Chapter 11

With one last stroke of sunflower-yellow nail polish smoothed on the nail of her big toe, Piper cocked her head and cleaned up the edge with her thumbnail before returning her attention to Sarah, who was tucked into the corner of the couch in their cluttered living room.

“So let me get this straight. He showed up at the door last night after nearly beating up your boss so he could help you out with the fridge and your other little problem?” Piper asked, pointing to Sarah’s lap, which was apparently her favorite new thing to do.

It might normally have gotten a rise out of Sarah, but with all that was happening, with the way her body had basically been on overload since Max left the night before with the promise of a date later that day, all she could focus on was the basic exchange of information. “Yes.”

“Except then he doesn’t actually take care of your problem at all. And informs you that the expected wait period has just been extended to two weeks.”

Sarah set her glass of water down on the end table and slumped back into the couch, her chin resting on her chest. “Right. Four dates that gradually build up to the big event.”

“Because he wants you really, really ready for it when it finally comes.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Okay, you do know, if you actually wanted to, you could go out and have this situation handled in the next hour. Seriously, I know a guy—”

Sarah’s hand was up, cutting Piper off. “Not another word, Piper. I was feeling a little waffly about the four-dates thing, but you just sold me on it. This”—she pointed down at her lap—“is not an ‘I’ve got a guy’ situation.”

Her friend shrugged, a wicked look in her eyes. “But I do.”

She’d regret this. Sarah knew she would, but she couldn’t resist. Leaning forward so her elbows perched on her knees, she asked. “But seriously, what does that mean, you have a guy? I know you work with a lot of men down at the radio station, but does one of them have a reputation for getting off on virgins, or is there actually some guy extending an offer of sex on an as-needed basis?”

Piper stood up, amusement flashing in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Sarah. You’re all set with your date tonight, or at least you will be once you start getting ready.” Offering her hand, she tugged Sarah up from the couch. “On the upside, I’m guessing it’s pretty safe to say this date won’t require any waxing, right?”

Sarah laughed, pulling her friend in for a hug. “I guess not.”

An hour later, Sarah was dressed in a pair of cropped jeans she’d paid a ridiculous amount for but that had flattered her figure to the point where abandoning them in the store would have felt like an unconscionable crime. Her blouse was a silky, short-sleeved number with a delicate pastel brushstroke pattern and a dozen tiny mother-of-pearl buttons down the front. Walking into the kitchen, she did a little turn in the doorway for Piper, who was eating peanut butter off a spoon at the sink.

“What do you think?”

“I like it,” Piper said, nodding approvingly. “It says ‘I have a great ass, but you’re not getting any’ while ensuring he’ll be wishing he could.”

Piper could always be counted on for a colorful, concise review.

Scooping out another enormous glob of peanut butter, she asked, “So what are you guys doing on your date tonight anyway?”

“Dinner, I think, and then—”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great. What I’m asking is what kind of play you’re going to get since you know he’s not putting out.”

Uh-huh, that. “He said we’d start slow. But beyond that, I don’t really know. I don’t know if we’ll do anything.” It probably seemed a little backward, considering Max had seen her naked once in the last week, and she’d had her legs wrapped around him at least twice. But both times they’d failed to launch, so maybe backing up a few steps wasn’t the worst idea ever.

Piper was making one of those slightly disgusted faces. “Slow. Mmm-hmm. That’s sweet, I guess.”

Actually it was. Max said he’d wanted to give her as much of the experience she’d been cheated out of as he could.

The intercom squawked, and Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She buzzed him up and left the door open while returning to her room to fasten the buckles on her block-heeled sandals and check her makeup. She’d gone with a lighter look, glossing her lips and adding a bit of bronzer. Mascara, liner, and a neutral palate of shadow finished her eyes. A pair of oversize hoops with a narrow band completed her look.

She was ready.

Or at least as ready as she could be.

Piper was chatting with Max by the door when she returned. He was standing in that wide-legged stance that seemed to be his natural state of rest, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a gray, long-sleeved T-shirt that hugged and stretched over the hard, packed muscles beneath.

The body on this man.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, letting his eyes roam over her from head to toe and back again.

And that appreciative look—it got to her good. Because suddenly the air felt thin, and her heart was going faster than it should.

Licking her peanut-butter spoon, Piper waved good-bye and sauntered back toward the kitchen, leaving them alone in the hall.

Max’s brows pulled together as he nodded after her. “Piper know what we’re doing?”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Sarah said with a wince. “We’ve been friends since the first grade, and I guess I wasn’t really thinking about whether it was fair to you for me to tell her.” Biting her lip, she took a step closer. “Which is completely hypocritical, because now that I’m thinking about it, I’m realizing I’d about die if you’d told anyone what we’re doing. I’m sorry, Max.”

Taking her hand in his, he shook his head. “Sean knows I’m taking you out. Couldn’t really keep it from him after the way I’ve been acting, but beyond that he doesn’t know anything.”

Sarah looked at where their hands met, the low charge from that point of contact making her heart stutter and skip. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, for the sake of full disclosure, whatever Sean knows, Molly knows about seventeen seconds later. And what she knows, Jase, Emily, and Brody will know about ten seconds after that. So if you feel your ears start to burn, it’s because they’ll be speculating pretty much nonstop about what’s going on with us. Probably for about a year after you’ve moved to New York.”

“Is that all?” she asked with a laugh.

“Honestly, could be longer.”

“Well, thanks for the heads-up. And just so you know, Piper is the only person I share this sort of information with, and despite how she might come across, she’s actually very discreet.” Putting up a hand, she clarified, “If you get her to swear to secrecy up front. If you don’t, well, make sure you do, is all.”

Max grinned, still playing with her fingers. “Fair enough. And it doesn’t bother me that she knows. Seems like this might be one of those things where it helps to have someone to talk to. So I’m glad you have her.”

When he said things like that, it made Sarah glad she had him. This was going to be the best vacation fling of her life, and she couldn’t wait to get to it.

Max took her to a tiny noodle place under the tracks. The lighting was bright and the air scented with fresh ginger and spice. As the hostess led them to a window seat in the corner, Max’s hand stayed settled at the small of Sarah’s back. From the time he’d picked her up, he’d maintained almost constant contact. Holding her hand, running the backs of his fingers along the line of her arm, rubbing a bit of her hair between his fingers and then taking her hand again.

So date number one must be about getting used to physical contact. That made sense in a clinical way that she would have expected to turn her off. But even knowing the logic behind those light, frequent touches, it didn’t. It felt natural, easy. She’d say comfortable, except with every second he played with her fingers, weaving them between hers one way and then another, tension was building within her. A good tension, but one comfortable definitely didn’t describe.

Not when it made her shift in her seat and her breath catch.

The dinner was amazing—fresh, light, and delicious—while the conversation came as easily between them as it always had. They talked about their careers. Their friends. Their family. Or at least Max talked about Molly and the friends and guys from the force he counted as family. He’d never given Sarah more than a few words about his parents, but what he’d said had been enough for her to understand that his home life growing up hadn’t exactly been idyllic.

She told him about her first job with Wyse and how, when she met Sean, he’d seemed so uptight that she’d actually worried he might have less of a life than she did. She still couldn’t quite believe her boss was the same man Max had warned her off back in college. It was crazy.

Almost as crazy as what they were doing.

“What are you thinking?” Max asked, rubbing his thumb in lazy patterns across her knuckles.

“That this is nuts. What we’re doing.” More of that light friction from the rough pads of his work-worn hands. She really liked the feel of them on her. “Pretending to be out on a date when we both know what it’s really about. What’s coming.”

Max picked up his beer with his free hand. Then after a swallow, he leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially, “You have no idea what’s coming, baby. But you can be sure you’re going to like it.”

Shivers ran through her, leaving a path of goose bumps in their wake. Something Max hadn’t missed. The cocky smile that had been driving her wild all evening dropped from his lips as his eyes turned dark, intense. “And there’s nothing pretend about this date. I wouldn’t have asked for it if I didn’t want it. Sure, we both know you’re headed to New York at the end of next month. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have something short and sweet for a few weeks while you’re here.”

“Sweet?” She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of sweet. It sounded bland. Like a temptation easy to pass up for something more exotic.

“Yeah, sweet. Pretty sure nothing could make me think of being with you any other way, Sarah.” Pulling her hand to his mouth, he dropped a soft kiss over her knuckle, letting his lips skim the sensitive flesh. “Think about this dinner. The chili and coconut together. Things can be hot and sweet at the same time, you know?”

The air left her lungs in a rush. The way he was looking at her wasn’t sweet at all. Maybe that was all that mattered.

“Guess I’m going to find out.”

Max leaned closer still, his lips spreading into that better-judgment-shattering smile she’d been falling for since that first night at the library. They were so close she could feel his breath across her cheek. “I guess you will.”

Dinner ended, and they walked back to Max’s car. It was still early, and Sarah’s belly had started working itself into knots. Because what were they going to do next? She knew sex was off the table for two weeks. And yet they were supposed to be working toward it. So was he going to take her back to his place and start with the warming up—or was he just going to take her home and say good night, because the first date wasn’t about getting busy?

When would he want to see her again?

What—

“What do you think about a movie?” Max asked, giving her hand a light squeeze and then pulling them to a stop about a half block down from where he’d parked.

She turned, surprised and more than a little pleased to hear their date wasn’t over. “A movie sounds like fun.”

Looking especially pleased with himself, Max asked, “Sounds like a first date too, right?”

How could such a powerful, imposing man, big and gruff and controlled, be so completely adorable? “Very much.”

Sarah was starting to understand why Max had gotten a reputation for giving good date. The guy seemed to have thought of everything. He’d picked a movie and had the times for the next show at the AMC on Michigan. His selection was a little surprising. She would have pegged him more for a big-budget action adventure than a golden-years journey of self-discovery, but whatever. They were getting to know each other again, and this was definitely new information.

As they walked through the theater to find seats, she found herself wishing their date was just a little more real. Despite what Max had said about it, she knew the score. Anything with limits set as clearly as theirs couldn’t be entirely real. But she was okay with that. She was having an amazing time with an incredible man. And when it was over, she would have New York. Still, another time, another place, two less commitment-phobic people?

Turned out, Max was a back-of-the-theater guy.

She’d never sat in the back row before, preferring a seat two-thirds back and dead center, if left to her own devices. But Max hadn’t asked. Holding her hand, he’d led the way, and when they sat, he flashed her a wink that had her stalling where she sat. Because the wink plus the back row? Her jaw dropped.

“So, good reviews for this one?” she asked, fairly certain she knew the answer already.

The lights dimmed, and Max threw an arm around the back of her chair. Playing with the ends of her hair, he fired another one of those criminally hot smiles her way. “Not really.”

Sarah’s heart was racing, her skin tingling with anticipation. The film started to roll, but all she could focus on was the half-empty theater in front of them, the light tug and gentle pull of Max’s fingers moving through her hair, and whether he was going to make a move or if he was waiting for her to.

What exactly was going to happen in the back of this theater?

Would she have to tell him to stop? Would she even want to?

“Nervous?” Max asked quietly. He knew. Of course he did.

“Maybe.” No sense in lying when the guy had had her number from the start.

He pulled her closer, making her feel somehow sheltered. Protected. Safe. At least until he leaned in close to her ear, his smile evident in his single-word response. “Good.”

Her mouth dropped open on a gasp that fell somewhere between outrage and amusement, and she turned, ready to tell him what he already knew. How bad he was. But before a word left her mouth, he was there, taking advantage of her parted lips with the press of his own.

That same hot charge surged through her, powering up every nerve, turning her on. His lips were firm and skilled, rubbing against hers first softly, then harder. Drawing with light suction, and then teasing with barely there contact until Sarah was breathless, her body on fire.

This guy could kiss.

Max cupped her cheek, then smoothed his palm beneath her hair. “So sweet,” he groaned, closing the distance between them again. The hard press of his mouth against hers was heaven, almost as good as when he eased his tongue between her lips, dipping in for a taste and then curling and sliding against her. Licking and twining.

Driving her senseless.

She’d been kissed over the years. Skillfully. Tenderly. Passionately. But she’d only been kissed like this by Max. Or maybe it wasn’t so much what he was doing—although seriously, sucking on her tongue almost had her ready to spontaneously combust—but more how her body responded to him. Like the chemistry was simply different. More potent. More addictive.

Her fingers were in the short brush of his hair; her body was twisted in her seat. With the way he was kissing her, that armrest was the only thing keeping her from climbing into his lap. She needed more, but all she was getting from Max were his hands coasting over her shoulders and arms, and occasionally making a trip down to her hips, waist, or ribs, where his fingers would flex once before he groaned against her mouth, and then return to her shoulder.

Hot and achy for his touch, she tried to maneuver her breast into his hand, but Max just chuckled under his breath, then moved his mouth to her ear. “Patience, baby. One date at a time.”

She shook her head, biting her lip to keep from whimpering at the sensation of his jaw against the tender skin of her throat. “I think we’re good, Max,” she said, panting as quietly as she could. “We don’t need to wait. I’m ready.”

It wasn’t exactly begging, but it was close, and with the way he’d been making love to her mouth, it was justified.

“Right here in the back row of the theater, huh?” he asked, lips curving against her ear.

Infuriating man. “You could take me home.” She didn’t want to wait.

He dusted kisses across her neck, then licked her earlobe. “We could. Or we could enjoy what we’re doing right now and not worry about where it’s going.” He caught her lobe between his teeth and gently tugged, sending a hot pulse of sensation rushing between her legs. “We could make what we’re doing last.”

And just when she could barely stifle the needy sounds trying to get free, thanks to that light clasp, he sucked. “Max!”

“Trust me, Sarah. Let me make this good for you.”

Pulling back, he searched her eyes, and she realized that somewhere along the way, they’d gone from her nearly climbing into his seat, to her pressed back into her own, Max leaning over the armrest into her space. She loved the look of him above her. “We’ve waited this long. Let me have a few more dates so I can make it right.”

She blinked, her thoughts snared by what he’d just said. “We’ve waited?”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Yeah, Sarah. We’ve waited. You’ve been waiting for your first time, and I’ve been waiting for you since that last night back in school. Since before that. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to say yes to you? How hard it was to walk away? I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t thought about it over the years. Wished I could have had you and been doing the right thing too.”

Her throat was tight, her heart racing. This man.

How could he make her feel so wanted while turning her down?

“Okay, Max. We’ve waited this long.”

He ducked down, kissing her again. When he pulled back, it was to say, “You won’t regret this.”

She hoped not.

By the time the movie ended, Sarah felt like she’d made up for the general lack of lip action over the past several years all in one night. And if there were any others suffering a kissing shortage, she’d probably made up for theirs too.

They waited until the rest of the theater had cleared out before leaving, and when they walked out, it was with Max’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close. Truth, without him supporting her, she wasn’t sure she’d have been able to make it out of the theater on her own. Her knees had turned to Jell-O long before the ending credits started to roll.

They were quiet on the ride back to Piper’s apartment, Sarah’s thoughts still too scattered after the assault of that kiss. Max parked about a block down, then jumped out and rounded the car to get her door for her.

“Full-service date, I guess,” she teased, loving the attention he was paying her.

Max’s brow furrowed, and he looked down at the door he’d just gotten for her before asking, “Huh?”

Oh man, this guy was even more perfect than she’d thought. He wasn’t even pulling moves with that gentleman bad-boy stuff. He just did it. Without even thinking.

Max walked her up to her door where he kissed the daylights out of her one last time, leaving her breathless and dazed when he pulled back and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” she whispered.

The corner of his mouth kicked up again. “My pleasure, Sarah.”

She unlocked the door and let herself into the apartment. Then after locking up, she fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, a helpless smile on her face. Piper’s head of blond curls popped out from her bedroom. Eyes going wide, she stepped into the hall, letting out a whoop as she bounced around.

“Oh, my precious baby hussy!” she squealed. “You did it! I’m so proud of you. Holy shit, I can’t believe you scored on your first date. But from the looks of you, it must have been amazeballs. Jeez, can you even walk? Do you need an ice pack? Ooh, tell, tell, tell!”

“An ice pack?” Maybe for her mouth, because Max had seriously kissed the heck out of her. “Actually, I could probably use some lip balm.”

Piper’s jaw dropped. “This blown-away, one-breath-shy-of-delirium look is from head?”

Sarah somehow gathered the strength to snort. She pushed herself off the floor, shaking her head as she walked into the kitchen and dropped into one of the chrome-rimmed, diner-style chairs surrounding the table. “There was no head. No sex. It was just kissing.” She reached down to unfasten the buckle on her sandal and added the hard-earned qualifier to that statement. “Really, really incredible, superhot, thoroughly soul-shattering kissing.”

“Kissing?” Sliding into the chair across the table, Piper stared at her in blatant disbelief.

Sarah nodded, running her fingertips across her sensitive lips.

“Shut up,” Piper gasped. “No way.”

“Oh yeah.”

Seconds passed, and then Piper stretched an arm across the table toward her. “Okay, I don’t want this to sound weird or anything, but since Max is into doing favors and all that, and I have a genuine curiosity here… Do you think he’d be willing to kiss me?”

Sarah’s head popped up, something ugly clawing at her chest as she thought about Max’s mouth anywhere near Piper. It was nuts. She didn’t have any claim on him. But still—

“And the only reason I ask is because this whole-body meltdown you’ve got going is completely blowing my mind. I really need to know for myself whether the kiss this guy is laying on you is that spectacular or whether you just need to get out more.”

“Sorry, Piper. You’re going to have to take my word on this one.”

* * *

Getting in his car, starting the engine, and actually driving away from Sarah’s place took everything Max had. Jesus, it wasn’t like he hadn’t known what he was getting into. He’d kissed her before. A handful of times now. Enough so, he couldn’t claim ignorance about how her kisses hit him: hard and with a lasting impact.

The first time, it’d taken weeks to get past her kiss. To shut down the justifications and rationalizations, and stop getting into his car with the intent of going back to school, finding Sarah, and telling her he was wrong. That they both were. And then taking her in his arms and finishing what they’d started. Yeah, weeks before he could trust himself not to do something stupid, but it had taken more like a year before he stopped comparing every kiss he had to the one they’d shared.

Her kisses definitely had staying power, but after those last two aborted attempts where she’d frozen up beneath him, he’d forgotten to brace for the impact. Tonight, her kiss had nearly knocked him on his ass.

Thankfully, he’d had the foresight to take her to the movies instead of back to his place. If they’d been alone when she asked him for more, hell, he wasn’t sure he had it in him to deny her. To deny either of them.

Max parked his car, lucky to find a spot within a half mile of his place. Just as well he’d had to walk, because it had given him a few more minutes to cool off before he found Molly waiting for him on the front stoop. A quick glance at his watch confirmed it was almost midnight.

“Moll, what are you doing here?” he asked, unlocking the front door as she stood up and dusted off her rear.

“What? No ‘Hey, Sis, good to see you’?” She stuffed her phone and earbuds into her oversize canvas bag and followed him inside. “Hope you don’t mind, but the roomie is getting some hard-core action back at my place, and even with my door closed, I feel like I know way too much about her sexual proclivities.”

Max shrugged. “No problem. But didn’t you stay over at Brody’s place last week for the same thing?”

She shrugged like it was no big deal, only Max could see the fatigue in his sister’s eyes. In addition to being a part-time manager at Belfast, she cleaned houses and did some web design, so when she went home to sleep, she really needed it.

“Yeah, I think they might be getting serious though. So maybe I’ll just ride it out until whatever happens, happens.”

Max shook his head and walked into the kitchen, figuring she could probably use a beer. He reached into the fridge, grabbed two, and cranked off the caps with the mount on the wall. “Another one bites the dust, huh?” His sister was a great girl, a little mouthy with a lot of attitude, but when it came to her roommates, she was respectful and accommodating. She just had shit luck. “When did this one move in?”

Molly took the beer with a weary smile and dropped onto the corner of the couch. “Three months ago. I was hoping I could get at least twelve out of her, since she wasn’t stealing anything or suffering from severe anger issues or suddenly between jobs with no income. Whatever, it’ll all work out.”

That was Molly. Ever the optimist.

“So what had you out so late tonight? Or should I say who?” she asked with that nosy gleam in her eyes.

“Date with Sarah,” he answered, knowing there was no sense in trying to keep the truth from her.

“Dude, are you in lurve, because a date? I can’t remember the last time you actually owned up to a date.”

It had been a while. “Jesus, Moll. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Yes, Sarah is different, and this was definitely a date, complete with dinner and a movie, but relax about it. We’re just having fun.”

“And she knows that?” Molly pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged at one end of the couch.

“Yeah,” he answered with a laugh, leaning back into his corner. “She’s been pretty clear on what she’s available for.”

“Well, that’s a bummer. Was kind of hoping she’d be the girl to shake you up a bit.” She cut him a look. “You know, she reminds me a little of—”

“Don’t go there.” The words came out a little harsher than he’d intended, but he knew the comparison Molly was about to make, and he didn’t like it.

“Yeesh, sorry, Max. I just meant they were both sort of different from the girls you generally don’t date.”

Max shifted uncomfortably. “I know. Sorry.”

“No worries. I’ll totally forgive you as long as you dish. You seem sorta tense maybe. What’s that about?” Molly had that pushy look again. “Because now I’m thinking, dinner and a movie, and you’re home before midnight.”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” He knew what she was saying. And for the millionth time, he wondered why Molly seemed incapable of respecting traditional sibling boundaries. Little sisters weren’t supposed to ask their brothers about sex.

“Come on,” she cajoled. “Tell me she turned you down. I know it’s not nice, and you know how much I love you. But the way you blow through women, seriously, nothing would make me happier than to hear that you got denied.”

“Fine, I got denied,” he said with a smirk just confident enough to leave Molly wondering.

Her brow crumpled, and she pushed her shock of colorful hair back from her face, casting him an uncertain look. He lifted his beer for a swig, still holding her eyes. The key was not to look away first. And sure enough, after a beat, Molly blew out a frustrated breath.

“Dang it, Max!” she groused. “I hate it when you do that. I hope she did turn you down, and that your balls are so blue they’re about to explode.”

Wish granted, at least on that last part. Not that he’d give her the satisfaction of knowing.

She crossed her arms and huffed again. Then shooting him a sidelong look, she asked, “So you’re going to see her again?”

“Yep.” That was the plan. “I’ll give her a call in a day or two.”

Molly raised a brow at him. This wasn’t his usual MO, so he threw her a bone. “She’s only in town for a little while. We used to be friends, and hell, I’d like to see her while I can. But Molly, for real, it’s not serious.”

At least it wasn’t for Sarah. He’d always been in too deep with her. But he’d handle it.

Molly’s hands came up in front of her as she gave her head a slow shake. “No, no, I wouldn’t assume it was.”

Bullshit. His sister was all about assumptions. “Molly,” he warned, with the kind of threatening tone she’d been blowing off forever.

“Whatever you say.”

He didn’t like the look he was getting, but he knew better than to keep trying to sell her. Pushing up from the couch, his half-drunk beer in hand, he stretched out his back and shoulders. “Staying up a while?”

She shook her head. “No. I’ve got a ton to do tomorrow. Mind if I take the couch?”

“You could have the bed,” he said, wishing that for once she’d take it. But she didn’t.

“Gross. I’m afraid I’d be visited by the ghosts of hookups past.”

Right. She knew he never brought women back here. Just like he knew the only reason she wouldn’t take his bed was because if she did, she’d feel like she was putting him out, and then she wouldn’t be comfortable coming back if she needed a place to crash. And he wanted her to always feel like she could come back.

When he had everything locked up and the lights were off, he stretched out in bed and stared at the ceiling. Sarah reminded Molly of Joan. That was what she’d been about to say when he’d cut her off. Funny, except that wasn’t quite the way it worked. She had it backward.

Shit, he didn’t like to think about Joan. She wasn’t a terrible person, and he wasn’t hung up on her. But all it took was her name and there she was, stepping out of the shadows and taunting him with his mistakes.

She’d been sweet. Pretty with dark hair, gentle eyes, and a shy smile that hadn’t belonged at the party his police academy buddy’s hookup had brought her along for. She’d reminded Max of Sarah, simple as that. So when they met and he felt something like the tug that had been there two years before, instead of resisting it and doing everything in his power to show this last-year nursing student he wasn’t the kind of guy she should be with, he worked his ass off to show her he was.

Looking back, he’d been so focused on showing Joan how right he was for her that he might have ignored some fairly obvious signs that they weren’t right for each other. That the girl he really wanted had moved to California with the guy she was planning to marry—yeah, he’d looked Sarah up a time or two. He’d been curious—and maybe finding a quiet girl who looked like her wasn’t the answer.

But like before, recognition came too late.

When she graduated, he convinced Joan to take the job that would keep them together rather than the one on the far side of the state where her family lived. The one she’d planned to take in the town she’d planned to return to. He should have known better. Getting in the way of a woman’s plans never paid off. He knew it firsthand, but after letting Sarah go, hell, he just hadn’t wanted to believe it.

For a while, things between them had been good. They got along. He knew how to tease her into one of those pretty laughs that almost felt right. She mostly didn’t mind when he got assigned to nights and couldn’t take her out with her friends as often as she liked. She still went out, and he was glad she had people to spend her time with, especially because she wasn’t enjoying the job she’d taken.

He felt guilty about making her change her life to be with him, hated that maybe he was the reason she didn’t smile as much. He did everything he could to try to make it up to her in other ways, but his efforts always fell short. They weren’t right together. But instead of accepting he’d made a mistake, Max thought she needed more from him.

Dumbass that he was, he bought her a ring. Lucky fuck that he was, she told him about the guy she’d hooked up with before Max had a chance to give it to her. The guy from her hometown who’d been up visiting Chicago for a weekend. Her plans only temporarily derailed, she moved back to western Illinois, and not long after that, she married the guy. Good for her.

Too bad Max hadn’t left her and her plans alone in the first place.