Page 65 of Make Me Whole

Luckily, the kids’ excitement was contagious. We talked to them and about them, which became the middle ground where we could meet.

Once we arrived, Max removed our luggage and the kids’ bikes from the car and went to the front porch to watch them as they explored while I organized the kitchen. The neighborhood seemed safe enough that bigger kids like ours would be safe riding their bikes, which led me to wonder if he went outside to avoid me or because he was truly worried for them.

Done with my task, I brewed a pot of coffee and poured each of us a cup. With my olive branch in hand, I walked outside to meet him.

He sat in the middle of the porch swing with a blanket over his legs and looked at me as soon as the door opened. I half expected to see dread on his face, but it surprised me to see one of those Max smiles that made my heart soar and my panties melt.

“Hey, you,” he greeted.

I raised the mugs. “I come bearing gifts.”

“Cream and no sugar?”

I rolled my eyes. “Is there another way to drink coffee?”

He chuckled as I made my way toward him. I sighed with relief when he scooted to one side and rearranged the blanket, giving me room to sit next to him. Once I sat, he draped the blanket over my legs and took the mug I offered.

We sipped our coffees in silence for a moment. The kids rode past the house, ringing their bells and waving before disappearing again. The silence returned.

Uncomfortable, I said, “I can’t believe Molly owns this place but doesn’t live here full-time. This house is amazing. Aside from the rooms, the huge TV, the board games, the yard, and the beach access, there’s a hot tub on the back deck and a fire pit overlooking the cliff.”

His brows shot up, and his smile widened. “Cool. We could make s’mores tonight. Aiden loves them. And I haven’t enjoyed a hot tub in ages, so I’ll definitely be checking that out before we leave.”

“I don’t think we have marshmallows, but I’ll gladly run to the store to grab some. I love s’mores.”

Max chuckled. “You don’t strike me as a s’mores kind of girl.”

“What kind of girl do I strike you as?”

He combed a stray lock of hair behind my ear but quickly pulled his hand away as if he wasn’t sure whether he should be touching me or not. He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. You’re a mystery, Skylar.”

His green eyes looked away from me and focused on the empty street where our children had disappeared. If he had slapped me in the face, it would have hurt less.

“How can you say that? You know more about me than anyone.”

I didn’t mean to sound so emotional, but I did, and Max noticed. His brows scrunched together, and his eyes held the same amount of emotion as my words.

“I may know a lot about you, but I’m not sure I understand you. I don’t think you understand yourself, to be honest. You say you want more but then push me away for weeks.”

Thanks to all those pesky pregnancy hormones, my eyes filled with tears. “When did I do that? You’re the one who spent this past week avoiding me.”

“C’mon, Sky. You’ve been pushing me away since I tried to protect you from Eli. Or maybe even before that. Halloween, perhaps?” He shrugged and shook his head as he continued, “I thought of this trip as a way for us to reconnect and understand what went wrong, and you said no.”

I wanted to cry. Not just shed tears, but actually bawl my eyes out. “Because I’ve been trying to protect my heart, Max. You let me walk away on Halloween, so I assumed that our sex deal and the fantasy were all you wanted.”

“Well, it’s not, goddammit.”

My heart pounded like it was trying to run away from my chest, but I just stared at him, wide-eyed and blinking like a deer in the headlights. I had no idea what to say, how to speak, or how to even breathe. All I could think about were the words he just said and what the hell he meant by them.

As much as I tried not to, a vision of us together raising Aiden, Ella, and the baby that grew in my belly as a family formed in my mind, and it was overwhelming. It fueled the tears that ran down my face and the hope that blossomed in my heart.

Though I wanted to ask a million questions, what I wanted most was to kiss him. Without thinking, without even breathing, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to Max’s. He responded right away, as if my kiss was also the thing he wanted most.

Coffee mugs forgotten, we embraced each other as our mouths and tongues exchanged silent vows. His hand held my neck and pulled me closer while mine tugged at his hair and caressed his back. The kiss was hot and emotional, all at once. Fire and friendship, desire and adoration, and lust and promises wrapped into one delicious entanglement.

In the background, I heard the ringing of bicycle bells. For the first time since Ella’s birth, I resented my daughter’s proximity. I didn’t want this moment to end. I didn’t want to have space between Max and me. But above all, I didn’t want to risk waking up from this dream.

As the bells got closer, Max pulled away. “I missed you so much.”

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