Page 38 of Lines We Cross
My smile came naturally, produced by a heart that felt lighter than it had in years. “Yeah. It really was. Thank you.”
He stopped walking directly under a pine tree, the tall branches blocking most of the moonlight. Max let go of my hand then, the better to cup my face tenderly. My heart was so light it sprouted wings, the beating of them increasing with each detail of his face I could make out from this close proximity.
“I think you and I did the same thing when Emerson died. We both went numb and we got busy to stay numb. It was seeing you again that made me want to connect. To step away from the busy schedule andfeelagain.” His hands gripped tighter, his chest pumping with deep breaths that pushed him against me. “Say you want to feel with me, Rae.”
I swallowed hard, my brain fighting with my heart, losing the battle on keeping it buttoned down and immune to the emotion swirling across Max’s face.
“I’m scared to,” I whispered, the dark sky blanketing my shameful secret. But not from Max. He heard it. He saw it.
“Let’s face it together. I promise you I’m not going anywhere. Let me be here for you, Gingersnap. A year too late, but I swear to you I’ll make up for that. Just give me a chance.”
My heart took flight, finding a new home with Max and there was nothing my brain could say to stop it. Tears hit my eyes and made Max’s earnest face waver. I nodded.
Before my head finished moving, Max’s lips fluttered across mine, reacquainting themselves before delving in deeper. Our mouths fused together and it was so different from when we were teenagers. I’d merely been a young girl lost in a fairy-tale world, locking lips with a boy who had his whole life to live before he could offer anything in return.
This man, the one currently melting my skin and my resolve into a puddle at his feet, had mastered the art of kissing. He claimed my mouth with a confidence only a man could have after life had handed him adversities and he’d slain each and every one of them. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t pull back to assess if I was still with him. He took and then he gave in the next breath.
A car engine firing in the near distance had him pulling back, a look of awe and regret so entwined I couldn’t take my eyes off his face waiting to see which one won the battle.
“I swear to you, Rae. Don’t you forget that.”
One last whisper of his lips across mine and he tugged me back onto the road where we broke out into a jog and made our way around the block back to Max’s truck.
My friends were already in the cab of Ava’s truck, the last of the vehicles to wait for us. Ava took one look at my face and smirked. A quick nod and she took off, leaving Max and me to make our way home in electrified silence.
It was a simple kiss in the dark under a pine tree.
He didn’t awaken the sleeping princess.
But he did awaken her sleeping heart.
15
Max
Rae was all business at my physical therapy appointments which bothered me a bit, but ultimately, I admired her ability to remain focused. The clinic was her place of business and I had no right to flirt with her and jeopardize everything she’d built through hard work and determination.
Besides, I had a knee to rebuild too. I had to remain focused on doing everything I could to get back in shape. Not to play professional baseball, but to be the best amateur athlete or high school coach I could be for the rest of my life. I also had some unfinished business at the Mulholland household.
“Max! So good to see you, come on in.” Anna Mulholland welcomed me into her home and gave me a hug, calling for Mitch to come downstairs.
It was Saturday morning, and while Rae was busy with a couple hours of clients at the clinic, I wanted to get some things settled so I could pursue Rae like I intended. The three of us sat on the couches—the kind that didn’t suck you in and kill any chance you had of getting back up—and I got right to the point.
“I have some things to discuss with you and I think it all starts with talking about Emerson.” I cleared my throat and rested my forearms on my legs. “I’m sorry for not being a better friend and being here when he needed me. I regret that. But what I regret even more is not being here for Rae. She needed someone and as Emerson’s best friend it should have been me.”
The clock on the mantel ticked away the passing seconds of silence. I knew Anna had already told me not to feel guilty about Emerson, as I was merely following his wishes, but I should have been there for Rae instead of hiding in my own world and pretending like Emerson hadn’t just died.
“Listen, son.” Mitch drilled me with an intense gaze I didn’t dare look away from. “Emerson wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. He wouldn’t have wanted you to give up on your career or have to miss games to come here. Now that you’re back, you can be whomever you want to be. Emerson may be gone”—his voice cracked and I ground my molars to keep it together—“but he’d love that you want to help Skylar. You don’t need forgiveness. You did nothing wrong.”
“Thank you, sir.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “But there’s more. I-I’m in love with your daughter.”
Anna’s sharp intake of air drew my attention. Her hands were clasped under her jaw, a misty smile telling me she wasn’t about to kill me. Then she was moving, a blur of floral blouse as she sat down next to me and pulled me into a hug that reminded me of my own mother when she got carried away and thought I was still a little boy.
Mitch clapped me on the back with more strength than I gave him credit for. “Treat her right and we’d love for you to be our son for real.”
The gruff words, spoken around a grief-thickened throat brought tears to my eyes. They threatened to spill over onto Anna’s blouse if she wasn’t careful. Given the excited squeal I heard above me, she wasn’t letting go anytime soon. And I was just fine with it.
Anna moved quick, pushing me away and grabbing me by the arms, a fierce look in her eye that told me I better listen real good.
