Page 77 of The Ruthless and the Strong

He opened his mouth to say something, when Hunter ran back to us, a bunch of dandelions coming out of his little fist and a smile on his face. “Come on, Maxie. Can we play now?”

Max looked over at me. “Later,” I told him.

He nodded. “Later.”

He stood up and grabbed the Frisbee, and moved to the field. I watched as Max played with my son for the rest of the afternoon, and I watched as Hunter fell in love with Max.

It was moments like this when I wished I could be confident in our relationship. That Max and I were a sure thing, as much as Mason and Oliva were, as much Hayden and Logan were, and hell, even as Gage and Kiera were.

But I didn’t want to jump too soon, too fast, too deep.

I didn’t want to get hurt, and if there was ever a man who could break my heart twice, it was Maxwell Kade.

And I would let him.

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