Page 30 of Make Me Whole

“I won’t,” he assured me, and I believed him. I truly did. “Just never disappear without your phone, okay?”

“Okay.”

We stared at each other for a moment, and so much was said in the silence. But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to say those things out loud. I wanted to give room for whatever this was to grow, because if this comfort and yesterday’s fire were any sign of what we could be, it would be amazing.

Max interlaced his fingers with mine and brought our joined hands to his lips. He placed a soft, lingering kiss to my injured wrist, and as crazy as it sounds, it felt instantly better.

I pulled a small breath through my lips, and his eyes followed my mouth as it parted. My heart raced at the what-if in front of me. Then, with the impeccable timing of children, Aiden’s faint voice echoed from downstairs.

“Dad! Aunther Sky! Where are you?”

I smiled at the silly nicknames, but Max groaned and dropped our hands to his lap.

“Could we ignore them?” he asked, only half teasing.

“Probably a bad idea,” I whispered between chuckles. “Kids are relentless, and they’d just end up here. Do I look like I was crying?”

Max looked at me as if he hadn’t seen me in forever. His thumbs brushed the last remnants of tears from my cheeks, then he shook his head. “No. You look beautiful.”

Kissing him was so tempting, but I didn’t. We didn’t need more drama today. And the kids’ calls were getting closer.

“We’d better answer from the hall so they won’t get funny ideas.”

Max agreed. Without releasing my hand, he guided me to the hall.

“Up here,” he called and only let go of me when the sound of little feet racing up the stairs got close.

Both kids were wet and flushed. I frowned and brought my hands to my hips. "What the heck happened to the two of you?"

Ella looked down at herself, giggled, and shrugged. “We were playing outside and it started to rain.”

Aiden nodded fervently, snickering as well. “It's pouring outside. We only got a little wet because we ran super fast!"

"Yeah," my daughter agreed, growing a bit taller with pride. "We're like the Flash."

I chuckled. Max just shook his head as if the kids were equal parts aggravating and endearing. I wondered if the aggravating part had anything to do with our interrupted moment. I hoped it had.

"Then,” Aiden continued, looking at his father with glistening eyes, “I remembered how you said that I could help you smash the bathroom today, and I told Ella, and she thought it was really fun and she wants to smash like the Hulk too. Can we? Can we, Dad?”

"Breathe, kid. Breathe," Max coaxed.

Aiden, who was a little blue in the face, took a deep breath. Ella's expression mirrored her friencoubling's.

"Of course, she can. The more hands demoing stuff, the faster we'll get it done." The kids high-fived and ran to the unused bathroom they'd be tearing apart. Max turned and extended a hand to me. "What about you, Sky? Want to work out some frustration with me? It's cheaper than therapy."

The look in his eyes was so intense and sexy that he could be inviting me to my death and my reaction wouldn't have changed. I would still have placed my palm on his and followed wherever he led.

13

MAX

“What’s our plan, Boss?” Ella asked as the four of us entered the bathroom. She looked adorable in the pink hardhat and gloves I had bought for her and was undoubtedly the most excited crew I’d ever had.

Demolition was always my favorite thing about working with construction. It’s backbreaking work, but also a hell of a lot of fun. However, demoing with kids was something else.

Adults enjoy breaking stuff because we spend a good chunk of our lives curbing the desire to lodge a sledgehammer into people’s heads, so we substitute the object of our frustration for ugly cabinets, dated countertops, and oddly placed walls. But kids enjoy it simply because punching through a wall and kicking a cabinet door is fun. There’s no catharsis or suppressed anger, just laughs and spent energy.

Feeling like my old football coach, I lowered to one knee so I’d be on eye level with them and mirrored the kids’ enthusiasm as I announced, “The plan is to tear it all down.”

---