Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(33)

I'm fairly certain that I haven't come that hard in years.

Fuck. It's going to be harder than I thought to only be her friend.

Fucking Max. Lucky-ass bastard.





I WRAP MY ARMS tightly around his waist and bury my nose in the side of his neck, inhaling his perfect scent. Crap. What was I thinking? I can’t do this. I squeeze tighter. Honest to God, someone is going to have to pry me off of him.

“Mo-om,” Max whines. “You’re squeezing all my breath out." Chuckling lightly at his comment, I pull back and start peppering kisses across his face. Scrunching up his shoulders, he collapses to the floor in a fit of giggles.

“Tickles. It t-t-tickles,” he squeaks in between laughs. Gripping his hands, I pull him up so that he’s standing in front me and I cup his cheeks in my hands. My eyes roam his face nervously, memorizing every little thing about him. Some people would probably think I’m overreacting, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my twenty-seven years, it’s that bad things can happen in the blink of an eye.

It’s that thought that makes my stomach twist in knots and I swallow hard, choking back my emotion. Max doesn’t need to see me cry. “I love you, buddy.”

“I love you too, mom,” he says with a wide, toothy smile.

“Listen to Nana and Papa and don’t ever walk away from them. Got it?”

“Got it,” he replies with a firm nod.

Bending down, my mom grabs Max’s overnight bag and tosses it over her shoulder. “Alright, Maxy, let’s get going. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“Woo-hoo...” Max yells, his voice trailing off as he runs through the house.

Mom wraps her arm around my neck and pulls me into a hug. “He’s going to be fine. Stop worrying,” she soothes. “Enjoy your Max-free weekend. Get out and do something fun.”

Pulling back, I attempt to give her a genuine smile. Her face is full of amusement and her answering grin causes my smile to turn into a sob. My head drops to her shoulder and I hear her laugh quietly as she reaches up to wipe away the wetness from my eyes.

“Stop this...we will be back before you know it." She pats me twice on the back and then walks off, leaving me standing in the middle of Max’s bedroom.

Making my way to the living room, I find Max jumping excitedly from foot to foot. “I getta ride a big ferry wheel!”

Dad’s mouth lifts into a huge grin and he reaches down, mussing up Max’s hair. “Ferris…” he says slowly, “not ferry.”

“Who cares,” Max yelps, batting away my dad’s hand. “It’s a big wheel and I get to ride it!”

Squatting down to Max’s level, I envelop him in another big hug and give him one last kiss. “Have fun, buddy! I’ll see you in a few days.”

“’Kay, mom. Bye!” he yells. Grabbing my dad’s hand, Max turns and pulls him out the door. Dad turns his head, giving me a quick wink, and mom walks out behind him, stopping briefly to kiss my temple. “Bye, sweetie.”

“See ya. Have fun." I shut the door, lock it, and turn around to face my empty house. Pressing my back against the cool wood, I slide to the floor and allow the silence to consume me. I promised myself that I was going to take advantage of my weekend alone. I can do whatever I want; I just have to figure what it is I want to do.

“Now what?" I murmur to myself. My phone beeps in my pocket and I pull it out, smiling when I see Quinn’s name. Perfect timing, Quinny.

Quinn: Did Max leave yet?

Me: Yup…

Quinn: Are you crying?

Me: Nope…

Quinn: Do you have plans for tonight?

Me: Nope. Wanna get together?

Quinn: Sorry I’ve got plans.

Seriously? I stare at the phone, at a loss for how to respond, when another text comes in.

Quinn: Try Levi.

Me: Then why did you ask if I have plans?

Quinn: Cause I was curious.

Me: What are you doing tonight?

Quinn: I’ve got a hot date.

Me: WHAT?!

Screw this. Sometimes I hate texting. I dial Quinn and she answers on the first ring. “Ha! I knew you’d call.”

“You have a date? Why am I just now hearing about this?" I ask accusingly. “Who is it?”

Quinn’s laugh rings loudly through the phone. “First, you are just now hearing about it because it just sort of happened. Second…I’m not telling,” she sings.

“What?" I scoff. “Damnit, Quinny, I tell you everything. Please tell me,” I beg.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?" Pushing up from the floor, I make my way through the house, picking up Max’s toys that he left scattered around.

“Umm…both.”

What?

“What the f*ck, Quinn? Spill the damn beans, ‘cause you’re starting to piss me off!" I scold.

“Harley,” she whines, “please don’t push me on this. If you keep pushing, I’m going to tell you, but this is really important to me and I’m not ready to make it public. It’s so fresh and new, and right now I just want to enjoy it. If I feel like it’s going somewhere, then I promise I’ll tell you. Okay?”

Wow. Quinn has always been an open book so this is a huge shock. She is totally the kiss-and-tell type of girl.