Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 16 6/22/21

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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) A/N: 7/16/18

Post by Cocogurl »

keepsmiling7 – Thanks for the feedback. When it comes to Samantha’s jealousy, it’s a bit of both. She’s jealous of Lexie, but mostly she’s jealous of what Lexie represents. She represents a bond between Max and Liz and that’s uncomfortable for her. And you’ll start to see more of that as the story progresses.

roswell4life – Thank you so much! Things will get complicated for Max and Liz as the wedding gets closer.

RoswellFan68 – So many good questions! And now that Max is spending so much time in Roswell, we’ll start getting the answers to a lot of these questions.

Superman86 – Thank you! I hope you enjoy this new part.

L-J-L 76 – Yeah, Samantha’s going to be trying Max’s patience as the story continues.

Diana28 – Wow! Thank you so much! I really hope you like this new chapter.

Michelle17 – This is going to be a big question for Max going forward. He has very conflicting feelings for Liz right now.

begonia9508 – Thank you. I’m trying to get back in the swing of writing again. These stories have been nagging at me for a while. I really hope you like this chapter.
-
Chapter Thirteen
The school bell rang in Liz’s English class, signaling the end of class and the end of the school year. As she watched the eager faces of her students as they stood from their seats and started gathering their things, Liz couldn’t help feeling eager herself. Sure, she enjoyed her job and the kids that she taught, but the last couple of years, a sense of restlessness had been growing in her. This wasn’t the life she had envisioned for herself and seeing Max so happy with her job had reminded her of that. She quickly shoved those thoughts away as she continued to watch her students. She didn’t know why she was even wasting her time thinking about those things in the first place.

“Have a great summer, everybody.” An amused smirk appears on her face. “And please remember your reading list.”

As the students groaned in annoyance, Liz chuckled. “Yes, I know. It’s such a tragedy.”

After the last student left, Liz walked around her desk and started gathering books and papers and began placing them in a giant black book bag. With her back facing the door, she was unaware of it opening and Max walking into the classroom.

With a smile, Max strolled over to Liz and lightly tapped on her shoulder, making her jump in surprise. He laughed at the startled look on her face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

With a blush, Liz laughed as well. “No, it’s fine.” As she finished putting papers in the bag and closing it, she glanced over at Max and noticed him eyeing her. Her face flushed again. Is he checking me out? No! That couldn’t be what he was doing. Shyly, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, what are you doing here.”

Max stared at Liz for another moment before answering her. “I was going to call and ask if I could pick Lexie up from school. But when Maria told me that you were a teacher at her school, I figured I’d just ask in person.”

“Of course. I think Lexie would really like that.” Max nodded and smiled before his eyes started studying her again. Liz began to squirm under his scrutiny, feeling both confused and surprised by it. She let out an embarrassed chuckle. “What?”

Realizing that he’d been staring, Max’s cheeks reddened a little and he smiled. “Sorry. I just didn’t realize you were a teacher. You look so…” he gestured to the blue turtleneck sweater, the black flowing skirt that went just past her knees, and the black pumps. “Professional.”

Self-consciously, Liz looked down at her outfit before giving him a bashful grin. “Yeah, well, I have to dress this way. High school boys are perverts.”

“Hate to break it you, but it’s not just high school boys.”

“Very true.” She chuckled, brushing her hair over her ear again, unaware of how that little action made Max’s heart flutter.

It unnerved Max that she could still cause that reaction in him after all this time. It felt like he was fifteen again. Before he could analyze the moment further, the classroom door opened, and Lexie came waltzing in, followed by a tall, slightly lanky looking boy with light brown hair. The boy’s eyes practically popped out of his skull when he spotted Max standing there and his mouth dropped open. Max smiled. This must be Lexie’s friend Josh, Max figured, remembering that she said he was a fan.

“Hey, Max,” Lexie greeted, looking both surprised and happy to see him. “What’s going on?”

“I was coming by to see if you wanted go get something to eat with me.”

Lexie’s face brightened even more at the idea of hanging out with her dad. But then she remembered what day it was, and her face dimmed a little. “That sounds great, but what about Kyle? I’m supposed to meet him at the arcade in a little bit.”

“I’ll call Kyle,” Liz spoke up before anyone could respond gave Max and Liz a supportive smile. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Max returned her smile, grateful for her acceptance of him. As he turned back to Lexie, he noticed that Josh was still staring at Max, mouth agape and looking like he could pass out at any moment. “Is he going to be okay?” Max asked with an amused grin.

He finally snapped back to reality when he felt Lexie’s fingers pinching his arm. “Ouch!” He yelped, rubbing the now painful spot on his arm and glaring at Lexie.

“You might want to close your mouth before you catch bugs,” Lexie joked, finding her best friend incredibly adorable in that moment. “Max, this is my friend Josh. Josh, this my dad Max.”

“Nice to meet you Josh.” Max held out his hand to Josh.

Nervously, Josh shook his hand and finally managed to find his voice. “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Max,” he insisted kindly. “You can call me Max. And you’re welcome to join us if you’d like.”

Josh’s eyes then lit up with excitement. “Are you for real? Hell, yeah!” He blurted out, surprising everyone around him. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and looked over at Liz, who was looking at him with a humorous smile. “Sorry, Ms. Parker.”

“I’ll let it slide,” she smirked. “Now you guys go and have fun. I’ll let Kyle know that the plans have changed.”

With a big grin, Lexie rushed over and gave her mother a quick peck on he cheek. Before the three of them leave, Max pauses and turns back to Liz.
“Why don’t you come?”

Liz looked at him, stunned and uncertain. “Are you sure?”

“I think it would be fun.” He shrugged, giving her a friendly smile. “We’re friends, remember?”

Liz considered his invitation for a moment. Her immediate instincts told her to decline, to keep that wall between her and Max. But how could she say no when he was smiling at her like that? Her lips quirked up and nodded her head. “I’d love to come.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After deciding to eat at Senor Chow’s, Liz gave Kyle a call to cancel his plans with Lexie, then the four of them decided to take Max’s car to the restaurant. As Max pulled into a parking spot, he was once again brought back to the past as he remembered that this was the place where he and Liz had their first date. Everything about that night was suddenly very vivid in his mind. The way his stomach rumbled with nervous excitement as he made his way to her front door. How beautiful she looked in her knee-length black dress with her hair pulled up in a loose bun. How much fun they had when she taught him to play pool and they spent the night laughing and talking. It had been one of the most amazing nights of his life and when they kissed, it was like magic.

“You okay, Max?” Lexie asked, breaking Max out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Max muttered, feeling annoyed with himself. He didn’t like that he kept thinking about his past with Liz, but it was hard not to, now that he was back in Roswell, surrounded by so many memories of them. He didn’t mean to, but his managed to make their way to Liz and his heart fluttered in his chest when he caught the expression on her face. He knew her mind was in the same place his was. It was only for a moment, though, before her darted away from him awkwardly, choosing to focus on the dashboard. He decided to let the moment pass as well as the four them got out of the car and headed inside.

Once they entered a red-headed woman greeted them and escorted them to a booth. After they ordered their food, Lexie and Josh decided to go play pool while they waited, leaving Max and Liz alone at the booth. While Liz awkwardly fiddled with the straw in her glass of water, Max looked around the restaurant, taking it all in.

“I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been here.” Max smiled.

Liz grinned. “Yeah, and as you can see, it hasn’t changed much. Lexie and I come her all the time.”

They both glanced towards the backroom where the pool table was and watched Lexie and Josh playing, enjoying the sight of their daughter happy.

“She’s a great kid. You did a good job.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Liz’s eyes went back to him, looking both surprised and unsure of how to respond. He simply smiled. Despite whatever lingering resentment he may have, he wanted to her to know that he was sincere. “I mean it. I can’t imagine how tough it was raising her on your own.”

“Well, I wasn’t alone,” she said. “I had my family with me every step of the way.”

Max nodded. He wondered if how things would’ve turned out if their roles were reversed. Would his parents have been as supportive of him? As much as he’d like to believe they’d stand by him, the last few years made him doubtful. He and Liz just didn’t have the same kind of parents.

“So, how did you become a teacher?” He asked, wanting to think about something else. And honestly, he was curious about what her life had been like for the last fifteen years. “You always wanted to be a writer.”

The question caught Liz off guard, mostly because up until Max came back into her life, she hadn’t given it much thought. “I don’t know, really,” she answered honestly. “I moved to Florida to stay with my aunt after I got pregnant and I finished my school there. I never really intended to be a teacher full time, it just ended up happening that way.”

Max took a sip of his water as he listened to Liz. “Do you ever think you’ll go back to writing?” He asked.

She shrugged. “I think about it sometimes. But I don’t know.”

“Well, I always enjoyed your writing.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to say it, but he did. He also didn’t understand why the warm smile that spread across her face made his heart flutter.

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?” He asked after taking another sip of his water.

“Max, you’re a freaking celebrity,” she said with a laugh. “There’s got to be a story there. If I remember correctly, your parents had some lofty ambitions for you, and they didn’t include singing in a band.”

Max chuckled. “You’re right. I stuck to their plan for a while. I spent two years at Princeton before dropping out. The college thing was never for me, you know.”

Liz nodded in understanding. “Can’t imagine Mr. and Mrs. Evans were happy about that.”

Max’s face dimmed a little, remembering the last conversation he had with his parents. “They disowned me.”

The sympathetic look on Liz’s face made Max squirm uncomfortably in his seat. As much as he pretended to be okay with everything that happened between him and his parents, their distance was still painful for him. Just then, Liz reached forward and took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Max, I’m so sorry.”

After a moment, Max found himself squeezing her hand back, allowing himself to take comfort in her touch. The intimacy of the moment catches them both by surprise and Liz quickly moved her hand away, placing it in lap as she awkwardly averted her gaze.

Max didn’t want to admit, but the loss of her touch disappointed him. Not liking the direction his thoughts were taking, he decided to continue his story. “Don’t be sorry. As painful as it was, it also freed me. I moved to LA shortly after that, I met Brian at a band audition and the rest is pretty much history.”

“It’s your parents’ loss,” Liz said once she felt comfortable enough to look at him again. “You turned out great.”

Liz’s words comforted Max and he was about to respond when Kyle’s voice came up behind him, immediately dashing his good mood.

“Hey, guys,” Kyle greeted in an overly cheery voice as he took a seat next to Liz in the booth.

“Hey, Kyle,” Liz greeted, looking at Kyle with surprise and confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“I felt bad,” he said with a shrug, trying to seem casual and like he hadn’t been seething with jealousy at seeing Max and Liz together. “Fridays at the arcade has been a tradition for years. I figured dinner with you guys would be just as good.”

Max sat there, resisting the urge to tell this jackass to get lost. He hadn’t missed the pointed look Kyle shot his way when discussing his traditions with Lexie. Clearly Kyle felt Max’s presence was ruining things for him. It only served to annoy Max further. Lexie was his daughter. What right did Kyle have to try and stake claim on her? On both her and Liz? But he could see how awkward the situation was for Liz and he didn’t want to make it worse by fighting with Kyle. Besides, he was sure Kyle would love nothing more than to get a rise out of Max, and he refused to give the guy the satisfaction.

Leaning back in his seat, Max decided to take the high road and gave Kyle a friendly smile. “Well, we’re happy to have you here. We already ordered, but I’m sure the waitress would be happy to bring another menu over.”

Before turning to get the waitress’s attention, Max noticed the way Kyle’s happy façade dropped slightly and e looked almost annoyed. Inwardly, Max was laughing.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Yes!” Lexie squealed in delight, enjoying the look of defeat on Josh’s face as she kicked his ass at pool. “Damn, you suck at this game.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, setting his pool cue down on the table. “This is a stupid game anyway. Air hockey is better.” Just then, he glanced over Lexie’s shoulder and spotted Jason heading their way and his mood soured.

“What’s wrong?” Lexie asked in confusion when she noticed the frown forming on her friend’s face.

Josh didn’t respond, though. He simply he gave a quick nod of his head, gesturing to the person behind her. Her heart immediately started doing flip flops when she turned around and saw Jason standing there with his arms folded across his chest and giving her an incredibly sexy smirk.

“Hey, Parker,” he greeted smoothly.

“H-Hey, Jason,” she muttered nervously, feeling her hands, which were still holding the pool cue, starting to become damp from sweat. She set the pool cue down on the table and smiled at Jason. “How’s it going?”

“Not bad.” Jason finally looked behind Lexie and smirked when he noticed Josh standing there on the other side of the pool table, looking none to happy about his presence. Briefly, he wondered if the gangly kid had a thing for Lexie before deciding he didn’t care. He gave Josh a nod. “Hey, Jeff.”

“It’s Josh,” he corrected, biting back his annoyance at Jason pretending not to know his name.

“Oh, right.” Jason turned his attention back to Lexie, deciding that Josh wasn’t anything to worry about, and eyed the cute brunette up and down seductively. “So, how’s it going with you?”

Lexie shyly looked away, blushing at Jason’s slow perusal of her. Was the most popular boy in school really checking her out? Not wanting to seem like a complete nerd, she stood up straighter and tried to appear confidant and casual. “I’m good. I’m just eating with my family.”

Jason glance behind him to where Ms. Parker was sitting with officer Valenti and Max Evans. His eyes widened as he stared at Lexie’s father. “Wow! Is that really Max Evans over there?”

As silly as it was, she loved how impressed Jason was about her father. “Yep. That’s my dad.”

“That is just too cool.”

Feeling a bit more confident, Lexie stepped towards Jason. “Do you want to meet him?”

“Oh, that’s okay,” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Though appeared uncertain, he had been hoping that she’d offer. Meeting Max was the whole reason he started paying attention to Lexie in the first place. Once everyone heard that her father was Max Evans, Jason knew he had to make that connection to get his band off the ground. Fortunately, it hadn’t been hard reeling Lexie in. Like most girls at Roswell High, she fell all over herself the moment he looked her way. And now he had a direct line to a major superstar. Still, Jason knew he needed to play it cool. As turned to walked away, Lexie grabbed his arm and smiled up at him. So easy, he thought to himself with satisfaction.

“You wouldn’t be intruding,” she assured him. “Come on, I’m sure he’s going to love to meet you.”

With that, he allowed Lexie to lead him over to the booth where her parents were sitting, both of them unaware of Josh trailing behind them, looking incredibly unhappy.
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by L-J-L 76 »

Wow. Poor Max is getting upset with Kyle joining them. And now poor Josh is upset with Jason bothering them. Max probably has feelings for Liz. Like Josh has feelings for Lexie. Can't wait to find out what will happen between
Max and Liz. Plus what will happen between Josh and Lexie.

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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by begonia9508 »

Fantastic comeback to this Story!

I have a Bibliothek or data bank - in my PC with all the unfinished Roswell stories as well as the finished ones... in the hope that - one day - someone was going to finish some of them...

So I am happy like a fish in a Pond that you started again with 'consequences from the past'

Thanks and waiting for more! EVE :shock: :D :mrgreen:
- Les jouissances de l'esprit sont faites pour calmer les orages du coeur!
- On reconnaît le bonheur au bruit qu'il fait quand il s'en va!
- L'amour vous rend aveugle et le mariage vous redonne la vue!
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by keepsmiling7 »

"summer reading list".........how I remember that, and pretty much ignored it.
Both Max and Kyle are trying for Lexie's attention............but she's pretty proud that Max is her dad.
Wonder how this is going to play out??
Thanks,\
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by Michelle17 »

Hi,

I’m loving this story but I need Max to start choosing Liz and making things right between them. What’s Max family situation? Do they even know about Samantha? Do they know Liz had a baby with Max? What’s Liz relationship with Max family?
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Special thanks too

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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by dreambeliever »

O-M-G...Imagine my surprise when I log in just to stalk the page a bit and find one of my favorite stories updated! I started right from the beginning and read straight through. I wondering where the Jason angle is going and see trouble ahead. Thank you for updating and I look forward to the next chapters.
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) Ch. 13 8/8/18

Post by Cocogurl »

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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) A/N: 12/2/18

Post by Superman86 »

Can't wait for update, still loving this fic :D
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) A/N: 12/2/18

Post by Superman86 »

Hey its been awhile, still hoping to see an update soon. ...bump... :D
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Re: Consequences From The Past (AU,M/L,TEEN) A/N: 12/2/18

Post by Cocogurl »

L-J-L 76
begonia9508
keepsmiling7
Michelle17
dreambeliever
Superman86 (2x)



Hey, everyone! Back with a new chapter. The next chapter of I'll Look After You should be ready by the end of next week. :D

-

Chapter Fourteen


The car was silent as Max drove Liz, Lexie and Josh back to the high school, each one of them caught in their own thoughts. In the back seat, Lexie kept shooting glances at Josh, wishing that he’d say something or at least look at her. He’d been moody almost all evening and it was killing her not knowing why.

Max pulled into the parking lot of Roswell High and stopped his car right next to Liz’s. As soon as he turned the engine off, Josh immediately unbuckled his seat belt, giving Max a quick goodbye before exiting the vehicle. Lexie unbuckled her seat belt as well and gave Max a smile. “Thanks for dinner.”

Max smiled back at his daughter. “No problem. Have a good nod.”

With a small nod, she opened her passenger door and stepped outside to join Josh by Liz’s car, leaving Max and Liz alone.

Silence immediately returned as Max and Liz struggled to figure out what to say to each other. Finally, Liz broke the quiet. “I’m really sorry about tonight. I didn’t know Kyle was going to show up tonight and I honestly don’t know why he was behaving that way.”

Replaying the evening’s events in his head, Max’s lips quirked up in amusement. Though Kyle wasn’t outwardly hostile towards Max, but it was more than clear that he was marking his territory. Whether it was talking about school plays that he went to, or the years he’d dress up like Santa and surprise Lexie with presents or telling funny stories about camping trips he’d take with the girls, Kyle never failed to remind Max that he had a history with them. It stung. It always would, but he refused to let Kyle ruin what he was building with Lexie and even Liz.

With a small shrug, he glanced over at Liz. “It’s okay, I get it. As someone who was once head over heels for Liz Parker, I understand his jealousy.”

Immediately, Liz shook her head, wanting to deny, but the more she thought about Kyle’s behavior earlier and how angry he’s been since Max came back into their lives, she realized that this was more than just a desire to protect. The knowing look in Max’s eyes made Liz’s cheeks redden in embarrassment. She groaned as she leaned back in the passenger seat. “I can’t believe this.”

“I can. You’re Liz Parker. There’s a lot to love.”

Max and Liz froze as Max’s words hit them like a ton of bricks, making them unsure of what to do next. After a moment, Max turned to Liz, wanting to say something to break the silence, but once he met her eyes and saw the intensity in them made his voice catch in his throat. Feelings began to stir inside of him that he wasn’t comfortable naming and he knew, in that moment, that she was feeling the same way.

Finally, Liz broke the moment and looked away from Max, suddenly eager to get as far away from him as possible. Quickly she unbuckled her seat belt and placed her and on the door handle, refusing to look at Max as she said, “Goodnight.”
She was out of the car before Max could reply. Feeling like an idiot, Max sighed and pulled out of the parking space and left the school, trying to convince himself that these lingering feelings would fade away.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” Lexie asked as she and Josh stood by Liz’s car. “You’ve been quiet all night.”

Josh simply shrugged and continued staring at his shoes. “I’m fine.”

“Are you mad at me?”

The tone in Lexie’s voice finally made Josh look up and he immediately felt guilty when he saw the worried look in her eyes. He knew he was being stupid. It wasn’t Lexie’s fault that he was too scared to tell her how he felt about her. He wanted to. Damnit, he wanted to so badly, but the fear of her rejecting him always held him back. But he knew that if he kept his feelings a secret, he had no right to be angry with her for liking another guy. Finding the strength to muster up a smile, he stepped towards her. “Parker, it’s impossible to be mad at you.”

Though he was putting on a show, Lexie could see through it. She knew he was holding back his feelings, but just as she opened her mouth to question him further, the passenger door to Max’s car opened and Liz stepped out. Reluctantly, Lexie decided to let it go and the three of them hopped inside Liz’s car and left the school.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After dropping Josh off at his house, Liz drove her and Lexie back to their home. The entire drive, Liz had noticed how silent Lexie and Josh had been. Normally, she wouldn’t ask questions, trusting her daughter to come to her when she needed advice. That was the way they use to things. Before finding out about Max, Lexie used to come to Liz for everything. And though things have mostly been good between them since returning to Roswell, Liz had noticed that Lexie didn’t talk to her like she used to. Her heart ached to know her own daughter didn’t fully trust her anymore, but she hoped that with time, they could fix that.

Pulling into the driveway outside their home, Liz turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition. She glanced over at her daughter, who was sitting in the passenger seat looking deep in thought. “Is Josh okay? He seemed kind of upset tonight.”

Lexie nodded her head. “He’s fine. I think we were all out of it tonight.”

Thinking back on Kyle’s behavior, Liz cringed a little. “Yes, I’m sorry if things were awkward tonight. I wasn’t expecting Kyle to show up tonight.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just go inside.”

They both got out of the car and walked in silence towards the house. Once inside, they headed to the living room where they found Nancy asleep on the love seat, a book resting on her lap. With a smile, Liz leaned down and gently shook her awake.

Nancy’s eyes fluttered open and a sleepy smile spread on her lips when she noticed her daughter and granddaughter watching her. With a yawn, she slowly sat up on the loveseat and set her book down on the coffee table. “Hey, sweetie. How was your dinner?”

“It was…interesting.”

The look on Liz’s face piqued Nancy’s interest. “Well, why don’t I make some tea and you two can tell me all about it.”

Liz and Lexie followed Nancy into the kitchen and sat at the table while Nancy filled a kettle full of water and set it on the stove. As soon as she sat down, Liz and Lexie went on to fill her in on the evening’s events. By the end of it, Nancy was leaning back in her chair laughing.

“Sounds like it was an entertaining evening.” Nancy smirked. She stood to grab some mugs from the cabinet just as the phone in the living room started ringing.

“I’ll get it,” Lexie offered before Liz and Nancy could and strolled out of the kitchen.

Nancy watched her go, smiling, before turning her attention Liz, setting three mugs down on the table and placing teabags into each one. “It sounds like she had a good time with Max.”

“She had a great time,” Liz agreed, sounding almost surprised. “It’s amazing how fast those two have bonded.”

Nancy took the teapot from the stove and pour the hot liquid into the mugs. “How do you feel about that?” She asked as she sat back down.

The question made Liz pause. She’d been trying not to think too much about her own personal feelings, but now that Max was in Roswell, seeing how close they were becoming, it was harder for her to ignore. “It’s strange,” Liz admitted as she stared down at her cup of tea. “I mean, I’m glad that they’re getting close, but I guess I’m still getting used to all of this. Doesn’t help that Lexie’s still angry with me.”

Nancy’s eyes turned sympathetic as she reached out to grasp Liz’s hand. “Liz, I’m sure she’s not—”

“She is, Mom,” Liz said. “She tries her best to hide it, but I can feel her pulling away from me.”

“Just give her time, sweetie. She’ll come around.”

As much as Liz loved her mother’s optimism, she had hard time sharing it. Looking up from her mug, she noticed that her mother was still watching her and had a feeling that there was something she wanted to say. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering if you had fun with Max?”

Liz shrugged, as she looked back down at her tea cup. “I mean, other than Kyle showing up, it was all right. We didn’t want to rip each other’s throats out.”

Nancy watched Liz for another moment before taking a sip of her tea. “I always did like Max. He’s such a nice boy.”

Understanding where her mother was heading, Liz sighed. “Mom, don’t. Max and I are over, and we have been for a long time. And he’s engaged now.”

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” Nancy said, but Liz could see the skepticism in her eyes.

A moment later, Lexie came walking back into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. “You look happy,” Liz said, giving Lexie an amused smile.

Lexie felt her cheeks flush when she realized her mother was watching her. “Yeah, uh, Jason asked me out.”

“That’s wonderful, Lexie,” Nancy responded happily before letting out a small yawn. “Why don’t you tell me more about it tomorrow? Your grandmother’s exhausted.”

Lexie nodded and Nancy took a step towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek before saying goodnight to the girls. Once she was gone, Lexie sat across from Liz at the table.

“So, are you going to go out with Jason?” Liz asked.

“I think I am,” she said. “He’s really great.”

“Well, then I’m happy for you.” Liz reached out and gave her daughter’s hand a supportive squeeze. The moment ended all too quickly when Lexie awkwardly pulled her hand away from Liz.

“I’m going to go to bed,” Lexie said, trying to ignore the stab of guilt she felt when hurt flashed in Liz’s eyes.

Liz watched her go and prayed that her mother was right. She hated the distance that still lingered between them. As she cleared the table and headed off to bed herself, she realized she was also slightly jealous of Lexie’s love life. She could see how excited Lexie was about going out with Jason and she missed having that excitement in her own life. She and Kyle were never going to happen—and that was a conversation she knew she needed to have at some point—and even though she liked Brian, she still didn’t feel that spark. She hadn’t felt that spark with anyone since Max and she was beginning to wonder if she’d ever feel it again.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After a two-hour phone conversation with Samantha, Max plopped down on his bed in exhaustion. Only part of that exhaustion is physical. He loved Samantha, but it was becoming clear that him being in Roswell was putting a strain on their relationship. He understood that she was still adjusting to the fact that he had a daughter and he couldn’t blame her. But it wasn’t hard for him to notice how quiet she’d become every time he talked about Lexie or try to divert attention back to their wedding plans. And it was more than obvious by her not so subtle interrogation about his time with Liz that she was uncomfortable with them being around each other. Sighing, Max pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

He was beginning to doubt that there was anything he could say or do to convince Samantha that there was nothing going on between him and Liz. What made it worse was that he was beginning to wonder if her suspicions were right. Immediately, his mind went back to their moment in the car. The intensity in her eyes as she stared back at him. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she had felt that spark as well. It disturbed him to know that she could still make him feel this way after all this time and he couldn’t very well explain it to Samantha when she was already feeling insecure enough about their relationship. He just had to hope that these feelings would fade on their own. And that, with time, Samantha could except Lexie into their lives.

His cell phone rang again, breaking him from his thoughts and making him dread looking at his caller ID. As much as he loved his fiancée, he wasn’t eager to spend another hour bickering. However, when he lifted the phone and saw the name on the screen, he almost wished it was Samantha. With a heavy sigh, he sat up on the bed and answered his phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Max,”

The sound of Diane Evans voice immediately put Max on the defensive. She sounded so calm and casual, and not like someone who hasn’t spoken to her son in years. “Why are you calling?” He asked, suspicion evident in his tone along with a little worry. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, Max. I can’t call and check on my own son?”

“Considering we haven’t spoken in years, you can’t blame a guy for being a little confused,” he said. “So, if you and dad are okay, what do you want?”

“Really, Max?” She asked in annoyance. “Did you think we weren’t going to want answers eventually? You have daughter and you didn’t think to call us? We had to find out from the tabloids.”

Max wanted to argue. Wanted to point out that she had no right to complain when she was the one that decided to cut him out of their lives. But a small part of him felt bad. He remembered how blindsided h felt when Lexie showed up on his doorstep, but that was still preferably than finding out from the newspapers. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”

“So, it’s true?” She asked after a moment. “This girl is your child?”

“Yes.”

“And Liz is the mother?”

“Yes, she is,” he said with a slight edge of defensiveness. He remembered that his mother had never been Liz’s biggest fan. As confusing as things were between him and Liz, the last thing he needed were snide remarks from his mother. None came though. It was completely silent on the other end and, for a moment, he wondered if he had gotten disconnected.

“Your father and I want to meet her,” she said finally. “We can be in town next month. How does that sound?”

As soon as she said that, Max went on the defensive again. Deep down, he knew that, with Lexie in his life, he was going to have to deal with his family at some point. Even Isabel, who he loved dearly, was starting to get impatient with him. But it bothered him that his mother just assumed that she could come waltzing back into his life after everything that had happened. “Why do you want to meet her?”

“Why?” Diane sputtered in shock. “She’s my grandchild!”

“That didn’t seem to matter to you when I was fifteen,” Max scoffed. The phone went silent again and he knew he had hit his mark. This time, he felt no guilt about it.

“Things are different now,” she said more calmly. “You’re not fifteen anymore and I’d like to meet her.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea right now.”

This time it was Diane’s turn to scoff. “Why? It’s been almost three months. Isabel hasn’t even met this girl yet.”

Max started to clench his teeth, trying to rein in his irritation. “Isabel will meet Lexie once things are settled. But I haven’t spoken to you and dad in years, and that was your choice.”

“Then maybe now is the time to reconnect,” Diane replied, and Max could hear the hope in her voice.

“Mom, have you talked with dad about this? Has he expressed any interest in meeting Lexie?” It was hard for Max to imagine his father having any desire to meet his bastard grandchild.

“Of course. She’s our granddaughter, Max. I know there are still some issues between us, but that shouldn’t stop us from knowing her.”

A part of Max wanted to argue. To tell her off after how horribly they treated him. But the reality was he missed his parents. Despite their flaws, he missed having them in his life. Maybe his mom was right. Maybe it was time to reconnect. “I have to talk to Liz about this,” he said. “I want to make sure she’s okay with it.”

“Well, why wouldn’t she?” The offended tone in Diane’s voice was evident and immediately annoyed Max. “Liz will just have to—”

“No, mom,” Max said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Liz doesn’t have to do anything. I haven’t forgotten the way you used to treat her. So, I will sit down and discuss this with her first. All right?”

He was sure there was a lot she wanted to say, but she knew better then to argue with him. “Fine. I’ll talk to you soon.”

They said their goodbyes and Max tossed his phone next to him on the bed, dreading the upcoming conversation with Liz.
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