Page 30 of Reed

“Okay,” I say. “Why don’t you head home or crash here? I’m going to go check on Ali and then get the boys from Grandmama.”

“So, you and Ali?” Gabe wiggles his brows and laughs.

“What about us?” I push him before walking away. He quickly catches up to me.

“It’s serious?” Gabe asks, stopping me before I can head down the stairs. Ali’s laugh floats up, and I smile softly at the sound.

“Do you remember what you told me when you first saw Tara?”

“That it felt like a piece of myself that I hadn’t even known was missing had suddenly been found,” Gabe says with a faraway look in his eyes.

“Same thing,” I said, pointing down the stairs. Nothing else needs to be said between us. He nods at me and takes the stairs two at a time. Gabe hollers a goodbye into the dining room before leaving out the front door.

Ali

After Reed left to find the guys, I excused myself to change. I wash off the blood and pull on a clean sundress, without panties, because my ass is on fire. Stopping in the kitchen, I find a bottle of pain relievers and swallow two with a glass of water.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Caleb asks me from the dining room.

“No, not really. But can I ask you a question?” I pull out the chair next to him trying not to groan as I sit down and take his hand in mine. He nods at me with a sweet smile on his face. Oh, how I’ve missed his smile over the years. “Reed asked me a question this morning, and it got me thinking. I’ve been calling you Caleb out loud and in my head, but is that what you want me to call you? When Reed asked me what name I wanted him to call me, I told him that I would like to continue going by Ali.”

Caleb cocks his head. “I’ve been doing the same thing. Calling you Sarah,” he says, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “Inever stopped to think if you felt the same way I do about our biological names.” His hand tightens around mine, and I return the squeeze.

“As if that person died the night of the fire?” I ask timidly because, unlike him, I didn’t actually die.

“Yes. I’ve been Max for longer than I was Caleb. Caleb was a naive little boy who thought monsters only existed in fairy tales. I’m no longer that version of me. I’ve seen true evil in this world, been true evil to some, and done things that had to be done but changed who I am. So, to answer your question, I would rather you call me Max, and in return, I will call you Ali.” Max, as I will forever see him as, smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Now I have a question for you. Well, two, actually.”

“Okay,” I say, shifting in my seat because my ass is on fire.

“This thing between Reed and you, how long has it been going on?”

“Honestly, a few days,” I say, blushing.

“Is it serious?” Max asks, not sounding anything like I imagined he would. I thought he would sound as if he was hesitant about it or maybe even disbelieving. But instead, all I hear is curiosity in his question.

“It feels serious. I know it doesn't make sense to anyone else besides Reed and me. Since the night that Mom and Dad died, I’ve been searching for a place that feels like home. A place that fills me with warmth but mostly with a sense of being loved, cared for, wanted, and most of all, safe. I always thought it would be a tangible place, like a house or apartment, but I found that in a person instead. Is it so naive of me to want to grab hold of those feelings that I’ve long since given up hope of finding?” I try not to look anywhere but in Max’s eyes because I want him to hear, not just listen to what I’m saying.

“No, it doesn’t make you naive or anything other than brave,” he finally says, causing my sore muscles to relax. “Does it reallymatter what anyone besides you and Reed thinks anyway? At the end of the day, if he is the person that makes you feel like the best version of yourself and treats you exactly how you desire to be treated, then what’s the harm in that.” Max pulls his hand from mine to cup my face. “All I want is for you to be safe, happy, and loved. If Reed is the man to do that, I will welcome him into our family.”

Tears well in my eyes, and I try to blink them away. “I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you too. Now tell me all about these two nephews of mine,” Max says, wiping the tears as they fall from my eyes.

A part of me wants to ask him about his life since the night of the fire, who the young man was who excused himself as soon as Reed and I walked through the door, and what he plans to do about the Ricci family. But I don’t because today has been full of enough pain and suffering. So, instead, I tell him all about Caleb and Jacob, whose names rightfully shocked him since I named them after him and Dad. We laugh about their antics as I show him pictures and tell him stories. Too soon, his phone rings as Reed descends the stairs, and Max says he has to go but promises to return soon. We hug, kiss each other's cheeks, and say goodbye.

Reed walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my midsection, and asks in my ear, “How are you feeling, Little One?”

I sigh and lean back against him. “Sore but freer than I have ever felt before,” I say before asking him. “What about you?”

“Almost complete,” he says, nudging my head to the side so he can kiss my neck.

“And what would make you complete?”

“A few things, actually. If we go get my little men.” Heat blooms in my chest at the adoration coating his words. I’vealways wanted someone who adored my boys as much as I do, and I’ve finally found that person.

“And the other things?”

“Finding out if my little sister is still alive or dead,” he says into my neck. I gasp and spin around in his arms.

---