14. Maxim
Chapter 14
Maxim
T alia’s face heats up at my question, making me laugh as I put my focus back on the squirming toddler in my lap. Isabella chatters away a mile a minute, and I only catch bits and pieces of it before she cups my face, pulling me down closer so she can see me better.
“You got a boo-boo,” I hear her say before she presses a kiss to my eyebrow.
“Thanks, Bella. You made it all better.”
She gives me a huge smile, and my heart breaks a little at how much I’ve missed. Two months isn’t that much to anyone else, but it’s a lot for a toddler, and I swear she’s grown an inch and looks older.
I look up at Natalya. “She already looks so much bigger,” I say, and she smiles at the tone of my voice. I look at her very pregnant stomach and add, “She’s not the only thing that’s grown. You look like you’re about to pop, Nat.”
She pats her belly and plops down onto the cushion beside me, laughing at how ungraceful she is. “I feel like I’m about to pop,” she says, and then smiles even bigger as she reaches past me to squeeze Talia’s hand. “It’s so good to meet you. I’m Natalya, Dominic’s wife, this little gal’s mama, Lev’s daughter, and this guy’s cousin,” she says, giving me a gentle elbow nudge. “Did I leave anything out?”
“You’re also my daughter,” my Aunt Jolene says. “I did have a hand in your creation.”
My Uncle Lev walks by and smacks my aunt’s ass hard enough to make her yelp. “Hell yeah you did, baby.”
Natalya gives a dramatic sigh, even though she’s fighting a grin, and tells Talia, “Welcome to the family.”
“Save me a cushion,” I hear Sveta yell from across the room.
“Jesus,” I say with a laugh when I see my cousin come waddling over.
She points a finger at me. “Don’t you dare laugh at how pregnant I am. I have two boys growing inside me right now. The fact that I even got out of bed and dressed today is a miracle.”
Isabella crawls into her mom’s lap, so I can stand when she gets closer. She starts crying before I can even wrap my arm around her in a hug.
“Don’t cry, Sveta. I’m okay, and my hand will heal.”
“We were so scared and worried for you,” she whispers. “Val felt so guilty about you being left there.”
“Not his fault,” I say. “I forced him to go.”
“I know, but you know how stubborn he can be.”
I laugh, because we all know she’s the stubborn twin.
She gives me another squeeze and says, “Okay, I really do need to sit and put my feet up. It’s the only way Vitya agreed to let me come. He’s so damn bossy.”
I smile when she plops down on the other side of Talia and smacks my girl on the thigh like she’s known her all her life. “I’m Sveta, Vitya’s wife, mom to Samantha, pregnant with twins, twin sister to Val, and daughter of Vitaly and Katya.” She lets out a breath. “I think that covers it.”
“You’re Val’s twin?” Talia asks.
“Yep. I’m sorry you had to meet him the way that you did. It must’ve been awful stuck down there in that basement, but I’m glad you at least had Max and Val.”
“Me too,” Talia agrees. “They were treated way worse than I was.”
I look over and stand back up when I see Val and Yelena walking over. Reaching out for Talia, she quickly puts her hand in mine and stands beside me. Since I was passed out for the rescue, it’s my first time seeing my cousin since they ripped him from my arms in that fucking basement. I’d been so scared that he was dead, and even though my dad swore to me that he was alive and well, it’s still a fucking huge relief to see him.
He grins at me, hugging me while I try not to cry in front of both our families.
“I thought they’d killed you,” I admit. “I thought I’d pushed you to go and that they’d just taken you out into the jungle and shot you.”
With his arm still around me, he says, “I’m alive because of you. I never would’ve survived another month in that place.”
I pull back so I can look at him, and when I turn to Yelena, she’s crying from watching our reunion, but she smiles when I give her a big hug.
“Thank you, Max,” she whispers. “Thank you for saving him for us.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. Pulling back, I point to her stomach and ask, “How are you feeling?”
She puts her hand on her stomach and smiles. “Really good.”
Unlike our other cousins, she doesn’t look like she’s showing yet to me, but she’s definitely got the glow part of it down, because my cousin is beaming. Val wraps an arm around her as I say, “Yelena, this is Talia.”
Yelena slips out of Val’s arm just long enough to hug Talia. “It’s nice to meet you. Val told me all about the hell you went through. I’m so sorry.”
Talia brushes it off like it’s no big deal, but we all know it was horrible for her. “I’m okay.” She looks at Val and tells Yelena, “He told me all about you and the baby. It was so easy to see how much he loves you.”
Yel smiles up at Val and he leans down to kiss her. Turning back to me, he motions towards my hand, “So how long before you can play again?”
“I don’t know. I have so much physical therapy ahead of me. I’m guessing it’ll be a few months at least. I have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow, and he’s going to give me a schedule and hopefully a timeline.”
“You’ll be playing again in no time,” he tells me. “Just wait until you hear him, Talia. You won’t believe how good he is.”
I turn to Talia. “Don’t listen to him. I may sound horrible.”
“Impossible,” she says, giving me a smile.
I smile down at her, remembering how amazing it had felt to wake up next to her and already looking forward to doing it again. The truth is my arm is really starting to hurt, and I’d like nothing more than to lay down and take a nap, but I’m not about to say that, not when we’re here and surrounded by our families, all the people who worried about us and put their lives at risk to come and rescue us.
My Uncle Vitaly pulls me from my thoughts by wrapping his arms around me and giving me a big hug. He ruffles my hair and then pats my cheek. “Damn, it’s good to have you back. We missed the hell out of you, Max.” He ruffles my hair again and then gives me a loud kiss on the cheek that makes everyone laugh. Grinning, he asks, “Did you hear I’m now the proud owner of Get the Scoop?”
“I did, and I’m not at all surprised,” I tell him.
He nods. “It’s a sound investment. I’ve always had a head for such things. Roman thought it was stupid,” he says loud enough for his brother to hear, “but your dad was able to work his magic and buy it for me.” Looking over at Talia, he says, “You two should come in. Free ice cream for family.”
“Yeah, he’s got a real head for business,” my Uncle Roman says with a laugh. “He’s eating and giving away everything. He’s not gonna make a dime.”
“Be honest,” my Uncle Lev says. “You just bought the place so you could eat ice cream all day.”
“Why the fuck else would I buy it? Why does anyone buy an ice cream shop?” he asks.
“To make a profit, maybe?” my dad says.
Vitaly laughs like it’s an absurd notion. “If all I ever do is come out even with this place, I’ll be thrilled. I just need it to keep me in ice cream. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake, which reminds me,” he says, snapping his fingers with a neurotic sort of glee. “I added ice cream cake to the menu.” He points a finger at Isabella. “You hear that, honey? I’ve got every birthday covered in this family from here on out.”
Isabella squeals and claps her hands.
“She gets it,” he says with a grin. “I can’t wait until Samantha’s birthday. I’m gonna load that sweet girl up with so much sugar she won’t sleep for a week.”
“Like hell you are,” Vitya says, walking over with Samantha in his arms. As soon as my uncle sees his granddaughter, he reaches out for her, smothering her face in kisses until she’s squealing with a laughter that’s so infectious we all can’t help but join in.
“Good to see you, Max,” he says, giving me a quick hug. “Sveta and I were really hoping you’d get back before the twins arrive.”
“I’m glad I didn’t miss it.” I look over at Natalya. “I can’t believe I got back in time for your baby. You’ve got, what? About a day or two before you go into labor?”
She pats her belly and laughs while Dominic leans down to kiss her head. “Our son is eager to meet everyone,” he says, “but don’t go into labor just yet, principessa . You still have ten days until your due date.”
Natalya sighs. “I’ll try not to, but I feel like I’m about to burst.”
Damien and Evgeny come over to give me a hug, and then go to join Niki and Talia’s brothers. They’re still gaming in the corner, and I smile when I see them using a bit of sign language with Bran. We all have a long way to go before we’re fluent, but I love that they’re already taking the time to learn a few signs.
“Oh my god,” I hear Talia mutter. “This is so embarrassing.”
I turn my head to see what she’s looking at and grin when I see Sasha and Mia walking towards us.
“I’m a little disappointed,” I say when Mia is closer. “I thought for sure you’d have at least one new piercing.” I run my eyes over the multiple piercings in her ears and the stud in her nose. “Nope, looks the same. Have you gone tame?”
She smiles and rolls her eyes at me. “As fucking if, cousin.” She gives me a big hug and says, “I really wanted to go on the rescue mission, but they wouldn’t let me.” She looks over at Talia. “I lacked the required equipment.”
Talia looks confused, so Mia adds. “A dick. I don’t have one, so I have to stay home and miss out on all the fun. I heard you killed someone.”
“Mia,” I say, surprised at her bluntness, even though I really shouldn’t be.
“What?” She turns back to Talia. “I heard you were an absolute badass. I’m so jealous, and, also, thanks for saving my cousin’s life.”
Talia laughs, genuinely seeming to like my crazy younger cousin. “Anytime. He saved me down there, too. And I wasn’t a badass. Your brother scared the hell out of me, and I screamed like a big baby.”
Mia looks up at her brother and shrugs. “He scares the hell out of most people, and you’re definitely not the first person to scream when seeing him.” She lets out a laugh. “He was wearing his mask, wasn’t he?”
“He was,” Talia says.
Sasha’s silent as he watches us interact, and when I raise a brow at him, he furrows his like he’s confused, but then he puts the pieces together and looks at Talia. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“No, I overreacted,” Talia says. “Thank you for helping with the rescue.”
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had in one night,” he says, and I can tell he means every word of it.
Mia laughs and elbows him. “I still don’t forgive you for not sneaking me onto the plane.”
“Sorry, little witch. I couldn’t risk it,” he says.
“One day,” she says, raising a brow at him.
He nods, and I feel like I’m missing something.
“One day what?” I ask.
Mia just grins and shakes her head, making her pink-dyed hair fly around. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about, Max,” she tells me.
I groan and look between the two of them. “Don’t tell me. I don’t ever want to know,” I say, not wanting anything to do with whatever crazy plan those two have cooked up. I know Sasha will never allow any harm to come to his younger sister, so I’m not even remotely worried about that, but I also don’t want to be involved in their crazy-ass stunts.
Mia grins. “Good choice. The less you know, the better.”
I couldn’t agree more, so I turn to Sasha and ask, “How’s your dog?”
At the mention of his dog, he gives a genuine smile. “He’s healing fast and still learning to love me.”
Mia laughs. “He tried to bite him the other day.”
“Tried,” Sasha says. “He could have if he’d wanted to. He knows I saved him. He’s still adjusting to his new life, but I can already tell he’s going to be a great dog.”
Mia looks at us. “Just don’t let him around any small kids.”
Sasha nods in agreement. “No, definitely not. He hasn’t learned the rules yet.”
Mia laughs and leans in to give Talia one of her rare hugs before pulling Sasha towards the food that our moms are busy laying out.
Taking advantage of the moment, I grab Talia’s hand and lead her through the room as quickly as I can without drawing too much attention. I pull her into the laundry room off the main hall and lock the door behind us.
“What are we doing?” she asks. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say, hiding the truth from her, but she sees right through my bullshit.
“How bad is the pain?”
“It’s tolerable,” I say, pressing my body to hers as I gently force her backwards until her ass is hitting the dryer. “Hop your sweet ass up there.”
“Are you going to turn it on and try to make me come, because I’m not sure that actually works.”
I smile and shake my head. “I don’t need that to make you come, sweetheart. I think we’ve already established that.”
“True enough,” she says, using her hands to help hoist herself onto the dryer. Once she’s sitting, I step in between her thighs. “How bad is it really hurting?” She rests her hand very softly against the sling, but even that soft touch almost has me pulling away. The pain is starting to radiate through every finger, working its way up my hand and arm.
“It’s tolerable,” I repeat.
She gives me her worried look. “You need to take a pain pill, not lock yourself in the laundry room with me.”
I grin and duck down to kiss her. “But you’re the perfect distraction, svetik moy . You make the pain disappear.” Nipping at her bottom lip, I ask, “Still wet for me?”
“I’d finally gotten control over it,” she says, and I smile at the pouty sound of her voice.
“But not anymore?”
She lets out a frustrated grunt. “No. It’s back in full force.”
“Well, that’s a shame, sweetheart. I should probably do something about that.” I slide my left hand under her sweatshirt, groaning at the feel of her soft skin. My fingers graze the underside of her breast. “Wiggle out of those pants for me, baby.”
“I thought you were going to tease me for hours. Didn’t you say something about a punishment and making me regret disobeying you?”
I pinch her nipple hard enough to make her gasp, loving the spark of desire that fills her eyes at the roughness of my touch. “I did, yes.” I pull her shirt up so I can flick my tongue over her hard nipple before giving it a nice long suck that leaves her panting and me rock-hard.
“Pants, Talia,” I remind her, and she doesn’t make me ask again, wiggling out of them in record time. With her bare ass pressed against the dryer, she spreads her thighs for me, showing me the pretty pink pussy I will never be able to get enough of. She was right. She’s dripping wet and desperate for some relief. Too bad for her she’s not going to get it.
“Please,” she begs, leaning back and spreading her thighs wider for me.
I lower my head between her legs, mouth already watering at the sight of her soaked little pussy. Before I give her a lick, I raise my eyes to hers and say, “I never said I was going to let you come, sweetheart. I’m going to eat your pussy, but you’re not allowed to come.”
“What?” she says, but she’s barely gotten the word out before I’m latching onto her sensitive skin and giving her clit a hard enough suck to have her clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her moan.
Her skin is velvety soft, and her taste just as fucking delicious as I remember but a thousand times better now that I’m getting it straight from the source. I lick and suck and kiss every inch of her pussy while her muffled moans fill the room and she rocks her hips, so fucking desperate for me. When I slide my tongue into her, a wave of absolute euphoria washes over me so strongly it has me reaching down to undo my jeans so I can fist my cock while I tongue-fuck my sweet girl.
Stroking myself with my left hand, I fill my mouth with her taste, savoring every drop of her as pre-cum slicks my shaft and I push myself closer to the edge. I know she’s close, too. I can hear it in her muffled whimpers and the way she’s rocking her hips and fisting my hair. I nip and suck on her soft lips before licking up her slit. Her plump little clit is so ready for another lick, and I can’t help but give a soft laugh, knowing what’s about to happen.
“Use your hand, baby,” I say from between her legs. “Spread yourself open for me.”
She brings a hand down and uses her fingers to splay herself open, exposing her clit even more as the hood is pulled back.
“Just remember how much you like to be edged, baby,” I say. “Keep yourself open for me, and don’t you dare fucking come.”
She’s too far gone for words, but the sexy mewling sound she makes is more than enough to communicate everything she’s feeling. I work myself harder, knowing I’m only seconds away. Keeping my mouth hovering over her exposed clit, I let her feel the heat of my breath before I give her a very slow, very soft lick.
“Fuck,” she moans, rocking her hips. Her hand and thighs shake, so eager to come, but also unable to disobey me. Knowing she could touch herself and put an end to this anytime she wants to but that she’s choosing to obey me instead is enough to push me over the edge. I give her one more lick, letting her feel the barest hint of her orgasm and then pull back before it can take hold. While she lets out a whimper at the loss of it, I stand and pump my cock, giving in to my own release. With a groan, I shoot my seed all over her splayed-open pussy, painting her pretty cunt with my cum until I’m completely empty.
“Goddamn,” I groan, feeling a little lightheaded. My eyes run over her, memorizing every detail. Her fingers are still spreading her pussy, her arousal mixing with my seed. “You look so sexy like this, baby. If we were home, I’d tie you up and make you stay like this for hours. Every inch of your body would be covered in my cum, and by the time I fucked you, you’d barely be able to remember your own name.”
She gives a sexy moan at my words and whispers, “I really want to come.” Her hips move, small little uncontrollable movements that are pure instinct, but when her fingers start to very slowly move, I shake my head at her.
“Ah-ah, baby. No touching.”
“This really isn’t fair.”
I lean down and give her cum-covered clit a soft kiss that sends a shiver all through her body. “It’s not supposed to be fair. I’m edging you, sweetheart. Embrace the pain and frustration. Savor every second of pleasure, even if it’s not enough to get you off. The heat of my breath against your aching pussy, the friction of your yoga pants rubbing against you with every step you take—enjoy it all. Just think about how fucking good that orgasm is going to feel when I finally let you have one.”
“That’s the only thing keeping me sane right now,” she says.
I give her one more kiss and then force myself to stand. “I promise I’ll make it worth it,” I tell her. Before she pulls her pants up, I use my finger to wipe up some of my seed. Hesitating at her entrance, I say, “You never answered my question.” She knows what I’m talking about, but she’s having a very hard time focusing. I gently nudge her slit with the tip of my finger. “Hmm, Talia? Answer me, baby.”
“Yes,” she whispers. “I want kids. I want a big family.”
With a groan, I gently push my seed inside her. She lets out another moan, her inner walls tightening around me and sucking me in.
“God, I can’t wait to slide into you,” I growl, feeling the tight, wet heat of her. “I can’t wait to stretch this little cunt, can’t wait to see you take every inch of me like the good girl you are.”
“Yes,” she moans.
When I slide my finger out, we both let out a pained groan. I immediately miss the feel of her wrapped around me. With a sigh, she pulls her pants back up and after I’ve tucked myself back in my jeans, she helps me zip them up and button them.
I rest my forehead against hers. “I love you, Talia.”
She smiles and says, “I love you, Max.”
“Thanks for making the pain go away.”
Her palm rests on my cheek. “Is it back?”
“Yeah, maybe I should just keep eating your pussy. That really did make me forget about it.”
“As much as I would love that, we both know they’re going to come looking for us.” She kisses me softly and then whispers, “Please take a pain pill.”
“I will.”
Satisfied with my answer, she hops down and then grimaces before giving a soft laugh. “I can’t believe I’m going to be walking around like this.”
I give her an innocent look. “Like what?”
When it’s obvious how hard she’s trying to not roll her eyes, I laugh and kiss her forehead while she says, “So aroused I can barely think, with a swollen, achy pussy, and dripping your seed.”
“God, I love hearing those filthy words coming out of your sweet mouth.” I give her another kiss and then straighten back up, biting back the grimace I want to give when a sharp pain shoots through my fingers. “Let’s get out of here before I get hard again.”
“Yeah, I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable.”
I laugh at her tone. “You know, sarcasm is a lot like an eye roll, isn’t it?”
Her mouth opens and then shuts as she weighs the pros and cons of a smartass comment. Deciding it’s not worth whatever I might have planned, she smiles up at me and says, “I wouldn’t dream of being sarcastic.”
“Are you being sarcastic right now?”
“Of course not. That would be crazy, Max.”
I laugh and pull her towards the door. “I’m going to pretend you’re not being a smartass right now.”
“That’s a great idea,” she says. “You should probably just always go with that assumption. It’ll save us both a lot of trouble.”
Before I unlock the door, I give her ass a hard enough smack to sting.
She gives me a shocked, wide-eyed look. “What was that for?”
I gently rub her stinging cheek and say, “Just practicing.” The blush on her cheeks has me wondering if her ass is just as red as I open the door and lead her out of the laundry room that I’ll never look at the same way again.
I’m half expecting my entire family to be waiting for us, but the hall is miraculously empty. We’re almost to the living room when we turn the corner and see Luka and Lara. Roma is in his arms, and as soon as he sees me, he gives me the cutest smile and flings his arms out at me.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Luka says, giving me a hug and then trying to keep his son in his arms when he tries to lunge himself at me. “Little man took a longer nap than usual, and Lara’s morning sickness hit her hard today.”
Luka gives me a smile that’s as big as his son’s. “Damn, it’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.” I kiss my nephew’s head, and then give Lara a big hug. When I pull back, I say, “Lara, this is Talia.”
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Talia says, and then laughs when Lara pulls her in for a big hug.
“It’s so good to meet you. I spent time with your mom while we were waiting for them to get you. She told me so much about you that I kind of feel like I already know you,” she says with a big smile.
“Max told me stories about all of you while we were there, so I feel like I know you, too.” She looks up at me and gives a soft laugh. “We had a lot of time to kill.”
“We did. After my daily ass kicking, she’d nurse me back to health and we’d tell each other stories.”
Lara gets misty eyed and gives us both a pitying look. “God, that’s so sad. I’m so sorry you both had to go through that, but I’m glad you at least had each other.”
“Me too,” Talia says, wrapping her arm around my waist.
Lara brushes away a tear and then laughs. “Sorry. Pregnancy hormones.”
Luka wraps his arms around her and kisses her while Roma looks over at us and grins, showing off all his baby teeth.
Following them back into the main room, I’m about to find us an empty chair when my Uncle Matvey stops us. Without a word, he hands Talia a bottle of water and my prescription painkillers. “He needs to take one of these every four to six hours.”
“Uncle Matvey,” I start to say, but he ignores my protest and pulls me in for a hug.
“I was worried sick about you, Max. It’s good to have you back.” He lovingly pats my cheek and adds, “Looks like maybe it wasn’t all bad, though, right?”
I look down at Talia and nod in agreement. “No, definitely not all bad.”
“I’m not kidding about the pain meds. I know what it’s like to suffer, Max. Don’t put yourself through that if you don’t have to.”
I nod, knowing he’s right and swallow the pill Talia hands me.
Uncle Matvey nods his approval and says, “You’ve endured enough pain. Now it’s time to heal.”
“Yeah, it is,” my Uncle Vitaly says, catching the last bit of our conversation. “It doesn’t matter if it makes your dick stop working. You need to rest and recover anyway.” He leans in so he’s speaking directly to Talia. “Go easy on him, kiddo, and don’t judge him too harshly on how he performs over the next few weeks. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Those meds really fuck a guy up,” he adds with a loud enough laugh to draw everyone’s attention.
“Hell yeah they do,” I hear Vitya say. “Stay strong, Max. Don’t let it mess with your head. You’ll be back to full strength in no time.”
Talia’s face is an adorable shade of pink as she listens to my family joke about my worst nightmare come to life.
“I wish you’d led with that info, Uncle Matvey,” I tell him.
He just laughs and pats my shoulder. “You wouldn’t have taken it if I had.” Looking at Talia, he says, “I’m serious, though. He really needs to keep taking them. You two have the rest of your lives together, a couple of weeks isn’t going to dim the flame.”
“What are they talking about?” I hear her dad ask from across the room.
Valeri laughs and shakes his head at his older brother. “Nothing, Vasya, just talking about Max’s recovery plan.” He walks past us and looks down at his niece. “You owe me big time, Tally girl.”
Her cheeks heat up even more as she says, “Thanks, Uncle Valeri.”
Everyone gets a good laugh at our expense while Talia leads me to an open chair, forcing me to sit down and relax. I grab her waist with my good hand and pull her next to me.
“I’m ready for this damn hand to be healed,” I whisper, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. I wait for the medicine to start working as she leans her head against my shoulder.
“I’m really sorry about the soft penis thing,” she says, making my eyes pop open in horror.
“Please don’t ever say soft penis thing to me again. This is temporary, svetik moy .” I grin and kiss the tip of her nose. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I edged you until I get off the painkillers? Think of all the fun we could have. That would be weeks of pleasurable torture.”
Her panicked look says it all. “You wouldn’t,” she starts to say, and then she thinks better of it and switches to, “Please don’t do that to me.”
I laugh and pull her closer. “Relax, baby. One of us at least needs to be coming, and it’s clearly not going to be me.”
I have every intention of following through on that, but the pain meds turn out to be far stronger than I anticipated. My head feels loopy, my muscles warm and relaxed, and I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I don’t even have the strength to argue when Niki pulls me up and leads me to bed. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out.
The room is dark when I wake, but there’s light filtering out from the partially shut bathroom door, and I swear my heart swells a bit at the realization that Talia took the time to do that, knowing I wouldn’t want it completely black in here. She’s cuddled up next to me, softly snoring with her hand on my chest, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this woman is my forever.
“I’m going to marry you, Talia,” I whisper. “I’m going to marry you and love you forever. We’re going to make so many babies, and you’re going to be surrounded by so much love.”
“Yes,” she whispers, surprising the hell out of me. Her voice is thick with sleep, but I can tell she’s smiling when she kisses my shoulder and says, “I’ll marry you, Max, but I’m going to need you to propose again when you aren’t high on painkillers.”
I laugh and run my fingers through her hair. “You weren’t supposed to hear all that, but it’s the truth. I promise I’ll propose again with a clear mind and big diamond.”
“I don’t need a big diamond, Max. I only need you.”
“Okay, I’ll get you a really tiny one then.”
She laughs and says, “The tiniest one you can find, so small it’s not visible to the naked eye.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I say, smiling and feeling like I’ve won the lottery with this woman, like the Universe has just handed me the most precious gift in the world, one I know I could never deserve.
I drift off to sleep again with her body pressed against mine, and not even the returning ache in my hand can ruin how happy I feel right now.