Lyin' Eyes: (M/L, MATURE) [Complete] - 03/23/09

[mary mary]

Carrie:Thank you so much.
Keepsmiling7:Hi Carolyn, glad you like the first one...I'm headed back to the library today for #14 plus 2 others that she wrote. I'm thinking of planting a garden in my living room...if I don't quit reading I'll be able to grow things because my house is so dusty. Valentine's day is finished but I'm waiting for 2/10 to start posting...it's only 4 or 5 chapters of pure teen fluff...no biggee!!!
Ken:Sometimes dancing is good...you'll see!
Jan:Haven't a clue...let's just say that without Liz his company wouldn't be getting quite the recognition that it's getting. The science 'geek' really is good at what she does!
LilLoucfer:It's only half over...we have to get into the 'candy' aka: the good stuff!!!
destinyc:Cross your legs...I'm hurrying!!!
Nataliec:Thank you...

*~*~*

Chapter: 24

Liz headed down to the laundry room and put all of the sheets into the dumb waiter and sent them upstairs. She turned Max and her perma-press items back on for a few minutes to tumble the wrinkles out from sitting in the dryer overnight, then she put hers and Max’s dirty jeans in one of the washers and the towels in one of the others. She took the iron and ironing board from the back of the laundry room and took a minute to freshen up the shirts After she had them pressed she laid the perma-press items over her arm and headed back up the stairs.

She then hung up the shirts and tee’s and proceeded to make all of the beds and clean the bathrooms. Olivia had this week off too so she figured she would keep herself busy until she heard from Max to find out what time to pick him up. She would figure out where the vacuum cleaner was when she finished cleaning the bathrooms.

About that time her cell rang and it was Max calling to let her know what time to be at the airport. She had plenty of time to finish the bathrooms and then she found the vacuum in the cupboard next to the dumb waiter along with dust rags and other cleaning items. She had all of the upstairs rooms cleaned and still had time for a shower before heading to the airport. Max can help clean the downstairs she thought to herself…then she giggled…’big rich and famous baseball player’.

She stopped in the laundry room and put the jeans in one dryer and the towels in the other, she set the timers and headed out the back door.

On her way to the garage she ran into a very pleasant looking man, in his early 50’s she would guess…he was busy pruning the bushes on the side of the house as she passed by and she stopped and smiled…”Are you Charley?” she asked...”Why yes and you must be Liz.”

“Yes I am, it’s so nice to meet you Charley…I am just on my way to the airport to meet Max. I love the gardens around the estate. They are absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you Liz. I am so happy to meet you as well and I am glad you like the gardens. They are all beautiful but I have a lot of help with the grounds. I hire independent people on occasion to help when it’s time for major work to be done. I didn’t know that Mr. Evans wasn’t home.”

“Oh he went back to Roswell with his family; he is coming back this afternoon.”

“I see…I am surprised he left you here alone, he doesn’t usually leave people alone in the house, not that you aren’t trustworthy or anything, but he just doesn’t do it.”

“Well maybe it’s because we have been friends since we were little. My father and Max’s father were school buddies.”

“I see…so you’ve know young Mr. Evans for a long time then?”

“I certainly have…my earliest memories include Max. Anyway Charley, I have to get going if I’m going to be at the airport on time. You have a nice day.”

“You too Liz.” And Charley gave the young woman a big smile as she headed to the garage and started to unload the jaguar’s trunk. She put her shopping bags into the trunk of her own car and then took off. What a lovely young woman Charley thought to himself. Lovely indeed.

*~*~*

Max ate the lunch that was served on the plane, remembering the cinnamon rolls he had enjoyed with his father and then he started grinning remembering the conversation with his mother. She really got him good, ‘I feel lucky to have lived through it!’ He thought to himself. Then he asked for a refill on his coffee. The stewardess wanted to know if there was anything else she could get for him and he told her “No” he was fine. She smiled and continued to take care of the rest of the first class passengers and before long the fasten seat belt sign came on and they were headed into Philadelphia airport.

Max must have dozed because he didn’t even remember having his coffee cup removed. When they were safely at their gate he grabbed his overnighter from the over head storage and was the first to disembark. He couldn’t get to the ticket area fast enough and when he saw her standing there with that great big smile waving his car keys in her hand he melted. His dad better get that annulment fast because his body was rapidly winning the battle with his mind and he approached her as though he had been doing it for years.

When he finally got to her he gave her a big hug and she in turn hugged him just as big and then they were off. Max took his keys and then he looked at her…”Do you want to drive?” She giggled and said “No, you can have your turn.” “Oh, okay.” He said and neither noticed the idiot with the camera following them…but Joey did, and it didn’t take him long to retrieve it, remove the chip and hand it back to the guy along with a hundred dollar bill to replace the memory chip. The guy asked him who the hell he thought he was and Joey looked the guy straight in the face and said. “I’m her guardian angel asshole now go get a life.” Actually Joey had just turned in his rented auto and was on his way to check in for his flight back to New Mexico when he saw the paparazzi tailing Liz and figured he could do one more favor before leaving town. Jesse had sent him to Philadelphia to pick up some information for him on another case and Joey figured he was still on Liz watch as well. What a lucky break that he happened to see this action. That poor girl had enough to look forward to without this being thrown up in her face.

So unbeknownst to Max and Liz they had a guardian angel.

Max grabbed hold of her hand and led her to the short term parking lot where he spotted his Jag sitting lonely at the end of the row. He raised an eyebrow at Liz and she explained that she didn’t want anyone next to his handsome car…he smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze as they made their way through the parked cars and were on their way in no time.

As they left the airport Max asked Liz just how hungry she was…

“Not super hungry, what do you have in mind?”

“Well, how about we go home and grab a sandwich and then take a drive to New York?”

“Max are you nuts…New York? How long will that take?”

“Well, I think we could be there by dinner time…it takes about an hour and a half. Does that sound like fun? We can pack an overnight bag and come back on Wednesday …oh, you don’t have to leave tomorrow do you?”

“No Max, I don’t have to leave tomorrow…when does the series start?”

“Next week, why?”

“Well I called Mr. Jarred and he was shocked to hear the news about Don. He remembered him from when he worked at the company and was shocked to find out that he was married. Apparently he didn’t tell the HR department about a wife or children when he hired on with the company. I know Mr. Jarred has more to do than read every applicants resume’, I guess if I were an employer the size of our company I couldn’t be bothered with all of that trivia either. I would have to trust the people that I hired to take care of all of that. Wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not sure I would Liz. After this past week I’m just not sure how I would handle that. It almost makes me want to do a more in depth study on the people we have working for us in Arizona. They have to meet certain criteria and we do necessary background checks on everyone we hire but after this situation with you I am terrified that something bad might happen to one of our kids.”

“Oh Max, if I had been more worldly wise I don’t think this would have happened to me.”

“I’m not so sure Liz. But let’s talk more about our trip to New York. Does that sound like fun?”

“yes it does, and it will give me a chance to wear some of my new clothes…I’ll have to get them out of my car though but that won’t be a problem. Will my black dress be okay for dinner? I didn’t buy anymore dressy clothes, just some winter things.”

“Your black dress will be perfect for dinner.” ‘Anything will be perfect as long as you’re in it’ Max thought. Then he looked over at her and noticed the wedding ring was missing. We’re going to have to fix that Max thought to himself. Then he looked at Liz and gave her more than just a grin…it was a full blown smile.

*~*~*

They were soon back at the estate and Max pulled into the garage next to Liz’s Honda. Funny how cute that Honda looked sitting in his garage next to all to those big expensive rigs he thought. When he got out of the car he went around to open Liz’s door and she was already half way out of the car. “Liz…you’re going to have to learn to wait for me to open your door for you.”

“Why Max, we’re the only two here, I can do it.”

“I know you can do it Liz, but I want to do it for you…just like you want to do the dishes and make your bed I want to open your car door…will you please allow me to do that for you?”

“Yes Max, you can do that for me. Thank you…now we have to get this stuff out of my car so I can pack some of it in my suitcase that I bought. I may just have to borrow one of yours though, I don’t think mine is big enough.”

“Liz, we are only going to be there tomorrow and then head back Wednesday but if you need to borrow a suitcase then you can borrow a suitcase.”

“Thank you Max, now let’s hurry up I have never been to New York for the fun of it.”

“Oh Really!!! Well let’s just see if we can make it a really fun time.”

Max didn’t have to be at practice until Thursday so he decided to make a few calls and see what he could conjure up.

After they got into the house Liz immediately went to the laundry room to get the clothes out of the dryer and Max went up the grand staircase to her room to put her clothes on her bed. He thought he smelled cleanser and fabric softener and started looking around. His parent’s room smelled the same as did Alex and Isabelle’s room then he went into his room and it had the same odor. He noticed his bed was made up very crisply, the towels in the bathroom were missing and he checked the clothes hamper in his closet and it was empty. What in the hell has she been doing he thought to himself. He figured she would read or something…he never dreamed she would make beds, wash clothes and clean bathrooms. Oh for God’s sake. I should have taken her with me. About that time Liz showed up in his room with a stack of folded jeans and put them on his bed and then headed down the hall to her room with the remainder of the stack. Max watched her with a concerned look and then she came back and headed to the end of the hall and opened the dumb waiter and took out a stack of folded towels.

“Liz, what in the hell did you do while I was gone? Did you exterminate the place while you were at it?”

Liz looked at Max and started to giggle…”Relax Max…all I did was some laundry and make a few beds. Do you know that you have three extra large capacity washing machines and two industrial sized dryers? Laundry is no job in this house Max…You don’t even have to carry the clothes up and down the stairs if you don’t want to…Now where is the elevator?”

Max just looked at her and shook his head…he took his jeans to his closet and started to hang them up and Liz entered behind him to help…

”No, go get packed.”

He reached up over Liz’s head and brought a large piece of luggage down from behind her and said “Here, go…and pack enough for a couple of days. If you only have one good dress then we will get you another one in New York...maybe on Broadway…what do you say, are you up for that?”

Liz pulled her little curtsy and said “Yes m’lord.” And Max feigned a frown and she took off. As soon as Liz left Max’s room he quickly dialed his travel agent and told her he was headed to New York until Wednesday…he wanted reservations for a show tomorrow night and dinner after. He wanted a suite with two bedrooms and reservations for dinner tonight…he would like a tour bus for around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning after a nice breakfast in the suite and make sure the hotel has a nice dining room as well as a dance floor. The agent told him she would fax his itinerary to him in about half an hour. Max said great and headed to the shower.

About an hour later Max headed to the kitchen only to find Liz there making sandwiches for them. She had two cherry cokes sitting next to two paper plates with some chips on them. Max smiled at her and sat down.

“What’s for lunch wench?”

“Why my lord, why dost thou jest with me so?”

“Because it’s so easy to Liz.” And Liz giggled, “We’re having ham and cheese on rye. I figured if we were going to be driving to New York then we should have something to take the edge off before we left. Anyway, this should hold us over until we have dinner. Oh Max, I am so excited…you are the best friend on earth.”

“I am so glad you are happy Liz…now come on, sit down here with me so I won’t feel like I am the lord around here.”

“Yes Max…now when do you have to be back?”

“I have to be at practice on Thursday morning so if we get back Wednesday evening that will be fine. We will spend tonight and tomorrow night and head back on Wednesday afternoon or early evening…is that okay with you?”

“Oh yes max more than okay. I don’t have to be back to work for another week or so…Mr. Jarred told me I didn’t have to call him but I will check in with him…so I figure I can drive back whenever things settle down a little more. I really don’t want to talk about that. I am sure there will be plenty of questions from people who watched the final playoff game Friday. Mr. Jarred wanted to know if I had a younger sister…I had to confess to him that I didn’t and he said it looked like I was really having a good time. I feel so guilty for beating on poor Alex. I wish people would just let it rest.”

Max smiled at her and then he had to ask “Are you having a good time Liz?”

“Oh God Max, the best. And now that all of this shit with Don…oh Max I’m so sorry for that … all of this STUFF with Don is over I am really having fun. I haven’t been this relaxed in over a year and a half and if feels so good…so freeing.”

Max smiled at her and continued eating his ham and cheese which was very good by the way and then he helped Liz clean up the kitchen. While they were putting things away Max asked…”Liz, will you stay here for the next week or so that you’re off and go to some of the series games with us?”

“Of course Max, that’s what I planned anyway…if it’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay…everyone will be so glad to hear it …they all wanted to know if you would be here and I told them I didn’t know so now I do and I can tell them yes.” And Max gave her a great big smile…he’d been doing a lot of that lately.

When Max went into the grand hall he saw the huge suitcase sitting there and he asked her why she carried that downstairs.

“I didn’t, I used the dumb waiter…and when you show me where the elevator is I may just never walk up or down these stairs again...where is it by the way?”

“Later Liz, c’mon…let’s get going.” And with that they left the estate again and headed for the garage. “Which car Liz?” Like he had to ask and she headed straight for the Jag. He knew that’s the one she would choose…he might just let her take it back to Connecticut with her, that way she would have a good reason to come back. There’s a thought…They got the luggage stowed and were on their way. Both of them excited to be going away for a couple of days without any bad omens’ hanging over their heads and both of them thinking thoughts that mirrored the others' and they were both smiling.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Jan:I am so glad you are enjoying my story...thank you.
LilLoucfer: We'll see!!!
Ken: Ah, come on...sometimes they do...
Kate:The two of you think 'SO GOOD'
destinyc:Good Girl!
Chula: It's coming...honest!
Natalie36:Oh...they are going to be so cute!!! "Just you wait little lady". (Alex)

*~*~*

Chapter: 25

Soon Max and Liz were on their way down the newly paved highway. Most of the winter damage from last year had been repaired and the roads were in good shape and fairly clear and the weather was beautiful. All of the hills looked as though someone had opened numerous colors of red, orange, gold and brown paint and had thrown the paint all over the mountains. It was breathtaking.

“Oh God Max, isn’t it beautiful?” Liz asked with awe in her voice.

“Yes it is Liz…it’s nothing like Roswell in the fall but the desert has its hidden beauty as well. Don’t you think?” Max asked.

“I certainly do max…I was telling your dad that very same thing the other morning…the view at the estate is gorgeous as well.”

“I’m glad you like it. Someday I will do something worth while with the place; I just don’t know what right now. I need to get comfortable with the Arizona camp first.”

“Don’t worry about it Max, it will come to you…Hey what kind of music do you like? I sort of messed with the radio yesterday while I was out.”

“Whatever you want is fine with me. I like most of it except for Rap…I have a tough time following it and a lot of the pop stuff is just noise to me as well.”

“I’m the same way…how about some soft rock?”

“Soft rock’s good.” And max just kept on driving and listening to the hum of the tires on the highway.

After awhile Liz looked over at Max and asked, “What are we going to do in New York Max?”

“Oh, well I was going to surprise you but I guess you can be surprised now and then you’ll have to wait…we’re going to a Broadway show tomorrow night and dinner after…tomorrow morning we are going on a tour bus at 10:00…we can get off and re-board anytime we want to. What do you think?”

“Oh I think that sounds great…I’m getting so excited I might pee my pants.”

“For God sake Liz please don’t, not in the Jag.” Liz started laughing at Max and Max just smiled and kept on driving.

Soon they crossed the state line into New Jersey and were well on their way. Liz didn’t know why she was so excited, it wasn’t like she had never been anywhere before but, really, she hadn’t been anywhere with Max in a lot of years and this was just too exciting for words. She had forgotten just how good it was to be with him and she was really looking forward to tomorrow. It was a whole new adventure for her.

*~*~*

When they pulled into the huge hotel parking lot the valet came and immediately called for a bell hop on his walkie-talkie…Max helped Liz out of the car and the bellhop got their matching luggage from the trunk and led them to the front desk. They asked Max who the reservations were for and Max just said “Parker/Evans.” Letting it sound like one persons name and the desk clerk checked her computer and handed Max two room keys. “Did anyone ever tell you that you looked a lot like Max Evans sir?” Max just looked at the girl and gave her a killer smile and said. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” Liz just grabbed his arm and said, “Come on Parker we’re going to be late for dinner.” Max grinned at her and headed to the elevator.

“Don’t you think that was sneaky Max?”

“Yeah it probably was but if she’s here when we check out I’ll give her a signed baseball. I keep a couple in my back pack for just such occasions. I usually don’t check out at the desk though, but we can walk by and see, okay?”

“Sure, sounds like a plan.” And then the elevator stopped on the top floor and Liz was escorted to one of the four suites on that floor, when the bellhop opened the door Liz was flabbergasted…her knees started to buckle and max gave her arm a little squeeze and led her farther in and then tipped the bell man and closed the door.

“Oh Max, this is so beautiful. When did you have time to make the reservations or do you own this too?”

Liz’s eyes were like saucers…she couldn’t believe that she was in this beautiful suite of rooms. It was positively one of the most elegant places she had ever seen. Max was so happy that she liked it but her remark was just too much for him…he sat down on the overstuffed couch and laughed uncontrollably…

”No Liz, my god, No. I don’t own this…do you think I own everything?”

“Well, after what I’ve seen I wouldn’t be too surprised.” And she danced from room to room checking it all out. Max just sat and watched her every move. It was so wonderful to be able to do this with her and not be worried about who is going to see them or what is going to happen to her. He decided right there and then that he would not think of the past any longer…they have the rest of their lives to live and he was going to do everything in his power to see if they could do it together.

“Max, there are two identical bedrooms in this place…I really thought I could sleep on the couch or maybe you... but we have two bedrooms.”

“Liz, I have no intention of sleeping on a couch unless it’s the last place on earth and I certainly don’t expect my guest to sleep on one either…so have you decided which bedroom you want?”

“Yes, I think I’ll take the mauve and pink one and you can have the two shades of blue. Is that fair?”

“Yes that’s fair. Now how about we get ready to go have some dinner and dancing at a club…or we can dance here in the hotel. I was told they have a nice dance floor and live music.”

“Let’s stay here okay…I don’t want to ride anymore.”

“Fine, go put on your pretty black dress and I’ll meet you here in the great room when you’re all dolled up. Did you bring your new necklace and ear rings?”

“I certainly did. I had no idea what your plans were but I’m ready for anything Max.”

“Good, now go get yourself beautiful and I’ll do the best I can with me.”

Liz laughed at max and headed to the mauve and pink bedroom on the right side of the great room.

There was a huge dining table, buffet and china cupboard next to a wet bar on one side of the room and a very large living room on the other side of the room. The entire suite had its own patio that stretched from one bedroom, across the span of the dining room, living room and the next bedroom. It had lounge chairs out there and a even a large telescope. God, who designed this place Liz thought. This was unbelievable. She was giddy with happiness. She was happy for many reasons. She was happy to be going home to a home without Don Adams…she was happy that her boss was pleased with her work, she was happy that Philip Evans was taking care of her legal matters and she was happy to have Max in her life again. She couldn’t imagine being any happier. Life was wonderful.

Liz showered in her own beautiful marble bathroom, she used the hotels oils and soaps and she felt so elegant. She used the hairdryer and curling iron at the dressing table in the bathroom then she did her makeup extra special and left her hair hang down in soft curls that she had gathered at the top of her head and left them hang loose above her ears. She didn’t want to hide her earrings. When she exited her room Max was waiting for her and he immediately felt an unusual tightening behind the zipper of his pants.

He hadn’t had that happen in many, many years. Liz smiled at him and came over and held the necklace out in her hand and turned around for Max to put it on for her. She lifted her hair and when Max reached around her shoulders to place the necklace on her and he got a whiff of something he hadn’t smelled the other night. He started to feel a little light headed and he really wanted to start placing very sensual kisses along her neck…he shook it off and asked…

“Liz, are you wearing perfume tonight?” This was something Liz never did, she always smelled of strawberries and vanilla.

“No Max, it’s the oil in the bathroom. I took a whiff of it and just had to try it, don’t you like it?”

“Liz, I love it…Its so subtle and so exotic. We have to get some of that, it suits you.”

“I’ve already written it down max…I intend to get some as soon as I can. I love it and I’m so glad you think it’s nice as well. Are you ready?”

“yes Liz, I’m ready.” And with that Max said a very sincere prayer to anyone that was listening to help him get through this night without embarrassing himself.

As Liz and Max headed down in the elevator Liz asked Max if they were going to eat at the hotel and Max said “absolutely unless you want to go somewhere else?”

“No, here’s fine Max,…I just wondered.”

When they exited the elevator there wasn’t a single eye on any one person in the lobby that wasn’t on Liz and she wasn’t even aware of it. Max Evans was so proud to be with her; he was just bursting with pride. She is just as wonderful as she ever was…thank you God, thank you, thank you, thank you.

It wasn’t a minute after Max gave his name they were seated at a lovely table overlooking the park that was across the street. Max ordered a nice bottle of wine to go with their dinner and Liz even took a few sips of it because she felt so special…

“Thank you Max, for everything. For last week, for this and for asking me to the series; I am having so much fun, this is all so wonderful. Thank you.”

“Liz, please, you don’t have to thank me…I have enjoyed this every bit as much as you have. You need to know that I would be at home alone reading or watching a movie as I dozed…so please, don’t thank me. I love being able to do this for both of us. Just let me make you happy Liz, can you do that?”

“okay, it’s a deal we will enjoy each other and quit thanking.”

“Okay, no more thanks.”

And with that Liz looked out the window to enjoy the sights once more. Max just smiled at her and hoped that this was a first of many times like this.

*~*~*

Liz and Max finished a wonderful meal and then Max led her into the beautiful ball room of the hotel and ordered her a virgin pina colada and he had a scotch on the rocks and they sat and enjoyed the music for awhile and then Max stood and held his hand out for Liz to dance; she didn’t even comment…she took his hand without reservation and he pulled her in close to him and took her right hand in his left and held it next to his heart as he pulled her body closer with his right arm. She rested her left arm about his shoulder and her hand around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed right into him and allowed him to lead her all over the dance floor. It was one of the best feelings either of them had ever had. They were totally lost in each other and when the music stopped she looked up into Max’s eyes and he quietly led her back to their table where he threw a bill down, Liz picked up her purse and they left the ballroom hand in hand. Max knew he wasn’t going to do anything tonight but he also knew that he had to get out of that atmosphere as quickly as possible or all bets were off.

He led Liz to the elevator and when they got inside Liz looked up and gave Max the strangest smile…she didn’t know how to handle these feelings she was having and she didn’t want to scare Max off but she didn’t know if she was ready for any kind of accelerated relationship with him either. She just wanted to get used to being with her friend again and Max felt this from her. He could be patient but not with her in his arms, feeling her move against him like that, that was just more than he could handle right now and Liz seemed to sense that. So he returned her smile and took her back to their room. It was about 1:00 a.m. when they looked at the clock and Max asked Liz if she would like to watch a movie or something.

“Oh God no Max…we have a very busy day tomorrow…or today that is. I think I would just like to get ready for bed. Thank…” Max put his finger to her lips…”I thought we agreed no more thank you’s.”

“We did…but I have to say ‘thank you for a lovely evening’ Max…I will see you in the morning…are we going out for breakfast?”

Max smiled at her and said “No Liz, we’ll eat in our room and take advantage of this lovely dining room before we head out. We catch the tour bus right downstairs in the lobby. Do you have a hat and a warm sweater? We will be on the top of the bus so you might need something warm until it warms up out there.”

“I have my Phillies sweat shirt and baseball cap with me is that good enough?”

“No, I think you need one from New York. We will stop at the gift shop before we leave and get you fixed up like a tourist…okay?”

“Okay Max…whenever we wake up okay.”

“Okay Liz, good night”…and max stepped in closer and gave her a very gentle hug and kissed her on the cheek and headed to his room for the night.

‘Oh God Max, I wish I were a little more like Tess…I sure wouldn’t be going to my own room tonight.’ But then she thought about it a little more as she took her dress off…If I were like Tess I wouldn’t be here. She went to the mirror to remove her necklace and couldn’t work the safety clasp so she grabbed her robe and put it on then headed back out to the great room past the dining room and the living room and knocked on Max’s door…Max opened it in a split second…he had his shirt already pulled loose of his pants and it was unbuttoned half way down and his bare chest was showing. Liz licked her lips and then looked up into Max’s eyes and they looked very… heavy…”Max, I can’t seem to get the clasp loose on my necklace, can you?” And as she turned around she could have sworn she heard Max groan but she ignored it and then Max handed her the necklace, turned her toward the door, smacked her on the bottom and sent her on her way. She giggled as she left and went to her own room and finished getting ready for bed.

She’s killing me Max thought to himself, absolutely killing me. Then he turned around and finished getting undressed.

*~*~*

The next morning Liz was up at 8:00 a.m. and leisurely stretched out and curled up to watch the sky rise of the city out the patio doors of her room. It looked like another beautiful day out there and after enjoying the view for a while she finally got up and showered. She put on a pair of her jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. If they were going sight seeing she would need good walking shoes. She put on her rose colored tee shirt and put her hair up into a high pony tail, applied some makeup because they were probably going to be going shopping for a dress for this evening. She opened her bedroom door and Max was already seated at the dining room table having some coffee and motioned for her to join him. She went across the short expanse to the chair he was sitting in and reached down and kissed him on the cheek…He wanted to grab her so badly and pull her into his lap and ravish her but he just smiled and patted the hand that was resting on his shoulder. (the man deserves a gold medal for restraint)

“Coffee?” Max asked

“Mmmm Hmmm” Liz replied and Max filled the empty cup sitting next to the coffee pot on the table. I ordered a little of everything thinking we could have a small buffet. Does anything look good to you?”

“Oh Max, it all looks wonderful. I think I might just sample a little of everything.”

“Good, dig in so we can get downstairs in time to get you a sweat shirt, what do you say?”

“I say great. Thank…”

“Uh uh uh Liz…no thank you’s and huh-uh…no sorrys either. Okay is sufficient.”


“okay Max…I’ll try to be good.”

And soon they were in the elevator and on their way to the gift shop. Max thought she looked so cute. His dad was right…that damned pony tail made her look 16 again…he didn’t want the people in the hotel thinking he was a cradle robber but anyone that was there last night knew better. Max led her to one of the many gift shops along the concourse and found the perfect flannel lined wind breaker with the ‘big apple’ on it and a cute little hat to match. It wasn’t a baseball cap but a little two inch brimmed hat that matched the wind breaker and her tee shirt perfectly. Max bought himself a hat as well and they were on their way. Max had his windbreaker on so he didn’t need another one. He had more than enough at home and he brought what he needed with him .

By the time they had finished their shopping a crowd had gathered in the front lobby awaiting the arrival of the tour bus. They didn’t have long to wait and soon they were up top listening to the guide tell them stories about all the places they were passing. Liz had no idea that the big hotels across from Central Park were once the homes of people like the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. Liz turned around and looked at Max with big eyes and was about ready to say that his place was as big as these and he just smiled at her and told her ‘shush’. He knew exactly what she was thinking…so was he. They passed Central Park and then when they got to Broadway and saw all of the shops. Max motioned for Liz that they were going to get off the bus for awhile and walk. She nodded and they got off with several other people. They strolled down the street taking it all in and when they came to a little boutique with some gorgeous gowns in the window Max steered Liz in to have a look.

“Max, do I need a gown?” Liz asked.

“No, but they probably have other clothes as well…Lets just have a look.”

“Okay.”

“They started to look through the racks of dresses and Liz spied a very light champagne colored dress with a matching coat toward the back. It was cocktail length with a form fitted sleeveless bodice and straight skirt. The coat was made of the same fabric but lined with an almost root beer colored silk lining. It had a large stand up collar that was actually an extension of the lapels up the entire front of the coat and wrapping around the back of the neck. The back was split all the way up to about 8 inches from the neck line and had a large self bow attached right at the joining seams. It was positively elegant and Liz loved it. Max took it off the rack and handed it to the sales lady and asked her to help Liz try it on. Max removed the price tags from the garment before handing it to the sales clerk and the clerk just smiled at Max and led Liz to the dressing room in the back of the shop. There were some comfortable looking couches for patrons to sit in and Max made himself comfortable. Pretty soon Liz came out in her tennis shoes and this gorgeous dress and Max asked her…

“Hey ‘Daisy Mae’ do you have any plans for this evening?”

“Why Abner and me are headed out to the ball sir…why do you ask?”

Max chuckled and asked the clerk if they had any shoes in the shop…

“Of course sir.” And she looked at Liz and asked “What size maam?”

“Size six.” Liz said and with that the clerk disappeared behind a curtained doorway and came back with a pair of size six shoes and evening bag the exact match of the dress. She removed the shoes from the box before handing them to Liz and Liz sat next to Max and proceeded to take off her tennis shoes and socks and put on the strappy three inch high heels. She took her pony tail and caught the tail under the rubber band in the back of her head and turned around and looked at Max. She raised her eyebrows in question and Max nodded yes. This was easier than he thought it would be. When he took the purse up to the register along with the other tags to make the purchase he spied a beautiful pair of diamond princess cut ear rings done in yellow gold in the jewelry case and pointed to them as well. The clerk nodded and removed the ear rings for Max to look at…he peeled the price tag from the back of the box and handed that to the clerk and asked if there might be a necklace that would match the ear rings. The clerk suggested a brooch with a princess cut diamond center and a starburst of baguettes surrounding the two carat center stone. Max looked at the brooch and loved it…then he said…are there ear rings to match the brooch. The sales clerk smiled at Max and showed him the jackets to set the ear rings in done in baguettes and he took the price tag off those as well and handed the clerk his platinum credit card. She looked at Max and said

“Congratulations on the game last Friday…how is her friend doing? Did he survive his pounding?”

Max gave her a sly grin…”He’s fine…his wife, my sister, was terrified that she would be next though and hid behind my dad, but he survived. It really wasn’t as bad as it looked, but she did have fun.”

“Yes it certainly looked that way.” Max asked the clerk to have the items delivered to their hotel for him and to have the bell man take them to their room. He gave the room number and the rest of the information and when Liz emerged from the dressing room carrying her dress, coat and shoes he asked her if she needed any stockings.

“Yeah, maybe I should have a back up pair just in case I get a run. I only brought one pair with me and I have them drying on the towel rack in my room…let’s be safe. One size small panty hose and one pair of thigh highs should do it.” Max smiled at the clerk who went to retrieve the items and Liz followed her to make sure she didn’t try to throw a pair of brown colored stockings in on her and then Liz spotted a very skimpy thong and held it up and looked at it like it was something from a very bad bag of garbage. Max was watching her the whole time and had to laugh to himself at the way she was eyeing the panties. Then Liz asked the sales clerk…

“Do girls find these things comfortable?”

“Well maam, I don’t know how comfortable they are but they certainly do buy enough of them. We can hardly keep them in stock.”

“Really…” Liz said with wonder in her voice...And with that Liz put the thong back on the rack and picked one out to match her dress along with a bustier and a half slip and a pair of regular french cut panties just in case the thong was too much for her to handle and headed back to the check out counter. Max just smiled. Liz took out her platinum credit card and handed it to the sales clerk and the sales cleerk shook her head no and said ”It’s been taken care of maam.” And Liz looked at max and shook her head no…”Max, you can’t do this…it’s not right. Please, let me buy my own dress for this evening.”

“No Liz, I’m the one who decided where we were going, it’s not your fault you needed a new dress. So we’ll have no more discussion about it, it’s a done deal.”

“I am going to get even with you Max, just you wait.”

“Whatever you say Liz, now let’s go find a tour bus stop and continue our journey. Are you getting hungry yet?”

“Hungry, good God, with that breakfast we had we shouldn’t be hungry for a week.”

“Well maybe you won’t be hungry for a week but I sure as hell will now let’s find us a bus stop okay.”

“Okay, but what about the packages?”

“Oh, they’ll be delivered to the hotel in a little while. We don’t have to worry about them.”

“Are you sure Max?”

“Yes maam. He’s sure. Your dress will be waiting for you when you get back.”

“Thank you.” Said Liz and she followed Max out of the store.

She had no idea how much Max had spent on that outfit but it was a bundle, she was sure of that. She needed to find something to get for him that he wouldn’t get for himself…she would give it some serious thought after she got home.

Soon they passed a street vendor selling hot dogs…”Come on Liz you have to try a hotdog.”

“Oh God Max, if you keep it up I’m going to look like a blimp before I ever get home.” Liz complained.

“Nah, you won’t, honest. Just one, okay.”

“Okay, just one.”

“Now what do you want on it?”

“Catsup and Pickles.” Liz said…

“What! Come on Liz, you have to try more than that.”

“No… I don’t …it’s my hotdog and I want catsup and pickles.”

“yes you do…come on…how about some kraut?”

“Bullshit Max…if I can’t have it the way I want it then I don’t want it.”

The vendor started laughing at the couple…he recognized Max immediately and the more he looked at the young woman he realized that she was the excited fan at Fridays’ game. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore…he didn’t want the young athlete to cause anyone to interrupt his fun so he just made up one dog with catsup and pickles and one with the works and handed the two their dogs.

“Here Max, let her have a bite of yours and then she can eat her own. “ the vendor said as he handed Max the hotdogs. Max looked at the guy and grinned and told him “You know you are spoiling my fun … she’s a blast to fight with…we’ve had years of practice.”

“Yeah, I could tell by the way you were acting that this had to be an old friend. A new one would have let you have your way immediately, and eaten the damn dog even if she didn’t want to.”

“yeah, you’re right…that’s what’s so great about old friends. There like old shoes, they just seem to fit.”

“good analogy Max…I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

By the time Max and the vendor were finished talking Max was ready for another dog and believe it or not so was Liz. This time she asked for an Orange Crush as well and the vendor smiled and handed her the soda. She thanked him and then hit Max in the arm.

“What was that for?”

“For being an ass.” The vendor started to chuckle and Max looked at Liz with a warning look in his eye and she looked at him and said “there’s no pool to throw me in around here Max.”

“No, but there’s a pond in that park across the street Liz and it won’t be the same as the pool…it will be full of duck shit…is that what you want?”

“No m’lord!”

“Liz, will you cut that out?”

“Maybe, how nice are you gonna’ be?”

“You’re gonna’ get nice…now cut it out.” And then Liz stuck her tongue out at Max and he started for her…”No Max you don’t want to do this in public…your image Max, think of your image. People know you Max…they’ll put it in the papers.”

“And what will the papers have to say about the renowned Doctor Parker being thrown into a duck pond in New York City after sticking her tongue out at her saintly friend?”

“Saintly friend my ass…all you do is throw me into water...can’t you do anything else?”

“Yes I can Liz but I don’t think you want to know what that is.” Now the vendor was really getting a kick out of this display as was a certain photographer across the street. The vendor pointed to the guy with the camera and Max grabbed Liz by the hand, reached into his pocket and handed the vendor a fifty and hailed a horse drawn carriage.

“Oh Max I’m so sorry, I don’t know what in the hell got into me back there… This is really a shock to me…and you have been so nice to me by bringing me here and planning this lovely trip. I am so sorry for bringing attention to us Max. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

Max put his arm around Liz and pulled her close, “Liz, it’s okay. I was having a very good time with the bantering too and as long as you don’t mind seeing your name plastered across the headlines of the rags well, neither do I.”

“But Max, you are never plastered in those things.”

“How do you know Liz?”

“Because I check them out when I’m in the lines at the grocery store and at the hair salon.”

“Oh, you check the rags out to see what they are saying about me?”

“Yeah, pretty much. It was the only way I had of keeping up with you.”

“Oh.” Was all that Max had to say…damn Maria anyway. No, don’t damn Maria, we are not going to live in the past…only the here and now. One day at a time. Isn’t that what Liz said?

Max and Liz rode through Central park in the back of the buggy and Max took a chance. He took Liz’s hand and Liz did not pull away. They rode that way until they came to the other end of the park and then they walked to the place where they could catch the next tour bus and continue their journey. They soon found themselves passing the “United Nations” building and Max wanted to know if Liz would like to go through it and she said she would rather do the Empire State Building today...then maybe tomorrow morning they could go over to the Statue of Liberty. Max said that sounded like a good plan and they continued on the bus until they came to the Empire State Building and got off again. Liz was really enjoying herself and so was Max. This was the first time Max had ever taken the tour and he was finding it as interesting as Liz was. He had been past so many of these places before and had no idea what the history was. He would have to do this more often.

*~*~*

After they finished their tour of the Empire State Building and had their pictures taken they boarded the bus again and lo and behold they came to Tiffanys…the tour guide wanted to know if anyone would like to get off and Max took Liz by the arm and got her out of her seat and headed to the door of the bus.

“What are you doing Max? We can do Tiffanys some other day.”

Max just shook his head no and they got off the bus…”We’re here, let’s do it”
Was all he said.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Jan: What can I say? Dream, dream dream....
destinyc:I know...just hang in there.
LilLoucfer:Thank you.
Ken:I know what you mean about the ipods...mine is a nightmare, I like all kinds of music so it jumps from classical to rock and roll to country western. My grandsons love it, but their strange kids anyway...not really, but we do get along quite well. As for smooth...almost!
Roswell4life:Tiffanys...yes, it's an awesome place to visit.
Carrie:thank you again...you are so supportive.
Natalie36:Good, I am so glad you like it.

*~*~*

Chapter: 26

And so they went into Tiffany’s. Liz’s eyes were as big as saucers as she stood there and tried to take in all of the splendor. She smiled up at Max and headed to the various show cases and looked at all of the beautiful items. She stopped by one case in particular and admired the beautiful wedding rings while Max just stood and admired Liz.

“See something you like?” Max asked.

“Oh My God Max, they are all so beautiful…” she said.

“Well, why don’t you try some on…it’s only for fun and I’m sure the clerk won’t mind showing you something…it’s not like they are overwhelmed with customers right now.” And so Liz did as Max suggested. She tried on diamond ring after diamond ring and then she noticed one particular solitaire sitting on a little display of it’s own. It was about 1.5 carats, an emerald cut and it had a beautiful platinum jacket of baguettes and round diamonds to surround it with. She looked at the clerk and pointed it out to him and the clerk took it out and put it on Liz’s finger. It was a perfect fit and Liz looked at Max and smiled at him…”Isn’t it just the most precious thing you’ve ever seen Max?” Max looked at her smiled, “It certainly is Liz,” and he wasn’t talking about the ring.

Liz removed the ring and gave it back to the salesman and Max motioned for the clerk to take his credit card and pointed to the rings…the clerk looked flabbergasted…this was the last thing he thought he would see today and then he recognized the man with the hat…’OH.MY.GOD.’ thought the clerk and he took the rings and the credit card and disappeared.

While Max was busy with the ring purchase Liz discovered a beautiful tie clasp in platinum with a beautiful square cut diamond off to the side and four graduating smaller diamonds following it from one end of the clasp to the other. This was just what Max needed for that beautiful silver tie he had on the other night with that charcoal shirt and black suit. Liz noticed Max was busy over at the other end of the store talking to another clerk so Liz motioned for the man behind this counter and she pointed to the tie clasp and handed him her platinum card. The Clerks in Tiffany’s could not believe these people dressed in Jeans, windbreakers and casual hats spending small fortunes on each other. Their commission checks would be large this month…that’s for sure. Soon Liz’s clerk came over to her and handed her a receipt to sign and gave her a small package which she put in her purse. She signed for the tie clasp and proceeded to continue to check out the other items in the store. Max took his purchase and stuck it in the inside pocket of his jacket and zipped it up and then went looking for Liz. He spotted her over at the crystal display and went up to her…”See anything you like in here…”

“Nah, nothing I want to take with me. Are you ready to head back? How much time do we have before the show?”

“Oh we’ll make it okay…do you want to grab a sandwich before we head out?”

“No, I’m good…how about you…can you wait until we get to the hotel? We can always get something from room service.”

“Room service sounds great…” and they caught the next tour bus and headed back to their hotel, Max sat with a contented smile on his face with his arm draped lazily across the back of Liz’s seat and Liz with an excited smile twinkling in her eyes.

*~*~*

When they got back to the hotel it was close to six o’clock and that meant they had about two hours to get to the theater…Max stopped at the desk and scheduled them for a tour to the statue of liberty tomorrow and then placed an order for a couple of grilled ham and swiss sandwiches to be delivered to the room ASAP. The desk clerk said of course and placed both orders immediately. Liz waited for Max by the elevator and asked him when he finally got there…”What time is the show Max?”

“It starts at eight. We have time, we’ll take a cab to the theatre and then we can walk to the restaurant if it isn’t too cold. How does that sound?”

Liz looked up into Max’s eyes and smiled the biggest smile she was capable of…”It sounds marvelous Max.” and Max wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave a tight squeeze.

“Good, now lets check out your dress and make sure it’s ready to wear. We still have time to have it pressed if need be.”

“oh good, I think there’s an iron and ironing board in my closet if it needs touched up. We don’t have to go calling housekeeping or anything like that Max. I am quite capable of pressing my own dress.”

“Okay Liz, whatever you say.” Max said with a smile. And soon they were on the top floor and walking into their rooms. Liz went and checked the dress which was hanging very neatly in the front of her closet and when she took it down she noticed the label. Oh my God…wait til Max sees this she thought.

“Max!” She yelled and Max came into her room on a dead run, his heart was in his mouth…

“What wrong?” Max was terrified.

“Nothing, look…” And she held out the label for Max to read. “Isabelle” was all it said and Max smiled and looked at Liz, still shaking…”She’s good isn’t she?” Liz smiled back at Max and said “She’s more than that Max…they even carry accessories for her line.”

Max’s heart swelled just a little bit, he was so proud of his sister…her talent was finally paying off and Alex has been just wonderful about it all…putting up with the late nights and the many trips to buy fabric and all of the trade shows. It finally paid off. Life was good…Max would have to add an extra prayer of thanks tonight when he went to bed. God was certainly good to all of them that’s for sure. Even Liz was finally getting a break.

About that time there was a knock at the door and someone was saying room service. Max reached into his pocket for a bill and opened the door. There was a beautiful tray with two sandwiches and a very nice fruit platter as well as a pot of coffee. Max thanked the waiter, tipped him and called Liz from the bedroom. She already had her jeans and shirt off and was wearing nothing but her robe.

“Did you have to try your dress on again?” Max asked.

“No…I was getting ready to take a bath in that beautiful oil again. Oh, doesn’t this look lovely…thank y..”

“Don’t say it. Just sit down and enjoy it okay.”…Max gave her a ‘you promised’ look…

“Okay, but it’s nice.”

“Yes, it is nice.” Max agreed and gave her a nice warm smile…’I wish she had her clothes on’ was all he could think…he really needed to get himself under control…oh it was going to be a long night…God help me…please!

*~*~*

About 45 minutes later Liz was bathed, hair dried and curled…she did hair up in a very pretty french twist, she had applied more make up than usual and she looked radiant. Next she was ready to put all of her new clothes on. She started to unwrap the packages on her bed and took out the sexy thong she had thrown in for the hell of it and decided to give it a try. She put the thong on and thought to herself ‘this isn’t so bad’ and then reached for the bustier, put it on and she really liked the effect of it. It lifted her up and gave the appearance of another cup size…hey this stuff is not so bad after all she thought to herself. She stood and looked in the mirror at herself and was wishing she could find a spider or something so she could scream for Max again, then she mentally slapped herself and giggled. Not bad she thought.

Next she went for the thigh highs and the half slip then the dress. She opened the shoe box and there were two smaller boxes in there with the shoes.

She opened these and her breath caught in her throat and she grabbed at her heart. “Oh My!” came out of her mouth before she even had a chance to think. When did he get these? They were positively enchanting. The ear rings and the jackets were beyond anything she had ever seen and the brooch that matched was unreal. That thing had to have at least 4 carats of diamonds in it. ‘Oh My! He’s lost his ever lovin’ mind…Oh My God! How can I ever repay this?’ she thought. She knew it was futile to argue with him so she put the ear rings on and attached the brooch to the left lapel of her coat and laid it out on the bed to just look at and admire. It was beautiful. She slipped her feet into her shoes…and when she opened the purse to transfer some things she might need there was a thank you note from the Dress Shoppe along with a pair of champagne gloves to complete her ensemble. She felt like the most elegant lady on earth. The diamond tie clasp seemed so insignificant against all of this…but she picked up the tiny box that she removed from her purse and headed out to the great room.

When she opened the door Max was standing there in that black suit he had worn to dinner with the folks back in Philadelphia and he had on his charcoal shirt that she had laundered for him…he was wearing his silver tie and his black leather shoes. He looked good enough to eat…As a matter of fact Liz almost said ‘yummy’ out loud, God…now I know what the term ‘eye candy’ means…she walked over to him and he was mesmerized to say the least…but he never moved…he couldn’t take his eyes off her and as she walked up to him he got the strangest look on his face.

“Liz, what are you doing?” He asked in a concerned voice…

“Nothing Max…take your tie clasp off okay?” She said as she gazed into those gorgeous honey colored eyes…oh to be like Tess just once she thought…I’d have him undressed so fast he wouldn’t know what hit him!

“Why? Don’t you like it?” Max asked, trying to calm his nerves, just a little would help he thought to himself.

And Liz opened the tiny box she was holding that said Tiffany’s on it and Max looked at her with questioning eyes and did as she asked…Liz took the tie clasp with the 5 diamonds in the beveled setting and attached it to his tie in the exact same spot that Max had the other tie clasp attached and then stood back and looked at it. She thought it looked quite nice with the tie and shirt and then she stood on her tip toes and gently kissed Max on the lips and said…

“Thank you Max…for everything. And please don’t be mad at me for breaking my promise but you deserve thank you’s.”

Max looked down into her beautiful brown eyes and then walked across the room to a mirror and looked at the tie clasp and then it was his turn…”Why did you do this Liz?”

“WHY? Dear God in heaven Max…would you look at the money you have spent on me in the past two weeks…take the damned tie clasp and say ‘thanks’…yes Max, just say ‘thanks’” Liz was almost livid…what was wrong with him?

Max looked at her for a minute and he just wanted to grab her and hold her to him forever but instead he smiled and said “Thanks Liz…I will cherish it forever. It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome Max…now let’s get going before we’re late.”

“Yes maam…oh and by the way Liz, you look positively gorgeous.”

Liz turned around, scrunched her shoulders together and gave Max one of her killer smiles and went to retrieve her coat, gloves and purse. She felt ‘positively gorgeous’, and they were off.

The people in the lobby all smiled when the young couple got off the elevator and headed through the door and into a waiting limo…they were so beautiful to look at that the entire lobby was in awe of them. The desk clerk wanted so badly to tip off the paparazzi but he knew if he did that it would mean his job but their picture belonged somewhere…that’s for sure. The world shouldn’t be deprived of that kind of beauty.

After the show Max and Liz walked to the restaurant a couple of blocks from the theater and were very surprised at how warm it was…the autumn leaves were falling and the air was just a little crisp but it was warm.

They arrived at the restaurant just in time for their table to be ready for them and they sat overlooking the city. The restaurant was on the top floor of the building and the view was spectacular…the room rotated just like the space needle in Seattle, Washington. Liz was very impressed with Max’s choice. He explained to her that he had never been to this particular restaurant either but his travel agent assured him that it was a good place and the atmosphere was wonderful. He would have to remember to tell the agent that she was right.

When they had finished their meal they headed back down in the elevator and Max wanted to know if Liz was tired…she said yes and no. She thought she was more hyped up than anything. It had been a very exciting day. She had seen so many wonderful sights and the presents she had been given left her speechless. Max took her arm and wrapped it around his and led her out into the streets of New York at close to midnight.

“Do you feel like walking?” Max asked.

“Not with all of these diamonds on I don’t.” She replied with her eyes as big and round as the moon.

Max looked down into those brown eyes and he started another melt down, ‘oh God, please’(this was becoming a constant in his mind)…then he suggested they take the limo to Central Park and hail a horse and buggy. “Okay, that sounds like something fun.” Liz said…and she hung onto Max’s arm for dear life. He was her life but she had to behave herself…He never once acted like he wanted to be anything but her friend she thought and if his friendship is all that I can have then that’s what I will accept.

They got into the limo and Max told the driver to take them to Central Park and when they got out Max told him to meet them at the other side in about an hour. The driver said okay and was off to get himself some coffee and read the paper while these two played ‘patty cake’ until the wee hours.

It was while he was reading the paper that a picture of the couple he just dropped off stared back at him on the front page of the sports section. He knew it was them…they were standing in front of a hot dog vending machine arguing…they sure as hell weren’t arguing now. He sat there and enjoyed the story about the baseball player and his friend the doctor sightseeing in New York and then he decided to just lay the paper on the backseat for them to find when he picked them up at 1:00 a.m. He made sure the picture was on top for them to see.

So about 1:00 a.m. the limo driver pulled into a parking space next to the entrance of Central Park and waited for the young couple who he now knew as Max and Liz and it was just a short time before they came up behind him and got out of the carriage. The driver got out of the car and held the door open for Max, then Liz and when Max went to slide across the seat he picked up the paper to toss it and the light from the interior of the limo was enough for him to catch a glimpse of what was on the page in front of him. “Oh shit” he thought. Oh well, there wasn’t anything they could do about it now. At least the ‘dynamic duo’ was in custody and she was safe from them. I hope this doesn’t upset her he thought.

Max carefully folded the paper over and nodded to the driver through the rear view mirror when he got back into the limo. Max gave the guy a nice tip when they arrived back at the hotel and when they entered the lobby it was packed with people just wanting to get a glimpse of the young couple. The desk clerk had made it known to quite a few of the patrons that the couple had two bedrooms in their suite and they were registered under their own sir names so he was sure there were no improprieties…most of the people just looked at him like he was living in a pipe dream and others could have cared less. This was Max Evans and he would be playing in the world series next week and they just wanted to see him up close and personal.

Liz looked up at Max when they entered and he held her arm close to him and proceeded to walk past the people swarming around. They allowed them to pass by without incident and Max smiled a warm smile and said thank you to them…”Be sure to watch the games…We’ll be doing our best.” And with that he led Liz to the elevator and pushed “close”.

“What was all of that about Max?”

And Max held the paper out for her to see…”Oh Max, I am so sorry…I should have eaten the damned kraut and kept my mouth shut.”

Max roared at her…she just never stopped…”Liz, this wasn’t your fault. I thought we could pull it off but I guess I was wrong. We did pretty good though…we head back tomorrow and we did just about everything we wanted to without getting caught. We’ll take the car to the pier tomorrow to catch the ferry over to Ellis Island and that way we can eliminate a limo being followed or paparazzi on a tour bus…what do you say?”

“I say that sounds fantastic Max…oh…and Max, do you have someplace to put all of this jewelry? I surely don’t want anything bad happening to it.”

“Neither do I Liz…we can put it under the spare tire in the trunk, how’s that?”

“Oh, you’re so smart…sometimes I could just squeeze you.” And she started to giggle…Max was not giggling or smiling or laughing…Max wanted squeezed but he managed to behave himself all night and he would continue to behave himself… he thought.

After they got back into their suite they headed to their rooms to get ready for bed. Liz put all of her new clothes in the garment bag they came in and packed up most of the things she had except for what she was going to wear tomorrow and then she headed over to Max’s room and knocked on his door. She had all of her jewelry in the boxes and she put the boxes into her new purse which she put inside of the shoe box with her new shoes. Max opened the door and looked at her standing there with her little treasure chest in her hands and he melted.

There she stood, face scrubbed clean…a pair of pajamas and bare feet holding a shoe box that contained a small fortune in diamonds. Anyone looking at that innocent face would never believe what was in that box. Max had on his dress pants with the belt hanging loose and a pair of boxers on…that was it. His eyes started to grow very dark and Liz looked at his lips and started to lick hers. ‘Oh Good Christ…get her out of here please’ Max begged silently for help yet again.

“Max, here’s my jewelry if you want to put it with your stuff now then we won’t have to worry about it in the morning.” Liz said, wanting him to kiss her but hoping he wouldn’t…she didn’t know if she was still married or not, and although she knew the marriage wasn’t legal she still felt married…even if it had never been consummated. No one knew that but her and Don. He had told her that he had a medical condition from the service and was receiving treatment for it. She believed the bastard and now she was so glad she had but Max doesn’t need to know this yet. Maybe he doesn’t care to know that she’s still a virgin…’please God, let him want me the way I want him someday.’ She prayed so hard she was almost in tears.

(God was a very busy man with these two…it was getting to be an extremely hard job trying to answer both of their prayers…but he would get it worked out.)

Max took the box from Liz and bent down and kissed her on the forehead and told her goodnight…”Good night Max…sleep tight.” And with that she padded back to her own room and Max just stood there shaking…this is getting harder and harder he thought.

*~*~*

Liz crawled into her own bed and hunkered down under the beautiful down comforter and started to relive the wonderful day she had with Max. It was the most fun she’d had since before she left Roswell. She was sorry that the paparazzi had taken the picture of them at the hot dog stand but it was cute the way they wrote it up. What else could they do…all they really knew was that Max and she were in the vicinity of New York and it looked as though they were having fun…Well they certainly were having that. She smiled and was asleep very shortly.

Across the room there was a very tense young man with a very large erection that he was trying to get control of. Finally he got up and took a cold shower…that only made it worse because he couldn’t get the reason for the cold shower out of his mind and finally he just relieved himself. He hated doing that…he felt that at his age he should have more control over himself but when it came to Liz Parker he never did really have that much control. He always wanted her but it was getting worse by the day, he really had to do something about this he thought to himself and he had to do it quickly. What if she doesn’t feel the same way he asked himself? I keep getting these conflicting signals from her…I really want to know where I stand with her…I need to know damn it, I need to know quickly before I lose my mind. And finally Max fell asleep…it wasn’t a very restful sleep but it was sleep just the same.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Jan:Quit grinding your teeth! It's not good for the sinus'...
LilLoucfer:I will...HONEST!!! But I think I need Behrsgirl77's help with the candy...I will do my best I promise...the memory is still pretty good.
destinyc:I've gotten a few diamonds as gifts in my life but none from Tiffany's nor none from a friend...my husband, my daughter (who is my best friend actually) ...so I guess I've gotten some from a friend, but not like we're dreaming about here!
Kate: It's happening!!!
Chula:I am so happy you like it...I know I'm moving slow, but I don't want to ruin the integrity of my story.
Natalie36:Okay, it's coming...BREATHE... Slow is good, the speedy part is better that way!
Roswell4life:So close is right, keep smiling...
Ken:Oh the temptations...and the curiosity too! AWFUL AGE...DON'T WANT TO REPEAT IT! Ever...

*~*~*


Chapter: 27

The next morning Liz awoke quite early and did her usual roll over and look out the sliding doors to the city sky line trick. She watched the sun come up between the buildings, it wasn’t time to get up yet, she was sure that Max would still be sleeping but she couldn’t get comfortable again so she got up and took her shower.

She called the front desk and asked if they knew where she could purchase some of the oils, soaps and bubble bath that was in the bathrooms and they told her they had it in their gift shop. She wanted to know what time the gift shop opened and they said nine but if she wanted some of the toiletries they would be glad to bring them up to her. She said thank you and proceeded to place a very large order of various fragrances, a couple cases actually. She would give these items as Christmas gifts to the girls at work and also a lot of it for herself. Then she asked if she could order more on line if she needed it and they said of course. “Great.” She said and then she gave them her credit card number and hung up.

She proceeded to get herself dressed for the day in her jeans and sweat shirt…the weather man said it looked like it might rain so she wanted to be prepared. She put on some make up because it made her feel good…something she hadn’t done in a long time and then started packing her suitcase and getting her garment bag ready to leave. She opened the door to her room expecting to be the only one up and there was Max all dressed and ready for the day…she looked at him with a puzzled expression and he looked at her and said “What?”

“I don’t know, you just look a little strange…anything wrong?” she asked.

“No, nothings wrong sweetheart…did you sleep well?”

“Yes, not very long but well. No nightmares or anything.”

“Oh, are you prone to nightmares?” Max asked with concern in his voice.

“Well yes, I used to be, but I haven’t had any in the past two weeks…funny huh?”

Max smiled, “I’m glad. I ordered breakfast if that’s okay with you?

“Of course it is silly, why wouldn’t it be?” And about that time her cell phone rang…it was Philip…she put him on speaker phone because she was sure he had seen the picture by now.

“Good morning Philip…how are you?” Liz smiled into the phone.

“Oh I’m great Liz…I see you two can’t control your tempers. Are you enjoying New York?” He asked.

“Oh my yes, it’s wonderful. We went to a show last night and then took a midnight ride through central park in a horse drawn carriage and we are going to the statue of liberty today. What’s up besides checking on the delinquents?”

“Well, the judge in Connecticut wants to corroborate Don’s testimony regarding your marriage…there are a few items he would like to be clear on before signing the annulment papers. He is trying to make sure that what Don is saying is true…because if it is true and the annulment is granted he has talked himself out of a percentage of your estate. We haven’t been able to contact his wife to make sure that she never got a divorce…and even if she did he was still married to her when he married you so there are a lot of unanswered questions. Can you call him right away and talk to him. I have his number right here for you.”

“Of course I can Philip. I’m sure the world knows where I am now…me and my big mouth.”

Philip laughed at her and said “Yes, you do get a little carried away.” Max started to laugh when he heard that and his father asked if that was Max.

“Yes Philip, I have you on speaker phone, we are waiting for our breakfast to get here and then we are on our way. I’ll call the judge right now and answer any and all of his questions to the best of my ability. Is there anything I should be aware of?”

“No, honey, you just tell the truth and I am sure everything is going to be fine. Good bye now and have fun…good bye son.”

“Good bye Philip” “ Good bye dad.” And Liz hung up. She dialed the number of the judge in Connecticut immediately and identified herself to the person that answered the phone.

Soon a friendly sounding gentleman spoke into the phone and identified himself as Judge John Stevens. Liz still had the phone on speaker…she wanted Max to hear any and all of the conversation that was going to take place. Maybe she wouldn’t have to do anything more than answer questions for him when this was all over.

“Doctor Parker, it has been brought to my attention that you may have been in a marriage contract that was illegal and the subject of an annulment could be granted for multiple reasons. Is it true that Donald Adams is also married to someone else at this time?”

“Your honor, I don’t know the answer to that honestly. When Donald and I married I thought at the time that we were in love…at least I thought I was. I certainly wasn’t aware of another spouse, or lover for that matter.”

“What made you decide to question this relationship?”

“The cold, unfeeling, uncaring one sided living arrangement of my life became too much to handle and I walked out. I approached a lawyer friend, I told him my story and asked him to get me a divorce.”

“I see. We have been in contact with Donald Adams and he is very adamant about the fact that the marriage was never consummated and therefore is not binding.”

Max’s eyes shot up and looked at Liz in utter disbelief…is this true he thought.

“Yes sir that’s true. He told me that he had been injured in the service and that he was being treated for the problem and that he was sure that we could eventually have children. I believed him your honor…I had no reason not to.”

“I see…Well Doctor Parker, it has been a pleasure to talk with you, I am signing this annulment as we speak, and Doctor Parker…You have never been married as far as the state of Connecticut is concerned…Mr. Adams has told us the same story but we found it very hard to believe. You lived with him for over a year and a half and the man never touched you, unreal, absolutely unreal.

We know about the illicit affair with Miss Harding and we will be getting in touch with you regarding her soon. There seems to be some thought that she may be mentally disturbed, and we need witnesses to testify on her behalf. Do you happen to know anyone that would be willing to come forth and testify as to her mental state?” The judge was fishing now. He knew that Miss Harding was acquainted with the Parkers, Evans and DeLucas’ from Roswell.

“Yes your honor…there are several of us who believe that she is mentally deranged and I for one would be more than glad to testify on her behalf.”

“Doctor Parker, you do know that if she is found mentally unstable that she will not be prosecuted for her part in your attempted murder.”

“Yes, your honor, I know this…but if she can be helped then she should be helped. It’s too bad no one believed us when we were kids. We all knew she had problems, they were so easy to be spotted even though we didn’t know at the time what those problems were. But when we told adults about what we thought they all pooh-poohed us and sent us on our way. So yes, I will be more than glad to testify on her behalf. I am sure there are others that will as well. I don’t like what she did but these were not the actions of a sane person your honor.”

“I see, Doctor Parker. I am looking forward to meeting you in person. You have been the highlight of my morning. Enjoy New York and tell Mr. Evans good luck for me.”

Liz giggled “You saw the paper…I’ll tell him your honor and I’m sure he will do his best. Thank you.”

“Thank you and good bye.”

Max looked at Liz and then he did what he had been wanting to do for two weeks but for entirely different reasons this time. He stood up and picked her up and sat down on the couch with her in his lap. He put her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her and with his lips on her forehead he said in a very soft voice…”He never touched you?”

“No.” And he kissed her forehead…

“And you never questioned him at all, you took what he said as gospel and lived like that?”

“Yes.” He kissed her forehead again…

“God Liz, what took you so long to wake up?”

“I don’t know…but when I saw you in that interview after one of the games something made me find you.”

“Thank God.” Was all Max said…then there was a knock at the door and Max put Liz down on the couch and headed to the door…there were two men there, one with three large boxes of toiletries and another with a breakfast cart. He tipped both men and then headed to the table for breakfast.

He gave Liz a big smile and motioned to her to come and eat with him. She smiled back and did as beckoned. Then Max had to ask…

“Are you really going to testify on her behalf?”

“Yes, and I hope that you, Isabelle, Maria and Michael will also. She needs help Max…she always has and if someone would have seen this years ago maybe she wouldn’t be in the pickle she’s in now.”

“You are something else Liz Parker and I want you to know something, I love you. And when this whole fiasco is all settled I want you to think about me on a more serious level. I think we are good together Liz, I think we always have been. I know this is not the best time to be talking about a new relationship but it seems to me that in our case it never has been a good time so I am going to take a chance and throw all caution to the wind and tell you once and for all Liz Parker that I Love you, I am in love with you, I have always been in love with you. You don’t have to agree or disagree with me and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable about any of this but I really need you to know that I love you.”

“I love you too, now eat your breakfast.”

Max just smiled at Liz and ate his breakfast…oh this is so good he thought to himself. Yes, so good.

“So, I see you found a supply of the good smelling oils.” Max was feeling positively giddy inside.

“I certainly did…I bought some for the girls at work for Christmas…I think they will like it. Just think the whole place can smell like body oil.” Liz felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she could finally breathe.

Max laughed at her and continued eating his breakfast…this has been one of the best mornings of his life…he never touched her, HE.NEVER.TOUCHED.HER. Was all he could think of. Oh God, there I go again. NO, not now…not now…I don’t want another cold shower…not now…down boy, down. And he thought about the coming ball games and all thoughts of sex left his body immediately.

“You know what Liz?”

“No Max, what?”

“I think I know what I’m going to do with the estate. I am going to open a clinic for mentally challenged children. I am going to see if we can help these kids before something like what has happened to Tess takes place. If we can get them young enough maybe we can prevent a lot of unhappiness in the world.”

“You know Max, that sounds wonderful. I have had a dream for a very long time to try and do a study on subjects with these kinds of problems and maybe between the two of us we may come up with a way to help. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?” Liz was so enthusiastic that she almost forgot to breathe. Max just looked at her in disbelief. It would be marvelous to open a facility like the estate to these types of children. They have practically the ideal place to bring them.

They really needed to sit down with someone that knew enough about these types of problems and iron out all of the details. He knew a few professors that he thought may be able to help and he was certain that Liz could come up with some help for the medical side of the problems. Oh this was going to be wonderful for sure.

Soon they were finished with their breakfast and Max called the front desk to cancel his tour reservations…they would drive to the ferry themselves.

He asked that his car be brought around and to send up a bell man. He and Liz checked to make sure they had everything and waited for the bellman with the luggage cart. Liz carried her purse over her shoulder and the shoe box, Max just smiled at her. She had a huge smile for him as well and they were on their way.

Max lifted the spare tire compartment in the trunk and put the shoe box in it and then placed the luggage on top of that. He asked Liz if it was okay to lay the garment bag over the luggage and she said of course. There was no need to hang anything up…she wouldn’t be needing it today. Max had put a couple of signed baseballs in his jacket pocket before leaving the room and handed them to the bellman. He informed him that one was for the female night clerk and he could keep the other. The bellman smiled and thanked Max and bid him a good day. Max smiled and returned the sentiment and he and Liz drove off in the Jag. Oh how she did like that car.

Off to the statue of liberty…Max could only smile…this was a good day.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Ken:Why Not!!!Take a little trip every once in awhile...let the post office hold your mail and get in your car and drive...it's good for the soul, honest. I learned that from my husband. His favorite past time was seeing new things.
LilLoucfer:I'm with you...she needed time to adjust to his declaration of love, she wasn't expecting it.
Chula:Good! Just a couple more chapters.
Jan:Maria needs to eat some crow that's for sure but we are talking about SWEET Liz here. If she were my friend I would probably never speak to her again...but there again, that would be my loss.
destinyc:I never once thought you were being dirty HONEST, just give me a minute to build up to this...I promise I'll do my best and also leave a little to your imagination. Remember, she wore that thong in New York to the theater.
Kate:you are too cute! Hold onto that rope with Destiny...I think you'll be pleased, probably won't cream your jeans but it's nice (Please don't think I'm a dirty old woman...I worked with 24 men ranging in ages from late teens through their 70's...was their office manager and life was never dull. Worst part was having to ignore the chatter and pretend I didn't know what they were talking about. I used to come home and tell my husband about their antics and he would roar.)

*~*~*
A/N: Oh you guys are going to hate me!!!

Chapter: 28

They were back at the estate about 8:00 p.m. and unloading the car when Liz’s cell phone started to ring…she looked at Max with a quizzical expression and took the thing out of her purse and said “Hello.”

The line was silent for a minute and she started to help Max as she held the phone to her ear…”Hello Liz.”

“Mom?” Max took the garment bag from Liz and nodded toward the house. Liz nodded back and started to walk to the back door. She took her key that Max had given her and opened the door and held it as Max entered with some of their luggage…

“I see it didn’t take you long to walk out on your marriage.” Nancy accused.

Liz felt as though she had just been punched in the stomach…tears started to well up in her eyes and she headed for her room on a dead run. Max saw what her reaction was to the phone call and was right behind her…He looked into her eyes and his heart broke…he mouthed “What’s wrong?” He thought someone died…as far as Liz was concerned this was worse. She pushed the speaker button so that Max could hear her mother’s accusations and Max could not believe his ears…he grabbed the phone from it’s resting place on Liz’s lap and took it out into the hall and pushed the speaker button off.

“Mrs. Parker, I don’t know what planet you come from but there are a few things I think you need to hear. First of all, your daughter did not seek me out to have an illicit affair, I wish she had. She came here in fear of her life. The man that you would like to defend here married her in order to have her murdered…he is now in jail for this…we are still trying to sort through all of this. So hear me when I say this because I will never say it again. You haven’t taken the time to speak to your daughter in years and if you can’t speak to her in a kind and loving manner don’t ever call her again. You don’t deserve the right to the title ‘mother’. Is your husband aware of the relationship you have with Liz? I can’t imagine both parents being this cold and cruel.”

“Well, I never…” Nancy sputtered out…

“And as far as I am concerned you never will again.” And Max hung up on her.

Max went back into Liz’s room only to find her curled up into a little ball sobbing like a baby. He spooned in behind her and brought the blanket over them and held and rocked her for what seemed like hours. Finally Liz’s breathing became shallow and steady and Max knew she had fallen to sleep. He got up and covered her sleeping form and headed back downstairs to retrieve the rest of the luggage. He got the precious shoe box from under the spare tire in the trunk of the car and closed the garage behind him. He smiled to himself as he headed back to the house with her prized possessions…she wouldn’t even walk through the streets of New York with her ‘diamonds’ on. God, how he loved her.

When he got back into the house he locked up the back end and saw the suitcases and garment bag and turned to his left and opened a door that looked like it led to a closet and stepped in. The elevator took him to the second floor where he opened another closet looking door and stepped out. He sometimes forgot the elevator was even there. She’ll find it soon enough he thought. He took her suit case and garment bag to her room and hung the garment bag in the closet. She was still asleep; he put her shoe box on her dresser then he picked up his suitcase and headed to his room.

As he entered his room he noticed a flashing light from his office and looked in…there on the fax machine was a copy of the annulment papers. His dad was really getting pushy he thought. Max grinned and put the papers on his desk. He would give them to her when she had gotten over the conversation with her mother…

My God, he had no idea the woman was such a bitch. She needed some serious psychological help. Maybe he needed to bring his dad up to speed on her actions…Jeff couldn’t possibly know what the hell that woman has been doing to her own child. So Max made a quick call to his dad…

“Hi son, are you home yet?”

“Yeah dad, we got in a couple of hours ago. Liz is asleep but I need you to do something for her dad. Nancy called just as we arrived home and when Liz answered the phone Nancy accused her of having an illicit affair with me.

Dad, I took the phone from Liz who was crying uncontrollably and I sort of told Nancy off. I don’t think that Jeff Parker has any idea what that woman has been doing to her all of these years. Why don’t you have a talk with Jeff and see if he is aware of these things. It’s pretty disgusting that a woman could treat her own child this way…my God dad…was there ever any happiness in her life besides us? She was so happy when we came home, we had a really wonderful couple of days in New York, she was so relaxed and feeling so good about life.”

“Oh Max, I am so sorry about this. Of course I’ll talk to Jeff. Let’s not try to figure this out until we have all of our ducks lined up okay. We can surmise all we want to but until we have conclusive answers it’s all speculation on our part. I will call Jeff tomorrow morning when I get to the office and see if we can’t have lunch somewhere…not the Crashdown…and have a nice long talk. Maybe he knows that Nancy has problems but just never realized how bad they are. We’ll find an answer Max…in the meantime you relax and get ready for next week. Don’t let this weigh you down to a point where you can’t concentrate on what you need to do.”

“Oh, I won’t Dad…but I hate to see her so unhappy. Do you know that she told the judge we would testify on behalf of Tess in order for Tess to receive psychiatric help. Liz said she shouldn’t be held responsible for something she had no control over and that we should help her. Liz thinks that if the adults we went to as children had listened to us that she wouldn’t be in the predicament she’s in today.”

“Well, you predicted that one Max. I guess you know her better than anyone else. Are you going to practice tomorrow?”

“yeah, I’ll be leaving here around 6:00 a.m., hopefully Liz will still be asleep but I doubt it. She’ll probably want to pack me a lunch or something.” And with that both men started to laugh…

“So true Max…well you get some rest and we’ll be seeing you probably Monday morning sometime.”

“Fair enough Dad…hug Mom for me and good night.”

“Good night son.” And both men hung up.

*~*~*

Max’s alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. and he was up and in the shower within minutes.

Liz had been awake since 4:30 a.m. She had fallen asleep in Max’s arms early last night and that’s the last she remembered. She felt strange after her phone call from her mother. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong but that woman just had a way of making her feel guilty about living. ‘What in the hell did I ever do to her that she treats me like this?’ Liz thought to herself. She heard the shower running in Max’s room and so she made her way to her own bathroom and brushed her teeth, combed her hair and put on her robe and slippers and headed downstairs.

She put the coffee pot on and found some frozen pancakes in the freezer that Olivia must have put in there and she took them out and put them in the microwave to thaw them out. She headed to the refrigerator and took out some sausages and put them in a frying pan and then took a couple of oranges and squeezed some juice. She fried a couple of eggs and set the table in the kitchen and by the time Max came down the back stairs Liz had the table all set and the food sitting on plates on the back of the stove keeping warm. Max came over to give her a hug good morning and she suddenly stiffened up…what the hell…Max couldn’t put his finger on what was going on but he knew it wasn’t good. He ignored her attitude and told her good morning.

She smiled a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and told Max good morning right back. Then she motioned for him to sit down and she brought their plates over to the table for breakfast.

Max knew this was the phone call so he kept things light and handed her the copy of the annulment papers.

“What’s this Max?” Liz looked puzzled…

“Oh, this was on my fax machine last night when I went to my room. I thought you might like to see it. Go ahead, take a look.”

Liz picked up the paper and read it’s contents and then looked at Max and smiled…again it didn’t reach the eyes.

‘Shit’ thought Max…I have to leave but we have to fix this and quick…

“Breakfast is delicious Liz…thank you, you didn’t have to get up this early you know.”

“I know Max, but I was awake so when I heard your shower I figured I would just fix you a good breakfast before you took off. What time do you usually get home?”

“Oh, sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m., do you have plans for something?”

“No, I just thought I would fix dinner for us and we could spend the evening just resting…you have practice the rest of the week right?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to cook, we can go out or I can bring something home.”

“No Max, I really want to do this okay. It gives me something to occupy my time.”

“Look Liz, you can read, golf, fish? Ice skate? Shop? You don’t have to fix my dinner.”

“Please Max, can I?’

Max’s heart ached for her…she was pleading with him for help and he had to leave…”Of course you can, you do whatever you want to do sweetheart and I’ll be glad to see you when I get home.

“Thank you Max.”

“Now, I really have to get going. You have a good day Liz Parker, I mean it.”

“Good bye Max…play good.”

“I will, see you tonight.”

Liz followed Max out the door to the driveway and then she asked “Max, is there anything in particular you like to eat?”

“Liz, you know I like everything…whatever you fix will be fine.” And he gave her a great big smile and took off. His heart was aching for her…he needed to fix her mother’s damage and fix it quickly.

*~*~*

Liz went back into the house and cleaned up the kitchen, headed upstairs and made Max’s bed and then went to her room and made her bed. She took her shower and then started to hang up her clothes in the closet…put the dirty clothes into the hamper and filled the drawers with a lot of unused clothes from her suitcase. She hung up all of the slacks, skirts and Jackets she had purchased as well as the blouses and sweaters. Max had brought all of these clothes in before they went to New York and they were getting very wrinkled. She took the shoe box from the dresser and sat it on the bed and proceeded to take out the contents. She opened all of the small jewelry cases and sat and admired them. She couldn’t believe the amount of money that Max had spent on her in the last two weeks. There was a small fortune in diamonds sitting on that bed and she loved everyone of them. She closed all of the boxes and decided to take them to Max’s room. She remembered a safe in his closet and she wanted him to keep the jewelry in there for her. She knew that they would be okay in her room but she just felt better if they were in the safe. She put the purse in a plastic bag along with the champagne gloves and set the shoe box on one of the shelves in the closet with the purse and gloves on top of it. She took her black shoes and purse and did the same with them and set them next to the champagne set and then she put on her tennis shoes and her Philly’s sweat shirt and went to the computer in her study.

She found SS. Peter and Paul’s cathedral and checked out the daily masses and the phone number of the rectory. She dialed the number and asked if she could speak to a priest. Soon a pleasant voice answered, “Hello, this is Monsignor Gaughan…may I help you?’

“Yes Monsignor…my name is Liz Parker and I would like to make an appointment to speak with you if that’s possible?”

“Of course it is Liz, do you mind if I call you Liz since I don’t know if you are a Miss or Mrs. and I am not comfortable with the term Miz… When would you like to speak with me?”

“Yes, you can call me Liz and I would like to see you as soon as possible.”

“Fine, it’s close to 8:00 right now and I have a mass in about 20 minutes that will last until 8:45…can you be at the church by 9:00?”

“Of course I can Monsignor…as a matter of fact…I think I can make it to mass if I hurry, I will see you soon.”

The monsignor hung up his phone and headed over to the cathedral to get ready for the children’s morning mass and wondered if this was the same young woman that was in the papers Tuesday night? We’ll see, he thought.

Liz grabbed her purse and headed downstairs, grabbed the annulment papers from the kitchen table and headed out to the garage. She made sure she locked the door behind her and hopped into her own car and took off. She remembered how to get to the cathedral from Sunday and she was there in no time flat. She just entered the side door as the monsignor entered from the sacristy. She blessed herself, found a pew and genuflected before taking her place. She recited the prayers with all of the children and their teachers and when mass was over the monsignor looked out into the audience and recognized her from her photo in the paper…it was her, what could be wrong he thought.

Soon he was changed into his street clothes and came out into the main part of the church and made his way to Liz’s pew. He sat down next to her and asked her what he could do for her. She looked at the kind middle aged man and smiled. She knew he recognized her and she let him know this.

“Liz, what is so urgent that you needed a priest this early in the morning. I sensed something was bothering you when I spoke with you earlier.”

“Yes monsignor…I know you recognize me as a friend of one of your parishioners, Max Evans. We have been friends since the diaper brigade. Our father’s graduated high school together and our families have known each other forever but that is not what this is about.

Two weeks ago I left my office in Connecticut and drove to Philadelphia and sought out Max and his family because I was so unhappy”

…and Liz continued on with her story to the kind man and brought him right up to the minute with the annulment papers and her mother’s phone call last night. She told the monsignor about her mother’s influence on her and how she made her feel guilty for every pleasure she had ever experienced. How she had to go to her senior prom from a friends house because her mother said that the only reason young people went to proms was to have an excuse to spend the night together. She went on and on for two solid hours. She told him about her loveless, sexless marriage and every unhappy occurrence in her life. She told him of her love for Max and how he confessed his love to her on Tuesday night after his father told them that the annulment papers had been signed. She told him about Tess and her part in her loveless marriage and how she would get everyone she could to testify on Tess’s behalf because Tess was mentally disturbed and did not deserve to be put in jail for her part in the conspiracy to murder her.

To say that the monsignor was overwhelmed was an understatement. You would never think in a million years that all of this was happening to this young woman if you just looked at her. She had to be one of the kindest people he had ever met and then he had to ask…”Liz, my child, just what is it you need from me? Certainly you don’t need forgiveness for anything, you haven’t done anything wrong unless you’re holding out on me here. Are you?”

“No monsignor…I have told you everything. My mother…”

“Liz, your mother definitely needs some professional help…you are an intelligent woman, you should know this. You recognize that Tess needs professional help, can’t you see a similar need in your mother. Liz, you have done nothing to be concerned with. I will say that getting married outside of the church was not the thing to do but in your case all I can say is God was protecting you in his own way, and we don’t frown in God’s face Liz. Accept his blessings and move forward.”

Liz looked into the gray eyes of the kind old gentleman and gave him the first genuine smile she had since last night’s phone conversation. She got up from her seat and the monsignor stood and placed his hand on her head and gave her a blessing and she thanked him and left the church feeling better than she had in a long time. The guilt placed there by her mother had been lifted and she could move on. This was going to be a good day.

When she got to her car her cell started ringing in her purse and she looked down at the caller ID and smiled…”Hi Max.”

“Hi sweetheart, are you feeling any better?”

“Oh much Max…thank you” And she opened her car door and climbed in.

“Where are you?”

“At the cathedral, I went to mass and then I had a nice long talk with the monsignor and now I’m headed home. Max, I think I need to get some groceries…where is the closest supermarket?”

“Liz, there’s a list of phone numbers by the desk in the kitchen…one of them is to the grocers…give him a call and tell him what you need. He will deliver it to the house for you.”

“Oh Mr. Rich and Famous…I can go to the market you know.”

“Listen Liz, I know you can go to the market but your face is plastered all over every newspaper in the country… now call the damned grocer and I will see you around 6:00 p.m. I am not telling you where to find a market…get your ass home.” Jay, Josh and Pete happened to be in the vicinity of the phone conversation and started to chuckle…she’s a case that’s for sure. Max just looked at them and made an obscene gesture and continued to talk to Liz…they really got a kick out of that one.

“Okay Max, only because I am not in the mood to argue with you right now. I am almost at the driveway…oh shit…Max, I’m in my car what’s the code?”

With that Max gave her the code and she headed up the big winding drive and pulled in back to the garages. She bid Max goodbye and headed for the house with annulment papers in hand. She really did feel better. Now she was ready to tackle the downstairs. Maybe she could have the major rooms cleaned and ready for company before Max got home. She could put a roast in the crock pot she saw in the pantry and made a grocery list out before tackling the living rooms and grand hallway. Tomorrow she could do the dining room, sun porch and kitchen and Saturday she could do the work out room, dressing rooms and the pool area. If she paced herself just right she would be ready for company by Monday morning. This was such a drastic change from test tubes and lab rats…but a nice change for a change. She was actually looking forward to seeing Olivia again. She hoped she was enjoying her time off. Liz was hoping to meet the twins and her sons before leaving for Connecticut…she really wanted to help Jane get her little girl.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

destinyc:No affect at all, and I agree with you about Nancy.
Jan:Still thinking...good girl!
LilLoucfer:Hang in there...all in good time.
Ken:Give yourself a big pat on the back and I'll take one for myself...but we'll exclude MY mother!!!
Natalie36:That she is!!!
Roswell4life:I don't think Max is going to let her get away with anything and Liz is a quick study!

*~*~*

Chapter: 29

About 5:00 p.m. Liz had cleaned both living rooms, large and small and even managed to wash down the patio off the small living room and washed the windows on the French doors. She didn’t know what in the hell got into her but she was moving like a white tornado. She dusted the railings and banisters on the grand stairway, mopped the marble floors with the special “marble cleaner” she found in the pantry off the laundry room and cleaned the hallway leading to the back entry and washed the windows on that door as well. She had cleaned the dining room and dusted the butlers pantry. Then she started to the kitchen and after she checked the pot roast she mopped the floor in there and the sun porch as well…now she was ready for a shower and some of that nice oil from the hotel. She chose a nice pair of her new slacks and a sweater…she even opted for one of her new scarves which she used to anchor her hair at the nape of her neck. She applied a nice amount of makeup, enough to accent her cheeks, eyelashes and lips and she checked it out in the mirror and was very pleased with herself. She headed back down the stairs and went into the dining room and set the table with some very nice china she found in the butler’s pantry between the kitchen and dining room. She put on some music that she found in Max’s study and hit a button that said all rooms and then she heard it. There were speakers everywhere in the house playing the same song. ‘Oh! How cool is that’ she thought.

Then she heard it…a buzzing sound and when she went down the hall to check it out she discovered it was a monitor showing the main gate…the escalade was driving through. She suddenly felt a little pang of excitement and she could hardly wait until he walked in the back door.

*~*~*

Max was apprehensive as he pulled into the garage…when he left this morning Liz seemed to be very stand offish, he didn’t know what frame of mind she would be in when he got into the house but he was excited about seeing her regardless of how she was feeling. So he closed up the garage and slowly walked up to the back door and let himself in. Something surely smelled good along with the familiar cleaning solution that Olivia used. ‘Shit, she was at it again.’ Oh well, if cleaning house is her thing then let her clean ... he sure as hell didn’t want to fight her about it. He dropped his duffle bag in the laundry room on his way to the kitchen and there he was met with a vision.

She looked beautiful …she was dressed in a beautiful pair of royal blue slacks with a multi colored blue silk sweater with a cowl collar and she had her hair pulled back and tied it off with a beautiful matching royal blue silk scarf. She had on a pair of two inch royal blue leather pumps and her make-up was flawless. Max looked at her and smiled and told her she looked beautiful.

“Thank you Max, you’re looking pretty good yourself. I hope you’re hungry. I hope you don’t mind but I put on a CD that I found in your office and set it up to play all over.”

“God no Liz, I don’t mind…but can you tell me why you cleaned the hallway?”

“Well, we are getting company, and I have been here for two weeks and there hasn’t been a house keeper for that long and we do need to be prepared and I am here and I have nothing else to do with my time…” she rushed out…”Oh Max, don’t be mad at me…please. I really do want to do this for you.” Actually she needed to do this…she was a nervous wreck thinking about their new status, for lack of a better term!

Max melted…”Well, if you really feel the need to scrub floors and wax furniture who the hell am I to tell you not to, I guess.” Max didn’t know how to deal with this new situation they were in and he was willing to get her a maid service certificate if it made her happy.

“Thank you Max, now lets’ fill our plates and go into the dining room and eat. I found a bottle of wine in the liquor pantry, I don’t know if it’s the proper wine to serve with roast but it is red so it’s in there chilling in an ice bucket. I haven’t opened it yet so if you feel you would like something else then you will have to choose it because I don’t know that much about wines.” Liz was a nervous wreck…she wanted him so badly and she didn’t know how to go about it…this was her friend after all and now it’s changed…she was happy it changed but she didn’t know what to do.

Liz was rambling and Max was secretly smiling to himself…he recognized this trait from their younger days when Liz wasn’t quite sure she was doing the right thing.

Max chuckled at her and said…”Liz, if you found it in the pantry then I’m sure it will be fine…I only buy the kind I like.”

“Oh good.” She said nervously biting her lower lip and with that she picked up one of the two plates and proceeded to fill it up with her dinner. The salads and the bread were already on the table…the only foods not in the dining room were the hot foods so they were ready to sit down and eat.

Max was still feeling uneasy around her…he didn’t know if she had gotten over her mothers phone call from last night or not. He knew how it had affected her and he hadn’t been filled in on her conversation with the monsignor yet so he was still walking on eggs so to speak.

Max followed Liz into the dining room and he was flabbergasted. She had found the good china in the butler’s pantry…she used the silver flat ware and the ice bucket from in there as well and there were lit tapers on the table. Everything looked so elegant. Nobody had ever used these items before and it looked absolutely beautiful. Max sat down and smiled at Liz who was seated to his right … she had placed his service at the head of the table and he was beginning to feel like the lord of the manor. He would never tell her that but right at this moment it was exactly how he felt, he was about ready to cry he was so happy.

“So Max, how did practice go today…did you guys prepare any surprise plays for the opposition?”

Max chuckled at her description of baseball practice…”Liz, we don’t plan surprise plays…we just hope we cover any and all plays that may come our way and that we are prepared for them. Oh, by the way, Josh, Pete, John and Jay all said to tell you hello and they liked the picture. They said it really captured your personality.”

“Tell them thanks, I thought so too.” And with that she gave Max a big smile and a little giggle.

“So, what did Monsignor Gaughan have to say this morning?” Max asked, trying to be nonchalant.

“Oh, he told me my mother needed some serious help and that the only crime I’m guilty of is marrying outside of the church but to look at it as though God was taking care of me and that I shouldn’t frown in his face. There was some other conversation as well but that about covers it. Oh, and he did say to tell you good luck…he saw our picture also.”

Max raised an eyebrow at her and then he chuckled…”I take it he knew who you were then.”

“Not until he saw me and then he was right on the money. Do you know him Max.”

“Yes, I get him tickets to the games all the time. He comes when he can but if he can’t he gives them to some kid in the parish. He’s a good man, he will probably be at a couple of the games next week.”

“I see…can we invite him over while everyone is here? I would like everyone to meet him…I like him a lot Max.”

“We can do that if you want to but I believe he has met everyone but Maria. He met Michael last year when he flew in for a week-end without Maria. He’s met Mom and Dad, Izzy and Alex at some of the games so yes, if you want to invite him go right ahead. It will be a little hectic next week though Liz…I will be very busy and believe it or not, very hyped.”

“Oh, then maybe we should wait until another time.”

“Sweetheart, if that’s what you want it’s okay with me I just want you to know that this is really a big deal for me…I have never played in a world series before and I don’t know how I’m going to be.”

“No Max, we will wait to invite him…okay?’

“Okay Liz.” And they finished their dinner and Liz told Max to do whatever he usually does after practice and she would clean up.

“No, Liz, I will help you clean up…I usually sit down with a book or sign some checks for my secretary, check my messages and then go to bed…so I will help you clean up and enjoy your company…okay?

“Okay Max”…and with that they both started to stack dishes and headed to the kitchen through the butlers pantry…”When did you discover this room?”

“Oh, I was looking for cleaning supplies today and this door was off the kitchen so I just took a chance and boy…was I surprised…there are some seriously beautiful pieces of silver and china in here Max.”

“Yes there are. They came with the place just like the skates, the golf cart and clubs and most of the other stuff. The owner of the estate had no family and his death was a shock to the skating world…the place sat idle for almost three years and that’s when dad discovered it. I changed very little of it. I did get rid of the dormitory looking bedrooms and added the king sized beds and matching furniture but the studies with the couches and stuff were here. If you get a chance take a look at the third floor. It is used mostly for storage right now…I have all the single beds up there but it used to be a ballet room I think. There are ballet barre’s all around and there are hardwood floors and surround sound speakers. There’s also another storage room off the ballet room that has a lot of holiday decorations in it. It’s quite interesting…you really should have a look.”

“Thanks Max…maybe I’ll do that sometime this week. I still have three days before everyone gets here. It will be fun. Oh, Max, I put my jewelry on your dresser for you to put in your safe. I know nothing will happen to it in my room but I will just feel better if it’s in your room.”

Max smiled down at her and said “Okay Liz, in the safe it goes.” And then he took a look at the pensive expression on her face and couldn’t take it any longer…”I’ll be right back Liz.” And with that Max left Liz standing next to the dishwasher with a plate in her hand as he took long strides toward his office. Soon she heard a familiar Elvis Presley song come over the piped in stereo system and she just smiled. She always liked this song and then Max came into the kitchen and led her into the grand hallway. The song changed and Max took Liz into his arms and held her very close…she wrapped her arm around his neck as she had done at the hotel the other night and Max took her right hand again and held it next to his heart, “Listen Liz”…she started to stiffen up just a little but Max pulled her closer yet and then she laid her head on his chest, just under his chin, and listened very carefully to the words that were being sung…

*~*~*

A/N: Okay everyone...tune in tomorrow...Max has had enough...(your dreams are going to come true!!!)

[mary mary]

Janet:Thank you so much...your support really means a lot to me.
destinyc:Maybe...it might just hype her up!!!
LilLoucfer:I hope I don't disappoint anyone!
Kate:This part of Nancy was based on someone I knew very well and believe me, it wasn't fun!
Carrie:I only post completed stories...that way I'm never caught in a bind. I started writing these for fun and a friend of mine told me about these web sites and suggested I post them. I am so happy I did because I have made some new friends that I look forward to (talking to) all the time. And thank you for your constant encouragement.
Azure:Thank you...and "ditto" with Jan and Carrie...
Roswell4life:You're so right!
Ken:Ah...it's hard to say...would you put Carole and your kids ahead of a world series? It would be a very tough choice for me...although I think you're right...it could be very distracting...Oh, and don't read this part, it's embarrassing! ( I know, if it's embarrassing I shouldn't have written it, but I got started and couldn't stop.)

*~*~*

A/N: Okay girls, here's what you've been asking for and i don't think there are anymore parts like this so when you're bored just re-read chapter 30...


Chapter: 30

DON’T

Don’t, don’t, that’s what you say
Each time that I hold you this way
When I feel like this, and I want to kiss you
Baby, don’t say don’t.

Don’t, don’t, leave my embrace
For here in my arms is your place
When the night grows cold and I want to hold you
Baby, don’t say don’t.

If you think that this is just a game
I’m playing
If you think that I don’t mean
Every word I’m saying

Don’t, don’t
Don’t feel that way
I’m your love and yours
I will stay

This you can believe
I will never leave you
Heaven knows I won’t
Baby, don’t say don’t
Don’t

(Don’t by Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber)

[/size]
*~*~*

Max moved very slowly, taking Liz on a journey that sent her into another plane of existence…she was enthralled with his movements, she danced with her eyes closed, her body following him, they danced as though they were one.

He moved so smoothly, so slowly, slightly dipping and turning with every beat of the music. It was poetry in motion, she could feel every muscle in his body as he held her close to his warm body and led her around the marble floor. She felt like she was floating…she felt wonderful and he cherished her and held her as you would a babe in arms, gentle, lovingly.

*~*~*

When Max stopped dancing Liz just stayed where she was…she didn’t want to move…she didn’t know whether she wanted to cry or laugh or just stay in Max’s arms…she chose the latter of the three…after all, that is where she has always wanted to be. Max kissed the top of Liz’s head and he could smell the oil from the hotel and he smiled. He let her hand go but she kept it placed over his heart and he reached down and lifted her chin up toward his face ever so slowly. He looked into her eyes and saw exactly what he wanted to see…love, passion and trust, he was looking for trust. He tilted her face up farther with his bent forefinger and brought his lips down to meet hers in the most tender of kisses and Liz’s knees started to buckle. Max felt her grow limp in his arms and he came close to screaming with happiness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss with a passion that leaped from her soul. Max was overcome with joy and he deepened the kiss and guardedly but passionately devoured her. Finally they broke their embrace and Max looked into Liz’s eyes and she smiled the sweetest smile he had ever seen.
He bent over, picked her up in his arms and headed for the end of the stairway and opened a door that looked like a closet…it was on the other side of the hallway from the back entrance. Max closed the door and pushed 2 on the key pad and the elevator took them right up to the second floor across from his bedroom. Liz looked at him and smiled as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck… then she whispered breathlessly into his neck…”I knew it.” She still had her arms around Max’s neck and her head on his shoulder …he just grinned and placed another kiss, this time on her temple. As soon as he made his way to his room and placed her on his bed he crawled up next to her and took her in his arms and kissed her senseless. She melted…she threw her heart and soul into her kisses and she allowed Max the freedom to explore her from head to toe, and he did.

He kissed her eyes, her nose…he wandered around to her ears and down the side of her neck…he found her pulse and gave little suckled kisses to her which absolutely drove her wild. She loved the feel of his arms and his neck… she loved running her hands through his medium length hair…she loved the way it curled around his neck…she loved running her hands down his back, touching his face. After a very long make out session Max reached for the hem of her sweater and looked into her eyes…she raised her arms and lifted her body to a sitting position. He lifted the sweater over her head and laid it gently next to them on the king sized bed and then she reached for his shirt as well, Max crossed his arms and grabbed the bottom of his shirt with both hands and pulled it effortlessly over his head then he pulled Liz to him and reached around her and unhooked her bra and removed it as well. This was the first glimpse of her completely nude upper body he had ever had and he was starting to shake with nervousness. He had waited so long for this moment… she was so precious to him … so trusting…he had to be very careful to make this the most perfect experience of her life. She needed to know that he truly loved her and would do anything for her…she was too fragile for anything less.

Max straddled her and sat back on his heels and looked at her and slowly ran his hands up and down her arms and back up again and down her shoulders and over her mounds of flesh, loving every part of her leaving tender kisses in wake of his hands as they roamed every inch of her body. He worked his way down her sides to the waist of her slacks…he reached for the zipper of her slacks and she lifted her hips to help him remove them from her body. Max pulled them down and put them next to her sweater and then he took a good look at her…she was wearing a pair of flesh colored lace bikini panties that barely covered anything and he had to gulp and give himself a mental warning, this is for her Max… then Max reached up and hooked his thumbs in either side of the elastic of the bikini panties and again Liz lifted her body for Max and he looked up into her eyes and smiled…there was no fear on her face at all…only love and trust. God he loved her. Liz came to a sitting position again and leaned forward and unbuttoned Max’s jeans for him and he scooted to the foot of the bed and removed his jeans and boxers in one fell swoop…Liz gasped and said “Oh My.” Max looked at her and smiled…”Liz I would never hurt you, you know that, are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Oh yes Max…but you must know that you are the first man I have ever seen like this and Max…you are beautiful…God…beautiful…yummy beautiful.”

And the more she talked and looked the harder Max got…and no amount of trying to calm himself into waiting was going to change things.

“Oh God, Liz will you be quiet…you have no idea what you are doing to me here…”

“Oh yes I do Max…I have eyes and believe me you are positively yummy…
come here Max.” She was driving him nuts with her eyes…

“What, why?” Max knew that she had to stop or it was going to over before it got started….

“Please Max, I know what you are thinking and you’re right…this is my first time and I know you will be perfect and you will make it perfect…but will you allow me to explore also…I promise I won’t hurt you either, please?”

Max didn’t know what to make of this, he could deny her nothing…this was totally new to him but this was Liz…she trusted him completely and he wanted to please her so he did as she asked…He slowly crawled up her body, leaving a trail of tender kisses along the way and laid next to her…she straddled his waist and bent forward to kiss his lips in the lightest of kisses and then she ran her fingers over his chest watching his lungs expand and contract ever so slightly with each breath and then she moved lower, leaving kisses along the way until she reached that part of him that makes him different from her and she lifted his rock hard erection and slid her other hand under and touched his testicles and felt underneath them, they felt so warm and, soft was the only word she could think of. As she explored Max’s nether land his erection kept growing tighter and tighter in her hand…

she looked up at Max and he had his left forearm draped over his forehead with a look of contentment on his face…he had no idea this was going to happen but he would give her the time she needed to explore to her hearts content…that’s what he gets for loving a scientist he thought to himself. He almost chuckled at the thought.

Liz was happy to see that Max was okay with her curiosity and she continued to fondle and look…then she noticed the milky white discharge coming from the head of Max’s penis, she bent over and licked it off…Max practically came up off the sheets, he could swear he jumped two feet into the air. Holy God what is she up to now he thought…he didn’t have to wonder long.

After her little taste she thought, hmmmm…let’s just see what all the hype is about and she wrapped her lips around the top of Max’s penis and slid her tongue down the back side and Max let out a moan that could only mean pleasure…Liz looked up at him and caught his eyes that were wide in disbelief…she gave him a smile and went right back to what she was doing. What she couldn’t fit into her mouth she took up with her hand. She started to move her head in an up and down motion, licking with her tongue with every stroke. Max could not believe what she was doing…and it felt wonderful. It wasn’t too long before Max was involuntarily moving in a steady motion with Liz and then he tried to pry her loose…he was about to cum and he didn’t want her to continue but she refused to give up…she just kept pumping faster and faster and soon Max had released into her mouth and much to his surprise she had swallowed every bit of it…she looked up at him with a gorgeous smile, her hair draped over her shoulders and she leaned forward letting the loose strands rub against his body causing shivers up and down his spine. Then she said in a very sexy and satisfied voice “Yummy!”

Max pulled her up to him and kissed her senseless…after he was able to contain himself … Max said softly, ”For someone that hasn’t had any experience at this you sure seem to know what you’re doing.” …

“Max, I haven’t experienced it first hand but I have seen movies” She whispered softly as she made tiny circles on his chest with her fingers…”Maria used to bring them over to the house all of the time…” and Liz continued to run her hands up and down Max’s chest…”you don’t know how many times I have dreamt about doing that for you.” And Liz continued to touch him and move her hands slowly up and down his body, barely touching, watching the muscles ripple with every touch…

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” As Max watched her in disbelief…

“Of course I am…this has been one of my fantasies since I was about sixteen.” She whispered…

“God have we wasted time…come here angel…let me fulfill some of my fantasies. And what got into you this evening? …I was terrified that I would find you all upset and I would not know what to do with you.”

“The monsignor happened.” She smiled…

“I must remember to thank that man.” And with that Max rolled Liz over on her back and started working on his own fantasies. He leaned over her and put both of his hands behind her head and rested his thumbs on her cheeks and started kissing her sweet lips and by the time the evening was over Max and Liz were both sexually and physically sated. Max had performed every fantasy he had ever dreamed of with Liz and Liz accepted everything that Max had to offer and when Max didn’t think he could do anything else with this beautiful angel and his body was totally spent he grabbed her into his arms…looked her straight in the eye and said “Marry me Liz.”

Liz smiled up at him and said “Okay… does six months sound alright because that’s how long you have to wait in the church.”

“Six months sounds fine.” And Max opened his night stand drawer and took out the small black velvet box from tiffany’s… he opened it up and removed the diamond solitaire that Liz fell in love with, he kissed the ring and placed it on her left ring finger and then he kissed her finger … now she started to cry…Max looked at her and smiled…”I promised myself I would not let you get away from me again and I always keep my promises Liz.” He bent over and kissed her hand and then he took her into his arms and they curled up and went to sleep. Max had to be up in four hours but he didn’t think he would mind missing any sleep tonight, he was one happy man.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

LilLoucfer:They'll play nice...honest!!!
destinyc:I'm pretty sure this is the only 'steamy' scene... more "use your imagination" coming up ...
Ken:I never did anything more important through my life either and I don't think there is anything more boring that accounting. You know, when I was a high school grad. the only two things that women really did was teaching and nursing...I wanted to be an architect. I wasn't even allowed to take drafting because there weren't any girls in the class...I'll bet they wouldn't get away with that now. Thank God for some things that are taking place.
Jan:All of your questions will be answered, mixed in with some fun stuff...you have to have fun!!!
Chula:I hope I have dealt with all of your questions...i think so anyway.
natalie36:Are you happy now???
roswell4life:Surprise!!! The meeting is coming and it won't be as dramatic as you might think but there are some surprises ahead...enjoy!
*~*~*

Chapter: 31

Liz awoke before the alarm went off and laid there in Max’s arms and smiled…she opened one eye and looked right into that big protective chest and just moved in so close that she felt like she could just crawl inside of him and stay there forever…he made her feel that good. Max felt her slight stirring and pulled her in closer to him and nuzzled the top oh her head with his chin.

God, this felt so right…finally he felt fulfilled. Liz moved to a position that she could lift her chin and look into those amber eyes she knew so well and smiled at the man she had loved her entire life, then she raised her left hand that was resting on Max’s chest and looked at her ring and smiled all over again…”You Like?” Max asked…”I love.” Liz answered “and I even love the ring.” Max chuckled and wrapped both arms around her and pulled her on top of him.

“What are you going to do today Doctor Parker?” Max whispered into her ear…planting little kisses along her neck between each word….

“Well, the first thing I’m going to do is get the man I love some breakfast, then I am going to take a shower and go to the Cathedral, get down on my knees and say prayers of thanks until I can’t stand up.”

Max laughed at her and said…”Am I going to have to call you Saint Elizabeth?”

“After last nights activities I don’t think so, I certainly do want a repeat…thank you very much. You can’t just introduce me to all of this new activity and then take it away…I won’t allow it.”

“Oh, you liked that did you?”

“You better believe it big boy…now is it time to get up yet?”

“Not yet…we have about a half an hour”…and with that remark Liz felt a little stirring beneath the covers and she knew immediately what Max had in store for her and then she looked at him, giggled, and said…”Mmm. Yummy.”

Max chuckled at her and got very busy…he’s sure he just heard his new most favorite word…

*~*~*

After Max headed out to the stadium for practice Liz called the grocer and ordered what she thought they needed for the next couple of days. She would leave the majority of the ordering to Olivia when she arrived on Monday then she started in finishing up the downstairs cleaning and then headed upstairs to make sure all of the rooms had enough supplies for when the guests arrived.

She decided to stock the bathrooms with the oils and soaps that she purchased from the hotel. She was sure Diane, Isabelle and Maria would like the soft scented luxuries as much as she did. She wasn’t sure which room Michael and Maria would want so she chose one for them. They were all the same except for the color schemes. All of the rooms had towels and robes in them to match the walls and drapes. The comforters all coordinated with the drapes as well so Liz checked out the Autumn scheme and found the towels missing. She found Olivia’s phone number in the kitchen and gave her a call. She didn’t want to do this but she needed to know if she should get some more towels and robes for the rooms. Olivia’s husband answered and told Liz that Olivia was out at the moment but to please call her cell phone and her husband gave Liz the number. He asked Liz how she liked New York and Liz giggled into the phone. “You saw that did you?” and he answered…”I think the world saw that…did you have fun?” …”Yes, I had a lot of fun…as a matter of fact it was wonderful, thank you for asking.” And with that they said their good byes and Liz called Olivia.

Olivia told her that the two farthest bedroom suites toward the back of the house did not have towels…as a matter of fact…the farthest one wasn’t complete at all. Liz thanked Olivia and told her she would go shopping this morning because they were going to need one of the suites for the Guerin’s and she just might as well finish off the other one while she was at it…no sense in doing it half assed. Olivia laughed at her and said she agreed and she would see her on Monday morning. Liz smiled at the thought, she could hardly wait and then she said…”Olivia, I have to call the grocer…is there anything you would like me to order for you before you get here?” Olivia answered…”No dear…just take care of your immediate needs and I will see you soon.” And they signed off.

Liz went upstairs and checked out the farthest bedroom and sure enough it was vacant of everything but the furniture. She eyeballed the windows…checked out the bathroom for soap dishes and accessories and found it lacking in everything. She made a list just in case she would forget something and headed out to the garage. She decided to take the truck…she didn’t think the Jaguar nor the Honda would be able to handle eight sets of towels…4 terry robes…plus drapes, sheets, pillow cases, pillows, comforters, blankets, throws, bathroom accessories, throw rugs and any other items she saw while she was out. She would check out some pictures for the walls as well. Oh this was going to be so much fun.

She was backing the truck out of the garage as Charley came around the building in the golf cart…she rolled the window down and said “Hi Charley, how are you today?”

“I’m fine Liz, headed out so early?”

“Yeah, I’m going to the Cathedral to Mass and then the Mall. Max is expecting more company on Monday and he needs some stuff for the spare bedrooms. There’s going to be quite a house full. Do you need me to bring anything for you while I’m out?”

“Oh no Liz…I’ve got everything I need…you have a nice day and say a prayer for me while you’re at church.”

“Will do Charley…take care.”

And she was off. Charley noticed the big diamond on Liz’s left hand and could have sworn it wasn’t there yesterday. He could be wrong though…

When Liz pulled into the parking lot at the old church the monsignor was just headed in the side door and stopped to say hello.

“How are you today Liz?” the old priest said with a smile.

“I’m fine monsignor…and you?”

“Great. Do you feel better today.”

“I certainly do and I would like to talk to you again after Mass if it’s possible.”

“Of course it is, I will see you then Liz…just wait for me in the church.”

“I will. Bye.” Liz figured she would make arrangements for her and Max to start their instructions before their wedding…might as well get it taken care of while she’s here she thought.

So Liz waited for the monsignor after mass and she told him what she needed. He smiled at her and she said “what?”

“Well, I know Max and when I saw the two of you in that picture on the sports page I just knew. Why were you worried?”

“I had to know that it would be all right with the church. I think that was bothering me more than anything, I was okay until my mother called and then I was filled with doubts again. But after talking to you I knew I was alright with God and I could move on.”

“Liz, I hope your mother gets the help she needs…and she does need help. But you have to take care of you…so don’t let her upset you ever again. You are an intelligent woman with a responsible position, people rely on you and your integrity and you can’t let someone fill you with doubt…especially someone who hasn’t got a firm hold on reality. You just follow your heart Liz and you’ll be fine.”

Liz smiled at the kind man and said, “My grandmother used to tell me that all the time.”

“Smart woman. You take care Liz and call my office on Monday and I will have my secretary set up a schedule for you and Max.”

“Thank you…we would like to start after the series of course and I will have to drive in from Connecticut for awhile until we get things settled so Max and I will discuss it tonight and then I will call you on Monday, or come over for Mass and then stop by the rectory. We have a lot of family flying in on Monday and I am not sure what time they will be arriving because the first game of the series is Monday night…oh are you coming?”

“I think I might be able to make it…are you going to be in the VIP room or the bleachers?”

“Since my life is no longer in danger I think we just might opt for the bleachers…either way I will let you know so that we can hook up. Take care monsignor and I will see you Monday,”

“Monday it is Liz…take care.” And with that Liz left and headed to the mall.

Her cell phone rang while she was digging for her keys in her purse and when she checked caller ID she answered “Oh YUMMY!!!”

Max chuckled at that and said…”Where are you? It sounds like you are out and about again.”

“Oh I am…I just left the monsignor and now I’m headed to the mall.”

“The mall, what do you need now?”

“I don’t, you do.”

“I do…what in the hell do I need.”

“You need to complete a couple of bedrooms because of the company that is coming in for the series. Two of the bedrooms are incomplete so I am headed to the mall to get curtains, comforters, towels and shit like that, okay.”

“If you say so…stop by the stadium and I’ll give you my credit card.”

“Max, I have a platinum credit card too…we can settle up later, you just practice all of your surprise plays and don’t worry about it.”

“No, I want you to come and see me.”

“Maxwell Evans, are you pouting?”

“Yes…now key this into the GPS…”

“I’m in the truck, I don’t know where the GPS is in the truck…it’s not on the dash board.”

“The truck, what in the hell are you doing in the truck?”

Now Pete, Josh and Jay are laughing …

“Well, all the stuff I needed wouldn’t fit in either of the cars.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake Liz…you know the highway to the mall?”

“Yeah.”

“Get on it and head in the opposite direction and get off at stadium drive and follow the signs. Drive into the employee entrance and we’ll all be there on the field…just pull in next to the Escalade and we’ll exchange keys with you okay.”

“But will everything fit into the Escalade?”

“Yes, everything will fit into the escalade…I will take the seats out and throw them in the back of the truck and bring them home with me.”

“Oh Max, you don’t have to do all of that, I can drive the truck.”

“Liz, humor me okay…get over here and switch keys with me. I’ll have the guys help me.”

“Alright Max…I’m on my way. See you in a few.”

“Bye Liz.”

“Max, what is she up to now?” asked Jay.

“She thinks she needs to finish up the upstairs. She spent all day yesterday and the day before cleaning, washing windows and doing laundry…now she’s redecorating the damned upstairs. She said two of the upstairs bedrooms are incomplete and she needs to get curtains and shit like that. I swear to God she’s like a damned whirlwind…she never stops. I told her the attic is full of beds and bedding…she could just go up there and get stuff…”

Then Pete piped up…he knows from experience…”But Max, it wouldn’t have matched.”

“What do you mean it wouldn’t have matched…who gives a shit?”

“Apparently she does Max.” piped up Josh.

“Come on guys, we need to get the seats out of the escalade so she can go shopping for sheets and stuff.” They all just shook their heads and headed to the parking lot. The infield coach wanted to know where the hell they thought they were headed and they said they would be right back…they needed a break and about that time Liz pulled into the parking lot in the big crew cab pickup truck and pulled in beside the escalade. The first thing Pete noticed was a honking rock on her left hand and jabbed Jay in the gut and then Josh and Pete nodded to the hand that was hanging onto the truck door. All three men looked at Max who was oblivious to the three friends as he helped Liz down and then they all got the shock of their lives. Max pulled Liz in for a nice long sweet kiss before allowing her to move to the escalade. Pete just smiled…he couldn’t wait to get Anne on the phone…and Jay being Jay pulled no punches with his friend.

“Okay Evans, what in the hell is going on here?”

And Max and Liz looked at him with puzzled expressions and Jay pointed to the ring on Liz’s finger. “Oh that, well Liz’s annulment came through on Tuesday and now we can pick up where we left off six years ago.”

“Six years ago you were babies.” Jay said.

“Yes we were, but now we’re not and so in six months you will all be invited to the wedding.”

About that time the infield coach came out to see what the hell was keeping his ball players as well as the batting coaches along with the pitchers and the catchers. Soon they would have the entire Philly’s team in the parking lot instead of on the playing field and Liz was getting uncomfortable.

Max looked down at her and smiled…”guys, I would like to introduce you to Doctor Elizabeth Parker renowned scientist and my fiancé…Liz meet the guys.”

They all gulped and smiled and said hello and …Max nodded and said he’d be right there as soon as they got the seats out of the escalade and then they were gone. Max and Jay took the back seat, Josh and Pete took the middle seat and they had them in the back of the truck in no time. Liz thanked all of them very much…Max handed her the keys to the escalade she gave him the keys to the truck, he gave her a nice kiss good bye and she was on her way. He told her not to unload any of the stuff until he got home and she just looked at him like he was nuts and took off. Life is never going to be dull with her around, that’s for sure and Max smiled and headed back onto the field. All of the guys cheered as he came back and he just smiled and waved to them in thanks.

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Jan:So happy you are enjoying...
destinyc:you are so right!
LilLoucfer:You're very welcome...
Kate:Just keep reading...
Natalie36:Thank you...
Roswell4life: Here's more....

*~*~*

Chapter: 32

Back in Roswell Philip placed a call to the Crashdown Café and asked to speak to Jeff Parker…Michael answered the phone and said “Philip?”

“Yes Michael, is Jeff in?”

“Yeah, sure…is anything wrong with anybody Philip?”

“No Michael, it’s more of a personal nature.”

“Oh good…sure hold on and I’ll get him for you.”

Soon Jeff Parker picked up the phone and said “Hi Phil, what can I do for you?”

“Hello Jeff. I was wondering if you could meet for lunch at Senor Chou’s this afternoon around 1:00. I’d like to talk to you about some things and I would like it to be somewhere private…away from the Crashdown.”

“Of course I can. I’ll see you at 1:00 then.”

“Good Jeff, one it is.” And both men hung up.

Jeff wondered what Philip had to talk to him about…maybe it’s about their kids…He did see the picture of Liz and Max in the paper the other day and he also saw the final playoff game last week. Liz surely was having herself a good time. It was so nice to see her even if it was on television.

Right at one o’clock Jeff and Philip both walked up to Senor Chou’s restaurant and the old friends shook hands before entering the establishment.

Philip gave the hostess his name and they were taken to the back of the restaurant to a very private table and were seated. The hostess took their drink orders, one iced tea and one hot coffee and she was off.

Philip looked at Jeff and smiled and then he began…”Jeff, I think the conversation I am about to have with you is probably 20 years over due. I really don’t know where to start so I am going to start by asking you a question. Please don’t think I am sticking my nose into something that isn’t my business because…right now…this is my business. Liz has retained my firm to represent her in a legal matter that has escalated into a really serious problem and some of the problems are a little personal in nature.”

“What the hell is going on Phil? What do you mean serious?”

“Jeff, please just hear me out for a minute or two. Liz’s husband was trying to have her murdered to take over her estate. She is quite well off for a young person…but that is not the entire problem.”

Jeff gasped, he could not believe what he just heard…”you mean someone wants my Lizzie dead? Philip, is this a joke?”

“No Jeff, it’s not a joke…the man is behind bars along with Tess Harding, one of Liz’s school mates who wanted my son’s attention and felt that Liz was standing in the way. Tess is the one who instigated the entire situation and convinced this Don Adams to marry Liz in order to keep her away from Max. But that is not why I’m here…basically I want to find out how you feel about your daughter and how you feel about your daughter’s relationship with her mother?

“Philip, I love Liz more than life but Nancy insisted that I remain on the outside of Liz’s life. Nancy feels that this is the way a girl should be brought up so I left her have her way. I was never completely comfortable with this situation but Liz seemed to be doing alright so I provided a home for them. Nancy insisted that this was the man’s roll in life. Is something wrong with Liz? I saw her at the ballgame and then her picture was in the paper and she looked happy…but I had no idea she was having any problems. I haven’t seen her in about four years but Nancy insisted it was because she is so busy.”

Philip ran his hands through his gray hair and looked at his friend as though he was some sort of an alien…”Jeeee-zus Christ Jeff…will you listen to yourself. You were brought up in a home with parents that loved you and took part in your life and you left this woman tell you that you had no right to be a part of your daughter’s life! You’re as nuts as she is.”

“Philip, the only female in our home was my mother…and what do you mean Nancy’s nuts?”

“Well, Jeff…that’s putting it mildly. Listen to my story and then you be the judge. Since Liz was born Nancy has blamed her for ruining her life. She provided Liz with clothes, food and shelter and little else. She has brow beat her, belittled her and shown her nothing but a cold existence. When she saw Liz’s picture in the paper last week she called Liz up and accused her of having an affair with Max and was defending Liz’s husband. She hasn’t even spoken to Liz in almost two years. When Liz called her two years ago to tell her that she was getting married to Don Adams Nancy told Liz that she hoped she had a good life and hung up on her. While Liz was in college Nancy called her maybe three times a year. Do you know that Liz received her doctorate in 6 years. Jeff, that is practically unheard of….she worked to provide herself with the necessities of life and went to school on a full scholarship. Did you think you were putting her through school or did you know how she managed to attend Harvard? I can’t believe that a father would know positively nothing about his child’s life…” Philip was practically in tears by now and Jeff looked like someone had just hit him in the stomach with a 2 X 4.

“Holy God Philip, are you serious? Nancy has always taken care of the household money and she told me Liz was doing fine and was just busy. She always told me that Liz sent her love and I just assumed everything was alright. I had no idea that we didn’t even send the girl a wedding present. Nancy said that she didn’t have a wedding, just a civil ceremony and nobody was invited…I had no idea we didn’t even send her a card. I don’t even have her address or phone number. Nancy takes care of all of that.”

“Well Jeff, here’s a list of numbers that you can reach your daughter at along with her address. I think it would be nice of you to give her a call once in awhile and Jeff…Nancy needs some serious help.

I hope it’s not too late for her but I can tell you this…You have one of the sweetest daughters ever born and how she managed to grow up into the person she is with the childhood she had is beyond me. God has taken very good care of her. I don’t think I would call her right away though…she’s is staying at Max’s while this thing in Connecticut gets sorted out with her husband…who by the way is not her husband anymore because he was also married to someone else when he married Liz and she was given an annulment on Tuesday. But there is still the matter of Tess Harding, and if you can believe this one…Liz wants the people who knew her to testify on Tess’s behalf so she can be declared mentally unstable and won’t have to spend the rest of her life in a penitentiary because Liz thinks she should have psychiatric help. Now if that isn’t the actions of a wonderful person I don’t know what is. Apparently your mother had some influence on her before she died because she certainly didn’t get any guidance from Nancy and obviously not from you.”

“My God Philip, I had no idea. I am so sorry for all of this…my only hope is that she will forgive me.”

“Oh I have no doubts about that…she has to be the most forgiving person I have ever met…the only person she really argues with is Max and I think they argue with each other for entertainment. They are truly fun to be around and I hope they will be around each other permanently some day. They’re good together Jeff and I don’t want that wife of yours wielding her knife into Liz’s psyche and screwing anything up. Will you see to it that she gets the help she needs before it’s too late?”

“Oh, you can count on it Philip, trust me. She will get help or she will get out, no more lies.” Jeff assured Philip…

“Good…now let’s order. How have you been personally Jeff, you’re looking good…” and so the rest of the afternoon was spent with old friends catching up.

*~*~*

Meanwhile back in Philadelphia Liz was having a wonderful time at the discount store she had seen in the mall last week. There was anything and everything in this place. She headed over to the linen department and found exactly what she was looking for in towels for Maria and Michaels’ room. They were exactly the colors to go with the marble on the counters so she bought four complete sets plus extra hand towels and the matching accessories such as the tooth brush holder, glass, lotion dispenser, soap dish and a Kleenex box cover all in muted shades of golds, yellows and browns. She found a very pretty stand up mirror with a magnified side as well as a regular side so she bought two of those. One for each bathroom and then a bath mat and throw rug. Then she found a free standing toilet paper holder and thought that was cute so she bought two of those also. That took care of the incomplete bedroom and now she had to decide what she wanted for the bedroom that needed everything. She searched throughout the store and didn’t find anything she liked so she decided to go over to the department store where she bought her slacks and other clothes to see what was over there. She took these purchases out to the escalade and then headed on back into the mall. It was almost lunch time so she stopped and bought another chili dog…boy were those things good…after she had her lunch she headed on over to the other store to finish up.

She took the escalator up to the fourth floor and knew she had made the right decision. Everything was positively wonderful…her biggest problem here was going to be making a decision. Most of the items were laid out in coordinated displays so it would be easy to find everything once she decided on what she wanted. She figured she would just amble around and once she saw something that really struck her fancy…be it a soap dish or a comforter the rest would fall into place. She was right…She saw some baby blue sheer curtain panels that were hanging there and were silently saying to her “buy me…buy me…” so she did. She purchased four panels per window in the sizes she needed for the bedroom and three valances for the bathroom windows plus the necessary rods and hardware…then she went and chose white ready made drapes trimmed in the same baby blue color as the panels to go over the sheers and a coordinating baby blue valance trimmed in a white cord…there was a duvet in the same blue and white color and she bought the king size along with the down comforter to go inside. She purchased two king sized feather pillows and two euro pillows as well and she bought the shams for the euro pillows along with five color coordinated throw pillows. She purchased two sets of sheets and king sized pillow cases to match the comforter and a baby blue throw trimmed in a darker coordinating blue to drape over the foot of the bed. She found a feather mattress cover and bought that and then she found a beautiful silver vase to set on the dresser along with two silver lamps with white shades and silver pulls for the night stands. She found a pink, blue and lavender silk flower arrangement in a crystal bowl which she purchased…then she headed to the bathroom section.

She found towels that matched the bedroom purchases and then she chose a white and silver toned tooth brush holder, soap dish and other items needed to complete the bathroom. She also purchased a cute picture to hang over the towel rack. She found a silver basket to put the oils and soaps in that she had purchased at the hotel. She bought 6 of those…one for each bathroom…She paid for all of her purchases and asked if she could pick them up someplace in her vehicle and the sales clerk said absolutely and told her how to get to the receiving dock from outside…She informed Liz that her purchases would be there in about 20 minutes and Liz thanked her and then went over to the other part of the department and found terry robes to hang on the hooks in the bathroom. She bought a pretty yellow set for Michaels and Maria’s room and a baby blue set for the last room. She checked her list and felt she had everything she needed and then she went to the accessories department to find some things she didn’t need. She saw a beautifully framed Monet print as she entered the department and chose that for the bedroom and a couple of small sconces as well. She bought some candles and crystal candle holders to set on the dresser by the silk flower arrangement and then she paid for those items and took them with her and headed out to the parking lot to go and pick up the rest of her things. This was as much fun as it was to go clothes shopping.

Liz looked at her watch and noticed it was almost 5:30…she called Max to see how much longer he was going to be and Pete answered his phone. “Hey Liz, what’s up?”

“Is that you Pete?” Liz asked confusedly….

“Yeah, Max is in the shower…do you want him to call you back?”

“Yeah Pete, tell him to call my cell okay..and thanks.”

“Oh, hold on here he is.”

“Hey sweetheart, what are you up to?”

“Oh, about 5’2”.”

“Cute Liz, now what’s up?”

“Hey I’m at the mall waiting to get the stuff I bought loaded up…you want to pick up something for dinner on your way home?”

“Sure, what do want, Italian, Chinese…drive though…it’s your call.”

“You know what…Chinese sounds good…how about that?”

“Chinese it is…anything special?”

“Surprise me…make it ‘yummy’”

“Oh you know I will…see you in a bit…love you.”

“Oh Max, I love you too, so much. Good bye love.”

“Good bye Liz.”

And with that Max started to get dressed and Liz opened the back of the escalade so the shipping clerk could load up her purchases…She was almost afraid they wouldn’t all fit … but with some maneuvering they got everything in and Liz was on her way.

*~*~*

When she got home she pulled the escalade as close as she could to the back door, and opened the back door of the car. She got her keys and unlocked the back door of the house and left it hang open and then opened the door to the elevator and started unloading the van and loading the elevator…she actually had to take the packages up in three loads. She stood there looking at all of the bags, boxes and containers and started to giggle uncontrollably. She had spent more money in the last two weeks than she had spent in all of her life put together. Max walked in on this scene carrying his take out bags and looked at her like she had lost her mind…

“Liz are you alright?”

Liz stood on her tiptoes and kissed Max and said “Yeah Max, I’m fine…let’s eat.”

“Would you like to close the door on the van first? Some critters might crawl in there and ruin some stuff.”

“Sure, I’ll meet you in the kitchen…”

“Alright, see you in a minute.” And Max headed to the kitchen to get ready for dinner.

After a nice little makeout session by the island in the kitchen Max and Liz sat down to enjoy their Chinese food and some light conversation.

“So, did you have a good day today?” Max asked…

“Oh my, you know I did. How did the guys take to your little announcement?” Liz asked.

“Pete didn’t seem a bit surprised but Jay wanted to know what happened to the Adams name although he didn’t put it like that. I merely told him that your annulment came through on Tuesday and that we intended to pick up where we left off six years ago. He informed that we were babies six years ago and I told him that now we’re not and we intended to get on with our lives. They all seemed okay with that and so am I.”

Liz looked at Max and said “Mmmmm, yummy!”

Max looked at Liz and grinned…”Okay…now, or can we finish our dinner?”

Liz grinned at Max and said…”How about both?”

“Works for me…bring your plate with you.” And with that they headed to Max’s room. No need to come back down for dinner…Max went to the pantry, retrieved a tray and proceeded to put all the containers on the tray and headed for the elevator.

“No honey…take the stairs…I’ll show you why later and they both headed up the back staircase. Max had a sneaking suspicion why they couldn’t use the elevator but he would help her with that later…right now there were more pressing things to take care of and one of the things was pressing on his jeans.

They put the food in the mini kitchen; oh how nice to come home to this he thought and with that Max and Liz got busy getting reacquainted in the bedroom.

After a couple of hours of lovemaking and a short nap Max got up and went to the bathroom for a quick shower and then put the Chinese food in the microwave to heat up…Liz heard him and she in turn went to his bathroom and took a quick shower as well and found a pair of Max’s boxers and a tee shirt and put them on and joined him in the little sitting room for the remainder of their dinner. Max had turned on the automatic log in the fireplace and it really was quite cozy.

“Happy?” Max asked…

“Oh my yes Max, I can’t remember ever being this happy…it’s almost scary, no one should feel this good and get away with it.”

“Oh sweetheart…you have so much more happiness to experience…this is just the beginning…just you wait, it’s going to get so much better. You will completely forget what it’s like to be unhappy.”

“Thank you Max.”

Our young couple continued to enjoy their Chinese food and light conversation and then they figured they’d better clean up and get the rest of the things out of the escalade before they settled in for the night…

Max didn’t want to let the car sit out in the elements overnight…you never knew what the weather was going to be like or how many squirrels would be crawling all over it so Max headed downstairs. Liz headed over to the elevator door to remove the packages in the elevator cage before sending it back downstairs for Max. she put all of the purchases in the empty room and would sort the stuff all out in the morning. She needed to wash the towels and robes before using them. The sheets were all in packages so she wouldn’t need to wash them.

Soon Max came up the elevator with the last load of stuff and when he went into the bedroom at the end of the hall he just stood and looked at the packages and boxes sitting everywhere and then he looked at Liz…”Did you buy out the entire store Liz?”

“No, just some of it…it takes a lot of stuff to outfit a bedroom and bathroom.”

“I guess so…do we have room for all of this?”

“Of course we do… now can you give me an idea where a hammer, screw driver and ladder might be located so I can get started in the morning.”

“What do you mean ladder, and tools? What for?”

“To hang the curtains silly…”

“What curtains…there’s blinds.”

“But curtains need to hang over blinds to make things look better…It’s like putting a dress on over your underwear Max.”

“Sometime just underwear is nice Liz.”

“Yes it is but so is a pretty dress.”

Max looked at her big brown eyes and started to smile knowingly…”You win sweetheart…I know it will be beautiful when you’re finished and I will call Charley tomorrow morning and tell him to come and help you, is that okay?”

“That’s perfect Max…but really, I can put the curtain rods up myself, I have done it before.”

Max walked over and took her into his arms…”I’m sure you have but I want Charley to do it for you, okay?” and he kissed the tip of her nose.

“Okay Max…but I don’t want you to think I’m helpless.”

“Liz, I know you’re not helpless but I want you to learn to accept help when it’s available…please?”

“Yes Max, I’ll work on it…honest.”

“Good, now are we finished in here for the night?”

“Yes…what did you have in mind?”

“How about a movie and we play it by ear from there?”

“Oh, yummy!”

Max looked down at her and chuckled...”I think that’s my new favorite word on earth.” And they both laughed.

Max picked Liz up and headed for his room…Liz thought about it for a minute…”you know we really didn’t need to finish up these rooms… Maria and Michael could have had mine.” Oh well…tomorrow I will think about that. Maybe we shouldn’t be sharing a room while everyone is here…something to think about tomorrow but tonight we are definitely sharing…YUMMY!

*~*~*

[mary mary]

Jan
destiny
LilLoucfer
Ken
Natalie

Thank you so much \

*~*~*

Chapter: 33

Meanwhile back in Connecticut the judge had signed the papers for Tess’s transfer to the mental facility across town from the jail. The transfer officer took her up to the admitting office to present all of the necessary papers and an attendant came to take her to her room. The attendant had just opened the door for Tess to enter and get changed into the customary inmate uniform when the attendant was summoned to another room to help with a difficult patient. The attendant left Tess standing there unattended and her room wide open. Tess looked around and saw that nobody was watching and simply walked out.

When the attendant came back to finish getting Tess ready she found the room empty and sudden panic set in. She sounded the alarm in the room and people came running from all directions…The attendant explained what had occurred and then there was silence, oh damn.

Studies had not even been started on the patient so they had no idea what they were dealing with. They knew that she had something to do with a conspiracy to murder but they had no clue as to how involved with it she was or how dangerous she was. Oh there was going to be hell to pay for this one. The officer that had brought Tess to the facility immediately called the precinct and reported that the inmate had escaped and had an APB put into effect, he immediately headed back to the station. What a mess he thought to himself.

The next morning Kyle was hit with the news about Tess and immediately called his dad in Roswell and told him to get in touch with Philip Evans.

When Jim called Philip all Philip could say was “Ah shit Jim…we thought this was behind us. Thanks, I’ll call Liz and Max immediately and tell them that the potential danger is back, I appreciate your concern…thanks again.”

Philip Called Max and told him what had happened and Max couldn’t believe it. He had to be at practice in an hour, Liz was still asleep…he had to wake her up and tell her not to leave the estate and then he called the attorney that he had working on the case for him and told him he needed some private security set up around the estate. He had to protect Liz at all costs. What a freakin’ mess.

“Thanks Dad, we’ll see you tomorrow. Take care til’ then.” And Philip and Max hung up.

Oh how he hated to do this next chore….”Liz, Liz honey you need to wake up.”

Liz opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at the man she loved and said “Hi Lover.” Max chuckled at her and then lifted her up and sat her on his lap…”I have something to tell you sweetheart…Tess has escaped and you need to stay put for awhile.” He didn’t know how else to tell her so he just blurted it out.

“Oh…” Was her only comment and then she asked…”How?”

“Well I don’t know all of the particulars but it happened during the transfer to the mental facility. It seems the attendant in charge of getting her set up in her room left her unattended and the door open to her room…she simply walked out.”

“Well, one things for certain…she’s not stupid is she?”

Max chuckled at her nonchalance and said “I guess not. Now will you stay put until we find out more?”

“Of course…you go get ready for practice and I’ll fix you something to eat…what would you like?”

“Oh nothing elaborate…how about some corn flakes and coffee?”

“Well, I think I can do that…give me a minute to go to the bathroom and then I’ll head on downstairs and get started.”

Max smiled at her and lifted her off his lap, patted her behind and said “In a minute…” She returned his smile and headed to the bathroom to take care of her immediate needs, brush her teeth and run a comb though her hair and she was on her way to the kitchen.

Max called Charley to ask him to come over with his tool box later and then he got himself ready to leave.

When he arrived in the kitchen Liz had set the cereal, milk and coffee on the island and had a coffee cup sitting next to Max’s place for herself. She really wasn’t hungry just yet…she needed a minute to think.

“I guess I shouldn’t be going to Mass alone this morning should I?”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. What time is the latest Mass this evening?”

“I don’t know…I went to 5:30 last Sunday, I can check to see if there’s one later than that”…and with that she went over to the computer sitting on the desk in the kitchen and logged onto the web site for SS. Peter and Paul’s . “There’s one at 7:00 Max.”

“Good, wait for me and we will go to 7:00 p.m. together…is that okay?”

“That’s perfect Max…I’ll be ready when you get here so we can leave right away.”

“Good, I’ll see you somewhere between 6:30 and 6:45 tonight…I love you Liz Parker.”

“Mmmmmm….I love you too Max Evans…” and she gave him a great big hug and a big sloppy, loud kiss on his mouth.

Max grabbed her and told her to behave and then bent down and really laid one on her…

“Mmmmmm, Yummy!!!” Liz sighed. Max chuckled and told her later and with that he headed to the back door…”Oh, Liz, put some clothes on…Charley will be here to hang curtain rods shortly. See you later.” And he was off.

*~*~*

Liz headed upstairs after she straightened up the kitchen and went to her room to grab some jeans and a tee shirt…she put on her fuzzy slippers and then headed back to Max’s room to make the bed and grab some dirty laundry. She figured she would just wash what little bit that was there along with the new towels and linens. She loaded up the dumb waiter and sent everything down to the laundry room. She found an iron and ironing board propped up against the back of the door and proceeded to take them upstairs after she loaded the washing machines with all of the towels. She could iron the new drapes and sheer panels while Charley hung the curtain rods for her.

About that time there was a knock at the back door and Charley was there with his ladder and tool box and Liz led him to the elevator and they headed up to the spare bedroom together. They measured the length of the curtains and Charley put the rods up exactly where Liz wanted them. And within the hour Liz and Charley were both finished and the new curtains, drapes and valances were hung. Charley had to admit…the windows looked beautiful and he told Liz so. She scrunched her shoulders together and thanked him and gave him a big smile…she thought so too. Then she showed him the Monet and the sconces and asked if he had some hardware in his tool box that they could use to hang them as well and he said he did so he hung the picture and sconces on the wall by the chair in the bedroom and it looked beautiful. The colors in the picture picked up the colors on the walls and in the new curtains and comforter. It really looked great. Charley gave Liz a nice big smile and told her it was a pleasure to work with her and she giggled at his compliment and told him thank you…

Then Charley couldn’t hold back his question any longer. It was impossible not to notice the rock on the left hand of the young woman so Charley asked,
“Is that new?” pointing to her finger…

Liz looked at her hand, held it out for Charley to have a better look and said “Yes it is…isn’t it beautiful?”

“It certainly is Liz…how soon do you think you and Mr. Evans will be tying the knot.”

“Just as soon as we can…The church has about a six month waiting period before they’ll perform a marriage ceremony. We have to attend classes and stuff…I’m not sure just what it entails but we will have to talk to the monsignor and arrange a schedule that we can handle. I will have to commute between here and Connecticut until I get my job transferred or something so we have a lot of decisions to make before setting a definite date. We’ll figure it out though. We’ve waited this long a couple more months won’t hurt us.”

“Well, congratulations Liz, I know you two will be happy.”

“Oh Charley, I know it too. We have waited so long for this…it’s going to be wonderful.”

And with that Charley bid Liz goodbye and she thanked him again and said goodbye.

She went back downstairs and put some more towels in the washing machines and the wet ones in the dryers and headed back up to finish cleaning the bedrooms and making the beds before tackling the bathrooms. She put the pretty new soap dishes and accessories around the counter and hung the terry robe hooks on the backs of the two bathroom doors and then she pulled out all of the silver baskets and went to her room and brought all of the toiletries to the spare bedroom where she was working. She filled the baskets with the soaps, oils and bubble bath that she had purchased in New York. She had chosen six different fragrances and she made sure that each bathroom had a different fragrance, then set a basket in each bathroom on the shelf above the bathtub. She stood back and admired her handy work … they really looked nice. Then she set the lamps on the night stand and the silk flower arrangement on the dresser in the new blue and white room and was happy with her work, the room looked great…maybe Michael and Maria would like this room instead of the other…she would give them a choice.

After the two incomplete rooms were cleaned and made up Liz went downstairs and folded all of the new towels and robes. She put them in the dumb waiter and went back upstairs, removed the linens from the dumb waiter and headed to the new bathrooms. She hung two complete sets of towels on the towel racks and folded the extra sets right next to the shower on the shelves provided and decided the shelves needed something else to complete the picture so she went down to the butlers pantry and started fishing around for some pretty accessories and came up with some candle holders, vases and some pretty blue tapers…oh these were perfect and she headed back upstairs. She would have Max stop at the Mall after Mass so she could pick up some silk greenery…this is so pretty she thought. She couldn’t wait for Izzy and Diane to see what she had done.

By noon Liz was finished with her morning project and she decided to make sure everything was still clean and didn’t need freshened up and when she was certain the house was company ready she headed upstairs and treated herself to a long leisurely bubble bath. This was so nice she thought…after she got out of the tub she went to her bed and pulled the comforter over her and fell asleep.

She woke up about 5:00 p.m. and couldn’t believe she had slept that long…she went to the bathroom to freshen up and chose one of her new slack suits for Mass. She put her hair up in a loose French roll and applied some make up and was headed for the kitchen about a half hour later when she heard the garage door open. She went to the back window and saw Max coming in from the back entrance and ran to meet him. “You’re early tonight… is everything alright?”

“Of course…we got finished early today. I see you’re all ready to go. Do you want to meet up with the guys for dinner after Mass.”

“I’d love to but I would like to go the mall before tomorrow. Can we go now, before Mass?”

“Sure, but what in the hell do you need now?”

“Oh, just a couple of silk plants…come and see the room..”

Her eyes were oozing excitement and Max couldn’t resist “Okay, let’s go have a look.”

And with that they headed up the backstairs to the farthest bedroom and when Max walked in he couldn’t believe his eyes. The room had been transformed into a beautiful retreat that spelled comfort to whomever entered. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead…”It’s beautiful Liz. Maybe we could make this our room.”

“Oh Max, don’t be silly…your room is positively grand and I love it because it’s yours…”

“Okay Liz, but if you want to redo it feel free. It is exactly the way it was when I bought the place.”

“Well, let’s not jump into anything okay. If we redo your room it will be something we both want…not just me. Deal?”

“Deal, now let’s get to the mall and get you some silk plants” Then he looked around and asked “Just where are you going to put them?”

Liz grabbed Max’s arm and pulled him into the bathroom and pointed to the shelves next to the shower…”Right there on the top shelf…it needs something …perky.” She said with her shoulders sort of pushed together and her hands folded in front of her, low on her body.

“Perky?” Max questioned with a grin…He wanted to squeeze her til she screamed.

“Yeah, perky, okay?” She said with a big smile.

“Okay sweetheart…let’s go get something perky…” and with that they left the room and headed out to the mall.

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