Chapter 34

Max

I was distracted. Something I’d never let happen during a match before. Whether it was from last night’s conversation with Lee-Lee, or what I had to tell Collin that night, I wasn’t sure. Either way, one unfocused move later, I was down for the count.

Rugby apparently wasn’t my game anymore.

“Fuck, I think it’s broken.” I held my mangled hand to my chest, having heard the snap of a bone, maybe. Not sure who it was, but some dickhead on the other team had dug his cleat so far into my knuckles that it was like he was tunneling for hell.

Hybrid studs on a pair of cleats? Who would’ve thought there were idiots out there who cared so much about an intramural Saturday game.

Collin’s eyes went big as he dropped down next to me. “Not gonna lie, Maxwell. It looks bad.” Sweat covered his forehead, dripping down his cheek. “Gavin!” he yelled, scanning the side of the pitch. “Get over here. Now.”

I panted, my chest going tight. Not real sure what Gav could do that a ride to the ER couldn’t.

“Can you walk?” Gavin asked a few seconds later.

I opened one eye, finding him next to Collin. “Ain’t my feet that hurt, baby cakes.”

He curled his lip at the nickname, but Colly laughed. It was a good sound to hear when I was seconds away from losing my shit.

“Let’s go, asshole.” Gavin tugged me up on one side, Colly the other. With their arms wrapped around my waist, they both walked me off the pitch, straight to Collin’s truck.

“The bones are hanging out. You see that? Fucking nasty shit,” someone said.

I wasn’t all that surprised to hear it, but what I was surprised about was that it didn’t hurt anymore. Five minutes later and it’d grown numb, tingling down my fingers. Probably wasn’t a good thing, but I’d take the relief while I could.

My eyes grew unfocused the more we moved, the world tilting at the same time. I tipped forward as we got to the passenger-side door. “Jesus, hold tight to him,” Gavin said to Collin as he ran around to the bed of the truck.

Colly’s arms went around my waist to hold me upright. If I wasn’t worried about passing out, I probably would’ve accused him of hitting on me.

“Do I have something back there to cover this up?” Collin yelled to Gav.

I squeezed my eyes shut to curb the spinning. “You afraid of a little blood, Colly?”

“More afraid of what Addie will say if you get it all over my seats.”

I snorted, running outta breath. “Doubt it… Short Stuff thinks I walk on magic clouds.”

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that.”

The passenger-side door flew open, Gavin reaching for my feet to help me inside, a couple of blue shop towels in his hand.

The stupid asses were gonna lift me? Don’t think so.

“Christ, guys, it’s my hand, not my legs. Leave me be.”

Gavin growled at me like a dog and put the shop towels over my hand. “Your eyes are dilated, and your face is turning white. If anything, you should be more worried about passing out and hitting your head right now.”

I shrugged. “Meh, wouldn’t be the first time.”

Rolling his eyes, Gavin helped Collin get me in the truck anyway, then took off toward his Suburban.

Man, he was a moody ass.

Before Collin could shut the door, I kicked my foot out and looked him dead in the eyes, saying what I’d planned on saying later that night…after he’d gotten a few beers in him at O’Paddy’s. “I’m asking your sister to marry me.”

He laughed. “Not really surprised.” This time, I let him shut the door. Guess he needed time to let it all sink in.

Once the truck was put in Reverse, I decided to break the other news. “I also was thinking of moving to Springfield in a few months to stay with her ’til her training’s up.”

Collin’s eyes narrowed at the road. “Let’s talk about this later, when you’re not about ready to lose your fucking hand.” He hit the accelerator and pulled out of the gravel lot.

“Seriously, Collin. It’s gonna happen. Soon.” I leaned my head back, trying to keep my breathing steady. Pain started to rocket up my arm, burning through my elbow, my wrist, my forearm.

“You ask her about this yet?”

I shook my head, grimacing as he hit a bump. Telling Collin and Gavin about my plans was one thing; convincing Lee-Lee to let it happen was a whole other ball game.

“You’re really serious about this?” Collin said after a minute of silence.

“Yeah.” My gut went tight from the whips and turns he was making. I couldn’t open my eyes. Couldn’t even manage a single blink. But I could say “I love her.” It was the one truth I’d never get tired of saying.

I’d gotten the ring; it was buried in the bottom of my dresser at home. I’d never had an urge to go buy one, though the thought had been on my mind since the second we decided to make this thing between us the real deal. But one day when I was out, I happened to see the ring sitting in the window of the jewelry store by June’s Waffle House and More, the place where Addie used to work. Pink jewels surrounded both sides of the lone diamond as it sparkled in the sun’s reflection. It was simple, pretty, and all Lee-Lee.

I knew someday I’d give it to her. And someday I’d hope she’d say yes.

“We’ll miss you if you decide to move, just like we do Lia, but you’ve got my blessing. Probably always have had.”

Somehow I managed to smile, even through the pain. “Thanks, Colly. Just do me a favor first.”

“What’s that?”

I cleared my throat. “Don’t call her about the hand.” She’d just worry and wanna come home.

Collin stayed quiet for a second. No doubt weighing his options. Get reamed by me if he did call her, or get reamed by Lee-Lee if he didn’t. I know what I’d choose. Lia was scary as shit when she got pissy, but also damn hot.

Still…

“Seriously, Colly. I don’t want her to worry.” Another shot of pain darted up my arm, and I hissed.

“Fine. I won’t call.”

I nodded, wanting to believe him. But at the same time, I didn’t.

* * *

Lia

The second my phone rang, I should’ve known something was wrong. But in my half-dazed, Saturday-morning state, I didn’t know if I was awake or asleep. Either way, when Willie Nelson sang to me, all I could think about was my brother impatiently waiting on the other end of the line.

I reached for my phone on my new coffee table, trying not to wake my mom. We’d been up half the night with Ibrahim and Avery. And with her long drive back home tomorrow, I knew she needed the rest.

“Hey, Brother. What’s up?” I stood and headed toward my room.

“Lia, hey…” My heart stopped at his scratchy voice, the serious way he said my name.

The alarm clock in my room said 11:00 a.m. I knew they’d had a rugby match this morning, but they usually didn’t end until well after noon.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Max.”

I froze. “What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?”

“His hand was stepped on during a game today. Some dumb fuck on the other team was wearing illegal cleats.”

A rush of air left my throat, relief running through me. Still, why would Collin sound so cryptic over a bruised hand?

“He’s okay, right? Needs stitches or something?”

He sighed, and the alarm bells in my head starting to ring.

“Collin Montgomery…tell me he’s okay.” Knees weak, I walked back into the living room and headed straight toward the couch. At the mention of my brother’s name, Mom popped up from her end, her dark eyes immediately searching my face with worry.

“Yeah, he’s okay. But his hand… He can’t feel anything. There are a shit ton of broken bones, damaged nerves…”

I held my hand over my suddenly cramping stomach.

Oh, Maxwell…

Everything okay? Mom mouthed the question to me, fear for her son in her eyes, I’m sure.

I covered the speaker with my hand, needing to gather my wits. “Max is hurt.”

She gasped. “Oh no. Do we need to go home?”

I thought about her suggestion, knowing at the same time that I had to go into work on Monday. Granted, the first real day of school wasn’t until Wednesday, but I still had so much to do. At the same time, the idea of working seemed trivial when I knew Max was laid up in a hospital, hurting.

“Okay, Sis. The orthopedic doc just went into the room to talk surgery. I gotta go. Call you with an update soon, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks for calling.” I pinched my eyes shut, thinking about Beaner and her surgery from not long ago. She’d recovered fairly quickly, but this thing with Max was a whole other issue. Broken hands, torn ligaments, muscles… This would require physical therapy, and God only knew what else.

And Jesus, what about his job? His entire business? How could he cook with only one good hand?

I slapped the end button on my phone and tossed it onto the table. Fear and frustration had tears spilling from my eyes. I wiped them with the back of my shirt, already knowing what I had to do.

“I’ll pack my stuff.” Mom patted the back of my hand, also knowing what needed to be done.

Thoughts of Max’s brown eyes and smile had my head spinning as I threw a few things into an overnight bag. Stupid rugby.

As we stepped outside, Mom turned to me and said, “I spoke to your father. He’s at the hospital with the boys.”

I unlocked my car with the key fob and nodded. “Good.”

Dad had a level head, unlike his son or his son’s friends. If a decision about something needed to be made before I got there, he would at least be able to provide insight.

In the car, I muttered under my breath about stupid sports and stupid men and the stupid decisions they made just so they could feel young. I’d never been adamant about deterring the guys from playing, but now? God, I was ready to scream.

Mom chuckled under her breath, maybe even still a little tipsy from our night before. “What’s so funny?” I asked her.

“Did you know that the only reason women are crazy is because men do stupid things in life to make us that way?”

I blinked, then blinked again, only for a bubble of laughter to rise in my throat. I’m not sure if exhaustion or worry had me losing it in the end, but either way, it felt better to laugh than cry.

Before long, Mom joined me, and together, the two of us laughed so hard that I couldn’t help but wipe the happy tears away. We were both exhausted, likely slaphappy. But the fact that Mom could distract me when I felt like pulling my hair out reminded what she was capable of.

And what I was capable of.

It was a moment for me, for us as a mother/daughter unit too. Proof that we’d come a long way during the last few years. From my incident at college, to me dropping out and coming home to live, to the changes in my appearance and demeanor, to the moment Chloe was brought into the world. Amy’s death had hit us both pretty hard, but Collin’s arrival home had helped some. But while Mom grew stronger, I’d seemed to level out. I had no problem hiding things, but internally I felt as though I had been regressing over the past year.

Now though, times were changing. It was my turn to grow fully and completely. Strong on the outside, strong on the inside. And sure we had a long trip ahead of us, which would ultimately lead to an injured Max, but I at least felt like I finally had a handle on life. The good things, the bad things, and all things in between. And as we drove away from my newer life to my older one, I realized something very important. Old Lia wanted back in. Old Lia was also done hiding. Old Lia wanted to mesh with New Lia once and for all.

I grinned at the thought, having no problem making a little room for her.