AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So we can clear the air.”
Was he going to tell her now that it was nice they’d stopped avoiding each other but they could only be friends?
He held his hand out. “Sit. We’ll eat. We’ll talk. And hopefully by the end of lunch, we’ll be on the same page again.”
Her stomach dropped. She cocked a brow. “I haven’t really slept in a few days, so I’m sorry, but I’m not following.”
Max led her to the blanket, sat with his back to the bed, and tugged her hand to get her to do the same next to him. “Let’s eat. You’ll feel better.”
She doubted it. She’d gone numb. Everything felt out of sorts and up in the air and strange. Nothing seemed to have an answer. Not Marcus’s murder. Not her brother talking about dying to end all this. Not Max setting up a picnic in his room in the middle of the day.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Hunt covered for me so I could be here with you.”
“Isn’t he getting married soon? Shouldn’t he be helping Cyn with that?”
“It’s in a couple of days. Nearly everything is in place. It’s fine. And just an FYI, Cyn can’t wait to meet you. Shelby, too.”
She’d like to meet them, too, but it felt strange that Max sounded so casual about it, like it would happen soon. And because she was with him.
Is that what he meant?
Or did she have this completely wrong?
She needed answers.
“Why are we doing this?” she asked again, because it did not compute. And she liked things to add up.
Max pulled the large cutting board with their plates closer. He handed her a plate with a thick roast beef and cheddar sandwich on crusty bread stuffed with shredded lettuce and red onions. Her favorite. And so were the sour cream and cheddar potato chips, along with the cola. He set a small bowl of fruit salad in front of her, too.
She stared at all of it, touched he remembered so many details about her. “Did you make all this?”
“Yes. Well, I bought the fruit salad at the store. I made the sandwiches. I just wanted to do something with you, and for you, because you’ve been so upset since you got here.”
“I’m fine.” She didn’t want to worry him, even though she had over the last few days.
“No, you’re not. And that’s okay, because something really bad happened. And after seeing you yesterday, how desperate you were to tell me everything that happened between us and because of Hillary, and how long you’ve carried that all alone...” Max raked his fingers through his hair. “I feel like the biggest asshole for what I did to you.”
She didn’t feel that way at all. “You didn’t do anything to me.”
“I tried to use a bunch of women to erase you from my life.” That truth came with a dead serious look in hiseyes as he held her gaze and let her see that he meant it and hated that he’d done it.
“Max...” She didn’t know what to say.
“Please, eat. You didn’t sleep again last night. You don’t look well.”
How could she sleep when her brain kept spinning thoughts of her brother and Max. So much to think about and consider and twist and unravel, but she could never really land on a clear solution or definite answer.
She didn’t feel like eating. Breathing seemed to be a chore. But the pleading look in Max’s blue eyes got her to take a bite of the sandwich. She rolled her eyes and groaned in appreciation. “It’s really good,” she mumbled, her mouth full.
Max’s tense shoulders relaxed, and he settled back against the bed again.
Since he’d been so candid, she swallowed the bite and spoke her truth. “I was jealous as hell and miserable every time I heard about or saw you with someone else. And I hated myself, because I knew I made you do it.”
Max’s eyes went wide, then they filled with regret. “I’m sorry, Kenna. If I could take it back...”
“We can’t take anything back, though, can we? It happened. It just is now. But we can remember the good. Like how you used to bring me lunch, just like this, when we were together.” She took another bite of the sandwich, trying to focus on the fact that at one time they had been everything good for each other.
