Page 29 of The Ruthless and the Strong

Lizzie

We drove home in silence.By the time we left the restaurant, it was getting close to late afternoon, and I was feeling off.

I didn’t know why I was feeling this way, and Max probably knew something was up, because he left me mostly to my thoughts. For that, I was grateful.

I was emotionally drained. I didn’t have the energy to do anything more or to put up a facade, especially not around Max.

Hunter fell asleep halfway home. He had missed naptime for being out and about all afternoon, and I knew by the time we got home, I should only let him sleep for another half an hour or so, otherwise it was going to be hell during bedtime tonight.

It wasn’t long before Max pulled up to Olivia’s house. We sat in the car for a few moments. Olivia was home with Emma now, and I wondered how I could possibly explain to her that I had spent most of the day with Max without making it seem like such a big deal, because it wasn’t.

Max waited for me to make the first move, and he opened his door when I did. “I’ll carry Hunter to the house while you grab his stuff, okay?” he said to me softly.

I didn’t have the energy to argue with him, and I was thankful for the help. Usually, I would have to make two trips, carrying Hunter in and coming back for all the stuff.

We moved pretty efficiently.

Olivia was in the kitchen with Emma when we got in, and she shot us wide eyes. Olivia still wasn’t able to hide her emotions very well. Every thought she ever had would be showcased in those expressive brown eyes of hers, and I pretended I didn’t see the way she looked at Max and me.

There was no Max and me.

I caught Olivia’s eyes as I walked past, and she shot me a mischievous smile. I shook my head, and when I looked back at Max, he was looking between us. I was sure he didn’t miss the interaction between Olivia and me, and for some reason, my cheeks burned from the thought. I ignored both of them and took the lead, moving to Emma’s room. Hunter and Emma were sharing a room for a while.

Emma hadn’t exactly moved out of her crib, but I knew Olivia was getting her ready for the transition. Emma had her own crib in one end of the room, while Hunter had a twin platform bed that had been in storage. Though most of the time, he would sneak over to my room.

I was still trying to get him to be more independent from me, but I had a hard time saying no to him, especially since the divorce, and I still was unsure about how Hunter was feeling, being separated from his dad for so long.

Sam hadn’t made any move yet to contact us, to ask how Hunter was doing. I tried not to let that fact hurt me so much, and had to remind myself that he was dealing with the divorce in his own way as well.

Max looked around the room a bit. He’d been in Emma’s room before. He had been a constant presence in her life since the day she was born.

I watched as Max gently laid Hunter down on his bed, tucking him in with care. I looked away when he straightened. I shouldn’t be affected by the way Max was with Hunter. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he loved kids and was good with them, but he was so good with my kid, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I feigned interest in putting away Hunter’s stuff.

“I should go,” Max said quietly.

Don’t go.

I cleared my throat a bit and looked off to the side, the words burning strongly in my throat. I didn’t want him to go, and that was the truth, but I wouldn’t know what to do with him if he stayed.

I nodded. “Thank you for today,” I said.

He moved toward me and I stiffened a bit. “It was my pleasure.”

Holding his hand up, he moved a long strand of my red hair behind my ear. I looked up at him. He was close to me. So close, it wouldn’t take much for me to move forward and kiss him. But I didn’t want to make the first move, and I didn’t know how Max felt about me.

I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down on a hard swallow.

“Bye, Lizzie.”

He turned around and headed for the door. “Bye, Max,” I said when he reached the threshold. He paused in his step but didn’t turn around. I held my breath as I watched him, wondering if he would turn around, and what I would do if he did. But he didn’t turn around. He walked out the door. I watched his back until I couldn’t see him anymore.

I wasn’t even sure how long I stood there, as indecision moved inside of me.

Then I was off without a thought.

I found Olivia still in the kitchen, feeding Emma some baby snacks. “Can you watch Hunter?” I asked.

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