end.

“I’m sorry we’re late. It was completely my fault,” I say to everyone as I place the shortbread on the sideboard.

“Oh, don’t be silly. When you get here, you get here.” Mom cups my face, studying me closely, then places the back of her hand against my forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little peaked.”

I hold on to her wrist and smile. “I’m feeling better than I was this morning.” I glance at my husband. “Max let me sleep in a little, which helped.”

“Come and take a seat,” Emma calls out, patting the seat next to her. I move around the table, kissing everyone hello. Emma’s boys must be with their father and Cristo must have Kenny this weekend, because they’re not here today. I miss them terribly on the weekends they’re not with us, but today I’m in tears at their absence.What the hell is wrong with me?“Are you okay?” Emma asks as she tucks a lock of loose hair behind my ear, her worried eyes studying my face.

“Yeah, I just really miss the kids when they’re not here and today, for some reason, I want to cry because I miss them so much.” A small smile graces Emma’s face as her eyes go soft.

Max sits next to me, and his hand smooths up and down my back in a soothing caress. He leans across and kisses my temple, then turns toward the table. “It’s coming up to the anniversary of the accident and Molly’s feeling emotional. I told her she needs to be gentle with herself.” His family knows my story now. Everything. And all of my worry that people would pity me if they knew how I grew up and what I lost was a waste of time. Not once did anyone in this family show me pity. They showed compassion and understanding. They showed kindness and care, just like Max did when he found out. Not once did I ever feel judged or pitied; not even for one single second.

“Well, then.” Sarah breaks the silence. “I think we need a pedi afternoon. What do you think, Em?”

“Sounds perfect. How about Wednesday afternoon? Can you get off early?” she asks Sarah.

“Definitely. I’ll start early and then we can take our girl here out for pedis, followed by coffee and cake.”

Em turns to Theo. “Do you mind watching the kids on Wednesday afternoon?”

He leans forward, kissing her tenderly on the lips. “Of course not. I’ll collect them from school so you can go straight there.”

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