Page 79 of Craving You

What the…?

“Max?” she whispered.

He sat straight up. “Hailey? Are you alright?”

“Shh…I’m fine.” He felt the mattress dip and the blankets shift as she crawled into bed beside him. They shifted and slid under the blankets a bit before they faced each other. With the sliver of moonlight barely illuminating the room, he could still make out her face. “How come you’re sleeping in here?”

Shrugging, he told her the truth. “I wanted you to get a good night’s sleep and I didn’t want to disturb you by coming in late.”

“Oh.” She snuggled closer and settled with her head on his shoulder and his arms around her. “I dozed off for a little bit, and woke up and you weren’t there. Then I heard you come in and waited for you. After a few minutes, I figured out that you were in here.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“I appreciate that you were trying to be selfless, but…I missed you. I like our nights when we come to bed and talk and fall asleep all tangled up together.”

It was a big declaration and he hoped it was going to lead back to whatever it was she was going to say to him earlier.

“I enjoy that too,” he said, holding her a little closer.

“I was really scared today. Like…I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared. Having you there with me was…it meant everything to me, Max. Thank you.”

“I told you, we’re in this together, and if there’s something wrong, I’m going to do everything in my power to make it right. And…” Pausing, he swallowed hard. “That’s our baby. The two of you are my entire world, Hales. I want to take care of both of you.”

Nodding, she yawned. “Mmm…you do it very well.”

That made him smile. “I’m glad you think so.” It was his turn to yawn. “Now, let’s get some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.”

She hummed softly again. “Night, Max.” He felt her place a kiss on his chest.

“Goodnight, beautiful girl.” Closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting off when…

“I love you.”

Eyes wide open, he fought the urge to wake her back up. This was the second time she’d said it in her sleep and now more than ever, he desperately needed to know if this was really how she felt and why she couldn’t say it when she was awake.

Unfortunately, sleep was desperately calling his name and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he couldn’t stay awake. So, he did the only thing he could do and said, “I love you too.”

Chapter Thirteen

When Hailey woke up the next morning, she was alone.

“I love you too.”

She distinctly remembered hearing Max say those words, but…too? He loved her…too? That was typically a response when someone said they loved you first, so why would he say that?

“So weird. Clearly my mind’s playing tricks on me,” she mumbled as she climbed out of the bed. Padding back to her room, she picked out some clean clothes and went to take a shower. As she let the hot water wash over her, the events from yesterday played over and over in her mind—the fear, the relief, and how she was about to tell Max how she felt when they were interrupted.

“We’ve talked about me being pregnant and that means there’s a baby, but that rapid little heartbeat just made everything real. Like…really real, and I’m already in love with that tiny little strawberry. I know we said we could co-parent, but…I don’t want that. I don’t want to just co-parent with you, Max. I want…”

If the discharge nurse hadn’t come in, she was going to finish that statement with, “I want us to have a life together. I want all the things you’ve been telling me we can have. You’re everything to me, and I love you.”

Instead, they made small talk, ate enchiladas, watched a Hallmark movie, and went to bed. Even though she had the opportunity again when they were lying in his bed in the dark, she still didn’t tell him.

“I’m such a coward,” she said as she washed her hair.

Max deserved to know how she feels. After everything he’d been doing for her and all the times he opened himself up and told her how he felt, the right thing to do was be honest with him. How many times had he said he would marry her? How many times had he promised not to pressure her and he didn’t? How many times had he simply stepped up and been an awesome guy while she was a hot mess?

“Too many times to count on that one.”

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