Chapter 26

Lia

The small window of the hospital room showed it was nearing dawn when my eyes opened. The early morning rays of sun were just beginning to filter into the dark, white-walled space. Although I’d only fallen asleep an hour or so ago, I felt like I’d been down for days. Scratchy lids made my eyes burn, and I rubbed the edges, trying to regain my sense of the here and now.

Doing my best not to disturb Chloe, who lay asleep by my side, I slipped my leg over the edge of the bed and set my bare feet on the cold hospital floor. Beneath me, the mattress shifted and I quickly glanced over my shoulder to make sure she was still asleep. Of course she was. The girl had been through hell. And without her daddy by her side.

Guilt ate away at me when I stood to stretch. The thought of them wrapping her arm in that heavy temporary cast the night before about broke my heart. All the poor little thing did was cry out in pain, at least until the past couple of hours when a new dose of pain meds was given.

My body ached from lying in one position for a while, my limbs heavy from what little sleep I got. I blinked, catching a glimpse of my mom sleeping in the same chair Max and I had cuddled in the night before. Her pale face was a stressed mask even in her sleep, and I brushed my hand over the top of her head. I’d worried her and Dad so much with my reckless behavior. God, if they ever got word of my arrest, they’d renounce me as their daughter once and for all.

Speaking of Dad, his voice rocketed from outside the room, followed by Max’s soft laugh. I couldn’t help but smile at the sound. I loved how close they were.

Before pushing open the door, I grabbed my sandals. Not wanting to wake Mom or Chloe, I didn’t put them on, just tucked them under my arm. The doctors thought it best for Chloe to stay a couple of nights at the hospital, just so they could keep an eye on her. And since she seemed to be in so much pain, nobody argued the fact.

Collin would be flying in early tomorrow evening, something about his plane having been grounded due to mechanical failure. I knew not being here was probably driving him crazy, but with Gavin, Max, my parents, and me all teaming up, Chloe was in good hands.

Since this was a small family-focused hospital, two people were able to stay in the room with Chloe all night. My mom and I had volunteered. Dad and Max had camped out in the lobby, while Gavin left late, claiming he had somewhere to be.

“Hey.” Max’s greeting was a breathy sigh, his eyes quick to meet mine.

Too tired to care about my dad’s thoughts, I headed straight to Max, latching my arms around his neck. “Good morning.”

I snuggled my nose against his neck, and he squeezed a little tighter, his body molding to mine.

Dad cleared his throat. “Why don’t you two go home? Try to get a little rest. Mom and I will stay until Collin gets here tomorrow.”

“And Addison will be here too, so he won’t have to deal with this on his own.” I pulled back, keeping my arm around Max’s waist.

Dad sighed. “Addie has to stay behind. Apparently, her mother took a turn for the worse last night.”

“Oh no.” I pressed my hand over my mouth. And here Collin had to leave her alone so he could come deal with his daughter and her newly broken arm—a broken arm that had resulted from our carelessness.

Like he knew what I was thinking, Max turned to me and cupped my face between his hands. “Your dad’s right. We should head out. Maybe make Beaner some cookies for a welcome-home present.”

I nodded, trying to smile, but the ache buried in my throat made the action nearly impossible. “Okay.”

Not bothering to say goodbye to Mom and Chloe, the two of us walked hand in hand down the hall. In the car, Max kept hold of my fingers, placing them on his lap. He cleared his throat as we pulled out of the lot. “Where do you want to go?”

I stared at his thumb as it stroked over mine. His hands were so warm and comforting, a reminder that I didn’t want him to leave me today.

“I want to go wherever you go.”

He blew out a slow breath. “Good.” Lifting my hand with one of his, he kissed the back of my knuckles. “I wasn’t gonna leave you alone, even if you asked me to.”

“That could be considered stalking, you know.” I smiled, secretly thankful our thoughts were in sync.

“Then arrest me, baby, ’cause I can’t resist.”

Shaking my head at his corny pun, I looked at him and said, “You’re insane.”

“And you love it.”

He kissed the back of my hand once more, but the only thought running through my mind was: That I do.

It was Sunday, and everything was about to change again. That thought hurt my heart. This was our last day alone, which meant Max’s and my temporary peace was over. The good thing was that we’d agreed to tell my brother sooner rather than later about us. Neither Max nor I wanted to keep it a secret. Still, the idea of telling Collin—especially after what happened with Chloe—made my stomach sour and twist like I’d eaten something rotten.

No matter what, I wouldn’t let anything keep me from Max. I also wanted everyone to know we were together. He and I were real and right and everything I wanted. From here on out, I would do whatever I could to make that happen.