Part 19B
Later that evening while Jackie helped her mother set the table for dinner, Nick asked Max for some help moving a pool table in their rec room. As they finished Nick said “Max, I’d like to ask you some questions about the Halloween party you want to take Jackie to. Where is it again?”
“At Rutgers, sir,” Max answered respectfully. He had a feeling that moving the pool table may have been an excuse for Jackie’s father to question him on their plans. Jackie had told him that her parents were vacillating on allowing her to go, mainly because the plans included them staying overnight at the dorms with his friends. His own parents had warned him that Nick and Paula might not be too thrilled with the idea. “A couple of my friends go to school there and they invited a bunch of us to come up.”
“Jackie said that you wanted to stay overnight?”
“If that’s OK with you and Aunt Paula, yes sir.”
“And exactly where would you be staying?” Nick asked as he tossed a cue ball from hand to hand.
Max nervously watched the ball moving back and forth as Nick watched him closely. “In my friend’s rooms. Two of my friends, Linda and Matt, are in the same dorm. We’d stay with them.” ‘It’s getting hot in here’, Max thought to himself as he absently tugged on the collar of his T-shirt.
“So I assume that you’d be staying with Matt and Jackie would stay with Linda.”
Max understood that it was a statement and not a question. “Yes sir, they said they have plenty of room for us. Being there’s two rooms and all.” What did they have the thermostat in this room set on anyway?
“Jackie told us that you don’t drink,” her father said, his eyes closely focused on Max’s face as he studied his reaction.
“No sir, I don’t,” he replied evenly, meeting the older mans gaze. This was an easy question to answer because he never had even tasted alcohol. “I don’t believe in putting things into my body that could do it harm.” Of course Nick couldn’t know the truth behind that statement. Over the years since entering high school Liz had told him many times, usually before he went to a party, of the dangers of him using drugs or alcohol, based upon his father’s experience when he was a teenager. His dad had also described to him what just one small sip had done to him. “I’ll be honest with you son,” his dad had said, “the drunk part was fun. What wasn’t fun was sobering up and wondering if I’d given myself away by using my powers in public. Then it became terrifying. It’s not something we can afford to do.” Max had taken his words very seriously and adhered to the warning. It was just one more thing that made his parents so proud of him.
“Well those words are music to a father’s ear,” Nick said with a smile. As much as he wished he could hide his little girl away forever, he had to admit that he couldn’t have picked a better guy than Max if he had tried himself. He was exceedingly polite, genuinely nice, came from a great family, and his brother and sister-in-law adored him. With a deep sigh he decided to trust the young man he’d known and liked since he was a child. “Well, I’ll discuss it with Paula again, but I think it will be OK for Jackie to go with you.”
“Thank you sir,” Max said, relieved at his decision.
“Please don’t make me regret my decision Max.” ‘A little old-fashion fear to keep him on his toes never hurts,’ Nick thought wryly.
Max looked the older man dead in the eye. “I won’t sir.”
“Thank you Max. It’s not that easy for me to trust my daughter to just anyone, you know.”
“I’d never let anything happen to Jackie sir.” It was a statement full of conviction, and Nick believed him to be sincere.
The hard part over with, Max had a question for him. “Uncle Nick? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure Max,” he replied.
“Did you, uh, did you really wear that Blue Angel costume?”
Nick began laughing at the young man’s question. “Oh, I wore it all right, tights and all. Jackie told us she wanted you two to wear those costumes to this party.”
“So you, ah, you didn’t mind wearing it?”
Nick continued to laugh as he replied, “oh, I didn’t say that Max.”
“Then why did you…”
“The same reason you’re about to wear it,” Nick said as he smiled at him knowingly.
“Because Aunt Paula wanted you to,” Max said. “I guess Dad and Uncle Alex were right.”
“About what?”
“They said something about being in a relationship and not having an opinion.”
Nick slung his arm around Max’s shoulder and led him toward the dining room for dinner. “Oh yeah, and forget about making any decisions on your own.”
Max looked at him wide-eyed. “You all talk about it like it’s-“
“Inevitable,” Nick said, finishing his sentence for him. “It is my boy, it is. Why do you think I have Mets season tickets and not for the Yankees? I hate the Mets!”
“That’s where I draw the line,” Max muttered as they entered the dining room.
As they finished dinner Jackie said, “Mom, is it OK if I skip the dishes tonight, we have to leave soon if we want to make it to the movie.”
“OK, your sisters can pick up the slack,” replied her mother, causing her younger twin sisters to start whining about ‘fair division of labor’. As they argued Nick asked, “what movie are you seeing?”
“Oh, it’s an art film Daddy,” Jackie answered as she ignored her siblings. “It’s a documentary about a ballerina struggling to join the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. My dance teacher saw it and said it was great.”
Max happened to look over at her father who was now smiling at him amusedly. “An art film, sounds good Max,” as the young man rolled his eyes. He reached out and pat his arm as he whispered, “just let me know when you want those Mets tickets,” and both men began to chuckle at their private joke.
Jackie looked at them strangely and said, “we’d better go Max.” They bid goodbye and a short while later found themselves at an old movie house.
“Wow, this place is cool,” Max said as they entered the lobby and saw the beautiful art deco design.
“Yeah, it was built in the early 1950’s and they completely renovated it about five years ago. Now they show classic films and stuff. I love this place,” Jackie said as she tugged on his hand and led him into the theater. “Wanna see the balcony?” Her question sounded innocent, but she had an ulterior motive for dragging him up the stairs. The balcony area was out of view of anyone who might be sitting in the theater below- perfect for two people who might want some privacy. Due to the almost one hour distance they lived apart, their time alone was very limited as most of their time together was spent at college, at one of their houses with their families, or at Maria and Alex’s. Jackie was craving some uninterrupted one-on-one time with him, and when her dance teacher had told her about the film playing that evening, she knew immediately they were going to go to the movies that evening. Despite some heated make-out sessions, the most intimate they had been was when Max had accidentally brushed his hand over her breast once. While she had actually been glad they had so much time to really get to know each other and become true friends, she was now ready to begin taking steps to move the physical part of their relationship forward. She hoped that the dark, intimate space the balcony at the Alex Theater provided would give the shy couple the privacy they both craved.
Max followed her as she pulled him along to the last row where there were only two seats in a small alcove. “Wow, nice seats,” he commented as he sat down in the extra wide seat that rocked slightly.
“Yeah, they’re comfortable aren’t they?” she said as the house lights dimmed and she took a quick peak at the rest of the seats below the balcony. “There are only about six other people down there,” she said as she sat down next to him. He grabbed her hand and gave it a quick kiss before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and settling into the comfortable chair.
“So what’s this movie about again?” he asked as the opening music began playing and he studied the credits on the screen.
“Some ballet thing,” Jackie answered distractedly as she stared at him. She had been thinking about being alone with him all day and she couldn’t wait another moment to feel the lushness of his lips moving over hers.
“I thought you…” He was unable to finish his sentence because as he turned to look at her she grabbed his face and pulled him to her for a long, heated kiss. When they separated he looked at her a bit dazed and smiled crookedly. “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought you wanted to see this movie.”
“Max,” she said as she grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket and pulled him closer to her, “I don’t feel like talking right now.”
His eyes narrowed as they focused on her tongue sliding over her bottom lip. “I can do that,” he breathed before his mouth swooped down onto hers and he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her toward him. They devoured each other with long, deep, hungry kisses as they tried to press closer to each other, the arm divider between the seats frustrating them both. She felt his hand on her waist as his lips descended down her throat and she instinctively tried to press up against him, only to once again come into contact with the cold metal of the arm. She pushed him away from her and before he could ask what was wrong, she slid onto his lap straddling his thighs and reclaimed his lips, pressing her body against his tightly. Max lost himself in her delicious kisses, and he slid one hand up into her hair as the other wrapped around her waist to keep her in place. Not that she had any plans on going anywhere.
Their torsos moved against each other as they continued to kiss and she could feel the hardness of his upper body as they pressed together. She had seen him shirtless several times over the summer so she was familiar with the sculpted beauty that was his chest, but the only time she had touched his bare skin was in her dreams. ‘Time to see how accurate those dreams are,’ she thought as she gathered her courage and moved her hands to where his T-shirt was tucked into his jeans. With one firm tug the material sprung loose from his waistband and she quickly moved her hands under the soft cotton shirt. His breathing became staccato as her hands skirted over the solid planes of his chest, and suddenly he was unable to keep his hands still any longer.
The hand he had fisted into her hair joined the other one resting on her waist and began to fiddle with the hem of her top, which had ridden up with their movements. The first touch of his hand to her skin made them pull apart as they both sucked in a breath of air, their hands continuing to move.
They stared into each other’s eyes as they took in the sensations exploding under their curious fingers. As Jackie brushed over his nipple his eyes rolled shut, and as he felt her mouth travel up his neck with her tongue swiping over his skin in time with the movement of her hand he began to breathe harder. No girl had ever touched him like this and her simple actions were threatening to bring some of his fantasies to life. Fantasies that he had never dreamed might actually happen to him due to his otherworldly status. Fantasies that for the last several months she had been starring in. Fantasies that were now causing the lower part of his anatomy to come to life.
She was pleased at his reaction to her ministrations except for the fact that his hands had ceased moving, so she slid forward on his lap hoping to cause him to restart what she had been enjoying. Even through the thickness of the jeans they were both wearing she could feel his growing excitement and it thrilled her to know that she could elicit such a reaction in him. She nuzzled his neck before kissing her way up to his ear. His breathing, which had once again become irregular upon her contact with his growing bulge, stopped completely when he heard her shyly whispered words.
“Touch me Max. Please.”
He swallowed hard as he began to move his hands under her top, gently sweeping them up over her back until he encountered the band of her bra before bringing them back down. He worked small circular patterns over her back before trailing his fingers up and down her sides while marveling at the softness of her skin. Their mouths, long since reconnected, parted at her gasp from his first contact with her breast. His thumb brushed over the sheer fabric that covered her nipple and immediately he could feel a difference in its texture as it became a hard point and strained against the fabric. His other hand cupped her other breast for a moment before he felt her hand snake in between his own. He heard something unsnap and then felt her bra fall open as she withdrew her hand, the full weight of the globes now resting in his palms.
“Please Max,” she whispered.
He held his breath as his fingers pushed aside the silk and lace harness and he caressed her ample breasts, his thumbs once again brushing over her nipples and bringing them to stiff peaks. She whimpered softly as he repeated the motion over and over, and when he tilted his head back slightly to see her face he was floored at the sight before him. Her head was bent slightly forward and her eyes half closed, her beautiful lips parted as she panted quietly for air, all because of him. He hungrily reclaimed her mouth and Jackie dug her hands into his hair as their passion rose. In an effort to get as close to him as possible she plastered her lower body to his, and the sensations he felt because of the movement of her hips made him acutely aware that he was in danger of having this fantasy finish the way his fantasies usually did. Not wanting to embarrass himself he dropped his hands to her waist to still her as he wrenched away from her intoxicating kisses, and leaned his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. After calming down he gently pushed her hips back from his and began dropping kisses over her face before reluctantly saying, “we have to stop Sweetheart.”
She nodded in response before refastening her bra and then tried to extricate herself from his arms to return to her seat, but his grasp only tightened. “I didn’t say you had to go anywhere,” he said with a crooked smile that made her giddy. She moved to sit sideways across his lap and leaned back into his chest, resting her head in the crook of his neck. They intermittently watched the movie and kissed, both careful not to let things get too heated again, but both looking very much forward to the next time they did.
In Your Eyes Book Two- M&L, ADULT- Complete
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Hunter, Island Breeze, Forum Moderators
CHAPTER 20
Halloween dawned on a sunny but chilly Saturday. Max sat with his mother in their large sunny kitchen talking about the party he and Jackie were going to that night. “Mom, how am I going to walk around in tights and a tutu tonight? It’s going to be freezing!”
“Now you know how women feel every day,” his mother replied with a smile. “Do you think I enjoy wearing panty hose and heels when it’s twenty degrees and windy outside?”
“Mmmooommm,” he whined, “I don’t want to do this!”
Liz leaned over and ruffled his hair as she laughed. “Ah, but you will do it my son. It’s all in the name of love, Max.”
Max’s eyes widened at her last statement and he studied her for a long moment before speaking. “Mom, can I ask you something?”
“You know the answer to that Sweetie,” she replied.
“How…how did you know you were in love with Dad?”
Liz swallowed as she looked at her beloved son, not wanting to start crying about him growing up when he obviously needed to talk about this subject. “Well, after your dad told me that he was from, you know, someplace else, he came to the restaurant one night because he figured that I was probably freaked out a little. He connected with me to show me that he was just as normal as anyone else. What he didn’t realize was that he showed me all of him, including his feelings, and I saw how he had felt about me since the first time he’d ever seen me. When I saw what a beautiful, gentle, loving soul he was, and that he felt about me the way I had only dreamed possible, that was it. I knew right then I was in love with him.”
Her son rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘I should have known it would be spectacular.’ “Yeah, but how do normal people know,” he teased.
“What’s so great about normal Max?” Liz said smiling, knowing he was unaware of the secret meaning of the words her husband had spoken to her so many years ago. Deciding to just ask the obvious question she said, “do you think you’re in love with Jackie?”
His cheeks pinkened slightly before he answered. “I don’t know. I know I like her. A lot. A whole lot. But how do I know if it’s love?”
“Well, I think you have to ask yourself some questions, like do I think about her all of the time? Do I want to be with her all of the time? When I’m with her am I happier than when I’m not with her? Am I willing to overlook faults in her that I maybe wouldn’t in other people? Am I willing to dress up in a silly Halloween costume to make her happy?” They both chuckled at her joke, and then she leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek. “Sweetie, love is a word that is tossed around with very little thought by many people. You should be sure of your feelings before using it. You will know in your heart if and when you are in love. And then, after ten or fifteen years of dating, maybe you’ll take that next big step of getting married and moving in with your mom and dad.”
Max laughed at his mother’s joke, knowing that to a large degree she’d be very happy if that’s exactly what happened. “You say that now Mom,” he said as he looped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “But when the baby comes you’ll be so busy you’ll want me to get out from under your feet.”
Liz turned toward him with a serious look on her face. “Is that what you think Max? Because nothing could be farther from the truth.” She reached up and lovingly brushed some hair off of his forehead. “Did you know that the day you were born was the first day in about seven months that I smiled? Your dad had left and my parents had died two months after that. There were times when I didn’t think I could go on, but I knew I had to because of you. When Maria lay you in my arms…I looked at you and smiled. I felt like my life was starting again.” She paused a moment before continuing. “I could have fifty more children Max, but you are always going to be the sunshine that made my life bright and happy again.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek again. “You’ll always be my baby Max.”
“Thanks Mom,” he said, a bit embarrassed but nevertheless happy about what she had said. “You know Mom,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I don’t think Dad would make it through fifty more pregnancies.”
Liz laughed at the thought of a perpetually nervous husband. Just then the sound of a car could be heard and they both glanced out the window to see it pulling into the driveway.
“Why is Aunt Maria driving Dad’s truck?” her son asked when he saw them as the vehicle came to a stop.
“I don’t know; he should’ve dropped her off after class,” she said, referring to the midwife course Maria and Max were taking on Saturday mornings. They both rose and walked outside to find Maria standing outside the open passenger side door giggling at Max. “Hi guys, what’s up…” Liz’s question trailed off as she caught sight of her husband. He was white as a ghost and his hands were shaking. Immediately alarmed she hurried over to him and cupped his cheeks in her hands and said, “Honey what’s wrong?” Maria began laughing harder and Liz turned and gave her a stern look. “Just what the hell is so funny about this?” she shot at her friend.
“Liz, calm down, he’s fine, I swear. He’s just a little queasy right now.”
As Liz and her son helped him out of the truck and into the house Liz said over her shoulder, “what’s going on Maria, why is he like this.”
They reached the living room and deposited Max in a chair, and Liz sat on the arm and held his hand while they waited for Maria’s answer.
“Well, today was film day in class. We watched a film of a woman giving birth.”
“Ohuuuhhhh,” Max moaned out at the reminder of the horror he’d just endured.
“Honey would you go and get a glass of water for your dad please?” Liz asked as she tried to comfort her husband. She thanked her son when he returned and encouraged Max to drink a bit as Maria continued.
“As you can see Max didn’t quite have the stomach for it. He actually looks better now than he did during the film. I didn’t think he was going to make it through a few times.”
“Was it really that bad Dad?” his son asked chuckling. “I mean, you’ve fought in a war and seen people killed. I wouldn’t think some lady having a baby would make you nauseous.”
“It was horrible Max,” his father finally said. “There was…lots of… stuff…coming out…and screaming…oh, the screaming…”
Liz pat his hand and got him to sip some more water. She looked up at Maria and winked, understanding that he was OK and just needed some TLC to calm down. “What time are you leaving for Jackie’s house?” she asked her son.
He looked at his watch and said, “actually, I should be going now. If you don’t need me, that is,” he added, looking at his dazed father and smirking mother.
“No Sweetie, I’m sure everything will be fine. Would you give Maria a ride home?”
“Sure. I’ll just go grab my bag and we’ll go,” he said before hurrying out of the room.
Maria kneeled down in front of Max. “Max you will be able to do this. Really, you’ll be so busy and focused on what has to be done that you won’t have time to get nervous. And as soon as you see that little baby- believe me you’ll forget all about all of the other stuff.” The sound of Max’s truck starting up could be heard and she stood up to leave. “Call me later Liz and let me know how he is. If you’re up to it we’ll go out to dinner or something.”
“OK Maria, I’ll talk to you later,” Liz replied as Max waived his goodbye to her and she departed. Liz took the glass from his hand and set it down on the coffee table before climbing onto his lap. She held his face in her hands while studying him. “Your color is more normal, do you feel a little better?”
“A little,” he said quietly as he watched her every move. “Liz, I…I…”
“What Honey,” she said in a soothing voice.
“I…I don’t want you to have to do that,” he finally said, causing her to smile at him.
She kissed the end of his nose before she said, “well unless you’ve got some other way for the baby to come out, we really don’t have too much to say about it.”
“It’s just…that woman was screaming like she was being tortured. And it lasted so long! I’ll never be able to stand you suffering like that.”
Liz took one of his hands and placed it on her round belly and then lay her hand over his. “It’s nothing I can’t handle Max. And Maria was right- when you finally get to hold the baby for the first time- you will forget everything but that moment.”
They sat in silence for a while; Max slowly rubbing her tummy while she watched over him, occasionally sharing a kiss or words of love. As time passed the kisses got longer and the amount of time between kisses got shorter. Parting for a breath she said, “do you feel better now Baby?”
“Uh huh,” he grunted before claiming her mouth again.
She pulled away from him and said, “Max, close the drapes please,” as he tried to chase after her.
With a flick of his hand he did what she wanted while asking, “why do you want them closed, it’s nice and sunny to…day…”
While he was talking she stood and began to shed her clothes. “I don’t want to give the neighbors a cheap thrill,” she said with a sexy grin on her face as she tossed her shirt on the floor.
“Good idea,” he said absently as he watched her peel her pants off and kick them to the side.
She knelt in between his legs and ran her hands from his knees over the top of his thighs until she reached the snap and zipper on his jeans. “The only one I want to give a thrill to,” she said seductively as she popped the button and lowered the zipper, “is you.”
“Well that’s good,” he muttered as he lifted his hips to assist her in pulling down his pants and boxers. She yanked off his shoes and socks before removing his clothing and throwing it on top of hers. She slid onto his lap to face him and made quick work of removing his sweatshirt. Her hands began gliding over his beautifully toned abs and made their way up over his chest and neck until she was cupping his face. “Now that we’re nekkid, what do you think we should do?” she teased as she felt his growing hardness answer her question for him.
“Well technically I’m the only one naked,” Max replied as he raked his eyes over her underwear-clad body.
Liz leaned forward as much as her protruding stomach would allow and whispered against his lips, “do you think you could help me with that?” before stealing a kiss.
“Oh, I think that’s doable,” he answered with a rakish grin. His hands swept over her back until they found the clasp of her bra. He swiftly undid it and slipped it forward, watching it slide down her arms until her breasts were in full view. He tossed it aside and then feasted his eyes on the sight before him. He had always loved Liz’s breasts despite her protestations about inadequate size. He was always more than happy to demonstrate to her just how wrong she was. He loved that she seemed to be made to fit his hands perfectly. He loved how soft the creamy mounds were and how her small pink nipples when teased became deliciously distended and perfect for torturing with his tongue. To him she was an exquisite masterpiece, but taking in the view before him now he couldn’t deny that the increase in their size due to her pregnancy was a huge turn on. He cupped them first as if weighing them before his hands ran aimlessly over the smooth skin as if discovering them for the first time.
Liz watched him as he lovingly caressed her. “So the old saying ‘bigger is better’ is true, huh?” she said, a hint of her inferiority complex showing through.
Max looked into her eyes and held her steady gaze. “Your beauty is eternally flawless Liz. Not because it comes from the way you look. It’s because of who you are in here,” he said, pressing one hand over her heart. “It’s not possible to improve upon perfection.”
“Max,” she said as she shyly averted her eyes. She sensed a warmth coming from his hand on her chest and glanced down. “Max,” she sighed, this time with a mix of wonder and awe in her voice as she saw the glow under the hand resting on her heart. He slowly began moving it over her body, the warm light following his every move.
“My Liz,” he whispered. “My light, my love.” They were the same words he had used when he had first told her he had finally found out the meaning of the glowing phenomenon. One day a few months after his return to Antar he was in a particularly morose mood. When a trusted family friend (who eventually became Isabel’s husband) had asked him what was bothering him, Max at first bit his head off. He immediately apologized and then, needing someone to unburden himself to, explained that particular day was the anniversary of when he had saved Liz’s life after she had been shot. He poured his heart out to his future brother-in-law, who listened carefully to his King. When Max was finished Marcus had said, ‘Sire, may I ask you something personal? When you were alone with this girl on an, ah, intimate level, did you ever notice light appearing when you touched her?’ When Max replied in the affirmative and added that they hadn’t understood its meaning Marcus had smiled. ‘Sire, Antarians revere the link between mates as a sacred bond. The bond of the King or the Crown Prince and their mate is most special as it is necessary to preserve the royal lineage. That bond can never be broken. The glowing that you saw is a marking, or a declaration, that indicates that the other person is the true soulmate of the King or Crown Prince. It also indicates that their offspring is of royal blood.’ Now, both Max and Liz delighted in the appearance of the soft light which he was now able to control at will and that confirmed what they had always known in their hearts. They were soulmates, and their bond was eternal.
He placed his hand over their baby and her whole belly was illuminated in soft yellow light. When her hand covered his the light intensified and she leaned her forehead against his. “Do you feel it Max?” she whispered, acknowledging the strong presence that had entered their connection. “He must want to say hi to you.”
“Is this how it always feels to you?” he asked, in awe of the wave of loving energy that was flowing between them.
“Yes, but I’ve never felt it as strong as this before. He must be really happy,” she replied.
“That makes two of us,” he said with a smile before retaking her lips with a passionate kiss that spoke of his love, his hunger, and his possession of her. She eagerly reciprocated and it wasn’t long before they were a blur of moving lips, hands, and moans. When his mouth wandered down to her breast to suck on her tender nipple her moans grew louder, and when he began to fondle her other breast they became incoherent pleas for fulfillment.
Finally not being able to hold off any longer he slid both of his hands over her ass, dissolved her panties into dust, and then lifted her hips and positioned her above his rock-hard erection. She lowered herself down onto his shaft until she took him in completely and then remained motionless for a moment, lost in the sea of sensation they were swimming in. She clutched his shoulders for balance when she finally began to move, pushing up on her knees until she could feel the head of his cock just about to spring free of her intimate grasp before plunging back down onto him. Keeping his hands on her hips he assisted her movements, not wanting her to strain or tire herself. She smiled at him, aware of his reasoning, and deliberately sped up her pace. She smiled even more when it was obvious he didn’t mind at all. When his moans intensified and his hips began to thrust up to meet her, she knew he was near his peak while she knew hers was still out of reach. Aware she wouldn’t get there soon and feeling her legs beginning to fatigue, she whispered into his mind.
// Max…do that…thing…with your…finger…//
He raised his head from where it had been resting on the chair and looked at her through heavily lidded eyes as his right hand journeyed south. When his finger made contact with her clit her head fell back as the vibrations tore through her body, taking her to the brink almost immediately. He felt her fingernails dig into his shoulder a second before she convulsed around him, loudly crying out his name over and over until he joined her in release.
She fell limply against him, their lungs heaving as they tried to breathe. As the sexual haze cleared Max could feel her exhaustion through their connection. “You need to take a nap my love,” he said before gently helping her to separate their joined bodies. He stood and moved to pick her up but she protested, not wanting him to hurt his back due to her increased weight. “Liz,” he said as he smiled brilliantly while lifting her in his arms and walking toward their bedroom, “you’ve gained twenty pounds, not two hundred. And besides, I love to carry you around.”
He lay her down on the bed and pulled a throw blanket over her, then leaned over to peck her on the cheek before leaving the room. Her hand snaked out from under the covers and grabbed his arm. “What do you have to do that’s more important than taking a nap with me?” she asked sleepily as she held up the side of the blanket for him to join her.
He immediately climbed in and took her in his arms, their bodies fitting together perfectly despite the baby resting in her womb. “Nothing is ever more important than you,” he said softly as he gently caressed her until she dozed off. “My soulmate,” he murmured right before following her into dreamland, a pale yellow glow remaining where their stomachs brushed together.
Halloween dawned on a sunny but chilly Saturday. Max sat with his mother in their large sunny kitchen talking about the party he and Jackie were going to that night. “Mom, how am I going to walk around in tights and a tutu tonight? It’s going to be freezing!”
“Now you know how women feel every day,” his mother replied with a smile. “Do you think I enjoy wearing panty hose and heels when it’s twenty degrees and windy outside?”
“Mmmooommm,” he whined, “I don’t want to do this!”
Liz leaned over and ruffled his hair as she laughed. “Ah, but you will do it my son. It’s all in the name of love, Max.”
Max’s eyes widened at her last statement and he studied her for a long moment before speaking. “Mom, can I ask you something?”
“You know the answer to that Sweetie,” she replied.
“How…how did you know you were in love with Dad?”
Liz swallowed as she looked at her beloved son, not wanting to start crying about him growing up when he obviously needed to talk about this subject. “Well, after your dad told me that he was from, you know, someplace else, he came to the restaurant one night because he figured that I was probably freaked out a little. He connected with me to show me that he was just as normal as anyone else. What he didn’t realize was that he showed me all of him, including his feelings, and I saw how he had felt about me since the first time he’d ever seen me. When I saw what a beautiful, gentle, loving soul he was, and that he felt about me the way I had only dreamed possible, that was it. I knew right then I was in love with him.”
Her son rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘I should have known it would be spectacular.’ “Yeah, but how do normal people know,” he teased.
“What’s so great about normal Max?” Liz said smiling, knowing he was unaware of the secret meaning of the words her husband had spoken to her so many years ago. Deciding to just ask the obvious question she said, “do you think you’re in love with Jackie?”
His cheeks pinkened slightly before he answered. “I don’t know. I know I like her. A lot. A whole lot. But how do I know if it’s love?”
“Well, I think you have to ask yourself some questions, like do I think about her all of the time? Do I want to be with her all of the time? When I’m with her am I happier than when I’m not with her? Am I willing to overlook faults in her that I maybe wouldn’t in other people? Am I willing to dress up in a silly Halloween costume to make her happy?” They both chuckled at her joke, and then she leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek. “Sweetie, love is a word that is tossed around with very little thought by many people. You should be sure of your feelings before using it. You will know in your heart if and when you are in love. And then, after ten or fifteen years of dating, maybe you’ll take that next big step of getting married and moving in with your mom and dad.”
Max laughed at his mother’s joke, knowing that to a large degree she’d be very happy if that’s exactly what happened. “You say that now Mom,” he said as he looped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “But when the baby comes you’ll be so busy you’ll want me to get out from under your feet.”
Liz turned toward him with a serious look on her face. “Is that what you think Max? Because nothing could be farther from the truth.” She reached up and lovingly brushed some hair off of his forehead. “Did you know that the day you were born was the first day in about seven months that I smiled? Your dad had left and my parents had died two months after that. There were times when I didn’t think I could go on, but I knew I had to because of you. When Maria lay you in my arms…I looked at you and smiled. I felt like my life was starting again.” She paused a moment before continuing. “I could have fifty more children Max, but you are always going to be the sunshine that made my life bright and happy again.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek again. “You’ll always be my baby Max.”
“Thanks Mom,” he said, a bit embarrassed but nevertheless happy about what she had said. “You know Mom,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I don’t think Dad would make it through fifty more pregnancies.”
Liz laughed at the thought of a perpetually nervous husband. Just then the sound of a car could be heard and they both glanced out the window to see it pulling into the driveway.
“Why is Aunt Maria driving Dad’s truck?” her son asked when he saw them as the vehicle came to a stop.
“I don’t know; he should’ve dropped her off after class,” she said, referring to the midwife course Maria and Max were taking on Saturday mornings. They both rose and walked outside to find Maria standing outside the open passenger side door giggling at Max. “Hi guys, what’s up…” Liz’s question trailed off as she caught sight of her husband. He was white as a ghost and his hands were shaking. Immediately alarmed she hurried over to him and cupped his cheeks in her hands and said, “Honey what’s wrong?” Maria began laughing harder and Liz turned and gave her a stern look. “Just what the hell is so funny about this?” she shot at her friend.
“Liz, calm down, he’s fine, I swear. He’s just a little queasy right now.”
As Liz and her son helped him out of the truck and into the house Liz said over her shoulder, “what’s going on Maria, why is he like this.”
They reached the living room and deposited Max in a chair, and Liz sat on the arm and held his hand while they waited for Maria’s answer.
“Well, today was film day in class. We watched a film of a woman giving birth.”
“Ohuuuhhhh,” Max moaned out at the reminder of the horror he’d just endured.
“Honey would you go and get a glass of water for your dad please?” Liz asked as she tried to comfort her husband. She thanked her son when he returned and encouraged Max to drink a bit as Maria continued.
“As you can see Max didn’t quite have the stomach for it. He actually looks better now than he did during the film. I didn’t think he was going to make it through a few times.”
“Was it really that bad Dad?” his son asked chuckling. “I mean, you’ve fought in a war and seen people killed. I wouldn’t think some lady having a baby would make you nauseous.”
“It was horrible Max,” his father finally said. “There was…lots of… stuff…coming out…and screaming…oh, the screaming…”
Liz pat his hand and got him to sip some more water. She looked up at Maria and winked, understanding that he was OK and just needed some TLC to calm down. “What time are you leaving for Jackie’s house?” she asked her son.
He looked at his watch and said, “actually, I should be going now. If you don’t need me, that is,” he added, looking at his dazed father and smirking mother.
“No Sweetie, I’m sure everything will be fine. Would you give Maria a ride home?”
“Sure. I’ll just go grab my bag and we’ll go,” he said before hurrying out of the room.
Maria kneeled down in front of Max. “Max you will be able to do this. Really, you’ll be so busy and focused on what has to be done that you won’t have time to get nervous. And as soon as you see that little baby- believe me you’ll forget all about all of the other stuff.” The sound of Max’s truck starting up could be heard and she stood up to leave. “Call me later Liz and let me know how he is. If you’re up to it we’ll go out to dinner or something.”
“OK Maria, I’ll talk to you later,” Liz replied as Max waived his goodbye to her and she departed. Liz took the glass from his hand and set it down on the coffee table before climbing onto his lap. She held his face in her hands while studying him. “Your color is more normal, do you feel a little better?”
“A little,” he said quietly as he watched her every move. “Liz, I…I…”
“What Honey,” she said in a soothing voice.
“I…I don’t want you to have to do that,” he finally said, causing her to smile at him.
She kissed the end of his nose before she said, “well unless you’ve got some other way for the baby to come out, we really don’t have too much to say about it.”
“It’s just…that woman was screaming like she was being tortured. And it lasted so long! I’ll never be able to stand you suffering like that.”
Liz took one of his hands and placed it on her round belly and then lay her hand over his. “It’s nothing I can’t handle Max. And Maria was right- when you finally get to hold the baby for the first time- you will forget everything but that moment.”
They sat in silence for a while; Max slowly rubbing her tummy while she watched over him, occasionally sharing a kiss or words of love. As time passed the kisses got longer and the amount of time between kisses got shorter. Parting for a breath she said, “do you feel better now Baby?”
“Uh huh,” he grunted before claiming her mouth again.
She pulled away from him and said, “Max, close the drapes please,” as he tried to chase after her.
With a flick of his hand he did what she wanted while asking, “why do you want them closed, it’s nice and sunny to…day…”
While he was talking she stood and began to shed her clothes. “I don’t want to give the neighbors a cheap thrill,” she said with a sexy grin on her face as she tossed her shirt on the floor.
“Good idea,” he said absently as he watched her peel her pants off and kick them to the side.
She knelt in between his legs and ran her hands from his knees over the top of his thighs until she reached the snap and zipper on his jeans. “The only one I want to give a thrill to,” she said seductively as she popped the button and lowered the zipper, “is you.”
“Well that’s good,” he muttered as he lifted his hips to assist her in pulling down his pants and boxers. She yanked off his shoes and socks before removing his clothing and throwing it on top of hers. She slid onto his lap to face him and made quick work of removing his sweatshirt. Her hands began gliding over his beautifully toned abs and made their way up over his chest and neck until she was cupping his face. “Now that we’re nekkid, what do you think we should do?” she teased as she felt his growing hardness answer her question for him.
“Well technically I’m the only one naked,” Max replied as he raked his eyes over her underwear-clad body.
Liz leaned forward as much as her protruding stomach would allow and whispered against his lips, “do you think you could help me with that?” before stealing a kiss.
“Oh, I think that’s doable,” he answered with a rakish grin. His hands swept over her back until they found the clasp of her bra. He swiftly undid it and slipped it forward, watching it slide down her arms until her breasts were in full view. He tossed it aside and then feasted his eyes on the sight before him. He had always loved Liz’s breasts despite her protestations about inadequate size. He was always more than happy to demonstrate to her just how wrong she was. He loved that she seemed to be made to fit his hands perfectly. He loved how soft the creamy mounds were and how her small pink nipples when teased became deliciously distended and perfect for torturing with his tongue. To him she was an exquisite masterpiece, but taking in the view before him now he couldn’t deny that the increase in their size due to her pregnancy was a huge turn on. He cupped them first as if weighing them before his hands ran aimlessly over the smooth skin as if discovering them for the first time.
Liz watched him as he lovingly caressed her. “So the old saying ‘bigger is better’ is true, huh?” she said, a hint of her inferiority complex showing through.
Max looked into her eyes and held her steady gaze. “Your beauty is eternally flawless Liz. Not because it comes from the way you look. It’s because of who you are in here,” he said, pressing one hand over her heart. “It’s not possible to improve upon perfection.”
“Max,” she said as she shyly averted her eyes. She sensed a warmth coming from his hand on her chest and glanced down. “Max,” she sighed, this time with a mix of wonder and awe in her voice as she saw the glow under the hand resting on her heart. He slowly began moving it over her body, the warm light following his every move.
“My Liz,” he whispered. “My light, my love.” They were the same words he had used when he had first told her he had finally found out the meaning of the glowing phenomenon. One day a few months after his return to Antar he was in a particularly morose mood. When a trusted family friend (who eventually became Isabel’s husband) had asked him what was bothering him, Max at first bit his head off. He immediately apologized and then, needing someone to unburden himself to, explained that particular day was the anniversary of when he had saved Liz’s life after she had been shot. He poured his heart out to his future brother-in-law, who listened carefully to his King. When Max was finished Marcus had said, ‘Sire, may I ask you something personal? When you were alone with this girl on an, ah, intimate level, did you ever notice light appearing when you touched her?’ When Max replied in the affirmative and added that they hadn’t understood its meaning Marcus had smiled. ‘Sire, Antarians revere the link between mates as a sacred bond. The bond of the King or the Crown Prince and their mate is most special as it is necessary to preserve the royal lineage. That bond can never be broken. The glowing that you saw is a marking, or a declaration, that indicates that the other person is the true soulmate of the King or Crown Prince. It also indicates that their offspring is of royal blood.’ Now, both Max and Liz delighted in the appearance of the soft light which he was now able to control at will and that confirmed what they had always known in their hearts. They were soulmates, and their bond was eternal.
He placed his hand over their baby and her whole belly was illuminated in soft yellow light. When her hand covered his the light intensified and she leaned her forehead against his. “Do you feel it Max?” she whispered, acknowledging the strong presence that had entered their connection. “He must want to say hi to you.”
“Is this how it always feels to you?” he asked, in awe of the wave of loving energy that was flowing between them.
“Yes, but I’ve never felt it as strong as this before. He must be really happy,” she replied.
“That makes two of us,” he said with a smile before retaking her lips with a passionate kiss that spoke of his love, his hunger, and his possession of her. She eagerly reciprocated and it wasn’t long before they were a blur of moving lips, hands, and moans. When his mouth wandered down to her breast to suck on her tender nipple her moans grew louder, and when he began to fondle her other breast they became incoherent pleas for fulfillment.
Finally not being able to hold off any longer he slid both of his hands over her ass, dissolved her panties into dust, and then lifted her hips and positioned her above his rock-hard erection. She lowered herself down onto his shaft until she took him in completely and then remained motionless for a moment, lost in the sea of sensation they were swimming in. She clutched his shoulders for balance when she finally began to move, pushing up on her knees until she could feel the head of his cock just about to spring free of her intimate grasp before plunging back down onto him. Keeping his hands on her hips he assisted her movements, not wanting her to strain or tire herself. She smiled at him, aware of his reasoning, and deliberately sped up her pace. She smiled even more when it was obvious he didn’t mind at all. When his moans intensified and his hips began to thrust up to meet her, she knew he was near his peak while she knew hers was still out of reach. Aware she wouldn’t get there soon and feeling her legs beginning to fatigue, she whispered into his mind.
// Max…do that…thing…with your…finger…//
He raised his head from where it had been resting on the chair and looked at her through heavily lidded eyes as his right hand journeyed south. When his finger made contact with her clit her head fell back as the vibrations tore through her body, taking her to the brink almost immediately. He felt her fingernails dig into his shoulder a second before she convulsed around him, loudly crying out his name over and over until he joined her in release.
She fell limply against him, their lungs heaving as they tried to breathe. As the sexual haze cleared Max could feel her exhaustion through their connection. “You need to take a nap my love,” he said before gently helping her to separate their joined bodies. He stood and moved to pick her up but she protested, not wanting him to hurt his back due to her increased weight. “Liz,” he said as he smiled brilliantly while lifting her in his arms and walking toward their bedroom, “you’ve gained twenty pounds, not two hundred. And besides, I love to carry you around.”
He lay her down on the bed and pulled a throw blanket over her, then leaned over to peck her on the cheek before leaving the room. Her hand snaked out from under the covers and grabbed his arm. “What do you have to do that’s more important than taking a nap with me?” she asked sleepily as she held up the side of the blanket for him to join her.
He immediately climbed in and took her in his arms, their bodies fitting together perfectly despite the baby resting in her womb. “Nothing is ever more important than you,” he said softly as he gently caressed her until she dozed off. “My soulmate,” he murmured right before following her into dreamland, a pale yellow glow remaining where their stomachs brushed together.
CHAPTER 21
Max and Jackie spent the day with his friends Linda and Matt at Rutger’s University and were returning to the dorm after dinner to get ready for the Halloween party. “You’re right Linda; that was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life!” Jackie said as she rubbed her stomach. “I love thin crust pizza.”
“They have great cheese steaks too,” Linda replied as the four young people entered her boyfriend’s dorm room. Both Matt and Linda were RA’s on different floors of the same dormitory, and therefore each had their own private, albeit small, room. “There’s a lot of great places to eat not that far from campus so we don’t have to eat cafeteria food very much. And, since my fiancee can fit a ‘fridge in his room, we can stash the leftovers for later,” she said as she put some uneaten pizza away in the small refrigerator.
“I got lucky when they gave me this room,” Matt said; “you guys haven’t seen Linda’s room, it’s tiny. I think it used to be a closet.” Jackie hoped that she wouldn’t be in Linda’s way when she stayed with her that night. Matt had grabbed her and Max’s bags when they had arrived earlier and tossed them on his bed, where they still were, so she had yet to see the small space he was referring to. Her internal question was answered quickly.
“So we might as well change into our costumes now,” Linda said, “we’ll just come back down here to get you two in about, what, a half-hour? Is that long enough to get all of your stuff on?”
Max and Jackie looked at them a little confused. “Don’t you need to change too, Matt?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah…oh, my stuff is in Linda’s room already. I took it up there this morning so I wouldn’t have to do it when we got back tonight.”
“Back tonight?” Max repeated.
“Yeah, I figured you guys wouldn’t need me in your way while you were going to bed so I took my stuff up for tonight and tomorrow,” Matt answered, wondering why his friend suddenly looked a little pale. “So we’ll come back here in a half-hour, OK?”
“Yeah…yeah, OK,” Max said before his friends took their leave. When the door closed he looked at Jackie and stammered, “I…I didn’t know…I didn’t want…”
“I’m still confused Max,” Jackie said innocently.
“Um, they meant that, uh, they’re going to sleep together in Linda’s room, and that means that you and I would sleep here.”
“Oh,” she said with wide eyes as they both stared at the small single bed against one wall.
“I’ll talk to them and straighten it out,” he said quickly, not wanting her to think he was trying to pull a fast one on her.
She stood there a moment, contemplating spending a night alone in the same room with her boyfriend. Her extremely handsome, sexy, wonderful boyfriend. “No Max, you don’t have to do that. It’s OK; I don’t mind if you don’t.”
‘Do I mind? Is she kidding?’ he thought. “Are you sure, because I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything,” he said, needing to be sure that she really meant it.
“I’m sure,” she said quietly as she glanced over at the bed. “I’m definitely sure.”
“OK,” he said, elated at her response. “Why don’t you use the bathroom to get ready,” he said pointing at the door to the small lavatory, “and I’ll get changed out here. You can put my makeup on me when you’re done, OK?”
“OK,” she said before they opened their overnight bags and removed the elements of their costumes. She opened the bathroom door and said over her shoulder, “wow, this is small.”
“Yeah, but as Matt says, it’s better than sharing the bathroom all the way down the hall with everyone that lives on the floor.” When Jackie closed the door behind her he pulled off his clothes and then grabbed the part of the outfit that had to be put on first- a pair of navy blue tights. He stared at them, still amazed that he had ever agreed to wearing the outfit. Tights. He had no idea how to put them on. He held them out at arms length and tried to step into the legs as he would a pair of pants, and he realized that wasn’t how to do it when he nearly fell over. ‘Maybe if I sit down,’ he thought before plopping down on the bed. He shoved one foot in the leg and then tried to pull the stockings on like pants again, but his foot just stayed tangled in one place. He stared at the long blue nylon mess hanging from his foot, gaining a whole new respect for females. He finally realized that he had to move the nylon, not his foot, and began pulling the leg of the tights over his foot and up his leg. He managed to get the other leg on with less of a struggle, and after finally pulling them up over his boxers, he moved to the mirror to take a look at himself. ‘I’m never going to hear the end of this from Matt,’ he thought to himself before turning back to grab a pair of blue shorts. He pulled them on, grabbed the tutu and turned back to the mirror. ‘How the hell…’ he wondered as he held up the many layers of tulle trying to figure out how to put it on. Finally giving up he called out to Jackie for help.
She tucked her navy turtleneck into her shorts before opening the bathroom door to see what he wanted. The sight that greeted her made her want to laugh at him and jump him all at the same time. He was standing in front of the mirror shirtless in the shorts and tights, holding the tutu up to his waist. The bottom half of him looked like a gay Smurf. The top half of him looked incredibly sexy. She stared at him until his voice snapped her out of her stupor. “I have no idea how to put this on, would you please help me?”
She giggled at his predicament and smiled at him as she took the tutu from him. “It has a snap hidden in the waistband…here it is,” she said as she unsnapped it and then easily pulled it around his waist and refastened it. “There, it fits you perfectly,” she said as she held onto his waist and peered around his back to see his reflection in the mirror, which immediately made her laugh.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he said, not being able to stop chuckling at himself.
“I am SO glad I brought my camera,” she said, and the face he made caused her to laugh even harder.
He spun around in her arms and said, “You want to take pictures of me in this get up? Isn’t it enough that Matt is going to tell all of my friends that I wore a skirt?”
“It’s not a skirt,” she said as she allowed her hands to wander over the toned muscles of his naked back. “And besides,” she added in a teasing tone, “I need something to hold over your head to keep you interested, don’t I?”
Max smiled down at her, marveling at how pretty she was without a stitch of makeup on and at the soft, red-tinged curls that fell in waves past her shoulders that beckoned for his touch. He twirled a finger through one ringlet as his other hand began to roam over her back, imitating her motions. “Keeping me interested is not something you have to worry about.” He paused a moment before a devilish smirk appeared on his face and he added, “but keeping my hands off of you might be.”
One of her hands found its way up into his hair and she pulled him down toward her. She whispered, “that’s not something you have to worry about” just before connecting their lips in a slow, sensual kiss. The kiss deepened, their tongues dancing together, and they began to get lost in each other. A sudden, loud knock followed by “Matt-HEW! Open up!” startled them and they jumped apart. Looking toward the door Max said, “would you mind seeing who that is? I’m not…uh…” he stuttered as he pointed at his state of dress.
She couldn’t help giggling again as she walked over to answer the insistent knocking. She pulled open the door to find a boy dressed in a toga costume with the Greek letters of a fraternity emblazoned across the chest and a six-pack of beer tucked under his arm. “I’m sorry, Matt’s not here right now,” she said.
“Well lucky for me,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her. “And who might you be?”
“I’m a friend of Matt and Linda’s,” she answered shortly. “He’ll be here in five minutes. May I tell him who was looking for him?”
“Yeah, just tell him Jerry was here and I’ll see him at the party.”
“OK, I’ll do that,” she affirmed.
“Hope to see you there too,” he said with bit of a leer before she shut the door in his face. She didn’t realize that Max had moved to stand behind the open door and his presence there startled her briefly. “Who was that?” he said, annoyed at what he had heard.
“Some guy named Jerry who said he’d see Matt at the party,” she replied. “We’d better finish getting ready, they’ll be back here soon,” she said, glancing at her watch. “Put on your shirt and then I’ll put the blue stuff on your face, OK?” He did as she wished and soon both their faces and necks were covered by blue stage makeup. She grabbed a set of wings and helped him get his arms into the straps, and then to finish him off she fixed the curly white-blonde wig on his head. He in turn helped her don her wings, and as she tied her hair back to put on the wig there was another knock on the door before Matt and Linda walked in. There was silence for a split second before they both burst into laughter. Matt walked over to Max and moved around him in a circle, hysterically laughing the entire time, causing Max give Jackie an ‘I told you so’ look.
“Nice skirt Evans,” Matt choked out.
“It’s not a skirt Honey, it’s a tutu,” Linda said to her fiancée as she calmed down. “Oh, I get it,” she said, “you guys are the Blue Angels! I love it! You look great!”
“Thanks Linda,” Jackie said gratefully as she finished pinning her wig in place. “Max thinks he looks stupid.”
“Not stupid,” Max replied stubbornly before catching her raised eyebrow. “Well maybe a little…”
Matt said, “actually now that I know what you’re supposed to be I think it’s good, very original. Maybe not as good as me and my sexy pirate wench,” he said, referring to Linda and his own pirate costume, “but not everyone can pull off an eye patch as good as I can.”
“Would you mind if I took a few pictures?” Jackie asked.
“Oh, please do, and make sure you get double prints would you?” Matt said with a sly grin. “I don’t want Bob and Jim to miss seeing Max’s pretty legs.”
Max rolled his eyes as Jackie snapped a shot of Matt using his plastic sword to lift up the tutu to peak under it. She got another of Linda and Matt and then Linda took one of Jackie and Max before they left for the party. The guys followed behind the girls as they walked down the hall chatting. “Oh, who’s Jerry?” Max asked Matt quietly after remembering they hadn’t relayed the message from the earlier visitor.
“He was my roommate sophomore year, why?” his friend answered.
“He stopped by and said he’d meet you at the party. I didn’t know your old roommate was a frat boy,” Max said with obvious disdain.
“Yeah, well, I just ignored all that shit. Was there a problem?” Matt asked, picking up immediately on the tone in his friend’s voice.
“No…he was a little to friendly with Jackie,” Max admitted.
“Did he offend her, ‘cause I’ll kick his ass,” Matt said immediately.
“No man, he just…I didn’t like the way he was talking to her, that’s all.”
Matt glanced over at Max, amused to see his friend jealous over a girl for the first time. “He’s not a bad guy Max, he’s just one of those, you know, frat boy party types. Normally a nice person but add alcohol and presto! Immediate asshole. You’re going to see a lot of those tonight. He’s harmless though, I promise.”
They exited the building and walked a few blocks away from campus until they came to a large house that was well decorated for the holiday. The foursome made their way inside to find the house teeming with people dressed in costumes. Max grabbed Jackie’s hand so they wouldn’t get separated as Matt led them around introducing them to some of his friends, and after the third compliment on his costume Max started relaxing and enjoying himself. Finding a small open space the girls decided to let Matt and Max go get them a drink, and once they left Linda turned toward Jackie and said, “can I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Jackie replied.
“Well, I noticed earlier that you and Max both seemed kind of nervous when Matt said you guys were staying together in his room tonight. Is that OK with you, because if you want you could stay with me and Max and Matt could stay in his room.”
“Oh, no,” Jackie said, wondering if her flushing cheeks could be seen under all of the blue face makeup. “It’s fine, really.”
“Are you sure?” Linda asked. “We just assumed that you guys would want to sleep together.” She noticed Jackie’s eye widen and immediately added, “If you aren’t slee…if you don’t…you’re welcome to stay with me, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“No, no, it’s OK,” she answered. “We were surprised because we both thought, you know, I’d be staying with you. But, um, I’m glad it worked out this way, actually.” She was sure that the heat from her blushing cheeks would melt the makeup right off of her face at this point.
“So, ah, you guys haven’t…and you’re gonna…”
“NO!” she shouted, startling them both before continuing in a normal tone. “No, I’m just, ah, I’m glad to have some time alone with Max. We don’t get that very often.”
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Linda apologized. “It’s none of my business; I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK Linda, really,” she said as she squeezed her hand reassuringly. She contemplated something for a moment, and then taking a deep breath and drawing up her courage she said, “do you mind if I ask you something?”
“No, go ahead.”
“How long were you and Matt dating before…um…”
“Before we slept together?” Jackie nodded as Linda finished her sentence for her. “Well, we were friends for about six months before we started dating. We had a class together our first semester here. We started going out around spring break the next year, and our first time was after a Halloween party…yeah,” she replied to Jackie’s inquisitive look, “so I guess this makes it our anniversary, huh?” Both girls giggled before she continued. “Look, I know that we don’t know each other that long, and this is completely none of my business, but my advice is to wait until you know you’re ready and definitely let it be with someone you love and that loves you back. It wasn’t the amount of time I was with Matt that mattered to me. I knew I was in love with him and I was sure he loved me, and it just felt, I don’t know, right. That was a year ago and I know I made the right decision. I’m so glad I waited for someone special.”
“Did you know then that you wanted to marry him?”
“Yeah, I did,” she answered with a shy smile. “I know it’s really corny, but I did. I guess I got lucky that he felt the same way,” she said as she stared down at her ring.
“Have you set a date?”
“No, but it will be soon after graduation. That’s over a year and a half away. It will give our parents more time to adjust to the idea. Both of our parents think we’re too young, but we’ll both be twenty-two by then, so hopefully everyone will be happy.”
While they talked Matt and Max located the keg in the kitchen and Matt poured three cups of beer while Max searched for a soda for himself. While he was looking in the refrigerator he suddenly heard “Matt-HEW!” over his shoulder and immediately grabbed a can and turned around. A toga-clad guy was slapping Matt on the back, causing beer to slop out of the three cups he was trying to juggle. Max walked over and grabbed one to help him. “Thanks man. Oh, Max, this is Jerry,” Matt said, giving Max a knowing look, “Jerry, this is my friend Max.”
“Nice to meet you man,” Jerry said with a slur. “Hey Matt, speaking of friends, who was the chick that was in your room before. She was so hot. And what a rack…”
“Jerry,” Matt said loudly, trying to stop him from continuing, “that was Max’s girlfriend.”
“You’re a lucky man,” the drunk Jerry said, oblivious to the death stare Max was shooting at him. “Hey, Carlos, it’s time for your beer-bong dude,” he called out to someone across the room before weaving his way away from them.
“I’m sorry Max,” Matt said as they stared after him. “I told you, add alcohol…”
“Let’s go find the girls,” Max said. ‘Before I zap that asshole a new one,’ he thought to himself. They found the girls laughing at some of the costumes, and when Max reached Jackie he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side tightly as he handed her the beer.
“Thanks. Is everything OK Max?” she asked as she noticed his frown.
“No,” he said, immediately smiling at her. “Everything’s fine. What are you laughing at?”
They pointed out someone in a Barney costume and they all laughed. They talked with friends of Matt and Linda as they drifted by, danced a little, and just enjoyed themselves. Around 2 AM Linda leaned her head on Matt’s shoulder and said, “is anyone else tired?” They all agreed it was time to leave and made their way toward the door. Linda encountered someone she knew in the foyer, and while she was chatting with them Jackie said “I’m going to go to the bathroom if you guys don’t mind.”
Matt pointed at a door at the end of the hallway. “That’s it right there; we’ll wait here for you.” She made her way through the crowd of people to the lavatory, and when she was done she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway and came face to face with Jerry the Frat Boy, who was now very drunk. He looked her up and down, and then staring at her chest said, “so who might you two be?”
“You already met me, I’m Matt’s friend,” she said as she tried to push past him. He blocked her exit and slurred, “oh, you’re the hot babe with the great tits. Where you going in such a hurry Honey.”
Disgusted by his comment she said, “back to my boyfriend and my friends. Get out of my way.” When she tried to go around the other side of him he once again blocked her way, leaving her with her back against the wall. He propped himself up against the wall with one arm and leaned in close to her face. “What’s he got that I haven’t got,” he said, belching at the end of his sentence.
Completely grossed out now, she said indignantly, “class and manners, for starters. Now get out of my way.” She turned toward the foyer and he threw his other arm up against the wall, effectively penning her in. “Aw Honey, don’t knock it ‘til you tried it,” he slurred while grabbing a handful of her hair, and she began to panic. She looked down the hallway hoping to attract someone in her group’s attention and thankfully Max was just turning to see where she was. Taking in the situation he yelled out “JACKIE!” and sprinted down the hall, pushing people out of his path. Matt followed his friend immediately, not knowing what was happening but knowing it couldn’t be good.
“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!” Max bellowed just before grabbing Jerry and throwing him against the opposite wall. He pinned him there with a hand around his throat choking off his air supply. “What part of ‘she’s my girlfriend’ didn’t you understand,” he ground out as he slammed his captive’s head against the wall.
“Max!” Matt shouted as he reached them and tried to pull his friend off of the drunken boy. “You’re choking him dude,” he said as he tried to pry Max’s hand from Jerry’s throat.
“Max please,” Jackie pleaded, and he immediately released the offender, who slid to the ground, and turned to her.
“Are you all right?” he said, hugging her to his body tightly. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she answered, trembling in his arms. “I’m fine.” Max turned as if to go after Jerry again, and she held him back. “Max don’t, I’m OK, don’t hurt him, please,” she begged, afraid of what he might lash out and do in anger.
Max did as she wished and remained where he was as his friend helped the drunk to his feet. “You went too far you idiot,” he said; “way, way, WAY to far. Get the fuck out of here before I help him kick the shit out of you.” Matt pushed him in the direction of the back of the house and he stumbled off. “Jackie I’m really sorry, are you sure you’re OK?” he asked.
“I’m fine, really you guys; he just scared me, that’s all. Can we go now, please?” They nodded at her and headed back to the front door, Max still holding her in a vice grip.
“What happened?” Linda asked nervously when they reached the door.
“Jerry was a fucking asshole, that’s what,” Matt said to her as he wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s get out of here Babe.”
They returned to the dorms, Matt apologizing the whole way there, and Jackie assuring him that everything was OK and telling him to stop apologizing. They reached Matt’s room and as he unlocked the door for them he said, “are you guys OK? Do you want us to hang out for a while?”
“Guys, please, I’m OK. He was just obnoxious, he never touched me, I’m fine. Really. Go to bed before Linda passes out,” Jackie said with a smile.
They said goodnight and after the door swung closed Max gave her a bear hug and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Max, there’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”
“I brought you here…”
“So? Did you know that some drunk was going to make a pass at me? No. Then what is there for you to be sorry for? And it’s not like I’ve never dealt with a guy acting like an idiot before. Nothing happened. Relax.”
“OK,” he said quietly, but still not releasing her.
After a while she pulled back from him and said, “let’s get ready for bed. It’s going to take some work to scrub off all of this makeup.” She took her nightclothes into the bathroom to change, and Max gladly stripped off the costume and pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. When the door to the bath opened he looked up, and he couldn’t stifle the small gasp that escaped his lips. She was dressed in drawstring pajama pants that were baby blue with cartoon-like cats on them, and a baby blue tank top. Even with her face still covered in blue gunk he thought she was incredibly sexy.
“My mom gave me some makeup remover that’s supposed to help get this stuff off,” she said, pointing at her face. “Come on in and I’ll help you.”
He followed her back into the lavatory and as they worked at cleaning their faces she joked with him, trying to lighten his mood. By the time they were scrubbed clean she had him laughing and feeling much better. They cleaned up the mess in the bath before stepping back into the room. Max grabbed the comforter covering the bed and spread it out on the floor. Perplexed by his actions, Jackie asked “what are you doing?”
“I was going to sleep on the floor,” he said.
“Why?”
“So you can have the bed.”
Although touched by his chivalrous action she wanted him to understand that the floor was not where she wanted him to sleep. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, Max.”
“I don’t mind, it’s not that bad. You’d be too cold down here I think,” he replied, not understanding the meaning of what she had said.
Jackie rolled her eyes at his statement. ‘Could he make this any harder?’ she thought. “No Max; I meant you,” she pointed at him, “could sleep with me,” she pointed at herself, “there,” she finished, pointing at the bed. “Together.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes bugging out at her statement. He hadn’t wanted to pressure her so he’d decided before they had even gone out for the evening that he would sleep on the floor. ‘Does this mean…’ His thoughts wandered off as she said something else. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Her cheeks flushed at having to repeat herself. “I said, I’m not ready to, um, you know,” she said quietly as she cast her eyes over to the bed and then looked down shyly, hoping he’d understand what she meant. “But I’d like to wake up in your arms. If you want to,” she whispered at the end.
He placed his hands on her hips to pull her closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’d love to wake up with you in my arms,” he breathed before he kissed his way over her jaw on his way to her lips. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, lovingly, but kept himself in check, knowing it wouldn’t take much for him to get carried away. After a few more kisses he reluctantly parted from her lips and leaned down to pick the comforter up off of the floor. After spreading it over the bed he held it up and swept his arm toward the bed. “After you, m’lady,” he said with a silly grin.
“Why thank you kind Sir,” she answered as she climbed in the bed and scooted over to the far side. He took a deep breath and climbed in after her, and then reached over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. He settled on his back and felt her move a little closer before she leaned her head on his shoulder stiffly. With his right hand he found right hand under the blanket and lifted it to his lips for a kiss while he lifted his left arm up and over her head. “Come here,” he encouraged, and after a brief hesitation she turned on her side and moved her head to his chest. He reached for her left hand to place a kiss on it and then curled it inside his own and lay them over his heart.
His tender gestures made her feel safe and special. She rose up on her elbow and gave him a quick kiss. “Goodnight Max,” she said before nestling into him again.
“Goodnight Jackie,” he said in return. As he lay there gently playing with her hair and enjoying the contented feeling of having her cuddled into his side, he began to ask himself some questions. When he realized that all of his answers were ‘yes’, he smiled.
Her deep, even breathing told him that she had fallen asleep. He gently brought her hand to his mouth once more and placed a soft kiss on it. “Goodnight Jackie,” he whispered. “I love you.”
Max and Jackie spent the day with his friends Linda and Matt at Rutger’s University and were returning to the dorm after dinner to get ready for the Halloween party. “You’re right Linda; that was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life!” Jackie said as she rubbed her stomach. “I love thin crust pizza.”
“They have great cheese steaks too,” Linda replied as the four young people entered her boyfriend’s dorm room. Both Matt and Linda were RA’s on different floors of the same dormitory, and therefore each had their own private, albeit small, room. “There’s a lot of great places to eat not that far from campus so we don’t have to eat cafeteria food very much. And, since my fiancee can fit a ‘fridge in his room, we can stash the leftovers for later,” she said as she put some uneaten pizza away in the small refrigerator.
“I got lucky when they gave me this room,” Matt said; “you guys haven’t seen Linda’s room, it’s tiny. I think it used to be a closet.” Jackie hoped that she wouldn’t be in Linda’s way when she stayed with her that night. Matt had grabbed her and Max’s bags when they had arrived earlier and tossed them on his bed, where they still were, so she had yet to see the small space he was referring to. Her internal question was answered quickly.
“So we might as well change into our costumes now,” Linda said, “we’ll just come back down here to get you two in about, what, a half-hour? Is that long enough to get all of your stuff on?”
Max and Jackie looked at them a little confused. “Don’t you need to change too, Matt?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah…oh, my stuff is in Linda’s room already. I took it up there this morning so I wouldn’t have to do it when we got back tonight.”
“Back tonight?” Max repeated.
“Yeah, I figured you guys wouldn’t need me in your way while you were going to bed so I took my stuff up for tonight and tomorrow,” Matt answered, wondering why his friend suddenly looked a little pale. “So we’ll come back here in a half-hour, OK?”
“Yeah…yeah, OK,” Max said before his friends took their leave. When the door closed he looked at Jackie and stammered, “I…I didn’t know…I didn’t want…”
“I’m still confused Max,” Jackie said innocently.
“Um, they meant that, uh, they’re going to sleep together in Linda’s room, and that means that you and I would sleep here.”
“Oh,” she said with wide eyes as they both stared at the small single bed against one wall.
“I’ll talk to them and straighten it out,” he said quickly, not wanting her to think he was trying to pull a fast one on her.
She stood there a moment, contemplating spending a night alone in the same room with her boyfriend. Her extremely handsome, sexy, wonderful boyfriend. “No Max, you don’t have to do that. It’s OK; I don’t mind if you don’t.”
‘Do I mind? Is she kidding?’ he thought. “Are you sure, because I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything,” he said, needing to be sure that she really meant it.
“I’m sure,” she said quietly as she glanced over at the bed. “I’m definitely sure.”
“OK,” he said, elated at her response. “Why don’t you use the bathroom to get ready,” he said pointing at the door to the small lavatory, “and I’ll get changed out here. You can put my makeup on me when you’re done, OK?”
“OK,” she said before they opened their overnight bags and removed the elements of their costumes. She opened the bathroom door and said over her shoulder, “wow, this is small.”
“Yeah, but as Matt says, it’s better than sharing the bathroom all the way down the hall with everyone that lives on the floor.” When Jackie closed the door behind her he pulled off his clothes and then grabbed the part of the outfit that had to be put on first- a pair of navy blue tights. He stared at them, still amazed that he had ever agreed to wearing the outfit. Tights. He had no idea how to put them on. He held them out at arms length and tried to step into the legs as he would a pair of pants, and he realized that wasn’t how to do it when he nearly fell over. ‘Maybe if I sit down,’ he thought before plopping down on the bed. He shoved one foot in the leg and then tried to pull the stockings on like pants again, but his foot just stayed tangled in one place. He stared at the long blue nylon mess hanging from his foot, gaining a whole new respect for females. He finally realized that he had to move the nylon, not his foot, and began pulling the leg of the tights over his foot and up his leg. He managed to get the other leg on with less of a struggle, and after finally pulling them up over his boxers, he moved to the mirror to take a look at himself. ‘I’m never going to hear the end of this from Matt,’ he thought to himself before turning back to grab a pair of blue shorts. He pulled them on, grabbed the tutu and turned back to the mirror. ‘How the hell…’ he wondered as he held up the many layers of tulle trying to figure out how to put it on. Finally giving up he called out to Jackie for help.
She tucked her navy turtleneck into her shorts before opening the bathroom door to see what he wanted. The sight that greeted her made her want to laugh at him and jump him all at the same time. He was standing in front of the mirror shirtless in the shorts and tights, holding the tutu up to his waist. The bottom half of him looked like a gay Smurf. The top half of him looked incredibly sexy. She stared at him until his voice snapped her out of her stupor. “I have no idea how to put this on, would you please help me?”
She giggled at his predicament and smiled at him as she took the tutu from him. “It has a snap hidden in the waistband…here it is,” she said as she unsnapped it and then easily pulled it around his waist and refastened it. “There, it fits you perfectly,” she said as she held onto his waist and peered around his back to see his reflection in the mirror, which immediately made her laugh.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he said, not being able to stop chuckling at himself.
“I am SO glad I brought my camera,” she said, and the face he made caused her to laugh even harder.
He spun around in her arms and said, “You want to take pictures of me in this get up? Isn’t it enough that Matt is going to tell all of my friends that I wore a skirt?”
“It’s not a skirt,” she said as she allowed her hands to wander over the toned muscles of his naked back. “And besides,” she added in a teasing tone, “I need something to hold over your head to keep you interested, don’t I?”
Max smiled down at her, marveling at how pretty she was without a stitch of makeup on and at the soft, red-tinged curls that fell in waves past her shoulders that beckoned for his touch. He twirled a finger through one ringlet as his other hand began to roam over her back, imitating her motions. “Keeping me interested is not something you have to worry about.” He paused a moment before a devilish smirk appeared on his face and he added, “but keeping my hands off of you might be.”
One of her hands found its way up into his hair and she pulled him down toward her. She whispered, “that’s not something you have to worry about” just before connecting their lips in a slow, sensual kiss. The kiss deepened, their tongues dancing together, and they began to get lost in each other. A sudden, loud knock followed by “Matt-HEW! Open up!” startled them and they jumped apart. Looking toward the door Max said, “would you mind seeing who that is? I’m not…uh…” he stuttered as he pointed at his state of dress.
She couldn’t help giggling again as she walked over to answer the insistent knocking. She pulled open the door to find a boy dressed in a toga costume with the Greek letters of a fraternity emblazoned across the chest and a six-pack of beer tucked under his arm. “I’m sorry, Matt’s not here right now,” she said.
“Well lucky for me,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her. “And who might you be?”
“I’m a friend of Matt and Linda’s,” she answered shortly. “He’ll be here in five minutes. May I tell him who was looking for him?”
“Yeah, just tell him Jerry was here and I’ll see him at the party.”
“OK, I’ll do that,” she affirmed.
“Hope to see you there too,” he said with bit of a leer before she shut the door in his face. She didn’t realize that Max had moved to stand behind the open door and his presence there startled her briefly. “Who was that?” he said, annoyed at what he had heard.
“Some guy named Jerry who said he’d see Matt at the party,” she replied. “We’d better finish getting ready, they’ll be back here soon,” she said, glancing at her watch. “Put on your shirt and then I’ll put the blue stuff on your face, OK?” He did as she wished and soon both their faces and necks were covered by blue stage makeup. She grabbed a set of wings and helped him get his arms into the straps, and then to finish him off she fixed the curly white-blonde wig on his head. He in turn helped her don her wings, and as she tied her hair back to put on the wig there was another knock on the door before Matt and Linda walked in. There was silence for a split second before they both burst into laughter. Matt walked over to Max and moved around him in a circle, hysterically laughing the entire time, causing Max give Jackie an ‘I told you so’ look.
“Nice skirt Evans,” Matt choked out.
“It’s not a skirt Honey, it’s a tutu,” Linda said to her fiancée as she calmed down. “Oh, I get it,” she said, “you guys are the Blue Angels! I love it! You look great!”
“Thanks Linda,” Jackie said gratefully as she finished pinning her wig in place. “Max thinks he looks stupid.”
“Not stupid,” Max replied stubbornly before catching her raised eyebrow. “Well maybe a little…”
Matt said, “actually now that I know what you’re supposed to be I think it’s good, very original. Maybe not as good as me and my sexy pirate wench,” he said, referring to Linda and his own pirate costume, “but not everyone can pull off an eye patch as good as I can.”
“Would you mind if I took a few pictures?” Jackie asked.
“Oh, please do, and make sure you get double prints would you?” Matt said with a sly grin. “I don’t want Bob and Jim to miss seeing Max’s pretty legs.”
Max rolled his eyes as Jackie snapped a shot of Matt using his plastic sword to lift up the tutu to peak under it. She got another of Linda and Matt and then Linda took one of Jackie and Max before they left for the party. The guys followed behind the girls as they walked down the hall chatting. “Oh, who’s Jerry?” Max asked Matt quietly after remembering they hadn’t relayed the message from the earlier visitor.
“He was my roommate sophomore year, why?” his friend answered.
“He stopped by and said he’d meet you at the party. I didn’t know your old roommate was a frat boy,” Max said with obvious disdain.
“Yeah, well, I just ignored all that shit. Was there a problem?” Matt asked, picking up immediately on the tone in his friend’s voice.
“No…he was a little to friendly with Jackie,” Max admitted.
“Did he offend her, ‘cause I’ll kick his ass,” Matt said immediately.
“No man, he just…I didn’t like the way he was talking to her, that’s all.”
Matt glanced over at Max, amused to see his friend jealous over a girl for the first time. “He’s not a bad guy Max, he’s just one of those, you know, frat boy party types. Normally a nice person but add alcohol and presto! Immediate asshole. You’re going to see a lot of those tonight. He’s harmless though, I promise.”
They exited the building and walked a few blocks away from campus until they came to a large house that was well decorated for the holiday. The foursome made their way inside to find the house teeming with people dressed in costumes. Max grabbed Jackie’s hand so they wouldn’t get separated as Matt led them around introducing them to some of his friends, and after the third compliment on his costume Max started relaxing and enjoying himself. Finding a small open space the girls decided to let Matt and Max go get them a drink, and once they left Linda turned toward Jackie and said, “can I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Jackie replied.
“Well, I noticed earlier that you and Max both seemed kind of nervous when Matt said you guys were staying together in his room tonight. Is that OK with you, because if you want you could stay with me and Max and Matt could stay in his room.”
“Oh, no,” Jackie said, wondering if her flushing cheeks could be seen under all of the blue face makeup. “It’s fine, really.”
“Are you sure?” Linda asked. “We just assumed that you guys would want to sleep together.” She noticed Jackie’s eye widen and immediately added, “If you aren’t slee…if you don’t…you’re welcome to stay with me, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“No, no, it’s OK,” she answered. “We were surprised because we both thought, you know, I’d be staying with you. But, um, I’m glad it worked out this way, actually.” She was sure that the heat from her blushing cheeks would melt the makeup right off of her face at this point.
“So, ah, you guys haven’t…and you’re gonna…”
“NO!” she shouted, startling them both before continuing in a normal tone. “No, I’m just, ah, I’m glad to have some time alone with Max. We don’t get that very often.”
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Linda apologized. “It’s none of my business; I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK Linda, really,” she said as she squeezed her hand reassuringly. She contemplated something for a moment, and then taking a deep breath and drawing up her courage she said, “do you mind if I ask you something?”
“No, go ahead.”
“How long were you and Matt dating before…um…”
“Before we slept together?” Jackie nodded as Linda finished her sentence for her. “Well, we were friends for about six months before we started dating. We had a class together our first semester here. We started going out around spring break the next year, and our first time was after a Halloween party…yeah,” she replied to Jackie’s inquisitive look, “so I guess this makes it our anniversary, huh?” Both girls giggled before she continued. “Look, I know that we don’t know each other that long, and this is completely none of my business, but my advice is to wait until you know you’re ready and definitely let it be with someone you love and that loves you back. It wasn’t the amount of time I was with Matt that mattered to me. I knew I was in love with him and I was sure he loved me, and it just felt, I don’t know, right. That was a year ago and I know I made the right decision. I’m so glad I waited for someone special.”
“Did you know then that you wanted to marry him?”
“Yeah, I did,” she answered with a shy smile. “I know it’s really corny, but I did. I guess I got lucky that he felt the same way,” she said as she stared down at her ring.
“Have you set a date?”
“No, but it will be soon after graduation. That’s over a year and a half away. It will give our parents more time to adjust to the idea. Both of our parents think we’re too young, but we’ll both be twenty-two by then, so hopefully everyone will be happy.”
While they talked Matt and Max located the keg in the kitchen and Matt poured three cups of beer while Max searched for a soda for himself. While he was looking in the refrigerator he suddenly heard “Matt-HEW!” over his shoulder and immediately grabbed a can and turned around. A toga-clad guy was slapping Matt on the back, causing beer to slop out of the three cups he was trying to juggle. Max walked over and grabbed one to help him. “Thanks man. Oh, Max, this is Jerry,” Matt said, giving Max a knowing look, “Jerry, this is my friend Max.”
“Nice to meet you man,” Jerry said with a slur. “Hey Matt, speaking of friends, who was the chick that was in your room before. She was so hot. And what a rack…”
“Jerry,” Matt said loudly, trying to stop him from continuing, “that was Max’s girlfriend.”
“You’re a lucky man,” the drunk Jerry said, oblivious to the death stare Max was shooting at him. “Hey, Carlos, it’s time for your beer-bong dude,” he called out to someone across the room before weaving his way away from them.
“I’m sorry Max,” Matt said as they stared after him. “I told you, add alcohol…”
“Let’s go find the girls,” Max said. ‘Before I zap that asshole a new one,’ he thought to himself. They found the girls laughing at some of the costumes, and when Max reached Jackie he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side tightly as he handed her the beer.
“Thanks. Is everything OK Max?” she asked as she noticed his frown.
“No,” he said, immediately smiling at her. “Everything’s fine. What are you laughing at?”
They pointed out someone in a Barney costume and they all laughed. They talked with friends of Matt and Linda as they drifted by, danced a little, and just enjoyed themselves. Around 2 AM Linda leaned her head on Matt’s shoulder and said, “is anyone else tired?” They all agreed it was time to leave and made their way toward the door. Linda encountered someone she knew in the foyer, and while she was chatting with them Jackie said “I’m going to go to the bathroom if you guys don’t mind.”
Matt pointed at a door at the end of the hallway. “That’s it right there; we’ll wait here for you.” She made her way through the crowd of people to the lavatory, and when she was done she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway and came face to face with Jerry the Frat Boy, who was now very drunk. He looked her up and down, and then staring at her chest said, “so who might you two be?”
“You already met me, I’m Matt’s friend,” she said as she tried to push past him. He blocked her exit and slurred, “oh, you’re the hot babe with the great tits. Where you going in such a hurry Honey.”
Disgusted by his comment she said, “back to my boyfriend and my friends. Get out of my way.” When she tried to go around the other side of him he once again blocked her way, leaving her with her back against the wall. He propped himself up against the wall with one arm and leaned in close to her face. “What’s he got that I haven’t got,” he said, belching at the end of his sentence.
Completely grossed out now, she said indignantly, “class and manners, for starters. Now get out of my way.” She turned toward the foyer and he threw his other arm up against the wall, effectively penning her in. “Aw Honey, don’t knock it ‘til you tried it,” he slurred while grabbing a handful of her hair, and she began to panic. She looked down the hallway hoping to attract someone in her group’s attention and thankfully Max was just turning to see where she was. Taking in the situation he yelled out “JACKIE!” and sprinted down the hall, pushing people out of his path. Matt followed his friend immediately, not knowing what was happening but knowing it couldn’t be good.
“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!” Max bellowed just before grabbing Jerry and throwing him against the opposite wall. He pinned him there with a hand around his throat choking off his air supply. “What part of ‘she’s my girlfriend’ didn’t you understand,” he ground out as he slammed his captive’s head against the wall.
“Max!” Matt shouted as he reached them and tried to pull his friend off of the drunken boy. “You’re choking him dude,” he said as he tried to pry Max’s hand from Jerry’s throat.
“Max please,” Jackie pleaded, and he immediately released the offender, who slid to the ground, and turned to her.
“Are you all right?” he said, hugging her to his body tightly. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she answered, trembling in his arms. “I’m fine.” Max turned as if to go after Jerry again, and she held him back. “Max don’t, I’m OK, don’t hurt him, please,” she begged, afraid of what he might lash out and do in anger.
Max did as she wished and remained where he was as his friend helped the drunk to his feet. “You went too far you idiot,” he said; “way, way, WAY to far. Get the fuck out of here before I help him kick the shit out of you.” Matt pushed him in the direction of the back of the house and he stumbled off. “Jackie I’m really sorry, are you sure you’re OK?” he asked.
“I’m fine, really you guys; he just scared me, that’s all. Can we go now, please?” They nodded at her and headed back to the front door, Max still holding her in a vice grip.
“What happened?” Linda asked nervously when they reached the door.
“Jerry was a fucking asshole, that’s what,” Matt said to her as he wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s get out of here Babe.”
They returned to the dorms, Matt apologizing the whole way there, and Jackie assuring him that everything was OK and telling him to stop apologizing. They reached Matt’s room and as he unlocked the door for them he said, “are you guys OK? Do you want us to hang out for a while?”
“Guys, please, I’m OK. He was just obnoxious, he never touched me, I’m fine. Really. Go to bed before Linda passes out,” Jackie said with a smile.
They said goodnight and after the door swung closed Max gave her a bear hug and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Max, there’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”
“I brought you here…”
“So? Did you know that some drunk was going to make a pass at me? No. Then what is there for you to be sorry for? And it’s not like I’ve never dealt with a guy acting like an idiot before. Nothing happened. Relax.”
“OK,” he said quietly, but still not releasing her.
After a while she pulled back from him and said, “let’s get ready for bed. It’s going to take some work to scrub off all of this makeup.” She took her nightclothes into the bathroom to change, and Max gladly stripped off the costume and pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. When the door to the bath opened he looked up, and he couldn’t stifle the small gasp that escaped his lips. She was dressed in drawstring pajama pants that were baby blue with cartoon-like cats on them, and a baby blue tank top. Even with her face still covered in blue gunk he thought she was incredibly sexy.
“My mom gave me some makeup remover that’s supposed to help get this stuff off,” she said, pointing at her face. “Come on in and I’ll help you.”
He followed her back into the lavatory and as they worked at cleaning their faces she joked with him, trying to lighten his mood. By the time they were scrubbed clean she had him laughing and feeling much better. They cleaned up the mess in the bath before stepping back into the room. Max grabbed the comforter covering the bed and spread it out on the floor. Perplexed by his actions, Jackie asked “what are you doing?”
“I was going to sleep on the floor,” he said.
“Why?”
“So you can have the bed.”
Although touched by his chivalrous action she wanted him to understand that the floor was not where she wanted him to sleep. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, Max.”
“I don’t mind, it’s not that bad. You’d be too cold down here I think,” he replied, not understanding the meaning of what she had said.
Jackie rolled her eyes at his statement. ‘Could he make this any harder?’ she thought. “No Max; I meant you,” she pointed at him, “could sleep with me,” she pointed at herself, “there,” she finished, pointing at the bed. “Together.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes bugging out at her statement. He hadn’t wanted to pressure her so he’d decided before they had even gone out for the evening that he would sleep on the floor. ‘Does this mean…’ His thoughts wandered off as she said something else. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Her cheeks flushed at having to repeat herself. “I said, I’m not ready to, um, you know,” she said quietly as she cast her eyes over to the bed and then looked down shyly, hoping he’d understand what she meant. “But I’d like to wake up in your arms. If you want to,” she whispered at the end.
He placed his hands on her hips to pull her closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’d love to wake up with you in my arms,” he breathed before he kissed his way over her jaw on his way to her lips. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, lovingly, but kept himself in check, knowing it wouldn’t take much for him to get carried away. After a few more kisses he reluctantly parted from her lips and leaned down to pick the comforter up off of the floor. After spreading it over the bed he held it up and swept his arm toward the bed. “After you, m’lady,” he said with a silly grin.
“Why thank you kind Sir,” she answered as she climbed in the bed and scooted over to the far side. He took a deep breath and climbed in after her, and then reached over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. He settled on his back and felt her move a little closer before she leaned her head on his shoulder stiffly. With his right hand he found right hand under the blanket and lifted it to his lips for a kiss while he lifted his left arm up and over her head. “Come here,” he encouraged, and after a brief hesitation she turned on her side and moved her head to his chest. He reached for her left hand to place a kiss on it and then curled it inside his own and lay them over his heart.
His tender gestures made her feel safe and special. She rose up on her elbow and gave him a quick kiss. “Goodnight Max,” she said before nestling into him again.
“Goodnight Jackie,” he said in return. As he lay there gently playing with her hair and enjoying the contented feeling of having her cuddled into his side, he began to ask himself some questions. When he realized that all of his answers were ‘yes’, he smiled.
Her deep, even breathing told him that she had fallen asleep. He gently brought her hand to his mouth once more and placed a soft kiss on it. “Goodnight Jackie,” he whispered. “I love you.”
CHAPTER 22
Liz puttered around her empty classroom humming to herself as she put away some equipment, her classes having finished for the day. At the same time she was mentally going over her food shopping list, adding and deleting items for Thanksgiving dinner. She and Maria alternated cooking the big feast, and this year it was her turn. She had invited Jackie’s family to join them, so she was trying to come up with some interesting menu ideas while she worked. She picked up a few empty glass beakers, turned to walk to the storage cabinet, and mentally distracted as she was, never saw an electrical cord that had been pulled out from under the lab table. Her foot got tangled and before she knew what was happening the beakers were flying through the air as the floor rushed up to greet her.
Two floors above, Max was finishing up a lecture on black holes and red giants when a rush of fear and then pain blasted through their connection. He dropped the chalk he was writing with and yelled out in his mind //LIZ!! Where are you? What happened? // as he bolted from the classroom door yelling, “that’s it for today!” He raced down the hall and into the stairway, leap frogging the stairs two at a time as his mind continued screaming //LIZ!! Are you all right?//
Liz lay on the floor of her room slightly dazed, her hand automatically moving to her protruding belly trying to make sure the baby was unhurt. The sound of her husband’s hysterically screaming voice in her head was actually more unsettling to her than the fall itself, knowing that he was so upset. //Max, I’m in my classroom. I’m OK.//
Two seconds later Max flew into her room, his eyes wild as he frantically looked around for her. He saw her legs sticking out from behind a lab table in the back of the room and ran toward her. “Liz, what happened…oh my God!”
At his exclamation she looked down to where he was staring to find the hand resting on her stomach covered in blood. “I guess…I must have cut myself on the broken glass.” The words were barely out of her mouth before he was waving his hand over it to heal the cuts. He immediately began running his hands over her body. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Sweetheart please tell me,” he sobbed.
“No, I think I’m OK,” she said as she slowly sat up. She could tell he wasn’t buying her shaky proclamation so she took a deep breath and said louder, “I’m OK Honey.”
“Are you sure? What about the baby?” He didn’t wait to hear her answer and framed her tummy with his hands. They immediately began to glow as he concentrated on their open connection seeking out the presence of their child. He spent long minutes moving his hands around before finally ascertaining that everything seemed to be fine. “Sweetheart,” he said in a nervous voice as he wrapped his arms around her body and gently rocked her. “What happened?”
Liz took a deep breath to calm her nerves before answering. “My foot got caught in the extension cord and I tripped. I must have landed on some of the glass,” she said as she surveyed her now-healed hand.
“That’s it; from now on no more high heels,” he said.
She pulled away from his embrace and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “These are one inch heels Max; that’s hardly what I’d call high.”
He ignored her response and resumed running his hands over her body. “Are you sure you’re OK? And the baby?”
“I think so. The baby seems to be fine. Help me up please?” He stood and then bent over and lifted her from the floor, then watched closely as she straightened her clothes and hair. She smiled at him sweetly, feeling his heart still racing through their connection and reached out to pull him into a hug. “Everything’s OK Honey, I promise,” she said as she pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder and rubbed her hands over his back to soothe him.
They remained that way for a few minutes, Max finally breaking their clinch with a question. “What did all this broken glass used to be?”
“Beakers,” she said as she released him and turned to look at the mess on the floor. Max moved away from her and toward the classroom door. She heard the lock click in place and looked up to see him back at her side, raising his arm over the debris.
“How many were there?” he asked.
“Um, one from each table, so there would be six.” She smiled as he waved his hand in a circular pattern, the glass fragments immediately obeying his command by amassing in a neat pile at his feet. He pointed a finger at the rectangular pile and it separated into six separate masses of glass. He then held his hand over each one, making the glass swirl upward into a funnel before reforming into its original shape. When all six were once again made whole he picked them up and asked, “where do they go Babe?” She opened the storage cabinet in front of them and he placed them on a shelf, closed the doors, and then reached for her hand. “I’ll go get my stuff and we’ll go home.”
“But you have another class in five minutes,” she said looking at her watch.
“I’ll give them their assignments and let them go.” He led her over to her desk and pointed at the chair. “You stay here and don’t move, OK?”
She knew he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and nodded at him. “OK, I promise,” she said before they exchanged a quick kiss and he left her. He returned a short time later to collect her and they made their way home, where he doted on her until her eyes closed at the end of the day for sleep.
Liz awoke the next morning alone in their bed. She stretched her limbs and remained under the covers, glad that it was a Saturday so she wouldn’t have to hurry to get ready for work. She took advantage of the time to mentally review the food shopping list she had written the previous night- one of the very few things Max had allowed her to do on her own. After one more stretch she decided to rise, wanting to get to the supermarket early as it was the weekend immediately before Thanksgiving and the store would most likely be very busy. She washed up, changed, and made her way out to the kitchen where she could hear her husband and son talking. As soon as he laid eyes on her Max jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her. “Good morning Baby, did you sleep OK? Do you feel OK?”
Smiling at her obviously still nervous husband she pecked him on the cheek before answering. “Good morning, I slept great, and yes, I feel fine.” She leaned down to where her son was sitting and kissed him on the head. “Good morning Sweetie. Hi Jackie,” she said as she smiled at the young girl perched across the table from her son. “Are you two doing something fun and exciting today?” she asked as she sat down in the chair Max had pulled out for her.
“Actually Liz,” her husband said before they could answer her question, “I asked them to do the food shopping for us.” To say he ‘asked’ was an understatement- he had jumped out of bed and run upstairs to beg his son to do the chore first thing that morning. Jackie happened to call from Maria’s while he was still upstairs, and when she heard the concern in her boyfriend’s voice about his mother’s fall, she immediately agreed to help out.
“Max,” she said with an edgy tone, “I am fine. There is no reason to ruin their day. I am perfectly capable of going to the market.”
“Aunt Liz, it’s no problem, really. We weren’t planning on doing anything besides studying a little,” Jackie said.
“Yeah Mom, it’s no big deal. Besides, I agree with Dad, you should take it easy today,” her son chimed in.
“Oh, you do, huh?” Liz said, still clearly annoyed but deciding not to fight all three of them. “Let’s go over the list so I can explain a few things then.” She reviewed it with them, sent them on their way, and then turned to her husband. “Max, I understand you being upset, but I don’t appreciate you deciding that I should sit around all day doing nothing.”
“Um,” he said, not making eye contact with her, “I didn’t think we should do nothing today.”
Her eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on him. “What did you think we should do?”
“I thought we could go to the, ah, shoe store and get you some new sneakers.”
“I have sneakers Max.”
“Yeah, but they’re too beat up to wear to work.”
“Max…”
“Liz, please hear me out,” he said before she could finish her sentence. “There’s only two and a half weeks left until finals. You’re going to be running around campus trying to finish up before you go on maternity leave, and there’s wet leaves everywhere to slip on, and sometimes there’s ice on the bricks in front of the parking garage in the morning and you’d just be safer in sneakers.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out before answering simply, “OK.”
He gaped at her, obviously surprised at her quick acquiescence to yet another of his many requests. “Really?”
“Max, I’m tired of fighting with you about stuff like this. If me wearing sneakers for three weeks will make you happy, I’ll do it.”
He looked down at his hands as he twisted them together nervously. “I’m sorry I make you nuts by obsessing over everything. But the thought of something happening to you or the baby…I just can’t bear it Liz.” The last part of his sentence came out in a small, quiet voice that tugged at her heartstrings and made her reach over and take his hands in hers as he continued. “I’ve waited all my life for this, and the closer it gets to actually happening, the more afraid I’m getting. Yesterday, when I felt that something had happened to you…I was never that scared before in my life."
“But I’m OK Honey, and everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be done with the birthing course in two weeks, and then we’ll be home together 24/7 until the baby comes. You and those magic hands of yours will be able to handle whatever comes up.” She reached up and caressed his cheek soothingly as she continued. “I want you to enjoy this time Max, not be a nervous wreck.”
“I’ll try,” he said, turning his head and placing a kiss on her palm. He took a deep breath and changed the subject. “I thought while we were out we could stop and get the rest of the CD’s for Maria and Alex’s gift.” The day after Thanksgiving was the Whitman’s fifteenth wedding anniversary, and Jackie’s parents and Max and Liz had chipped in to send them away for a long weekend in New Hope, Pennsylvania. A beautiful little town nestled into the hills along the Delaware River, it had a great restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, antique shops and stores; all in all it was a perfect romantic retreat. They were surprising them with the present at Thanksgiving dinner, and Liz had decided to put together a goodie bag with some romantic CD’s, bubble bath, champagne, and chocolate for them to take along with them.
“OK,” she said. “How ‘bout taking me out to breakfast first for being such a good sport about the sneakers.”
“Deal,” he replied with a smile. He held out his hand and she took it, and they went off to do their errands.
Meanwhile, Jackie and Max were at the Foodtown dutifully trying to find everything on Liz’s shopping list. “No, you want them to be firm, like this one, see?” Jackie said to him as they picked through a pile of fresh green beans. “If they’re soft and wimpy today, five days from now they’ll be useless.” Max chuckled to himself and shook his head. “What?” she asked, smiling at him.
“Soft and wimpy are two words no guy ever wants to hear from his girlfriend,” he said as a blush colored his cheeks and deepened at her answering laughter.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him along to pick out some mushrooms. As his words echoed around her head, her mind began wandering back to the morning they had awoken in each other’s arms a few short weeks before, after the Halloween party. Their shyness had had rapidly dissipated and the resulting intense make-out session had left her with no doubt that her boyfriend was anything but soft and wimpy. If it hadn’t been for Matt and Linda knocking on the door to go out for breakfast she might have been able to find out just how not soft he had been. She was hoping to resume her exploration next weekend when she would be staying over at Maria and Alex’s to watch their cat while they were away. They would have three days to be alone and explore all they wanted. As thoughts of just what she wanted him to discover and vice versa ran amuck around her brain, Max’s voice suddenly interrupted them with an exclamation of “Jackie!”
“What?” she said, shaking her head to clear thoughts of Max’s hands moving up her body as his lips moved down to meet them somewhere in the area of chest.
“Um, you kinda destroyed that mushroom,” he said as he pointed at the broken, smashed vegetable in her hand. Flushing bright red, she threw the remnants in the bag she was holding and turned on her heel saying, “artichokes. We need to get the artichokes.” Max followed dutifully behind her, wondering what she could have been thinking of that would make her strangle an innocent mushroom.
Liz puttered around her empty classroom humming to herself as she put away some equipment, her classes having finished for the day. At the same time she was mentally going over her food shopping list, adding and deleting items for Thanksgiving dinner. She and Maria alternated cooking the big feast, and this year it was her turn. She had invited Jackie’s family to join them, so she was trying to come up with some interesting menu ideas while she worked. She picked up a few empty glass beakers, turned to walk to the storage cabinet, and mentally distracted as she was, never saw an electrical cord that had been pulled out from under the lab table. Her foot got tangled and before she knew what was happening the beakers were flying through the air as the floor rushed up to greet her.
Two floors above, Max was finishing up a lecture on black holes and red giants when a rush of fear and then pain blasted through their connection. He dropped the chalk he was writing with and yelled out in his mind //LIZ!! Where are you? What happened? // as he bolted from the classroom door yelling, “that’s it for today!” He raced down the hall and into the stairway, leap frogging the stairs two at a time as his mind continued screaming //LIZ!! Are you all right?//
Liz lay on the floor of her room slightly dazed, her hand automatically moving to her protruding belly trying to make sure the baby was unhurt. The sound of her husband’s hysterically screaming voice in her head was actually more unsettling to her than the fall itself, knowing that he was so upset. //Max, I’m in my classroom. I’m OK.//
Two seconds later Max flew into her room, his eyes wild as he frantically looked around for her. He saw her legs sticking out from behind a lab table in the back of the room and ran toward her. “Liz, what happened…oh my God!”
At his exclamation she looked down to where he was staring to find the hand resting on her stomach covered in blood. “I guess…I must have cut myself on the broken glass.” The words were barely out of her mouth before he was waving his hand over it to heal the cuts. He immediately began running his hands over her body. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Sweetheart please tell me,” he sobbed.
“No, I think I’m OK,” she said as she slowly sat up. She could tell he wasn’t buying her shaky proclamation so she took a deep breath and said louder, “I’m OK Honey.”
“Are you sure? What about the baby?” He didn’t wait to hear her answer and framed her tummy with his hands. They immediately began to glow as he concentrated on their open connection seeking out the presence of their child. He spent long minutes moving his hands around before finally ascertaining that everything seemed to be fine. “Sweetheart,” he said in a nervous voice as he wrapped his arms around her body and gently rocked her. “What happened?”
Liz took a deep breath to calm her nerves before answering. “My foot got caught in the extension cord and I tripped. I must have landed on some of the glass,” she said as she surveyed her now-healed hand.
“That’s it; from now on no more high heels,” he said.
She pulled away from his embrace and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “These are one inch heels Max; that’s hardly what I’d call high.”
He ignored her response and resumed running his hands over her body. “Are you sure you’re OK? And the baby?”
“I think so. The baby seems to be fine. Help me up please?” He stood and then bent over and lifted her from the floor, then watched closely as she straightened her clothes and hair. She smiled at him sweetly, feeling his heart still racing through their connection and reached out to pull him into a hug. “Everything’s OK Honey, I promise,” she said as she pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder and rubbed her hands over his back to soothe him.
They remained that way for a few minutes, Max finally breaking their clinch with a question. “What did all this broken glass used to be?”
“Beakers,” she said as she released him and turned to look at the mess on the floor. Max moved away from her and toward the classroom door. She heard the lock click in place and looked up to see him back at her side, raising his arm over the debris.
“How many were there?” he asked.
“Um, one from each table, so there would be six.” She smiled as he waved his hand in a circular pattern, the glass fragments immediately obeying his command by amassing in a neat pile at his feet. He pointed a finger at the rectangular pile and it separated into six separate masses of glass. He then held his hand over each one, making the glass swirl upward into a funnel before reforming into its original shape. When all six were once again made whole he picked them up and asked, “where do they go Babe?” She opened the storage cabinet in front of them and he placed them on a shelf, closed the doors, and then reached for her hand. “I’ll go get my stuff and we’ll go home.”
“But you have another class in five minutes,” she said looking at her watch.
“I’ll give them their assignments and let them go.” He led her over to her desk and pointed at the chair. “You stay here and don’t move, OK?”
She knew he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and nodded at him. “OK, I promise,” she said before they exchanged a quick kiss and he left her. He returned a short time later to collect her and they made their way home, where he doted on her until her eyes closed at the end of the day for sleep.
Liz awoke the next morning alone in their bed. She stretched her limbs and remained under the covers, glad that it was a Saturday so she wouldn’t have to hurry to get ready for work. She took advantage of the time to mentally review the food shopping list she had written the previous night- one of the very few things Max had allowed her to do on her own. After one more stretch she decided to rise, wanting to get to the supermarket early as it was the weekend immediately before Thanksgiving and the store would most likely be very busy. She washed up, changed, and made her way out to the kitchen where she could hear her husband and son talking. As soon as he laid eyes on her Max jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her. “Good morning Baby, did you sleep OK? Do you feel OK?”
Smiling at her obviously still nervous husband she pecked him on the cheek before answering. “Good morning, I slept great, and yes, I feel fine.” She leaned down to where her son was sitting and kissed him on the head. “Good morning Sweetie. Hi Jackie,” she said as she smiled at the young girl perched across the table from her son. “Are you two doing something fun and exciting today?” she asked as she sat down in the chair Max had pulled out for her.
“Actually Liz,” her husband said before they could answer her question, “I asked them to do the food shopping for us.” To say he ‘asked’ was an understatement- he had jumped out of bed and run upstairs to beg his son to do the chore first thing that morning. Jackie happened to call from Maria’s while he was still upstairs, and when she heard the concern in her boyfriend’s voice about his mother’s fall, she immediately agreed to help out.
“Max,” she said with an edgy tone, “I am fine. There is no reason to ruin their day. I am perfectly capable of going to the market.”
“Aunt Liz, it’s no problem, really. We weren’t planning on doing anything besides studying a little,” Jackie said.
“Yeah Mom, it’s no big deal. Besides, I agree with Dad, you should take it easy today,” her son chimed in.
“Oh, you do, huh?” Liz said, still clearly annoyed but deciding not to fight all three of them. “Let’s go over the list so I can explain a few things then.” She reviewed it with them, sent them on their way, and then turned to her husband. “Max, I understand you being upset, but I don’t appreciate you deciding that I should sit around all day doing nothing.”
“Um,” he said, not making eye contact with her, “I didn’t think we should do nothing today.”
Her eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on him. “What did you think we should do?”
“I thought we could go to the, ah, shoe store and get you some new sneakers.”
“I have sneakers Max.”
“Yeah, but they’re too beat up to wear to work.”
“Max…”
“Liz, please hear me out,” he said before she could finish her sentence. “There’s only two and a half weeks left until finals. You’re going to be running around campus trying to finish up before you go on maternity leave, and there’s wet leaves everywhere to slip on, and sometimes there’s ice on the bricks in front of the parking garage in the morning and you’d just be safer in sneakers.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out before answering simply, “OK.”
He gaped at her, obviously surprised at her quick acquiescence to yet another of his many requests. “Really?”
“Max, I’m tired of fighting with you about stuff like this. If me wearing sneakers for three weeks will make you happy, I’ll do it.”
He looked down at his hands as he twisted them together nervously. “I’m sorry I make you nuts by obsessing over everything. But the thought of something happening to you or the baby…I just can’t bear it Liz.” The last part of his sentence came out in a small, quiet voice that tugged at her heartstrings and made her reach over and take his hands in hers as he continued. “I’ve waited all my life for this, and the closer it gets to actually happening, the more afraid I’m getting. Yesterday, when I felt that something had happened to you…I was never that scared before in my life."
“But I’m OK Honey, and everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be done with the birthing course in two weeks, and then we’ll be home together 24/7 until the baby comes. You and those magic hands of yours will be able to handle whatever comes up.” She reached up and caressed his cheek soothingly as she continued. “I want you to enjoy this time Max, not be a nervous wreck.”
“I’ll try,” he said, turning his head and placing a kiss on her palm. He took a deep breath and changed the subject. “I thought while we were out we could stop and get the rest of the CD’s for Maria and Alex’s gift.” The day after Thanksgiving was the Whitman’s fifteenth wedding anniversary, and Jackie’s parents and Max and Liz had chipped in to send them away for a long weekend in New Hope, Pennsylvania. A beautiful little town nestled into the hills along the Delaware River, it had a great restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, antique shops and stores; all in all it was a perfect romantic retreat. They were surprising them with the present at Thanksgiving dinner, and Liz had decided to put together a goodie bag with some romantic CD’s, bubble bath, champagne, and chocolate for them to take along with them.
“OK,” she said. “How ‘bout taking me out to breakfast first for being such a good sport about the sneakers.”
“Deal,” he replied with a smile. He held out his hand and she took it, and they went off to do their errands.
Meanwhile, Jackie and Max were at the Foodtown dutifully trying to find everything on Liz’s shopping list. “No, you want them to be firm, like this one, see?” Jackie said to him as they picked through a pile of fresh green beans. “If they’re soft and wimpy today, five days from now they’ll be useless.” Max chuckled to himself and shook his head. “What?” she asked, smiling at him.
“Soft and wimpy are two words no guy ever wants to hear from his girlfriend,” he said as a blush colored his cheeks and deepened at her answering laughter.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him along to pick out some mushrooms. As his words echoed around her head, her mind began wandering back to the morning they had awoken in each other’s arms a few short weeks before, after the Halloween party. Their shyness had had rapidly dissipated and the resulting intense make-out session had left her with no doubt that her boyfriend was anything but soft and wimpy. If it hadn’t been for Matt and Linda knocking on the door to go out for breakfast she might have been able to find out just how not soft he had been. She was hoping to resume her exploration next weekend when she would be staying over at Maria and Alex’s to watch their cat while they were away. They would have three days to be alone and explore all they wanted. As thoughts of just what she wanted him to discover and vice versa ran amuck around her brain, Max’s voice suddenly interrupted them with an exclamation of “Jackie!”
“What?” she said, shaking her head to clear thoughts of Max’s hands moving up her body as his lips moved down to meet them somewhere in the area of chest.
“Um, you kinda destroyed that mushroom,” he said as he pointed at the broken, smashed vegetable in her hand. Flushing bright red, she threw the remnants in the bag she was holding and turned on her heel saying, “artichokes. We need to get the artichokes.” Max followed dutifully behind her, wondering what she could have been thinking of that would make her strangle an innocent mushroom.
CHAPTER 23A
“Max, we should gommmphff…”
The remainder of Jackie’s sentence was swallowed by Max’s voracious lips. It was mid-morning on Thanksgiving Day, and they were in his apartment while their families, Maria, and Alex were busy preparing turkey and all the trimmings downstairs. Amid all of the activity in the kitchen they slipped out unnoticed and raced up the back stairs to his room, giggling at their perceived caper. As soon as they were through the door he had swept her into his arms and began kissing her senseless, eager to begin their long weekend together. Almost forty-five minutes later they were on the couch, still locked in each others arms.
“Go where,” he mumbled as he dragged his lips down her neck, causing her head to fall back.
“What?” she barely breathed out, digging her fingers into his shoulders.
“You said we mpffm…” This time it was she who halted his speech, opening her mouth over his and demanding entrance with her tongue. He loved it when she was assertive in what she wanted from him. They were both shy, and Max sometimes thought it was a miracle they had progressed beyond kissing at all. But while he had thoroughly enjoyed their few forays to second base, he knew he couldn’t take it too much farther than that, no matter how much it killed him. He would have to be completely honest with her before they could made love- she deserved nothing less. Trouble was, at times like these, when her warm, pliant body was plastered to his and her soft, delicious lips were moving over his, he could barely remember his name let alone his vow of full disclosure. Lost in the magic spell she was weaving, he forgot all about the crowd of people downstairs until his father’s commanding voice rang out loud and clear in his head. It caused him to jerk away from Jackie like he’d received an electric shock.
“What’s wrong?” she panted out.
“Nothing, nothing. I just, ah, I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He clumsily untangled himself from her embrace and once behind the closed door of his bathroom he signaled to his father. // Dad, how did you do that?//
// Do what Max? //
// I was blocking but I heard you clearly.//
// Let’s just say that being King has certain benefits. Everyone’s asking where you are. I think you and Jackie should come back down here now. //
// OK Dad, we’ll be there in a minute. //
Stepping out of the lavatory he stutter-stepped when his eyes fell upon her. Her long legs were curled under her as she absently twirled a finger through a long, auburn curl of her shiny hair. She was staring off into the distance with a dreamy smile on her face, and when she heard the door open she leveled a beaming grin at him. He couldn’t help but return it before saying, “um, maybe we should go back downstairs before they send a search party up here.”
She climbed off the sofa giggling. “You mean Aunt Maria or one of my sisters. You’re probably right,” she said as she sidled up to him and began walking her fingers up his chest. “Besides, I have a feeling that if we don’t leave here now, I’ll never let you go.”
“You think so, huh?” he said, smiling down into her eyes. “Then I guess we’d better go.” He couldn’t resist stealing one more kiss before grasping her hand and leading her back down to their families.
Later that evening while everyone was relaxing in the living room watching a very surprised Maria and Alex flip through the brochure for the Bed and Breakfast they would be staying in, Nick said to Max, “can I talk to you a minute privately?”
“Sure Nick,” he replied and then led him down the hall to his son’s old bedroom. Closing the door behind them he said, “this will be the baby’s room. We just painted it and now I have to start putting together all of this furniture Liz bought,” as he pointed at the stack of boxes against one wall. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Well,” Nick said as he looked around the room, “it’s about Jackie staying alone at Alex and Maria’s for the next couple of days. I wanted to ask you if you and Liz…if you guys could talk to Max…”
Max wondered what had Nick nervously pacing and running his hands through his hair. Nick was a lawyer and usually clear and succinct in his speech, and his faltering made Max a little nervous. “Nick, did Max do something…”
“No,” he answered, cutting him off. “No, nothing like that. As much as I’d rather lock my daughter away from boys for the rest of her life, I couldn’t ask for a better guy for her to date than your son. He’s a great kid Max.”
“Thank you.”
“What I’m trying to spit out here is that Paula and I would appreciate it if you would talk to Max about not staying overnight with Jackie at my brother’s house this weekend.”
“Oh.”
“We just feel…we’re not ignorant of the fact that they could be doing…whatever…whenever and where ever they want…” Max had to suppress a laugh as Nick paled and waved his hands around in the air as he continued his explanation. “It’s just that, we wouldn’t allow them to stay together in our home, and just because she’s not at our house doesn’t mean we condone it somewhere else.”
Max nodded his head. “I respect your wishes and I’ll talk to Max first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you. Again, this has nothing to do with your son…” He laughed at the amused expression and raised eyebrow Max was giving him. “OK, yeah it does, but not because we…”
“You don’t have to explain Nick,” Max said, slapping him on the back. “Believe me, if Liz has a girl I will be taking fingerprints and DNA samples before she can even talk to a boy. Which of course won’t happen until she’s at least thirty. I understand where you’re coming from. Don’t worry about it.”
Nick breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thanks Max. I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate what?” Liz said as she waddled into the room, Maria and Paula in tow.
Max didn’t want to embarrass Nick so he quickly sent a message to his wife. //I’ll tell you when everyone leaves Baby. Please change the subject. //
“The crib was delivered the other day Maria,” Liz said, seamlessly changing the subject as she pointed at some boxes. “Max said he’d put it together this weekend.”
The group chatted some more about their plans for decorating the nursery before Nick looked at his watch. “I hate to say this, but I have to work tomorrow morning. We’d better get moving Hun,” he said to Paula. They gathered their twins and bade everyone goodnight, but not before Nick slipped Jackie some extra money for food in case Maria hadn’t shopped yet.
A few minutes later Maria and Jackie carried the last of the dirty coffee cups in to Liz, who was loading up the dishwasher. “The brochure for the B&B said they had a masseuse on staff on the weekends,” Maria said. “I hope he’s their tomorrow because I could really use one. Work has been a killer lately.”
“That’s one of the reason’s Paula and I came up with the idea to send you two away for a few days,” Liz said as she pushed the buttons to start the wash cycle. “I know both you and Alex need to relax a little. Besides, fifteen years of wedded bliss deserves to be celebrated with some romance,” she added with a wink.
“Jacks are you sure you don’t mind staying alone at the house?” Maria asked her niece. “I could get a neighbor to come by and feed Cinderella.”
“I don’t mind Aunt Maria; besides, you know that cat won’t eat if she’s left by herself. She’ll be starving by Sunday night,” Jackie quickly answered. She couldn’t wait to be alone with Max; in fact, she didn’t know who was more excited about the Whitman’s weekend getaway, Maria or herself! “Cinder will keep me company Aunt Maria.”
“Uh huh, and I’m guessing so will a certain brown-eyed boyfriend, hmmm?” Maria teased.
Before Jackie could reply Alex sauntered into the room with both Max’s following behind. “Are you guys ready to go?” he asked.
The Evans’ walked their company to the door, and as Max and Liz wished the Whitman’s a great weekend, Max and Jackie were stealing some goodnight kisses for themselves. “Call me tomorrow morning when you get up,” Max whispered.
“OK. I can’t wait Max.”
“Me neither,” he replied, knowing exactly what she meant. He gave her one last kiss and then said goodbye, both of them eager to go to sleep so the morning would come and their weekend would really begin.
END PART A
“Max, we should gommmphff…”
The remainder of Jackie’s sentence was swallowed by Max’s voracious lips. It was mid-morning on Thanksgiving Day, and they were in his apartment while their families, Maria, and Alex were busy preparing turkey and all the trimmings downstairs. Amid all of the activity in the kitchen they slipped out unnoticed and raced up the back stairs to his room, giggling at their perceived caper. As soon as they were through the door he had swept her into his arms and began kissing her senseless, eager to begin their long weekend together. Almost forty-five minutes later they were on the couch, still locked in each others arms.
“Go where,” he mumbled as he dragged his lips down her neck, causing her head to fall back.
“What?” she barely breathed out, digging her fingers into his shoulders.
“You said we mpffm…” This time it was she who halted his speech, opening her mouth over his and demanding entrance with her tongue. He loved it when she was assertive in what she wanted from him. They were both shy, and Max sometimes thought it was a miracle they had progressed beyond kissing at all. But while he had thoroughly enjoyed their few forays to second base, he knew he couldn’t take it too much farther than that, no matter how much it killed him. He would have to be completely honest with her before they could made love- she deserved nothing less. Trouble was, at times like these, when her warm, pliant body was plastered to his and her soft, delicious lips were moving over his, he could barely remember his name let alone his vow of full disclosure. Lost in the magic spell she was weaving, he forgot all about the crowd of people downstairs until his father’s commanding voice rang out loud and clear in his head. It caused him to jerk away from Jackie like he’d received an electric shock.
“What’s wrong?” she panted out.
“Nothing, nothing. I just, ah, I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He clumsily untangled himself from her embrace and once behind the closed door of his bathroom he signaled to his father. // Dad, how did you do that?//
// Do what Max? //
// I was blocking but I heard you clearly.//
// Let’s just say that being King has certain benefits. Everyone’s asking where you are. I think you and Jackie should come back down here now. //
// OK Dad, we’ll be there in a minute. //
Stepping out of the lavatory he stutter-stepped when his eyes fell upon her. Her long legs were curled under her as she absently twirled a finger through a long, auburn curl of her shiny hair. She was staring off into the distance with a dreamy smile on her face, and when she heard the door open she leveled a beaming grin at him. He couldn’t help but return it before saying, “um, maybe we should go back downstairs before they send a search party up here.”
She climbed off the sofa giggling. “You mean Aunt Maria or one of my sisters. You’re probably right,” she said as she sidled up to him and began walking her fingers up his chest. “Besides, I have a feeling that if we don’t leave here now, I’ll never let you go.”
“You think so, huh?” he said, smiling down into her eyes. “Then I guess we’d better go.” He couldn’t resist stealing one more kiss before grasping her hand and leading her back down to their families.
Later that evening while everyone was relaxing in the living room watching a very surprised Maria and Alex flip through the brochure for the Bed and Breakfast they would be staying in, Nick said to Max, “can I talk to you a minute privately?”
“Sure Nick,” he replied and then led him down the hall to his son’s old bedroom. Closing the door behind them he said, “this will be the baby’s room. We just painted it and now I have to start putting together all of this furniture Liz bought,” as he pointed at the stack of boxes against one wall. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Well,” Nick said as he looked around the room, “it’s about Jackie staying alone at Alex and Maria’s for the next couple of days. I wanted to ask you if you and Liz…if you guys could talk to Max…”
Max wondered what had Nick nervously pacing and running his hands through his hair. Nick was a lawyer and usually clear and succinct in his speech, and his faltering made Max a little nervous. “Nick, did Max do something…”
“No,” he answered, cutting him off. “No, nothing like that. As much as I’d rather lock my daughter away from boys for the rest of her life, I couldn’t ask for a better guy for her to date than your son. He’s a great kid Max.”
“Thank you.”
“What I’m trying to spit out here is that Paula and I would appreciate it if you would talk to Max about not staying overnight with Jackie at my brother’s house this weekend.”
“Oh.”
“We just feel…we’re not ignorant of the fact that they could be doing…whatever…whenever and where ever they want…” Max had to suppress a laugh as Nick paled and waved his hands around in the air as he continued his explanation. “It’s just that, we wouldn’t allow them to stay together in our home, and just because she’s not at our house doesn’t mean we condone it somewhere else.”
Max nodded his head. “I respect your wishes and I’ll talk to Max first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you. Again, this has nothing to do with your son…” He laughed at the amused expression and raised eyebrow Max was giving him. “OK, yeah it does, but not because we…”
“You don’t have to explain Nick,” Max said, slapping him on the back. “Believe me, if Liz has a girl I will be taking fingerprints and DNA samples before she can even talk to a boy. Which of course won’t happen until she’s at least thirty. I understand where you’re coming from. Don’t worry about it.”
Nick breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thanks Max. I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate what?” Liz said as she waddled into the room, Maria and Paula in tow.
Max didn’t want to embarrass Nick so he quickly sent a message to his wife. //I’ll tell you when everyone leaves Baby. Please change the subject. //
“The crib was delivered the other day Maria,” Liz said, seamlessly changing the subject as she pointed at some boxes. “Max said he’d put it together this weekend.”
The group chatted some more about their plans for decorating the nursery before Nick looked at his watch. “I hate to say this, but I have to work tomorrow morning. We’d better get moving Hun,” he said to Paula. They gathered their twins and bade everyone goodnight, but not before Nick slipped Jackie some extra money for food in case Maria hadn’t shopped yet.
A few minutes later Maria and Jackie carried the last of the dirty coffee cups in to Liz, who was loading up the dishwasher. “The brochure for the B&B said they had a masseuse on staff on the weekends,” Maria said. “I hope he’s their tomorrow because I could really use one. Work has been a killer lately.”
“That’s one of the reason’s Paula and I came up with the idea to send you two away for a few days,” Liz said as she pushed the buttons to start the wash cycle. “I know both you and Alex need to relax a little. Besides, fifteen years of wedded bliss deserves to be celebrated with some romance,” she added with a wink.
“Jacks are you sure you don’t mind staying alone at the house?” Maria asked her niece. “I could get a neighbor to come by and feed Cinderella.”
“I don’t mind Aunt Maria; besides, you know that cat won’t eat if she’s left by herself. She’ll be starving by Sunday night,” Jackie quickly answered. She couldn’t wait to be alone with Max; in fact, she didn’t know who was more excited about the Whitman’s weekend getaway, Maria or herself! “Cinder will keep me company Aunt Maria.”
“Uh huh, and I’m guessing so will a certain brown-eyed boyfriend, hmmm?” Maria teased.
Before Jackie could reply Alex sauntered into the room with both Max’s following behind. “Are you guys ready to go?” he asked.
The Evans’ walked their company to the door, and as Max and Liz wished the Whitman’s a great weekend, Max and Jackie were stealing some goodnight kisses for themselves. “Call me tomorrow morning when you get up,” Max whispered.
“OK. I can’t wait Max.”
“Me neither,” he replied, knowing exactly what she meant. He gave her one last kiss and then said goodbye, both of them eager to go to sleep so the morning would come and their weekend would really begin.
END PART A
PART B
Max trudged up the stairs to his son’s apartment the next morning to speak to him about Nick’s request. When Max had told Liz about the conversation he’d had with Nick, she informed him that Paula had mentioned the same thing to her the night before. Paula indicated that it was a bigger issue with Nick but that she had talked to Jackie about it to keep the peace. Liz thought it was time for Max to sit down with their son and talk about sex and his responsibilities anyway- a prospect Max was not thrilled about at all. He tried his best to weedle his way out of it, but after Liz quickly reminded him that it had been her duty for the first eighteen years of his life and now it was his turn, he reluctantly agreed.
His son was hanging up the telephone as he opened the door. “Hey Dad, that was Jackie; Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex just left. I’m going to go pick her up and take her out to breakfast.”
“Sounds good. Max, do you have a minute before you go; I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah Dad, sure. Actually, I’d like to ask you something too. Yesterday when I was blocking our connection, you broke through. I thought we weren’t able to do that; that was what blocking was all about.”
Max sat down next to him. “Well, like I said, being King gives me certain powers no one else has. One of them is that I can transcend a block to anyone I have a connection with, which of course means you and your mom.”
“So even when I don’t want you to…”
“Max,” his father interrupted, “the only time I will open the connection like that is when it’s really important. I promise you I won’t violate your thoughts like that. Yesterday Maria was about to march up here with Jackie’s sisters to look for you, and I thought you might not want to be found… Let’s just say that I know what it feels like to have Maria pop up at the most inopportune moments, and I was trying to spare you. The only other times I will ever do that is if there’s an emergency.”
“OK, that’s fair.”
“Max, Nick asked me to talk to you about not staying overnight at the Whitman’s with Jackie this weekend. Apparently Paula spoke with your mom about it too, and she has already discussed it with Jackie. Your mom and I agree that you should respect their wish.”
“Um, yeah, Jackie mentioned that to me yesterday…” He trailed off, a bit embarrassed at the subject.
“There’s something else we should talk about,” his father said as he nervously tugged on the collar of his sweatshirt. “Ah, do you…that is, have you…are you being careful Max?”
“Careful about what?” he replied, clearly not understanding what his father was trying to get at.
Max took a deep breath and let it out with a loud ‘whoosh’ as he ran his hand through his hair. “Careful about using protection,” he finally spit out.
“Protection for wha…OH! Geez Dad…” His son quickly stood up as his face turned flaming red.
“Look Max, I’m not thrilled about discussing this either, but it is important. An unplanned pregnancy…”
“DAD! We’re not doing…we’re not Dad.”
“Oh,” Max said as he breathed out a sigh of relief. “OK, good. That’s good.” He watched his son nervously move about the room with detached amusement. ‘Glad I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable here,’ he thought. “Look Max, I know this isn’t pleasant to talk about with me. I do realize that you’re nineteen and she’s eighteen and legally you two can do whatever you want to do. But your mom and I both want you to know that you can come to us about anything. Including this. Sex is a huge step in a relationship and not to be taken lightly. If and when you decide to go there and you need somebody to talk to or ask questions or whatever- we’re here. The only thing I will say preemptively is don’t cross that bridge without making sure that you’re both ready for it, and that one of you is addressing the birth control issue.”
Despite his son’s continued uneasiness he had stopped pacing and was listening to his father. Max sensed he wanted to talk about something, so he patiently waited for his son to gather his courage and a few minutes later it paid off. “Dad, I’ve already thought about this. A lot. And I decided that before anything like that happens I have to tell Jackie the truth about me. It wouldn’t be fair to her if she didn’t know everything.”
Max nodded his head in assent. “I agree with you. Have you thought about telling her yet?”
His son laughed wryly before answering. “Only about a thousand times, in a thousand different ways.” His face sobered and he looked away from where his father still sat on the sofa. “It doesn’t really matter how I tell her though. I figure the outcome will be the same however I do it.”
“Which is…”
“That she’ll want nothing to do with me.”
His father’s stomach twisted in a knot. His son’s words flashed him back to a time before Liz’s love had rescued him from the same fear, and all of his old guilt flooded to the surface. “Max, that’s my fault; I’m sorry.”
“What’s your fault?”
“That you have to deal with this. If I weren’t in the picture then your biggest worry would be where you were taking her on a Saturday night. I’m the reason…”
“You’re the reason I’m alive,” his son said, cutting him off. “Dad, without you I wouldn’t be here. And Mom- do you actually think Mom would be happier with a different version of you? Or without you at all? I mean, hasn’t she reassured you about this enough yet?” He paused a moment before continuing. “Look, as much I as wish I didn’t have to deal with this thing with Jackie, that doesn’t mean that I wish you weren’t my father. If I had to pick between having a regular human for a father and being your son, it’s an easy choice.”
Max sat staring up at his son, pride and thanksgiving filling his heart. He got up and walked over to where he was standing and wrapped him in a bear hug. “I love you so much,” he whispered.
“I love you too Dad,” his son replied. After giving him a good hard squeeze he added, “so can we drop this subject now? Please?”
“OK,” Max said as he pulled away and wiped a hand at his misting eyes. “But let me just say one more thing. I still feel strongly that we- meaning your mom and I, Maria, and Alex- should be there, at least in the vicinity, if and when you do tell her. And if you do have sex use protection.”
His son smirked at him. “That’s two things Dad.”
“So sue me,” he joked back. “So what are your plans this weekend. Your mom was hoping you two would have dinner with us tonight to help polish off some of those leftovers.”
“I have to talk to Jackie first but I think that’ll work. I know she wants to make dinner for me tomorrow night, but that’s the only plans we have so far.”
“Dinner, huh? Is she a good cook?” his father asked as he walked toward the door to take his leave.
“I hope so,” Max answered with another smirk, following his father out the door.
Max trudged up the stairs to his son’s apartment the next morning to speak to him about Nick’s request. When Max had told Liz about the conversation he’d had with Nick, she informed him that Paula had mentioned the same thing to her the night before. Paula indicated that it was a bigger issue with Nick but that she had talked to Jackie about it to keep the peace. Liz thought it was time for Max to sit down with their son and talk about sex and his responsibilities anyway- a prospect Max was not thrilled about at all. He tried his best to weedle his way out of it, but after Liz quickly reminded him that it had been her duty for the first eighteen years of his life and now it was his turn, he reluctantly agreed.
His son was hanging up the telephone as he opened the door. “Hey Dad, that was Jackie; Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex just left. I’m going to go pick her up and take her out to breakfast.”
“Sounds good. Max, do you have a minute before you go; I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah Dad, sure. Actually, I’d like to ask you something too. Yesterday when I was blocking our connection, you broke through. I thought we weren’t able to do that; that was what blocking was all about.”
Max sat down next to him. “Well, like I said, being King gives me certain powers no one else has. One of them is that I can transcend a block to anyone I have a connection with, which of course means you and your mom.”
“So even when I don’t want you to…”
“Max,” his father interrupted, “the only time I will open the connection like that is when it’s really important. I promise you I won’t violate your thoughts like that. Yesterday Maria was about to march up here with Jackie’s sisters to look for you, and I thought you might not want to be found… Let’s just say that I know what it feels like to have Maria pop up at the most inopportune moments, and I was trying to spare you. The only other times I will ever do that is if there’s an emergency.”
“OK, that’s fair.”
“Max, Nick asked me to talk to you about not staying overnight at the Whitman’s with Jackie this weekend. Apparently Paula spoke with your mom about it too, and she has already discussed it with Jackie. Your mom and I agree that you should respect their wish.”
“Um, yeah, Jackie mentioned that to me yesterday…” He trailed off, a bit embarrassed at the subject.
“There’s something else we should talk about,” his father said as he nervously tugged on the collar of his sweatshirt. “Ah, do you…that is, have you…are you being careful Max?”
“Careful about what?” he replied, clearly not understanding what his father was trying to get at.
Max took a deep breath and let it out with a loud ‘whoosh’ as he ran his hand through his hair. “Careful about using protection,” he finally spit out.
“Protection for wha…OH! Geez Dad…” His son quickly stood up as his face turned flaming red.
“Look Max, I’m not thrilled about discussing this either, but it is important. An unplanned pregnancy…”
“DAD! We’re not doing…we’re not Dad.”
“Oh,” Max said as he breathed out a sigh of relief. “OK, good. That’s good.” He watched his son nervously move about the room with detached amusement. ‘Glad I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable here,’ he thought. “Look Max, I know this isn’t pleasant to talk about with me. I do realize that you’re nineteen and she’s eighteen and legally you two can do whatever you want to do. But your mom and I both want you to know that you can come to us about anything. Including this. Sex is a huge step in a relationship and not to be taken lightly. If and when you decide to go there and you need somebody to talk to or ask questions or whatever- we’re here. The only thing I will say preemptively is don’t cross that bridge without making sure that you’re both ready for it, and that one of you is addressing the birth control issue.”
Despite his son’s continued uneasiness he had stopped pacing and was listening to his father. Max sensed he wanted to talk about something, so he patiently waited for his son to gather his courage and a few minutes later it paid off. “Dad, I’ve already thought about this. A lot. And I decided that before anything like that happens I have to tell Jackie the truth about me. It wouldn’t be fair to her if she didn’t know everything.”
Max nodded his head in assent. “I agree with you. Have you thought about telling her yet?”
His son laughed wryly before answering. “Only about a thousand times, in a thousand different ways.” His face sobered and he looked away from where his father still sat on the sofa. “It doesn’t really matter how I tell her though. I figure the outcome will be the same however I do it.”
“Which is…”
“That she’ll want nothing to do with me.”
His father’s stomach twisted in a knot. His son’s words flashed him back to a time before Liz’s love had rescued him from the same fear, and all of his old guilt flooded to the surface. “Max, that’s my fault; I’m sorry.”
“What’s your fault?”
“That you have to deal with this. If I weren’t in the picture then your biggest worry would be where you were taking her on a Saturday night. I’m the reason…”
“You’re the reason I’m alive,” his son said, cutting him off. “Dad, without you I wouldn’t be here. And Mom- do you actually think Mom would be happier with a different version of you? Or without you at all? I mean, hasn’t she reassured you about this enough yet?” He paused a moment before continuing. “Look, as much I as wish I didn’t have to deal with this thing with Jackie, that doesn’t mean that I wish you weren’t my father. If I had to pick between having a regular human for a father and being your son, it’s an easy choice.”
Max sat staring up at his son, pride and thanksgiving filling his heart. He got up and walked over to where he was standing and wrapped him in a bear hug. “I love you so much,” he whispered.
“I love you too Dad,” his son replied. After giving him a good hard squeeze he added, “so can we drop this subject now? Please?”
“OK,” Max said as he pulled away and wiped a hand at his misting eyes. “But let me just say one more thing. I still feel strongly that we- meaning your mom and I, Maria, and Alex- should be there, at least in the vicinity, if and when you do tell her. And if you do have sex use protection.”
His son smirked at him. “That’s two things Dad.”
“So sue me,” he joked back. “So what are your plans this weekend. Your mom was hoping you two would have dinner with us tonight to help polish off some of those leftovers.”
“I have to talk to Jackie first but I think that’ll work. I know she wants to make dinner for me tomorrow night, but that’s the only plans we have so far.”
“Dinner, huh? Is she a good cook?” his father asked as he walked toward the door to take his leave.
“I hope so,” Max answered with another smirk, following his father out the door.
PART C
“So, what do you think?”
Jackie sat perched on the end of her chair, awaiting her boyfriend’s opinion on the first meal that she had ever cooked for him. She watched him chewing, swallowing, and then taking a sip of water all as if it was happening in slow motion. She had taken great pains in preparing everything and was anxious to see if he liked it. “Well?”
Max smiled at her and reached over to give her hand a squeeze. “It’s delicious Sweetheart. Thank you.”
“So the steak isn’t too hot?” She knew he loved spicy food so she had used a Cajun dry-rub marinade she and her mother found on the Internet.
“No, it’s perfect.”
“And the potatoes and vegetables are OK that way? I used the same spices that I used on the steak.”
“I love them,” he said as he popped another grilled potato wedge into his mouth.
“And the salad, you liked the pears with the bleu cheese…”
“Jack, everything is wonderful. I really mean it. Maybe if you’d eat something yourself you wouldn’t be asking me how it is,” he teased. She needn’t have been so nervous about his reaction; the meal really was good, and even if it hadn’t been he would never have admitted it. “Here,” he said, spearing a piece of meat with his fork and holding it out to her, “taste for yourself.”
She smiled as she swallowed the piece of steak. “Well, just because I think it’s OK doesn’t mean that you do.”
“Well, I do, so stop worrying and eat.”
They discussed a paper they were working on together for their History class while they ate, and before they knew it the meal was finished. They made quick work of the dishes and then flopped down on a large pile of throw pillows on the floor of the den to watch TV.
Max commandeered the remote while Jackie cuddled into his side. “What do you want to watch?” he asked as he wrapped an arm around her.
“What time is it?”
“A little after 8:30,” he said, glancing at his watch.
She began absently tracing circles over his chest. “Trading Spaces is on channel 37.”
“What’s Trading Spaces?” he said as he punched in the numbers on the remote.
“It’s this show where two couples switch houses for two days, and they work with a designer to redecorate a room in the other couple’s house. My mom and I watch it together when I’m home on a Saturday night.”
“A home decorating show?” he said, obviously not enthusiastic with her choice.
“It’s really good. Sometimes the designers do really messed up things to the room and the people freak out. You’ll see.”
Over an hour later they were watching the second episode, Max peppering her with questions and comments. “I can’t believe he is painting that beautiful furniture black! He’s ruining it. Aren’t there rules that they can’t destroy people’s stuff like that?”
“No, they are allowed to do whatever they want to the room. That’s part of the appeal of the show.”
“Well I think this guy sucks. Everything in the room is gray and black. How depressing.”
Jackie chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t like Doug either. Mom likes some of his designs but we both can’t stand how he acts. He throws a hissy fit if anyone doesn’t like his design or suggests something different. I love Vern.”
“You love him, huh?” Max teased as he tickled her side lightly, making her squirm and giggle.
She pushed herself up on one elbow and leaned across his body. “Just in a celebrity stalker kind of way,” she said before springing into action and tickling his sides mercilessly, both of them laughing as he tried to wrestle her hands away from his torso. “Not like I love you.”
They both froze in place; Max staring up into her face as her words registered in his brain, and Jackie blushing at the realization of what she had let slip out.
“You…you love me?” Max said quietly, his deep brown eyes searching hers intently.
Her eyes fell from his intense stare, unsure of his response to what she would say. “Yeah…I do,” she replied, her voice barely audible.
Max felt a warm heat flood through his body. ‘She loves me! SHE LOVES ME!!!’ ran through his mind over and over as he cupped her face in his hands and returned her gaze to his. “I love you too Jackie,” he said, the statement made in a clear, decisive tone.
Her slow, happy smile made his temperature rise even more, and he drew her face toward his to seal their pronouncement with a kiss. It was long and languid, as if it was their first, both of them deliriously happy and wanting to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Soft, sweet kisses eventually became hot and heavy, and as their bodies began to press into each other harder Jackie’s legs fell open to bracket Max’s hips. Leaving one hand tangled in her hair, he swept the other over her back moving downward until he encountered bare skin where her top had ridden up. His fingers quickly slithered under the material and made their way up to the clasp of her bra, which he flicked open with little effort. His hand slid forward caressing the side of her breast, but before he could engulf it fully she sat up and began to unbutton her shirt while smiling down at him. He withdrew his hand from under her clothing and watched as her silky skin was revealed to his hungry eyes. When the last button was undone he reached up and pulled the material down her arms, and when free of her body he tossed it to the side. Reaching up again he slid the straps of her bra down her arms and then tossed it in the direction of her top.
His breath caught in his throat and his pants grew tighter as he looked up at her. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered as he took in the sight of her flushed face framed by soft curls that fell down to tickle her chest. “Beautiful,” he said again when his hands cupped her breasts gently before slowly passing his thumbs over her straining nipples. The soft purring sound that escaped her lips made him quicken the movement for a few strokes before sliding his hands around to her back and pulling her down to replace his fingers with his mouth.
“Uh…Max, yes…” she quietly moaned as his lips pillowed her aeriola and his tongue played with the now rock-hard surface. Spurred on by the erotic sounds she was making he switched to her other breast, opened his mouth wider and sucked hard.
Her hands shot into his hair to hold him fast and her legs tightened on his hips just before he gently tugged at the nipple with his teeth and flicked his tongue wildly over it. The action brought forth a loud moan and she instinctively ground her hips against his, dragging her body over the prominent bulge that could be felt despite the jeans they both were wearing. Now he was the one moaning as he released his mouth and rolled them over, trapping her under him as he attacked her mouth again.
Her small hands pulled at his sweater until he ripped away from her and yanked it over his head, then returned to her lips with gusto. As his torso made full contact with hers the feeling of her nipples drilling into his chest pulled a groan from deep within him, soon to be swallowed by her mouth.
Their passionate kisses were broken only by the need for air until Max could withstand the need to return to her creamy nipples no longer. As his mouth began to move down her throat back to her chest, the bulge in his pants was pressing into the place where the denim of her jeans joined together between her legs. His hips moved against her and pressed the thick point into her center and caused it to rub over her clit, creating an amazing friction that began to spread heat from her loins throughout her body.
Max latched onto a breast while untangling one hand from her hair to fondle the other. His jeans were so tight they were almost painful, but oh what wonderful torture. He’d never been so hard in his life, and each pass of her hands over the heated skin of his chest and back, each moan, each movement of her body under his served to excite him further.
Jackie held his head fast as his marvelous mouth teased and sucked at her while her hips thrust up, trying to maintain contact with the pronounced hardness that was providing her with pleasure on a scale she’d never felt before. She had brought herself to orgasm a few times in the privacy of her room while she fantasized about him, but nothing she’d ever experienced before could compare to what he was doing to her now. It felt like every nerve ending in her body was connected to the area between her legs, and everything he did, every sound he made increased the throbbing she was now desperate to tame with release.
She pulled at his hair to bring him back to her mouth and a loud groan was torn from him when he caught sight of her face. Despite her heavily lidded eyes the piercing desire in them was clearly visible, and he dove in to take her mouth, cutting off the moan of his name from her lips. He grinded down against her once more and her head fell back away from him, her body convulsing as she suddenly tumbled over the edge.
Max was mesmerized by the sight of her ecstatic face and feel of her body as it trembled inside the circle of his arms. He watched as a light flush ran over her skin while her chest heaved, searching for air. He slid his body off to her side while cradling her to his chest, bringing them to rest on their sides facing each other. He felt her burrow her face into his chest and her hands grasp onto the backs of his biceps as if she were trying to prevent herself from falling away from him. He took it all in, committing each glorious moment to memory and wondering if he would ever get to see the same look of rapture on her face while they made love.
Jackie desperately grasped at his arms, trying to calm down though the room still spun around her. Somewhere a piece of her brain tried to tell her she should feel at least somewhat self conscious at the moment, but the buzz of pleasure flowing over entire being drown out all other sound and thought. She finally registered the feel of his fingers floating over her back and the soft cooing sound of his whispered words, and she sighed deeply and smiled. She had never felt better in her life. And now it was her turn to return the favor.
She opened her eyes to smile at him before leaning in to his beckoning lips. Slow, deep kisses were exchanged, until he felt her groping hand meandering around his crotch. Before he could stop her she encountered a damp patch and broke their kiss, cocking her head back slightly to see him better. “Did you…?”
Max felt like his face was on fire and knew it must be hot pink with embarrassment. He swallowed hard and tried to look away from her eyes while he stammered out a reply. “Uh…yeah…when you…I…I couldn’t help…it.” ’Please let me die now’, he thought to himself, humiliated at his lack of self-control.
A thrill raced through her at the knowledge that she could have such an effect on him. She reached up with a shaky hand and skimmed her fingers over his cheek, encouraging him to look at her. “I’m glad,” she breathed out when his eyes finally met hers, and when a tentative smile began to form over his mouth she leaned in to rejoin their lips.
Long moments and many kisses later Max reluctantly tried to untangle himself from her tight embrace. “I think I’d better go now, before I break that promise to our parents.” He smiled at her obviously disappointed look and gave her one more quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” he said with a smile.
“Early?” she said, still trying to hold onto him.
“Call me when you get up and I’ll come right over.” Kiss.
“Promise?” Kiss.
“Try ‘an keep me away.” Kiss kiss.
They finally broke apart and rose, sharing as many more kisses as the slow walk to the door would allow. Once outside and out of sight, Max swiped his hand over his pants to remove the uncomfortable reminder of the experience that would keep them both smiling and dreaming of each other that night.
“So, what do you think?”
Jackie sat perched on the end of her chair, awaiting her boyfriend’s opinion on the first meal that she had ever cooked for him. She watched him chewing, swallowing, and then taking a sip of water all as if it was happening in slow motion. She had taken great pains in preparing everything and was anxious to see if he liked it. “Well?”
Max smiled at her and reached over to give her hand a squeeze. “It’s delicious Sweetheart. Thank you.”
“So the steak isn’t too hot?” She knew he loved spicy food so she had used a Cajun dry-rub marinade she and her mother found on the Internet.
“No, it’s perfect.”
“And the potatoes and vegetables are OK that way? I used the same spices that I used on the steak.”
“I love them,” he said as he popped another grilled potato wedge into his mouth.
“And the salad, you liked the pears with the bleu cheese…”
“Jack, everything is wonderful. I really mean it. Maybe if you’d eat something yourself you wouldn’t be asking me how it is,” he teased. She needn’t have been so nervous about his reaction; the meal really was good, and even if it hadn’t been he would never have admitted it. “Here,” he said, spearing a piece of meat with his fork and holding it out to her, “taste for yourself.”
She smiled as she swallowed the piece of steak. “Well, just because I think it’s OK doesn’t mean that you do.”
“Well, I do, so stop worrying and eat.”
They discussed a paper they were working on together for their History class while they ate, and before they knew it the meal was finished. They made quick work of the dishes and then flopped down on a large pile of throw pillows on the floor of the den to watch TV.
Max commandeered the remote while Jackie cuddled into his side. “What do you want to watch?” he asked as he wrapped an arm around her.
“What time is it?”
“A little after 8:30,” he said, glancing at his watch.
She began absently tracing circles over his chest. “Trading Spaces is on channel 37.”
“What’s Trading Spaces?” he said as he punched in the numbers on the remote.
“It’s this show where two couples switch houses for two days, and they work with a designer to redecorate a room in the other couple’s house. My mom and I watch it together when I’m home on a Saturday night.”
“A home decorating show?” he said, obviously not enthusiastic with her choice.
“It’s really good. Sometimes the designers do really messed up things to the room and the people freak out. You’ll see.”
Over an hour later they were watching the second episode, Max peppering her with questions and comments. “I can’t believe he is painting that beautiful furniture black! He’s ruining it. Aren’t there rules that they can’t destroy people’s stuff like that?”
“No, they are allowed to do whatever they want to the room. That’s part of the appeal of the show.”
“Well I think this guy sucks. Everything in the room is gray and black. How depressing.”
Jackie chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t like Doug either. Mom likes some of his designs but we both can’t stand how he acts. He throws a hissy fit if anyone doesn’t like his design or suggests something different. I love Vern.”
“You love him, huh?” Max teased as he tickled her side lightly, making her squirm and giggle.
She pushed herself up on one elbow and leaned across his body. “Just in a celebrity stalker kind of way,” she said before springing into action and tickling his sides mercilessly, both of them laughing as he tried to wrestle her hands away from his torso. “Not like I love you.”
They both froze in place; Max staring up into her face as her words registered in his brain, and Jackie blushing at the realization of what she had let slip out.
“You…you love me?” Max said quietly, his deep brown eyes searching hers intently.
Her eyes fell from his intense stare, unsure of his response to what she would say. “Yeah…I do,” she replied, her voice barely audible.
Max felt a warm heat flood through his body. ‘She loves me! SHE LOVES ME!!!’ ran through his mind over and over as he cupped her face in his hands and returned her gaze to his. “I love you too Jackie,” he said, the statement made in a clear, decisive tone.
Her slow, happy smile made his temperature rise even more, and he drew her face toward his to seal their pronouncement with a kiss. It was long and languid, as if it was their first, both of them deliriously happy and wanting to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Soft, sweet kisses eventually became hot and heavy, and as their bodies began to press into each other harder Jackie’s legs fell open to bracket Max’s hips. Leaving one hand tangled in her hair, he swept the other over her back moving downward until he encountered bare skin where her top had ridden up. His fingers quickly slithered under the material and made their way up to the clasp of her bra, which he flicked open with little effort. His hand slid forward caressing the side of her breast, but before he could engulf it fully she sat up and began to unbutton her shirt while smiling down at him. He withdrew his hand from under her clothing and watched as her silky skin was revealed to his hungry eyes. When the last button was undone he reached up and pulled the material down her arms, and when free of her body he tossed it to the side. Reaching up again he slid the straps of her bra down her arms and then tossed it in the direction of her top.
His breath caught in his throat and his pants grew tighter as he looked up at her. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered as he took in the sight of her flushed face framed by soft curls that fell down to tickle her chest. “Beautiful,” he said again when his hands cupped her breasts gently before slowly passing his thumbs over her straining nipples. The soft purring sound that escaped her lips made him quicken the movement for a few strokes before sliding his hands around to her back and pulling her down to replace his fingers with his mouth.
“Uh…Max, yes…” she quietly moaned as his lips pillowed her aeriola and his tongue played with the now rock-hard surface. Spurred on by the erotic sounds she was making he switched to her other breast, opened his mouth wider and sucked hard.
Her hands shot into his hair to hold him fast and her legs tightened on his hips just before he gently tugged at the nipple with his teeth and flicked his tongue wildly over it. The action brought forth a loud moan and she instinctively ground her hips against his, dragging her body over the prominent bulge that could be felt despite the jeans they both were wearing. Now he was the one moaning as he released his mouth and rolled them over, trapping her under him as he attacked her mouth again.
Her small hands pulled at his sweater until he ripped away from her and yanked it over his head, then returned to her lips with gusto. As his torso made full contact with hers the feeling of her nipples drilling into his chest pulled a groan from deep within him, soon to be swallowed by her mouth.
Their passionate kisses were broken only by the need for air until Max could withstand the need to return to her creamy nipples no longer. As his mouth began to move down her throat back to her chest, the bulge in his pants was pressing into the place where the denim of her jeans joined together between her legs. His hips moved against her and pressed the thick point into her center and caused it to rub over her clit, creating an amazing friction that began to spread heat from her loins throughout her body.
Max latched onto a breast while untangling one hand from her hair to fondle the other. His jeans were so tight they were almost painful, but oh what wonderful torture. He’d never been so hard in his life, and each pass of her hands over the heated skin of his chest and back, each moan, each movement of her body under his served to excite him further.
Jackie held his head fast as his marvelous mouth teased and sucked at her while her hips thrust up, trying to maintain contact with the pronounced hardness that was providing her with pleasure on a scale she’d never felt before. She had brought herself to orgasm a few times in the privacy of her room while she fantasized about him, but nothing she’d ever experienced before could compare to what he was doing to her now. It felt like every nerve ending in her body was connected to the area between her legs, and everything he did, every sound he made increased the throbbing she was now desperate to tame with release.
She pulled at his hair to bring him back to her mouth and a loud groan was torn from him when he caught sight of her face. Despite her heavily lidded eyes the piercing desire in them was clearly visible, and he dove in to take her mouth, cutting off the moan of his name from her lips. He grinded down against her once more and her head fell back away from him, her body convulsing as she suddenly tumbled over the edge.
Max was mesmerized by the sight of her ecstatic face and feel of her body as it trembled inside the circle of his arms. He watched as a light flush ran over her skin while her chest heaved, searching for air. He slid his body off to her side while cradling her to his chest, bringing them to rest on their sides facing each other. He felt her burrow her face into his chest and her hands grasp onto the backs of his biceps as if she were trying to prevent herself from falling away from him. He took it all in, committing each glorious moment to memory and wondering if he would ever get to see the same look of rapture on her face while they made love.
Jackie desperately grasped at his arms, trying to calm down though the room still spun around her. Somewhere a piece of her brain tried to tell her she should feel at least somewhat self conscious at the moment, but the buzz of pleasure flowing over entire being drown out all other sound and thought. She finally registered the feel of his fingers floating over her back and the soft cooing sound of his whispered words, and she sighed deeply and smiled. She had never felt better in her life. And now it was her turn to return the favor.
She opened her eyes to smile at him before leaning in to his beckoning lips. Slow, deep kisses were exchanged, until he felt her groping hand meandering around his crotch. Before he could stop her she encountered a damp patch and broke their kiss, cocking her head back slightly to see him better. “Did you…?”
Max felt like his face was on fire and knew it must be hot pink with embarrassment. He swallowed hard and tried to look away from her eyes while he stammered out a reply. “Uh…yeah…when you…I…I couldn’t help…it.” ’Please let me die now’, he thought to himself, humiliated at his lack of self-control.
A thrill raced through her at the knowledge that she could have such an effect on him. She reached up with a shaky hand and skimmed her fingers over his cheek, encouraging him to look at her. “I’m glad,” she breathed out when his eyes finally met hers, and when a tentative smile began to form over his mouth she leaned in to rejoin their lips.
Long moments and many kisses later Max reluctantly tried to untangle himself from her tight embrace. “I think I’d better go now, before I break that promise to our parents.” He smiled at her obviously disappointed look and gave her one more quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” he said with a smile.
“Early?” she said, still trying to hold onto him.
“Call me when you get up and I’ll come right over.” Kiss.
“Promise?” Kiss.
“Try ‘an keep me away.” Kiss kiss.
They finally broke apart and rose, sharing as many more kisses as the slow walk to the door would allow. Once outside and out of sight, Max swiped his hand over his pants to remove the uncomfortable reminder of the experience that would keep them both smiling and dreaming of each other that night.
Chapter 24
Two weekends before Christmas found the Evans’ engulfed in the yearly Christmas tree decorating ritual. This year Jackie was with them to lend a hand, and as the two Max’s painstakingly wrapped the tree branches in lights, Liz sat in a chair with a plate of cookies balanced on her tummy while she directed their movements.
“Honey, chomp chomp I think you missed a few branches over there chew chew. No, up a few…yeah, there.” She paused to drink some of the huge glass of milk her husband had insisted she drink daily. “Sweetie, I can see some of the wires on that one, could you wrap them up?” bitechompchew.
Father and son patiently followed her orders, both knowing that if they submitted to her the ordeal would be over quicker and she would be happy. Jackie sat next to Liz watching them, figuring out early in the process that letting them execute the task alone would make things easier. She too munched on Christmas cookies, quietly giggling each time her boyfriend rolled his eyes at another direction from his mother. When all of the lights were finally on and approved by Liz, they all grabbed a box of ornaments and moved to the tree. “Where is it Max?” Liz said to her son, referring to the ornament that was always hung first.
“I’ve got it,” her husband replied as he handed it to her.
Liz held it up and smiled before turning watery eyes toward her son. “My first gift from my first baby,” she said before suddenly pulling him into a hug and bursting into tears. It didn’t last long though, and as she pulled away from him she said, “sorry Honey, I know you hate it when I do that,” before turning and being enfolded in her husbands waiting arms.
Jackie gave Max a confused look, not understanding what was going on. He hung the Popsicle and yarn creation and then walked over to her and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Aunt Maria helped me make that when I was three. It was the first Christmas present I ever gave to my mom. It’s always the first ornament we hang on the tree.”
Liz turned around and rested her back against her husband’s chest as his arms wrapped around her, his hands gently rubbing over her belly. “Sorry Jackie, my hormones just get the better of me sometimes,” she explained.
“I think its sweet Aunt Liz,” she replied with a smile. “The first thing we have to put on our tree is this really ugly ornament Daddy has had since he was a kid. Uncle Alex has one too; it’s green and purple and half of the glitter is gone. We all hate it but they both go on and on about it being in the Whitman family for so long. Mom always tries to hide it on the side of the tree that faces the wall but Daddy always finds it and moves it back to the front.”
“Maria does the exact same thing,” Liz said laughing. “Alex told her if he had to sleep in a purple bedroom then she could deal with that ornament for a few weeks a year. I think your great-grandmother gave them those ornaments; that’s why they are so attached to them.”
“How ‘bout we get started putting up the rest of the ornaments or we’ll never finish before dinner,” her husband said. “Honey, you sit down and tell us where you want them.”
Liz turned a raised eyebrow toward her husband. “Max, I may be the size of a blimp but I am perfectly capable of hanging ornaments. And I’ll even promise not to bend over or climb the ladder.”
“Really Dad, these things weigh about three ounces. I don’t think she’s in danger of over-doing it,” his son said in a slightly annoyed tone that made Jackie shoot him a questioning look. “Seven months of it is starting to wear a little thin,” he whispered in her ear.
“Yeah, but at least you know he cares about her. I’ve seen some of my friend’s parent’s act like they don’t care if the other person is alive or dead.”
“I know,” he said, feeling slightly bad about complaining. “I am glad. But you weren’t here the other day when he thought it might be too much for her to be mixing chocolate chip cookie dough.”
Jackie’s answering laugh made him smile. “I think you were just worried the cookies wouldn’t get finished,” she teased.
“Hey guys,” Liz called to them as she grabbed another cookie, “what time is your party tonight? Are you eating dinner with us?”
“Yeah, we’ll eat here. Bob said to come over around eight,” Max answered, referring to the small gathering of his close friends that were getting together that night.
“Well then let’s get cracking,” his mother said, “so I can start dinner.”
They made quick dispatch of the rest of the tree decorations, and then Max prepared the meal to his wife’s instructions, which were issued from a rocking chair he had brought into the room for her to sit upon. Soon enough dinner was finished and cleaned up, and Jackie and Max were on their way to his best friends Christmas party.
They found most of their friends already there. Jackie had long since become comfortable with them, as most of them attended their University also, and they spent a lot of their weekend social time with them too. Her favorite was still Sarah, the girl who had quickly befriended her at the beach party six months before, and when she invited Max and Jackie to join in the on-going poker game she happily took a seat. After more than an hour of nothing but losing hands, Max threw down his cards and said to her “I’m going to go find Bob. I want to see if we can try out the new cappuccino machine I saw in the kitchen,” and then gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Wimping out already Evans?” his friend Jim teased.
“Just for a little while. I’m leaving my girlfriend here to kick your ass though,” he joked before turning and heading off in search of Bob. He found him in the kitchen already tinkering with the elaborate coffee maker.
“Hey Max, you probably know how to work this since your mom has one; would you mind giving me a hand? I promised Jeannie some cappuccino and I can’t figure out where to put the beans.” They worked together until they were finally able to get it going, and while they waited for it to finish brewing Tess sauntered into the kitchen.
“Hi boys,” she drawled. “Where’s the beer hiding Bob?”
He opened the refrigerator, grabbed bottle and handed it to her. “I’m gonna go see how many people want to try the cappuccino, I’ll be right back.” He looked over her head at his friend and rolled his eyes as if to say ‘good luck’, causing Max to stifle a laugh.
As soon as Bob left the kitchen Tess began batting her overly made-up eyes at Max. “Hi Max, you’re looking good.”
“Hi Tess,” he replied awkwardly before turning back to the coffee maker and trying to look busy.
Undaunted by his cool reception she said “so where have you been; I didn’t see you at Linda’s big party on Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Jackie and I had plans,” he replied simply, hoping she would take the hint and leave.
“Well you were missed,” she said in a tone he guessed she thought was seductive, but only succeeded in aggravating him further. “Do you want a beer Max?” she asked as she held up the one she had just opened.
“You know I don’t drink Tess,” he said shortly.
“Why is that Max- and don’t tell me it’s because you’re not twenty-one yet.”
Before he could reply, Bob returned with orders for coffee and she left, sparing him any further discomfort. They carried them out to the group, which was divided between the poker players and those watching movies on the large screen TV that took up almost an entire wall in the room.
As one movie finished Tess commandeered the remote and started surfing through the channels. When she stopped on the movie ‘Say Anything’ Jackie happened to look up from her hand of cards. “Oh I love this movie,” she said, causing Sarah to look also and agree.
“Well that’s out then,” Tess muttered from the couch right behind where the two girls were sitting just loud enough for them to hear. When she saw her friends shocked expression Sarah rolled her eyes at Jackie as if to say ‘ignore her’. Jackie stared at Tess a moment longer and then turned back to the game, wondering not for the first time why Tess seemed to have such a problem with her.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and as people started to get ready to leave Bob said “hey Max, do me a favor and see if you can get that filter unit out of that damn machine? I’m afraid I’ll break it and my dad will strangle me if I get as much as a scratch on that thing.”
“Yeah, no problem,” he replied, as he went into the kitchen. ‘Might as well clean it as long as I have it apart,’ he thought, and then set about doing that and also loading the dishwasher with used coffee cups. While he was bent over filling the machine Tess quietly made her into the room, observing him for a moment before walking over and placing her hand on his arm and startling him.
Max looked down at the long, obviously fake nails that were painted bright red and then pointedly removed her hand from its resting place. “Did you need something?” he said, trying to be polite.
“Um, another beer would be good,” she said. “Why don’t you have one with me.”
Max ignored her offer and said, “don’t you think you’ve had enough already?”
“Oh Max, always on the straight-and-narrow. Why don’t you loosen up a little and have some fun with me,” she slurred slightly as she reached out and ran her hand up his arm and looped it around his neck. “I promise you’ll enjoy yourself,” she added before she pressed up against him, backing him up against the sink.
“Tess,” he said, obviously shocked; “what are you doing?”
She pushed up against him tightly and began toying with his hair. “If you have to ask I guess your girlfriend isn’t taking care of business,” she said before yanking his head down to her and plastering her beer-bathed lips to his.
Just as she uttered her offensive remark Jackie and Sarah walked into the room carrying more dishes. Their startled gasps broke Tess’s concentration and she looked up, allowing Max to shove her away from him before wiping his hand across his mouth in disgust.
“What the hell is wrong with you Tess?” Max yelled. “I have a girlfriend.”
“Could you be any more of a slut Tess?” Sarah spat out.
Tess looked over at Jackie, still frozen in place from the scenario they had stumbled upon. “You didn’t seem to be thinking about your girlfriend a minute ago,” she said evilly, causing Jackie to blanche white. Tess gave her a nasty smirk before turning back to Max, who was now livid with anger.
“The only thing I was thinking about a minute ago was how to get you the hell away from me,” he seethed. “I’m in love with Jackie. I would never betray her, especially with someone like you.”
His profession shocked Jackie out of her trance-like state. In a flash she moved across the room, grabbed Tess’s shoulder and spun her away from Max and back up against the counter. Standing as closely to her as she could, she stared the blonde down and spoke in an eerily calm but unmistakably serious voice. “I’ve had it with you. Stay away from me, and stay away from my boyfriend, or you’re going to regret it.”
“Oh really,” Tess said, full of bravado.
“Let me be perfectly clear,” Jackie replied, looking her competitor directly in the eyes while she poked her finger in the interloper’s chest. “I’m Italian, and I’ve eaten fat little white girls like you for breakfast. Don’t fuck with me.” She continued to stare at her until Tess’ twin brother’s voice rang out from the kitchen doorway seconds later.
“How could you Tess,” he said as he made his way over to where Jackie had her trapped against the counter. “The only reason any of these people put up with you is because you’re my sister, and now you’ve offended one of my best friends and his girlfriend?” Jackie stepped away as he reached his sister and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go,” he said, and pushed her toward the door. He turned to look at Max and Jackie. “I’m sorry guys, she…”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for Jim,” Jackie interrupted.
“Yeah man, don’t worry about it,” Max said. “This has nothing to do with you. Everything’s cool.”
“All right, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, man,” Jim said as he exited, Sarah following close behind him.
Jackie turned toward Max to find him holding his hand over a mouth, trying to hide a smirk. “What’s so damn funny?” she said, more sharply than she intended to say.
Max reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I was just wondering exactly when you started eating fat little white girls for breakfast.”
She stuck her chin out proudly and looked at him. “My mother’s mother was from Italy and she always told me if you don’t protect what’s yours someone else will make it theirs.”
He ran his hands up and down her sides as he continued smirking at her. “So I’m your property, huh?”
“Unless you prefer Wonderbra wearing bleach-bottle blondes,” she replied with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed openly at her retort and leaned his forehead against hers. “The only person wearing a Wonderbra I’m interested in is you,” he said.
She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips over his lightly. “I don’t need a Wonderbra Honey. They’re real, and they’re spectacular.”
He smiled widely at her Seinfeld reference. “Yes they are,” he agreed before swooping in to kiss her soundly. They stayed lip-locked until Sarah bounded back into the kitchen.
“Hey do you two wanna…Oh! Sorry!” she said as she realized she was interrupting a private moment.
“It’s OK Sare, what’s up?” Jackie replied, not leaving Max’s embrace.
“Steve feels like getting a pizza, are you guys up for it?”
“Um, actually, I think we’re gonna get going,” Jackie said as she lifted her head to look at Max, hoping he would take her hint that she wanted some alone time.
“Yeah,” he immediately agreed, “we wanted to do some star gazing. The sky is so clear this time of year. It’s really quite spectacular,” he finished, his eyes twinkling as he saw her flushing cheeks.
“Star gazing. Right,” Sarah said, winking. “Gotcha. Call me tomorrow if you still want to go to the mall Jack.”
“OK,” she replied, not moving her gaze from Max. “Night Sare.” When she was sure her friend had left the room, she said to him “let’s go see if we can find something besides stars that are spectacular,” and took him by the hand and led him out the door.
Two weekends before Christmas found the Evans’ engulfed in the yearly Christmas tree decorating ritual. This year Jackie was with them to lend a hand, and as the two Max’s painstakingly wrapped the tree branches in lights, Liz sat in a chair with a plate of cookies balanced on her tummy while she directed their movements.
“Honey, chomp chomp I think you missed a few branches over there chew chew. No, up a few…yeah, there.” She paused to drink some of the huge glass of milk her husband had insisted she drink daily. “Sweetie, I can see some of the wires on that one, could you wrap them up?” bitechompchew.
Father and son patiently followed her orders, both knowing that if they submitted to her the ordeal would be over quicker and she would be happy. Jackie sat next to Liz watching them, figuring out early in the process that letting them execute the task alone would make things easier. She too munched on Christmas cookies, quietly giggling each time her boyfriend rolled his eyes at another direction from his mother. When all of the lights were finally on and approved by Liz, they all grabbed a box of ornaments and moved to the tree. “Where is it Max?” Liz said to her son, referring to the ornament that was always hung first.
“I’ve got it,” her husband replied as he handed it to her.
Liz held it up and smiled before turning watery eyes toward her son. “My first gift from my first baby,” she said before suddenly pulling him into a hug and bursting into tears. It didn’t last long though, and as she pulled away from him she said, “sorry Honey, I know you hate it when I do that,” before turning and being enfolded in her husbands waiting arms.
Jackie gave Max a confused look, not understanding what was going on. He hung the Popsicle and yarn creation and then walked over to her and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Aunt Maria helped me make that when I was three. It was the first Christmas present I ever gave to my mom. It’s always the first ornament we hang on the tree.”
Liz turned around and rested her back against her husband’s chest as his arms wrapped around her, his hands gently rubbing over her belly. “Sorry Jackie, my hormones just get the better of me sometimes,” she explained.
“I think its sweet Aunt Liz,” she replied with a smile. “The first thing we have to put on our tree is this really ugly ornament Daddy has had since he was a kid. Uncle Alex has one too; it’s green and purple and half of the glitter is gone. We all hate it but they both go on and on about it being in the Whitman family for so long. Mom always tries to hide it on the side of the tree that faces the wall but Daddy always finds it and moves it back to the front.”
“Maria does the exact same thing,” Liz said laughing. “Alex told her if he had to sleep in a purple bedroom then she could deal with that ornament for a few weeks a year. I think your great-grandmother gave them those ornaments; that’s why they are so attached to them.”
“How ‘bout we get started putting up the rest of the ornaments or we’ll never finish before dinner,” her husband said. “Honey, you sit down and tell us where you want them.”
Liz turned a raised eyebrow toward her husband. “Max, I may be the size of a blimp but I am perfectly capable of hanging ornaments. And I’ll even promise not to bend over or climb the ladder.”
“Really Dad, these things weigh about three ounces. I don’t think she’s in danger of over-doing it,” his son said in a slightly annoyed tone that made Jackie shoot him a questioning look. “Seven months of it is starting to wear a little thin,” he whispered in her ear.
“Yeah, but at least you know he cares about her. I’ve seen some of my friend’s parent’s act like they don’t care if the other person is alive or dead.”
“I know,” he said, feeling slightly bad about complaining. “I am glad. But you weren’t here the other day when he thought it might be too much for her to be mixing chocolate chip cookie dough.”
Jackie’s answering laugh made him smile. “I think you were just worried the cookies wouldn’t get finished,” she teased.
“Hey guys,” Liz called to them as she grabbed another cookie, “what time is your party tonight? Are you eating dinner with us?”
“Yeah, we’ll eat here. Bob said to come over around eight,” Max answered, referring to the small gathering of his close friends that were getting together that night.
“Well then let’s get cracking,” his mother said, “so I can start dinner.”
They made quick dispatch of the rest of the tree decorations, and then Max prepared the meal to his wife’s instructions, which were issued from a rocking chair he had brought into the room for her to sit upon. Soon enough dinner was finished and cleaned up, and Jackie and Max were on their way to his best friends Christmas party.
They found most of their friends already there. Jackie had long since become comfortable with them, as most of them attended their University also, and they spent a lot of their weekend social time with them too. Her favorite was still Sarah, the girl who had quickly befriended her at the beach party six months before, and when she invited Max and Jackie to join in the on-going poker game she happily took a seat. After more than an hour of nothing but losing hands, Max threw down his cards and said to her “I’m going to go find Bob. I want to see if we can try out the new cappuccino machine I saw in the kitchen,” and then gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Wimping out already Evans?” his friend Jim teased.
“Just for a little while. I’m leaving my girlfriend here to kick your ass though,” he joked before turning and heading off in search of Bob. He found him in the kitchen already tinkering with the elaborate coffee maker.
“Hey Max, you probably know how to work this since your mom has one; would you mind giving me a hand? I promised Jeannie some cappuccino and I can’t figure out where to put the beans.” They worked together until they were finally able to get it going, and while they waited for it to finish brewing Tess sauntered into the kitchen.
“Hi boys,” she drawled. “Where’s the beer hiding Bob?”
He opened the refrigerator, grabbed bottle and handed it to her. “I’m gonna go see how many people want to try the cappuccino, I’ll be right back.” He looked over her head at his friend and rolled his eyes as if to say ‘good luck’, causing Max to stifle a laugh.
As soon as Bob left the kitchen Tess began batting her overly made-up eyes at Max. “Hi Max, you’re looking good.”
“Hi Tess,” he replied awkwardly before turning back to the coffee maker and trying to look busy.
Undaunted by his cool reception she said “so where have you been; I didn’t see you at Linda’s big party on Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Jackie and I had plans,” he replied simply, hoping she would take the hint and leave.
“Well you were missed,” she said in a tone he guessed she thought was seductive, but only succeeded in aggravating him further. “Do you want a beer Max?” she asked as she held up the one she had just opened.
“You know I don’t drink Tess,” he said shortly.
“Why is that Max- and don’t tell me it’s because you’re not twenty-one yet.”
Before he could reply, Bob returned with orders for coffee and she left, sparing him any further discomfort. They carried them out to the group, which was divided between the poker players and those watching movies on the large screen TV that took up almost an entire wall in the room.
As one movie finished Tess commandeered the remote and started surfing through the channels. When she stopped on the movie ‘Say Anything’ Jackie happened to look up from her hand of cards. “Oh I love this movie,” she said, causing Sarah to look also and agree.
“Well that’s out then,” Tess muttered from the couch right behind where the two girls were sitting just loud enough for them to hear. When she saw her friends shocked expression Sarah rolled her eyes at Jackie as if to say ‘ignore her’. Jackie stared at Tess a moment longer and then turned back to the game, wondering not for the first time why Tess seemed to have such a problem with her.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and as people started to get ready to leave Bob said “hey Max, do me a favor and see if you can get that filter unit out of that damn machine? I’m afraid I’ll break it and my dad will strangle me if I get as much as a scratch on that thing.”
“Yeah, no problem,” he replied, as he went into the kitchen. ‘Might as well clean it as long as I have it apart,’ he thought, and then set about doing that and also loading the dishwasher with used coffee cups. While he was bent over filling the machine Tess quietly made her into the room, observing him for a moment before walking over and placing her hand on his arm and startling him.
Max looked down at the long, obviously fake nails that were painted bright red and then pointedly removed her hand from its resting place. “Did you need something?” he said, trying to be polite.
“Um, another beer would be good,” she said. “Why don’t you have one with me.”
Max ignored her offer and said, “don’t you think you’ve had enough already?”
“Oh Max, always on the straight-and-narrow. Why don’t you loosen up a little and have some fun with me,” she slurred slightly as she reached out and ran her hand up his arm and looped it around his neck. “I promise you’ll enjoy yourself,” she added before she pressed up against him, backing him up against the sink.
“Tess,” he said, obviously shocked; “what are you doing?”
She pushed up against him tightly and began toying with his hair. “If you have to ask I guess your girlfriend isn’t taking care of business,” she said before yanking his head down to her and plastering her beer-bathed lips to his.
Just as she uttered her offensive remark Jackie and Sarah walked into the room carrying more dishes. Their startled gasps broke Tess’s concentration and she looked up, allowing Max to shove her away from him before wiping his hand across his mouth in disgust.
“What the hell is wrong with you Tess?” Max yelled. “I have a girlfriend.”
“Could you be any more of a slut Tess?” Sarah spat out.
Tess looked over at Jackie, still frozen in place from the scenario they had stumbled upon. “You didn’t seem to be thinking about your girlfriend a minute ago,” she said evilly, causing Jackie to blanche white. Tess gave her a nasty smirk before turning back to Max, who was now livid with anger.
“The only thing I was thinking about a minute ago was how to get you the hell away from me,” he seethed. “I’m in love with Jackie. I would never betray her, especially with someone like you.”
His profession shocked Jackie out of her trance-like state. In a flash she moved across the room, grabbed Tess’s shoulder and spun her away from Max and back up against the counter. Standing as closely to her as she could, she stared the blonde down and spoke in an eerily calm but unmistakably serious voice. “I’ve had it with you. Stay away from me, and stay away from my boyfriend, or you’re going to regret it.”
“Oh really,” Tess said, full of bravado.
“Let me be perfectly clear,” Jackie replied, looking her competitor directly in the eyes while she poked her finger in the interloper’s chest. “I’m Italian, and I’ve eaten fat little white girls like you for breakfast. Don’t fuck with me.” She continued to stare at her until Tess’ twin brother’s voice rang out from the kitchen doorway seconds later.
“How could you Tess,” he said as he made his way over to where Jackie had her trapped against the counter. “The only reason any of these people put up with you is because you’re my sister, and now you’ve offended one of my best friends and his girlfriend?” Jackie stepped away as he reached his sister and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go,” he said, and pushed her toward the door. He turned to look at Max and Jackie. “I’m sorry guys, she…”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for Jim,” Jackie interrupted.
“Yeah man, don’t worry about it,” Max said. “This has nothing to do with you. Everything’s cool.”
“All right, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, man,” Jim said as he exited, Sarah following close behind him.
Jackie turned toward Max to find him holding his hand over a mouth, trying to hide a smirk. “What’s so damn funny?” she said, more sharply than she intended to say.
Max reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I was just wondering exactly when you started eating fat little white girls for breakfast.”
She stuck her chin out proudly and looked at him. “My mother’s mother was from Italy and she always told me if you don’t protect what’s yours someone else will make it theirs.”
He ran his hands up and down her sides as he continued smirking at her. “So I’m your property, huh?”
“Unless you prefer Wonderbra wearing bleach-bottle blondes,” she replied with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed openly at her retort and leaned his forehead against hers. “The only person wearing a Wonderbra I’m interested in is you,” he said.
She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips over his lightly. “I don’t need a Wonderbra Honey. They’re real, and they’re spectacular.”
He smiled widely at her Seinfeld reference. “Yes they are,” he agreed before swooping in to kiss her soundly. They stayed lip-locked until Sarah bounded back into the kitchen.
“Hey do you two wanna…Oh! Sorry!” she said as she realized she was interrupting a private moment.
“It’s OK Sare, what’s up?” Jackie replied, not leaving Max’s embrace.
“Steve feels like getting a pizza, are you guys up for it?”
“Um, actually, I think we’re gonna get going,” Jackie said as she lifted her head to look at Max, hoping he would take her hint that she wanted some alone time.
“Yeah,” he immediately agreed, “we wanted to do some star gazing. The sky is so clear this time of year. It’s really quite spectacular,” he finished, his eyes twinkling as he saw her flushing cheeks.
“Star gazing. Right,” Sarah said, winking. “Gotcha. Call me tomorrow if you still want to go to the mall Jack.”
“OK,” she replied, not moving her gaze from Max. “Night Sare.” When she was sure her friend had left the room, she said to him “let’s go see if we can find something besides stars that are spectacular,” and took him by the hand and led him out the door.
CHAPTER 25
“Here Mom, Merry Christmas,” Max said as he handed his mother a gift. “It’s from Jackie and I.”
It was Christmas morning and the Evans’ had returned from church and were opening gifts. As Liz sat in an easy chair with her feet propped up, her two Max’s were busy bringing all of her presents to her so she wouldn’t have to get up. She was in what appeared to be the final stages of her pregnancy, and her son, who just a few weeks prior had been nonchalant at her condition, was now almost as hyper about her actions as his father.
Almost.
Max followed his wife’s every breath and movement. There was not a moment of Liz’s waking hours that he was not within sight distance of her, and many of her slumbering hours he sat up watching over her as well. Part of it was fear that something might happen to her, and part of it was that he was beyond giddy with the anticipation of meeting his second child. He had missed out on so much with their son, and vowed to himself that from the moment of this baby’s debut he wouldn’t miss a thing. When Liz had laughingly told him that was an unrealistic idea, he went into a funk until she promised that she’d talk to the baby about waiting until Daddy was around before doing anything special.
“Oh, a day of pampering at the Seacrest Spa! I love this! Thank you Sweetie,” Liz said to her son as she attempted to lean down to kiss him.
He immediately rose up on his knees to reach her. “We got the same thing for Jackie’s mom and Aunt Maria. We thought that after the baby came we could babysit and the three of you could go together.”
“That is so thoughtful. I’m sure Maria and Paula will be thrilled too.”
“Here you go Babe,” her husband said as he hoisted a large foil covered package on to her lap. “Merry Christmas.”
“Ooohhh,” Liz squealed, eager to see what her always generous husband had picked out. She had been dropping hints that gift certificates for a post-birth clothes shopping spree would be wonderful to find under the tree, and she excitedly tore through the wrappings in anticipation. She tossed the box top to the side and after peeling back the layer of tissue paper was shocked to find a box full of items for the baby. Clothing, blankets, toys and all kinds of accessories for their new arrival filled the box to the brim. She picked through it, trying not to convey her disappointment to her obviously well-meaning husband who was sitting at her feet watching her closely. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what he had tried to do, but it was supposed to be a Christmas present for her, not their baby. “Thanks Honey; it looks like you got all of the things I didn’t get at my shower,” she said, referring to the surprise baby shower her colleagues at work had thrown for her at the end of the semester.
“Yeah,” he said, “look, I found these slippers with puppies on them that bark when you tickle the bottom of the baby’s foot,” he said as he held up a small package. “And more receiving blankets, and the monitor you wanted, and…”
Their son watched amusedly as his mother tried to fake interest in the items his dad was excitedly showing her. When he finished he turned to his son and said, “Max, how ‘bout we do the stockings now? Would you bring them over while I move this box out of the way?”
‘Well at least there will be some stuff for me in there’, Liz thought. Her son lay her Christmas stocking on the ottoman in front of her before sitting next to his father, and they all started fishing through the small items that filled their sock. Both Maxs’ were vocal in their happiness with what they received, while Liz remained quiet as she pulled out more items for the baby- a bottle brush, a comb and brush set, a teething ring…When she had finished she looked at them and said quietly, “thank you for the stocking stuffers guys; I appreciate it.”
Father and son winked at each other as they watched her try to put on a brave face. Finally her husband said, “I think you missed something in there Honey.”
“No, I got it all,” she said as she pat it flat to demonstrate it was empty.
“Um, no, I think maybe you should see if there’s something way down in the toe,” he encouraged.
She dutifully stuck her arm in the opening once more, reaching her small hand into the bottom of the stocking before pulling out a key. She looked at it perplexedly and said, “what’s this for?”
While she had been hunting for the key she hadn’t noticed her son getting up and moving to the window that faced their driveway. At her question his father nodded at him and he pulled open the draperies.
“It’s for your new car my love,” Max said as he pulled her to her feet and steered her to the window. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw sitting in the driveway with a gigantic red bow on the roof.
“Wha…wha…what…” she stammered, not being able to form a coherent sentence.
“Well, I went to buy a car seat for the baby, and I was passing the Lexus Dealership on the way, and you know their new SUV has the option of a built in car seat…”
“So you bought a new car…” Liz interrupted, still in shock.
“You know I’ve never really cared for the Cherokee, and Max’s truck is on its last legs, so I thought we’d give him the Jeep and…” he trailed off, wanting to know what she really thought of it.
A smile began to spread over her face as she absorbed that her husband was giving her the lovely luxury vehicle parked in her driveway. She turned and threw her arms around him saying, “thank you thank you thank you!!”
Winking at their son he said, “did you really think I would just give you stuff for the baby? I know better than that!”
She chuckled at him as she pulled away. “Well, I was beginning to wonder…”
Their son laughed out loud. “Admit it Mom, you were doing more than wondering. You were getting a little pissed!”
His father waived the key in front of her face. “Why don’t we take it for spin?”
“Yes!” Liz exclaimed as she grabbed the key from him. “Is there enough time for you to join us Honey?” she said to her son.
He glanced at his watched before answering. “Yeah, as long as we’re back in twenty minutes; I’m supposed to be at Jackie’s by noon.” He was going to the Whitman’s for brunch and then was bringing Jackie back home with him for dinner with his parents, Maria, and Alex, who weren’t joining them due to Liz’s any-moment-now delivery status.
“Why don’t we go pick up Alex and Maria then,” Liz said as her husband helped her into her coat. “They were supposed to come here in a little while anyway.”
As soon as they pulled into the Whitman’s driveway Maria came running out the front door with Alex close behind her, both eager to see the vehicle they’d heard so much about from Max. After everyone exchanged Christmas greetings they all hopped in for a quick ride. “You’re lucky the snow isn’t too heavy yet or Max would’ve made you wait to drive your new car Liz!” Maria said, referring to the storm that was over the area.
“Speaking of which,” Max said as he gazed out the front window at the white flakes falling from the sky.
Before he could add another word Liz said, “OK, I’m heading home Honey,” and they all laughed.
Upon their arrival her son looked at his watch. “I’m going to leave for Jackie’s now,” he told his mom as he helped her from the car. “Aunt Maria don’t let her eat the rest of the chocolate chip cookies,” he teased. “She’s been sneaking into my stash when she thinks I’m not looking.”
“She may have to fight Alex for them; he’s been wanting one all morning and I finished ours last night. Drive carefully Homer; we’ll see you later,” Maria answered before going inside the house.
“Max, you know how to put the Jeep in four-wheel drive right?” his father asked as he looked up at the sky.
“Yeah, don’t worry Dad. I’ll see you later.”
“Be careful,” his father called to him as he jumped into his ‘new’ SUV before assisting Liz up the steps and into the house. They found Maria taking eggs out of the refrigerator while Alex fished through the large tin of cookies Liz kept on the kitchen table.
“See if you can find me a chocolate chip Alex,” Liz said with a wink. “In fact, why don’t you grab that tin and come sit with me by the Christmas tree so the two master chefs can get our breakfast going,” referring to Max and Maria.
Alex happily agreed, and a while later Max went to the living room to tell them breakfast was ready and found them laughing together on the couch with the cookies between them. “I hope you didn’t eat so much that you won’t want any of our delicious quiche,” he said with a smile as he bent down and gave his wife a quick kiss before helping her to her feet.
“I only had one; my stomach feels funny. Maybe it needs some real food,” she said while she rubbed her tummy and looked out the window. “Honey, it’s really snowing hard now; maybe we should call Max and tell him to stay at Nick and Paula’s. I don’t want him driving if the roads are bad.”
Max ushered his waddling wife toward the kitchen. “How ‘bout we eat first and then we’ll call up there and I’ll talk to Nick and see what he thinks.” They sat down and everyone began helping themselves to the spread Maria put together with Max’s assistance. Liz helped herself to a little bit of everything, but after taking a bite of each laid her fork down and pushed the plate away, which caught the ever-vigilant Max’s attention immediately. “Babe, what’s the matter?”
“Everything is great, but my stomach just feels weird. Maybe I should go lie down on the couch for a little while. I’m sorry; you two went to all of this work…”
“Don’t worry about it Liz; Alex will eat your part,” Maria said. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s just acid reflux or some other lovely pregnancy side effect,” Liz said.
“Well then you shouldn’t lie down, that’ll just make it worse. Why don’t we put you in this chair,” said Max as he escorted her to the large comfortable chair she sat in to open her gifts, “and you can put your feet up. I’ll get a blanket.” He grabbed a throw from the couch and knelt down to tuck it around her. He took her hand in his, nervously running his thumb over the back of it. “Are you sure you’re OK Baby?”
Liz smiled down at him, feeling the anxiety roll off of him in waves. “It’s just a stomach ache Max; I’ll be fine, really. Why don’t you give me the remote and I’ll put on the Weather Channel and see how much snow they’re predicting, and then when you finish breakfast you can call Nick.”
He retrieved the channel changer and gave her one last nervous look before returning to the kitchen. Maria and Alex shared a sympathetic look when they saw Max’s fretful expression. “She’ll be OK Max,” Maria said gently. “I’m sure she’ll be back in here in no time looking for more cookies or something.”
“Yeah…” he said, dejectedly picking at the food remaining on his plate. “I’m just…at this point I just wish the baby would just come, you know? I’m nervous all the time, I can’t sleep, I feel like my head’s going to explode…I know I’m driving everyone crazy but I can’t help it.”
Alex gave a short laugh as he pat his friend on the back. “You’re not driving us crazy Max; you’re entertaining us. Besides, we understand why you’re jittery; we are too a bit. But I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. Alexander the Great Evans will be here before you know it.”
“Maria the Great,” his wife interjected, trying to keep the mood light.
They continued joking with him as they ate, and when they were done Liz appeared in the doorway. “Honey, I think Max should stay up there; the weather guy on channel four just said this isn’t going to let up until eight or nine o’clock at the earliest. As much as I want them with us for dinner, I’ll be a wreck if they drive in heavy snow like this. And I don’t think Paula will be to happy either.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right Babe; I don’t want him on the roads either.”
“I’ll go to the bathroom and then we’ll call them?” she asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” he replied as he and Alex began to clear the table and Maria began to fill the dishwasher.
After a few moments Maria stopped what she was doing and turned around and looked at the two men. “You know,” she said to them, “now that I think about it, the day that Max was born Liz had…”
Her sentence was cut off by the sound of the bathroom door being ripped open and Liz’s anxious shout.
“My water just broke!”
“Here Mom, Merry Christmas,” Max said as he handed his mother a gift. “It’s from Jackie and I.”
It was Christmas morning and the Evans’ had returned from church and were opening gifts. As Liz sat in an easy chair with her feet propped up, her two Max’s were busy bringing all of her presents to her so she wouldn’t have to get up. She was in what appeared to be the final stages of her pregnancy, and her son, who just a few weeks prior had been nonchalant at her condition, was now almost as hyper about her actions as his father.
Almost.
Max followed his wife’s every breath and movement. There was not a moment of Liz’s waking hours that he was not within sight distance of her, and many of her slumbering hours he sat up watching over her as well. Part of it was fear that something might happen to her, and part of it was that he was beyond giddy with the anticipation of meeting his second child. He had missed out on so much with their son, and vowed to himself that from the moment of this baby’s debut he wouldn’t miss a thing. When Liz had laughingly told him that was an unrealistic idea, he went into a funk until she promised that she’d talk to the baby about waiting until Daddy was around before doing anything special.
“Oh, a day of pampering at the Seacrest Spa! I love this! Thank you Sweetie,” Liz said to her son as she attempted to lean down to kiss him.
He immediately rose up on his knees to reach her. “We got the same thing for Jackie’s mom and Aunt Maria. We thought that after the baby came we could babysit and the three of you could go together.”
“That is so thoughtful. I’m sure Maria and Paula will be thrilled too.”
“Here you go Babe,” her husband said as he hoisted a large foil covered package on to her lap. “Merry Christmas.”
“Ooohhh,” Liz squealed, eager to see what her always generous husband had picked out. She had been dropping hints that gift certificates for a post-birth clothes shopping spree would be wonderful to find under the tree, and she excitedly tore through the wrappings in anticipation. She tossed the box top to the side and after peeling back the layer of tissue paper was shocked to find a box full of items for the baby. Clothing, blankets, toys and all kinds of accessories for their new arrival filled the box to the brim. She picked through it, trying not to convey her disappointment to her obviously well-meaning husband who was sitting at her feet watching her closely. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what he had tried to do, but it was supposed to be a Christmas present for her, not their baby. “Thanks Honey; it looks like you got all of the things I didn’t get at my shower,” she said, referring to the surprise baby shower her colleagues at work had thrown for her at the end of the semester.
“Yeah,” he said, “look, I found these slippers with puppies on them that bark when you tickle the bottom of the baby’s foot,” he said as he held up a small package. “And more receiving blankets, and the monitor you wanted, and…”
Their son watched amusedly as his mother tried to fake interest in the items his dad was excitedly showing her. When he finished he turned to his son and said, “Max, how ‘bout we do the stockings now? Would you bring them over while I move this box out of the way?”
‘Well at least there will be some stuff for me in there’, Liz thought. Her son lay her Christmas stocking on the ottoman in front of her before sitting next to his father, and they all started fishing through the small items that filled their sock. Both Maxs’ were vocal in their happiness with what they received, while Liz remained quiet as she pulled out more items for the baby- a bottle brush, a comb and brush set, a teething ring…When she had finished she looked at them and said quietly, “thank you for the stocking stuffers guys; I appreciate it.”
Father and son winked at each other as they watched her try to put on a brave face. Finally her husband said, “I think you missed something in there Honey.”
“No, I got it all,” she said as she pat it flat to demonstrate it was empty.
“Um, no, I think maybe you should see if there’s something way down in the toe,” he encouraged.
She dutifully stuck her arm in the opening once more, reaching her small hand into the bottom of the stocking before pulling out a key. She looked at it perplexedly and said, “what’s this for?”
While she had been hunting for the key she hadn’t noticed her son getting up and moving to the window that faced their driveway. At her question his father nodded at him and he pulled open the draperies.
“It’s for your new car my love,” Max said as he pulled her to her feet and steered her to the window. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw sitting in the driveway with a gigantic red bow on the roof.
“Wha…wha…what…” she stammered, not being able to form a coherent sentence.
“Well, I went to buy a car seat for the baby, and I was passing the Lexus Dealership on the way, and you know their new SUV has the option of a built in car seat…”
“So you bought a new car…” Liz interrupted, still in shock.
“You know I’ve never really cared for the Cherokee, and Max’s truck is on its last legs, so I thought we’d give him the Jeep and…” he trailed off, wanting to know what she really thought of it.
A smile began to spread over her face as she absorbed that her husband was giving her the lovely luxury vehicle parked in her driveway. She turned and threw her arms around him saying, “thank you thank you thank you!!”
Winking at their son he said, “did you really think I would just give you stuff for the baby? I know better than that!”
She chuckled at him as she pulled away. “Well, I was beginning to wonder…”
Their son laughed out loud. “Admit it Mom, you were doing more than wondering. You were getting a little pissed!”
His father waived the key in front of her face. “Why don’t we take it for spin?”
“Yes!” Liz exclaimed as she grabbed the key from him. “Is there enough time for you to join us Honey?” she said to her son.
He glanced at his watched before answering. “Yeah, as long as we’re back in twenty minutes; I’m supposed to be at Jackie’s by noon.” He was going to the Whitman’s for brunch and then was bringing Jackie back home with him for dinner with his parents, Maria, and Alex, who weren’t joining them due to Liz’s any-moment-now delivery status.
“Why don’t we go pick up Alex and Maria then,” Liz said as her husband helped her into her coat. “They were supposed to come here in a little while anyway.”
As soon as they pulled into the Whitman’s driveway Maria came running out the front door with Alex close behind her, both eager to see the vehicle they’d heard so much about from Max. After everyone exchanged Christmas greetings they all hopped in for a quick ride. “You’re lucky the snow isn’t too heavy yet or Max would’ve made you wait to drive your new car Liz!” Maria said, referring to the storm that was over the area.
“Speaking of which,” Max said as he gazed out the front window at the white flakes falling from the sky.
Before he could add another word Liz said, “OK, I’m heading home Honey,” and they all laughed.
Upon their arrival her son looked at his watch. “I’m going to leave for Jackie’s now,” he told his mom as he helped her from the car. “Aunt Maria don’t let her eat the rest of the chocolate chip cookies,” he teased. “She’s been sneaking into my stash when she thinks I’m not looking.”
“She may have to fight Alex for them; he’s been wanting one all morning and I finished ours last night. Drive carefully Homer; we’ll see you later,” Maria answered before going inside the house.
“Max, you know how to put the Jeep in four-wheel drive right?” his father asked as he looked up at the sky.
“Yeah, don’t worry Dad. I’ll see you later.”
“Be careful,” his father called to him as he jumped into his ‘new’ SUV before assisting Liz up the steps and into the house. They found Maria taking eggs out of the refrigerator while Alex fished through the large tin of cookies Liz kept on the kitchen table.
“See if you can find me a chocolate chip Alex,” Liz said with a wink. “In fact, why don’t you grab that tin and come sit with me by the Christmas tree so the two master chefs can get our breakfast going,” referring to Max and Maria.
Alex happily agreed, and a while later Max went to the living room to tell them breakfast was ready and found them laughing together on the couch with the cookies between them. “I hope you didn’t eat so much that you won’t want any of our delicious quiche,” he said with a smile as he bent down and gave his wife a quick kiss before helping her to her feet.
“I only had one; my stomach feels funny. Maybe it needs some real food,” she said while she rubbed her tummy and looked out the window. “Honey, it’s really snowing hard now; maybe we should call Max and tell him to stay at Nick and Paula’s. I don’t want him driving if the roads are bad.”
Max ushered his waddling wife toward the kitchen. “How ‘bout we eat first and then we’ll call up there and I’ll talk to Nick and see what he thinks.” They sat down and everyone began helping themselves to the spread Maria put together with Max’s assistance. Liz helped herself to a little bit of everything, but after taking a bite of each laid her fork down and pushed the plate away, which caught the ever-vigilant Max’s attention immediately. “Babe, what’s the matter?”
“Everything is great, but my stomach just feels weird. Maybe I should go lie down on the couch for a little while. I’m sorry; you two went to all of this work…”
“Don’t worry about it Liz; Alex will eat your part,” Maria said. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s just acid reflux or some other lovely pregnancy side effect,” Liz said.
“Well then you shouldn’t lie down, that’ll just make it worse. Why don’t we put you in this chair,” said Max as he escorted her to the large comfortable chair she sat in to open her gifts, “and you can put your feet up. I’ll get a blanket.” He grabbed a throw from the couch and knelt down to tuck it around her. He took her hand in his, nervously running his thumb over the back of it. “Are you sure you’re OK Baby?”
Liz smiled down at him, feeling the anxiety roll off of him in waves. “It’s just a stomach ache Max; I’ll be fine, really. Why don’t you give me the remote and I’ll put on the Weather Channel and see how much snow they’re predicting, and then when you finish breakfast you can call Nick.”
He retrieved the channel changer and gave her one last nervous look before returning to the kitchen. Maria and Alex shared a sympathetic look when they saw Max’s fretful expression. “She’ll be OK Max,” Maria said gently. “I’m sure she’ll be back in here in no time looking for more cookies or something.”
“Yeah…” he said, dejectedly picking at the food remaining on his plate. “I’m just…at this point I just wish the baby would just come, you know? I’m nervous all the time, I can’t sleep, I feel like my head’s going to explode…I know I’m driving everyone crazy but I can’t help it.”
Alex gave a short laugh as he pat his friend on the back. “You’re not driving us crazy Max; you’re entertaining us. Besides, we understand why you’re jittery; we are too a bit. But I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. Alexander the Great Evans will be here before you know it.”
“Maria the Great,” his wife interjected, trying to keep the mood light.
They continued joking with him as they ate, and when they were done Liz appeared in the doorway. “Honey, I think Max should stay up there; the weather guy on channel four just said this isn’t going to let up until eight or nine o’clock at the earliest. As much as I want them with us for dinner, I’ll be a wreck if they drive in heavy snow like this. And I don’t think Paula will be to happy either.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right Babe; I don’t want him on the roads either.”
“I’ll go to the bathroom and then we’ll call them?” she asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” he replied as he and Alex began to clear the table and Maria began to fill the dishwasher.
After a few moments Maria stopped what she was doing and turned around and looked at the two men. “You know,” she said to them, “now that I think about it, the day that Max was born Liz had…”
Her sentence was cut off by the sound of the bathroom door being ripped open and Liz’s anxious shout.
“My water just broke!”
CHAPTER 26
“My water just broke!”
Liz’s anxious cry had immobilized Max. He was rooted to the floor with a terrified look on his face, not sure what to do now that the moment had come for his child to make its debut into the world. Luckily for all Maria was there to take charge. “Alex, go help Liz into her bedroom please?” As Alex ran to assist Liz, Maria grasped Max’s face to force him to look at her. “Max, listen to me. You are going to be fine. We’ve both been trained for this. We’re going to go in and make Liz comfortable and Alex will get together all the things you and I will need to deliver the baby. You put everything together in a bag like I told you to do, right?”
“Ah…yeah…it’s in…the closet. In the hall,” he stammered.
“OK, then let’s go and get Liz ready,” she said as she hooked her arm through his to lead him to their room.
As soon as he saw Liz he snapped out of his stupor and rushed to her side. “Are you OK Honey?”
“The baby’s coming Max,” she said anxiously. “We’re going to…AAHH!”
“What! What’s the matter!” he practically yelled.
“A contraction,” she said as she bent over slightly.
“Oh God, please help me,” Max muttered, clearly distressed at his wife’s pain.
“Help you? I’m the one who’s going to push out this kid!”
“OK, everybody calm down,” Maria said, taking charge again. “Alex, help me strip the bed so we can put a rubber sheet under the bedding to protect the mattress. Max, get her changed into a loose night shirt-type thing and no underwear.” They all looked at her, still not moving. NOW!” she barked, springing them all into action. By the time Liz emerged in her nightclothes Maria and Alex had the bed remade and ready. “Max, help her into bed and prop her up on the pillows,” Maria ordered as she began pulling items out of the bag Alex had retrieved from the hall closet.
“Are you comfortable Honey?” Max asked as he plumped the pillows around her.
“As comfortable as I’m going to be for a while, I suppose,” she answered with a grimace. “Oh oh…aahh!”
“Another contraction?” her husband asked as he grabbed her hand, sitting down on the side of the bed when she squeezed the life out of it.
She relaxed a bit and said, “good guess Einstein.”
“I told you that your wife would be more than a little feisty, didn’t I?” Maria said in response to Max’s shocked expression. “Max, we need to start timing the contractions. Can you do that?” she questioned, thinking that if he had something to do he might calm down a little.
“Uh, yeah, of course. I should probably write them down…”
“I’ll go get a pen and some paper,” Alex offered as he scurried off.
“OK, looks like we have everything here that we’re going to need,” Maria said after emptying the bag and arranging it all neatly. Meanwhile, Alex returned with a large spiral notebook and an assortment of pens, pencils, and Sharpies. When Maria saw all that he was holding she shook her head. “Babe, we’re not writing a novel here. We just needed a sheet of paper and a pen.”
“Well I didn’t know how much paper and what Max like to write with so I just grabbed all the stuff on top of the desk,” he explained.
“I appreciate the effort,” Maria said with a laugh as she took one pen and the notebook from him and placed it on the nightstand next to Max. “OK Max, just write down the time when each contraction starts so we can see how fast she progresses, all right?” She surveyed the scene and then pronounced, “OK, we’re ready to have a baby!”
She walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down to face Liz. Taking her hand, she smiled brilliantly at her and said, “here we go again my friend.”
Liz looked at her life-long best friend; the person who had stood by her during all of the tough times and rejoiced at all of the good ones. The person who had shared the experience of falling in love with an alien. The person that had opened her heart and shared her family with her. The person who had delivered her beloved son, and was about to do the same for her second child nearly twenty years later. A large tear spilled from her eye and she squeezed her hand. “I love you Maria.”
Maria’s own misty eyes conveyed she understood everything Liz couldn’t vocalize. “Right back at ya Babe,” she said, squeezing her hand in reply. They smiled at each other for a few moments until Liz’s face scrunched up and her grip tightened on both Max and Maria’s hands. “Another one…” she gasped out as the pain took hold of her body.
Max’s own face wrinkled in pain as she strangled his hand. “Who knew you were this strong,” he muttered when she finished and he inspected his hand for damage.
“I told you she was like the Hulk Max. When she had your son I had bruises up and down my arms,” Maria said as she shook out her own hand. “How many minutes was that from the last one?”
“Um, we didn’t write the last one down, but I’m going to guess seven or eight. We’ll know from the next one.”
“Oh, we never called Max,” Liz said, suddenly remembering they’d forgotten to contact their son.
“Oh yeah,” replied her husband, and as he reached for the cordless phone next to the bed it began to ring. “Hello?”
“Hi Dad.”
“Oh, hi Max, we were just going to call you. Your mom and I think it would be better if you stay up at Jackie’s for the night. It’s snowing pretty heavily down here and we don’t want you two on the road.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. Uncle Nick and Aunt Paula said the same thing, so we’re going to miss dinner with you tonight,” his son replied.
“Um, well actually, we’re going to probably miss dinner too Max. Your mom went into labor about a half hour ago.”
“WHAT!!!” he screamed into the phone. “Is she OK? Is she in a lot of pain? Where is she?”
His father smiled at his son’s alarmed tone. “She’s in bed here next to me, and she’s fine. Maria’s right here with us too, and Alex is pacing around the living room, I think. Here, I’ll let you talk to her,” he finished, and then handed the phone to his wife.
“Hi Sweetie, how’s your brunch going?”
“MOM! Are you OK?” he immediately asked, ignoring her question.
“I’m OK Max. Dad and Maria have everything ready to go. Everything will be just fine; I don’t want you to be worried,” she said, causing Maria to snicker, knowing that was impossibility for Liz’s devoted son.
“Are you sure? What if they need something and they can’t get out because of the snow?” he fretted.
“Your dad can ‘make’ anything we might need Sweetheart. I’m going to be just fine. The next time you see me I’m going to be introducing you to your brother or sister! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Yeah, of course…are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes Max, I’m sure,” she said. She began to feel another contraction coming on so she gave him a quick good-bye and handed the phone back to his father.
“Dad are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked.
“Wait a minute Max,” his father said, placing the phone down as Liz began to squeeze the daylights out of him again.
On the other end of the phone Max could hear his mother yelping in pain and his father telling her to breathe, and he began hitting his head on the wall next to the phone. Jackie walked into the room then and said, “Max what’s wrong?” knowing that he had called home.
“My mom went into labor and right now she’s having a contraction,” he said with a pained expression on his face.
Her hands flew to cover her mouth in shock and she exclaimed “oh no!” just as Paula walked in, who immediately asked what was going on. “Aunt Liz is in labor at home. They must be snowed in,” she said, as neither she nor anyone in her family was aware that it was planned all along that the baby would be born at home.
Max heard his father’s voice on the phone once again. “She’s OK Max; it was just a normal contraction.”
“I’m coming home Dad.”
“No, absolutely not. We don’t need to be worried about you driving on top of this. Everything will be fine.”
“But Dad, what if you, you know, NEED me?” he said, trying to convey his meaning without saying too much in front of Paula and Jackie.
“Everything will be fine Max, and if need be, I’ll handle whatever comes up. Please Max; your mom will go off the deep end if she thinks you’re driving in the middle of a blizzard.”
He could immediately hear his mother in the background begging him to stay put. “All right…promise that you’ll call me to let me know what’s happening. I’m going to go nuts…”
“I understand Max,” his dad said sympathetically, “and I will definitely keep you updated…wait a second, your Aunt Maria wants to talk to you.”
“Homer your mom is going to be all right, I promise,” Maria said as soon as she grabbed the phone. “This is what your dad and I trained for in the mid-wife course. We’re all prepared and right here with your mom.”
“Aunt Maria, I should be there,” he said, leaning his forehead against the wall again as Jackie rubbed his back trying to calm him.
“Homer listen to me. I understand you want to be with your mom, but if you were here right now you’d be doing circles around the living room with Alex. I got her through having you and your dad and I are going to do it with this baby.”
“Aunt Maria…” he whined helplessly.
“I know little one, I know,” she said, using the pet name she called him when he was young. “It’s going to be all right. Remember the prayer I taught you to say when you were scared?”
“Of course,” he said with a tiny smile as he thought of her patiently teaching him when he was just a toddler.
“Well, you say that and have faith. God will take care of it, remember?”
“Yeah…Aunt Maria?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around,” she joked, even as she dabbed at a tear at his words. “OK, you try to relax and we’ll keep you updated. Can you put Paula on the phone Homer; I want to say Merry Christmas.”
“OK. Please call me as soon as…please just call me, OK?”
“Absolutely Honey.”
“OK, here’s Aunt Paula,” he said, giving the phone to her before stepping into Jackie’s outstretched arms. “I’m worried,” he said as he buried his face in her neck.
“I know,” she simply said, running her hands over his hair and back trying to comfort him.
Meanwhile Paula stepped out of the room as she listened to Maria explaining the situation and telling her to keep an eye on Max because he might try to take off and come home despite his parent’s protests. Paula agreed and then set off to let Nick know what was going on. The entire Whitman family spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening trying to keep him distracted, playing board games, pool, watching DVD’s, playing cards…and while Max appreciated their efforts, his thoughts were never far from his mother. He had opened their connection once, trying to keep close tabs on her, but when she experienced a contraction the energy that blew at him made him fall from the chair, so he shut it down once more. After that he just called home every hour, needing to hear the sound of her voice telling him she was still fine.
When he telephoned at 9 PM Alex answered the phone, and the nervous tone of his voice made Max jump to his feet. “Uncle Alex what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong Max,” Alex replied. “Based on the increased noise level coming from the bedroom, I’m guessing the contractions are coming faster…” He trailed off as a loud wail punctuated his words.
“She’s OK?” Max questioned. “Are you sure Dad and Aunt Maria know what they’re doing?” Earlier he had overheard Nick and Paula whispering their fears about Liz not giving birth in a hospital and it made him even jumpier. Though he realized that they were unaware of the other-worldly reason behind the delivery at home and his father and Maria’s training, their concerns were valid to a certain extent, and he was not going to rest until the baby was born and he knew that his mom was OK.
“I have to say that I’ve never been prouder of my wife than I am right now Max,” Alex boasted. “She’s cool as a cucumber and has your father marching to her orders. Your mom is in good hands.”
“How’s Dad?”
“He’s a calm nervous wreck,” Alex snickered, “but he’s holding it together. He hasn’t left your mom’s side despite her death grip and colorful use of the English language.” At that another loud cry rang out, followed by ‘you’re never touching me again Max Evans!’ and then Maria’s laughter.
“Uncle Alex it stopped snowing up here. I want to come home.”
“Max, it’s only snowing lightly now but they haven’t plowed the road yet and there’s a good eight inches or more there. I don’t know if you’d make it through. Please stay put and I promise when I see a plow come down the street I’ll call you. Listen, I’d better go and see if Maria needs anything. Call me back in a little while buddy.”
“OK, bye,” he said. He turned to find Jackie standing behind him anxiously waiting for the latest update. “She’s OK,” he said as he enfolded her in a hug, and for the hundredth time that day thanked God for her comforting presence.
(Cont'd in next post)
“My water just broke!”
Liz’s anxious cry had immobilized Max. He was rooted to the floor with a terrified look on his face, not sure what to do now that the moment had come for his child to make its debut into the world. Luckily for all Maria was there to take charge. “Alex, go help Liz into her bedroom please?” As Alex ran to assist Liz, Maria grasped Max’s face to force him to look at her. “Max, listen to me. You are going to be fine. We’ve both been trained for this. We’re going to go in and make Liz comfortable and Alex will get together all the things you and I will need to deliver the baby. You put everything together in a bag like I told you to do, right?”
“Ah…yeah…it’s in…the closet. In the hall,” he stammered.
“OK, then let’s go and get Liz ready,” she said as she hooked her arm through his to lead him to their room.
As soon as he saw Liz he snapped out of his stupor and rushed to her side. “Are you OK Honey?”
“The baby’s coming Max,” she said anxiously. “We’re going to…AAHH!”
“What! What’s the matter!” he practically yelled.
“A contraction,” she said as she bent over slightly.
“Oh God, please help me,” Max muttered, clearly distressed at his wife’s pain.
“Help you? I’m the one who’s going to push out this kid!”
“OK, everybody calm down,” Maria said, taking charge again. “Alex, help me strip the bed so we can put a rubber sheet under the bedding to protect the mattress. Max, get her changed into a loose night shirt-type thing and no underwear.” They all looked at her, still not moving. NOW!” she barked, springing them all into action. By the time Liz emerged in her nightclothes Maria and Alex had the bed remade and ready. “Max, help her into bed and prop her up on the pillows,” Maria ordered as she began pulling items out of the bag Alex had retrieved from the hall closet.
“Are you comfortable Honey?” Max asked as he plumped the pillows around her.
“As comfortable as I’m going to be for a while, I suppose,” she answered with a grimace. “Oh oh…aahh!”
“Another contraction?” her husband asked as he grabbed her hand, sitting down on the side of the bed when she squeezed the life out of it.
She relaxed a bit and said, “good guess Einstein.”
“I told you that your wife would be more than a little feisty, didn’t I?” Maria said in response to Max’s shocked expression. “Max, we need to start timing the contractions. Can you do that?” she questioned, thinking that if he had something to do he might calm down a little.
“Uh, yeah, of course. I should probably write them down…”
“I’ll go get a pen and some paper,” Alex offered as he scurried off.
“OK, looks like we have everything here that we’re going to need,” Maria said after emptying the bag and arranging it all neatly. Meanwhile, Alex returned with a large spiral notebook and an assortment of pens, pencils, and Sharpies. When Maria saw all that he was holding she shook her head. “Babe, we’re not writing a novel here. We just needed a sheet of paper and a pen.”
“Well I didn’t know how much paper and what Max like to write with so I just grabbed all the stuff on top of the desk,” he explained.
“I appreciate the effort,” Maria said with a laugh as she took one pen and the notebook from him and placed it on the nightstand next to Max. “OK Max, just write down the time when each contraction starts so we can see how fast she progresses, all right?” She surveyed the scene and then pronounced, “OK, we’re ready to have a baby!”
She walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down to face Liz. Taking her hand, she smiled brilliantly at her and said, “here we go again my friend.”
Liz looked at her life-long best friend; the person who had stood by her during all of the tough times and rejoiced at all of the good ones. The person who had shared the experience of falling in love with an alien. The person that had opened her heart and shared her family with her. The person who had delivered her beloved son, and was about to do the same for her second child nearly twenty years later. A large tear spilled from her eye and she squeezed her hand. “I love you Maria.”
Maria’s own misty eyes conveyed she understood everything Liz couldn’t vocalize. “Right back at ya Babe,” she said, squeezing her hand in reply. They smiled at each other for a few moments until Liz’s face scrunched up and her grip tightened on both Max and Maria’s hands. “Another one…” she gasped out as the pain took hold of her body.
Max’s own face wrinkled in pain as she strangled his hand. “Who knew you were this strong,” he muttered when she finished and he inspected his hand for damage.
“I told you she was like the Hulk Max. When she had your son I had bruises up and down my arms,” Maria said as she shook out her own hand. “How many minutes was that from the last one?”
“Um, we didn’t write the last one down, but I’m going to guess seven or eight. We’ll know from the next one.”
“Oh, we never called Max,” Liz said, suddenly remembering they’d forgotten to contact their son.
“Oh yeah,” replied her husband, and as he reached for the cordless phone next to the bed it began to ring. “Hello?”
“Hi Dad.”
“Oh, hi Max, we were just going to call you. Your mom and I think it would be better if you stay up at Jackie’s for the night. It’s snowing pretty heavily down here and we don’t want you two on the road.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. Uncle Nick and Aunt Paula said the same thing, so we’re going to miss dinner with you tonight,” his son replied.
“Um, well actually, we’re going to probably miss dinner too Max. Your mom went into labor about a half hour ago.”
“WHAT!!!” he screamed into the phone. “Is she OK? Is she in a lot of pain? Where is she?”
His father smiled at his son’s alarmed tone. “She’s in bed here next to me, and she’s fine. Maria’s right here with us too, and Alex is pacing around the living room, I think. Here, I’ll let you talk to her,” he finished, and then handed the phone to his wife.
“Hi Sweetie, how’s your brunch going?”
“MOM! Are you OK?” he immediately asked, ignoring her question.
“I’m OK Max. Dad and Maria have everything ready to go. Everything will be just fine; I don’t want you to be worried,” she said, causing Maria to snicker, knowing that was impossibility for Liz’s devoted son.
“Are you sure? What if they need something and they can’t get out because of the snow?” he fretted.
“Your dad can ‘make’ anything we might need Sweetheart. I’m going to be just fine. The next time you see me I’m going to be introducing you to your brother or sister! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Yeah, of course…are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes Max, I’m sure,” she said. She began to feel another contraction coming on so she gave him a quick good-bye and handed the phone back to his father.
“Dad are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked.
“Wait a minute Max,” his father said, placing the phone down as Liz began to squeeze the daylights out of him again.
On the other end of the phone Max could hear his mother yelping in pain and his father telling her to breathe, and he began hitting his head on the wall next to the phone. Jackie walked into the room then and said, “Max what’s wrong?” knowing that he had called home.
“My mom went into labor and right now she’s having a contraction,” he said with a pained expression on his face.
Her hands flew to cover her mouth in shock and she exclaimed “oh no!” just as Paula walked in, who immediately asked what was going on. “Aunt Liz is in labor at home. They must be snowed in,” she said, as neither she nor anyone in her family was aware that it was planned all along that the baby would be born at home.
Max heard his father’s voice on the phone once again. “She’s OK Max; it was just a normal contraction.”
“I’m coming home Dad.”
“No, absolutely not. We don’t need to be worried about you driving on top of this. Everything will be fine.”
“But Dad, what if you, you know, NEED me?” he said, trying to convey his meaning without saying too much in front of Paula and Jackie.
“Everything will be fine Max, and if need be, I’ll handle whatever comes up. Please Max; your mom will go off the deep end if she thinks you’re driving in the middle of a blizzard.”
He could immediately hear his mother in the background begging him to stay put. “All right…promise that you’ll call me to let me know what’s happening. I’m going to go nuts…”
“I understand Max,” his dad said sympathetically, “and I will definitely keep you updated…wait a second, your Aunt Maria wants to talk to you.”
“Homer your mom is going to be all right, I promise,” Maria said as soon as she grabbed the phone. “This is what your dad and I trained for in the mid-wife course. We’re all prepared and right here with your mom.”
“Aunt Maria, I should be there,” he said, leaning his forehead against the wall again as Jackie rubbed his back trying to calm him.
“Homer listen to me. I understand you want to be with your mom, but if you were here right now you’d be doing circles around the living room with Alex. I got her through having you and your dad and I are going to do it with this baby.”
“Aunt Maria…” he whined helplessly.
“I know little one, I know,” she said, using the pet name she called him when he was young. “It’s going to be all right. Remember the prayer I taught you to say when you were scared?”
“Of course,” he said with a tiny smile as he thought of her patiently teaching him when he was just a toddler.
“Well, you say that and have faith. God will take care of it, remember?”
“Yeah…Aunt Maria?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around,” she joked, even as she dabbed at a tear at his words. “OK, you try to relax and we’ll keep you updated. Can you put Paula on the phone Homer; I want to say Merry Christmas.”
“OK. Please call me as soon as…please just call me, OK?”
“Absolutely Honey.”
“OK, here’s Aunt Paula,” he said, giving the phone to her before stepping into Jackie’s outstretched arms. “I’m worried,” he said as he buried his face in her neck.
“I know,” she simply said, running her hands over his hair and back trying to comfort him.
Meanwhile Paula stepped out of the room as she listened to Maria explaining the situation and telling her to keep an eye on Max because he might try to take off and come home despite his parent’s protests. Paula agreed and then set off to let Nick know what was going on. The entire Whitman family spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening trying to keep him distracted, playing board games, pool, watching DVD’s, playing cards…and while Max appreciated their efforts, his thoughts were never far from his mother. He had opened their connection once, trying to keep close tabs on her, but when she experienced a contraction the energy that blew at him made him fall from the chair, so he shut it down once more. After that he just called home every hour, needing to hear the sound of her voice telling him she was still fine.
When he telephoned at 9 PM Alex answered the phone, and the nervous tone of his voice made Max jump to his feet. “Uncle Alex what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong Max,” Alex replied. “Based on the increased noise level coming from the bedroom, I’m guessing the contractions are coming faster…” He trailed off as a loud wail punctuated his words.
“She’s OK?” Max questioned. “Are you sure Dad and Aunt Maria know what they’re doing?” Earlier he had overheard Nick and Paula whispering their fears about Liz not giving birth in a hospital and it made him even jumpier. Though he realized that they were unaware of the other-worldly reason behind the delivery at home and his father and Maria’s training, their concerns were valid to a certain extent, and he was not going to rest until the baby was born and he knew that his mom was OK.
“I have to say that I’ve never been prouder of my wife than I am right now Max,” Alex boasted. “She’s cool as a cucumber and has your father marching to her orders. Your mom is in good hands.”
“How’s Dad?”
“He’s a calm nervous wreck,” Alex snickered, “but he’s holding it together. He hasn’t left your mom’s side despite her death grip and colorful use of the English language.” At that another loud cry rang out, followed by ‘you’re never touching me again Max Evans!’ and then Maria’s laughter.
“Uncle Alex it stopped snowing up here. I want to come home.”
“Max, it’s only snowing lightly now but they haven’t plowed the road yet and there’s a good eight inches or more there. I don’t know if you’d make it through. Please stay put and I promise when I see a plow come down the street I’ll call you. Listen, I’d better go and see if Maria needs anything. Call me back in a little while buddy.”
“OK, bye,” he said. He turned to find Jackie standing behind him anxiously waiting for the latest update. “She’s OK,” he said as he enfolded her in a hug, and for the hundredth time that day thanked God for her comforting presence.
(Cont'd in next post)