Chapter 17
Seventeen
“Be of love a little more careful than of anything.”
— e.e. cummings
Max had fully intended to sleep in the guest room until her parents told him not to be silly.
That was how he ended up cuddling with Lexi in her bed while they pretended to watch a movie that neither of them was interested in.
They were much more interested in kissing until they were breathless from wanting more.
“I can’t do this in your parents’ house,” Max said as he kissed her neck.
Lexi ran her hand over his abdomen and down to cup his erection. “Yes, you can.”
He groaned. “No, I really can’t.”
“They know what we’re doing.”
“Do you think that makes me feel better?” he asked on a laugh.
Lexi’s giggle was the best thing he’d heard in a long time.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her hand on his face.
Max gazed into her eyes as he kissed her. “You’re amazing. You always were, but you’re even more so now.”
Her smile was a thing of beauty.
“I still love you,” he said.
“I still love you, too. I never stopped.”
“I didn’t either. I can see that now. There was something keeping me from fully exploring other relationships, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. The minute I saw you at the reunion, I figured out what it was.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
Smiling, Max said, “I didn’t think I had to come right out and say it was you. You’re the reason I couldn’t move on. I still loved you.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t move on.”
“So am I. I would’ve hated to see you again and to find out where you’d been if I was with someone else.”
“That was my greatest fear, that you’d be married or in love with someone.”
“Never even came close.”
“Not even with Caden’s mom?”
“Nope. We were all about the physical.”
Lexi winced.
“Sorry. You don’t need to know that.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t already know.” She ran her hand over his bare chest, making him crazy with wanting her.
“I kept hoping it would be more with her because I wanted to feel that way again, you know? But we weren’t meant to be.”
“I’d say I was sorry about that, but…”
Max laughed and tickled her, making her scream with laughter. “Hush! They’re going to hear us.”
“So what?”
“Lexi…”
“Max, please make love to me. My parents would be thrilled.”
“Stop it.”
“Really. They would. They’re so happy I survived that they want me to have everything I ever wanted, and what I want, more than anything, is you.”
How could he resist her when she looked at him that way after confirming that she still loved him as much as he loved her?
He couldn’t. They pushed and pulled at clothes until all the important parts were exposed.
As he slid into her, the feeling of homecoming was once again so profound, it took his breath away.
She was his home. She had been since he was sixteen, and no one could take her place. He knew that now.
“Ah, shit,” he whispered. “Forgot the condom.”
She stopped him from pulling back. “I probably can’t get pregnant, so that’s not a concern.”
“If you’re sure it’s okay…”
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”
Being inside her with nothing between them was so amazing that he decided ninety-nine percent was good enough. “You feel so good.”
“I missed this so much.”
“There wasn’t anyone else for you?”
She shook her head. “The only boy I ever wanted was in Vermont.”
Max held her closer as he moved in her, more certain with every passing moment that he’d found his destiny the second he saw her again.
Their time in Galveston was right out of a dream for Lexi. They relied on room service, barely leaving their room except to spend a little time on the beach. On Sunday afternoon, they were dozing after making love when Max’s phone rang. Lexi reached for it on the bedside table and handed it to him.
“Hey, Mom,” he said, sounding as sleepy as she felt. He sat up. “What? When?” After another pause, “Oh my God. Are they okay?”
Alarmed by the tone of his voice, Lexi sat up, too.
“It might be tomorrow. We’re in Galveston. Mom… He’s going to be all right, isn’t he? Please tell me the truth.”
Seeing tears in Max’s eyes, Lexi felt her heart race with fear.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Keep me posted?” Another pause. “Thanks. Tell him I love him so much.” His voice broke, and tears slid down his face. “Tell him… I love you, too.”
As he ended the call, he got out of bed and started throwing clothes in his bag.
“What happened?”
“Caden was skiing with Will and Chase, and the boys collided with each other. They had to be airlifted off the mountain. They’re taking them to Burlington, the only level-one trauma hospital in the state.”
“Oh God… Max. I’m so sorry. Did she say how they are?”
“They were both unconscious on the mountain. I’m sorry. I have to go. I have to get to him.”
“Of course you do.”
They packed up their belongings and were on the road to Houston within fifteen minutes. While he drove, Lexi worked on her phone. “There’s a flight tonight that would get you to New York City at eleven. We could rent a car there and drive the rest of the way.”
“You don’t have to come, Lex. I don’t know what to expect.”
“I’d like to be there to support you, if you’ll let me.”
“It’s just that he’s already uncertain about us, and this might not be the time.” He glanced over at her, seeming tormented. “I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” she said, even though she didn’t. Using the credit card he handed her, she booked a single seat on the flight out of Houston and then reserved a rental car for him in New York. “How long is the drive from New York to Vermont?”
“Six or seven hours to Burlington.” His phone rang, and he pounced on the call, which was on speaker. “Hey, Will.”
“Mom said she called you.”
“Yeah, how are they?”
“I don’t know.” Will sounded awful. “Cam and I are on our way to Burlington. We’re trying to hold it together.”
“You haven’t heard anything?”
“Not yet. I’m so sorry this happened, Max. They were having the best time, and then they both turned at the same second and slammed into each other. I was right behind them, but it happened so fast… So fast.” His voice broke on the word fast.
“It was an accident, Will. It’s not your fault.”
“If anything happens to them… I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“They’re going to be fine. They have to be.” Max would simply cease to exist if that wasn’t the case. “Will you call me when you get to Burlington or if you hear anything?”
“Yeah, I will.”
“I’m on a flight to New York in two hours and will drive the rest of the way. I’ll be there by the morning.”
“We’ll keep you in the loop,” Will said. “I’m so sorry this happened when you were off on a well-deserved break.”
“This is proof that parents don’t deserve breaks. I should be there with him.”
Lexi’s heart sank. He would never forgive himself for not being there when Caden got hurt.
If, God forbid, the worst happened… No, she couldn’t go there.
But he was. He was imagining what his life would be like without his little boy, and he’d never be able to separate where he was when it happened from that event.
She already knew how cruel life could be, but this was almost too much to bear.
All she wanted was him and his son, and to be in their lives, but he would go home and maybe never look back.
Her heart broke for him, for Caden and for herself.
The only thing that truly mattered was that Caden and his cousin were all right.
But she hadn’t been happy like she’d been these last two weekends in so long, she’d nearly forgotten what it felt like.
After having had this taste of perfection with him, how would she stand to be without it or him?
When Will ended the call with Max, Cameron called her father.
“Hi, honey,” Patrick said. “How’s it going?”
“Not great, Dad.” She filled him in on the accident on the mountain. “We’re on our way to Burlington now.”
“Why there?” Patrick asked, sounding as panicked as Cameron felt.
“That’s the state’s only level-one trauma center.”
“Dear God, Cam. Is it that bad?”
“We don’t know.”
“Mary and I will be there in a few hours. We’re in Chicago for her cousin’s wedding.”
“I remember. Dad… Max is in Houston and on his way back to New York. He’s planning to rent a car to drive to Burlington.”
“I’ll make the chopper available to him.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Cam said, choking on a sob. “He shouldn’t drive all that way in a panic.”
“Send me his number, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart. Tell me our Chase and Caden are going to be okay.”
“I will as soon as I know more.”
“We’re praying for them, and we’ll be there very soon.”
“Love you.”
“Love you more, and tell Chase that Pops is coming.”
“I will. He’ll be so excited.”
Her son and father shared a special bond, and she’d hated to call Patrick with this news.
“We’re coming, love.”
“I’ll send updates.”
“Thank you.”
As Cameron ended the call and sent her dad Max’s number, her hands were shaking even harder than they’d been when she first got the frantic call from Will about the accident. They’d left Molly and Murphy with Will’s aunt Hannah and rushed out of town, headed west toward Burlington.
“It was nice of you to think of the chopper for Max.”
“I knew Dad would want to help.”
Will reached for her hand and held on tight.
Cam had never seen him so undone, which only further shredded her nerves. “They’re going to be okay, aren’t they?”
“I hope so, but you need to prepare yourself…”
“For what?” she asked.
“For anything.”
Max’s hands were shaking so hard, he probably should’ve let Lexi drive.
But there was no way he could sit there and do nothing, so driving—even with shaking hands—was better.
When his mother said Caden and Chase had been hurt in a skiing accident, Max had felt like all the bones had left his body, leaving him as panicked as he’d ever been.
And when he’d heard they were being taken to Burlington…
Only the most serious cases were treated there.
Max handed his phone to Lexi. “Will you call my brother Lucas? He’s on my favorites.”
She put through the call and put it on speaker for him.
“Hey, Max.”
“What do you know?”
“I spoke with snow patrol on the mountain. He said one of them had an obviously broken jaw, and the other had internal bleeding.”
“How can they tell that?” Max asked, feeling more frantic by the second.
“Blood was coming out of his mouth.”
“Oh my God, Luc.”
“I know it’s easy for me to say don’t panic, but they’re young and strong, and it may not be that bad.”
“It’s bad when they’re unconscious, isn’t it?”
“It happens. Try not to spin up to worst-case until we know more. I’m on my way to Burlington, and I’ll let you know the second I hear anything.”
“Please, Luc…”
“We’ve got him, Max. We’ll take good care of him until you can get here.”
“I’m on a flight to New York tonight, and then I’ll get a car.”
“Are you sure you ought to drive all that way?”
“No, but it’ll get me to him faster than waiting for a flight in the morning. I’ll be fine. Just let me know if you hear anything more.”
“I will. Be safe, Max.”
“Take care of my boy.”
“We will.”
Max ended the call and handed the phone to Lexi. “I got a text while I was talking to him.”
“It’s from Patrick Murphy. He’s making his chopper available to get you from New York to Burlington.”
“Oh wow. That’s amazing.”
“Is he the billionaire?”
Max nodded. “Cameron’s dad.”
“Oh. I see. I had no idea.”
“You’d never know it. She’s as normal as can be.”
“I’ll cancel the rental car, then.”
“Thanks.” Max felt bad about discouraging her from coming with him, but he needed to be completely focused on Caden, and he knew his son wouldn’t want her there. Not yet, anyway. Someday, maybe, but not now.
“We’re going to George Bush Intercontinental,” Lexi said, pointing to a sign.
Max pressed the accelerator, the need to get to his son more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced, even the love he felt for her.
If he had to choose, Caden would win every time.
In his right mind, he would’ve been sad to leave Lexi this way, but in his panic-stricken mind, he didn’t care about anything other than Caden.
He never should’ve left him. If he hadn’t, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Or he would’ve been there, too, and might’ve been closer to them, or a million other possibilities. Max would never leave him again after this.
At the curb outside Departures, Max left the car running and grabbed his bag out of the trunk. “I’m sorry about this,” he said to Lexi when she met him at the back of the car.
“Don’t be. Just let me know that you got there and how he is, okay?”
“I will.” Max gave her a quick kiss and a quicker hug and then took off running toward the doors.