And right now, Max needed his big sister.
After another searching look, Gwen stepped back from the front door and held it open for Max.
“You better be quiet, on pain of death. Your nephews spent most of the night keeping the whole damn neighborhood awake with their screeching.” Gwen lifted a hand to her forehead, trying to rub away the headache no doubt caused by lack of sleep and stress.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Gwen. I should go, let you sleep while the twins are.”
“Sit down and shut up,” Gwen said, shutting the door and leading the way into the kitchen. She pointed to the counter bar, two tall stools butting up against it. Max set his coffee cup down and took a seat, hooking his feet on the bottom rail.
Max drank his coffee in silence as Gwen pulled eggs, ham, a bell pepper, and mushrooms out of the fridge. She also grabbed an onion and began to slice it. She pushed the eggs and a large bowl toward Max without a word of instruction, and he dutifully began to crack them. Snagging the whisk she slid his way, he began to whip the eggs together.
When the first omelet was sizzling in the pan, Gwen leaned one hip against the counter and leveled a much more clear-eyed look at Max.
“You can start talking.”
Max tried to bite back his smile and failed miserably by the look of the glare she sent his way.
“Um,” Max began, taking a hasty sip of his coffee to help fight the lump in his throat. It didn’t help. “I did something incredibly stupid last night.”
One of Gwen’s immaculate eyebrows raised, her features screaming, “No shit, Sherlock.”
Max continued.
“I went to a holiday party one of my coworkers throws every year. Well, this year, her son, who is a new resident at Children’s Hospital, was also there.”
“Her son?” Gwen asked, the words low and slow.
“Justin. Have you met Justin? He used to volunteer for the toy drive program we do at the hospital every year.”
Gwen shook her head, her eyebrows drawing together. “How old is he?”
Max swallowed, his mouth suddenly going dry. “Twenty-six.”
Gwen’s shoulder relaxed, her face clearing of all tension. “Oh, thank God.”
It was Max’s turn to frown, not understanding his sister’s relief. “What?”
“I thought you were going to say he was sixteen or something. Then we would have had a problem.”
“But we do have a problem. He’s only twenty-six. I’m forty-two, in case you forgot.”
“Oh, trust me. I haven’t forgotten,” Gwen said, her tone dry. “Try having one-year old twins at this age.”
Max wisely bit his tongue before he said something he regretted even more than his actions last night. Like, “You were the one who wanted them so badly.”
Gwen’s glare said she heard the words anyway.
“Why do you think this is a problem?” Gwen asked, turning to flip the omelet onto a plate. She slid the plate over to Max, passing him a fork before turning to begin a second omelet.
“I’m too old. He’s too young. His mom is one of my coworkers.”
“And you're one of his coworkers, now, too, yes?” Max nodded. Gwen continued. “So, he’s too young. And just so we’re clear here, you slept with him last night?”
Max choked on a bite of his omelet. Face flaming, Max nodded again, reaching for his coffee.
“Good for you, Max,” Gwen said, her lips lifting in a smirk. “It’s been too long for you.”
Max glared at her, all thoughts of Justin temporarily forgotten. “Now, hold on. I didn’t give you grief during your dry spell.”
“That’s because I’m older. And you knew better.”
Unable to refute her words, Max shut up and returned to his omelet.
“Max, I don’t understand the issue. Clearly this guy, Justin, thinks you’re hot. And you reciprocated. Your age gap is not creepy. I mean, look at Hugh Hefner.”
“Not helping,” Max grumbled, shoving another bite of food into his mouth.
“Point is, it was consensual, right? You’re fine. Did you guys talk about it this morning before you left?” she asked, sliding her own omelet onto a plate.
Max shook his head, wishing the earth would swallow him whole in that moment.
“Maxwell Shore,” Gwen said, her voice low, commanding attention. “Did you sneak out this morning?”
Max didn’t respond.
Gwen’s sigh exploded into the kitchen, sounding so much like their mother’s that Max winced.
“That’s what you should be ashamed about,” Gwen continued. “You leave the poor guy alone after what I’m assuming was a great night. No, I don’t need details.” Gwen stuck a hand up, stopping Max from agreeing. “I understand your momentary freak-out, but you’re being ridiculous and now you’ve probably upset Justin about it.”
“He shouldn’t be with someone like me,” Max tried again.
“Oh, really? Why? Because you’re a doctor? Because you save children’s lives? Because you’re an awesome uncle and a pretty decent little brother? Or how about a great son? Seriously. Stop me if I’m getting warm.”
Max glared at his sister, uncomfortable with all the praise.
“I’m too old.”
Gwen rounded the edge of the bar, barreling toward Max. He had one single moment to brace himself before Gwen punched his arm, hard. Then she hauled him off the stool, pulling him close and wrapping her arms around him.
“You’re a goddamn idiot, is what you are. I don’t want to hear any more of this ‘I’m too old’ bullshit. You’re not too old. Nobody is too old to find love and happiness.”
Max stiffened in her arms, too late to stop the gut reaction.
“You love him?” Gwen asked, stepping back, holding him at arm’s length. She always was quick on the uptake.
Max swallowed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. But the swirl of warm, aching emotion beneath his sternum seemed to suggest the beginnings of it. “But I could. So easily. If I let myself.”
Gwen eyed him closely for another long moment before she let him go and stepped back into the kitchen.
“Well, first things first. You need to apologize to Justin.”
“Huh?” Max stared at Gwen, not following her logic. “Apologize for maybe falling in love?”
“No, you moron. For being an ass and abandoning him this morning. He’s probably in a very vulnerable spot right now. He clearly doesn’t give a shit about the age gap, but what if he thinks that you used him because he’s younger?” she asked.
Ice filled Max’s stomach. “Oh, fuck. No, that’s not what happened.”
“I know that. You know that. He doesn’t. Hence the apology. You were an ass to him. Admit it. Admit that you like him. Ask him on a date, let him decide if he wants to be with you or not. Hopefully it leads to you having amazing sex again. You deserve it.”
Max stared at his shoes, barely worn for longer than ten hours total in their lifetime. He probably wouldn’t wear them until the next holiday party. Would Justin be at that one, too? Could Max manage to talk to him before then and apologize?
“I am an idiot,” he said, his voice quiet.
“We’ve already established this,” Gwen said. “But even if you are an idiot, you still deserve this chance at happiness. So, get off your ass and go get him.”
“But what if it doesn’t work out? What if I’ve completely blown it?” Max asked.
It wasn’t until that moment that Max realized what he wanted more than anything in the world was Justin. And he might have ruined that chance.
“Then at least you can say you tried. And lesson learned. But honestly, the way you’ve talked about him, he seems like a smart guy. He’ll give you another shot.”
A small ray of hope began to pierce its way through Max’s anxious thoughts. Bolstered, Max gathered up his dishes and took them to the sink. On his way past Gwen, Max leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“Thanks, Gwen. I owe you.”
“Yes, you do. Do the dishes, then watch the boys. Mama’s going shopping and getting herself a pedicure.”
7
Justin
Justin marched down the hall of the hospital, tablet in hand detailing the list of toy deliveries that day. With his shift ending two hours ago, he’d had barely enough time to rush home, eat, shower, and change into fresh clothes before running back to the hospital to execute the first day of deliveries.
After waking up the morning after the party five days ago, Justin had approached Vicky and asked her to reassign him to a different task for the toy drive, claiming “something came up.” He hadn’t technically been lying, but he didn’t offer any details, either. She had done so with no questions asked, though she had cornered him later and asked if everything was alright between him and Doctor Shore.
“I’m only asking because he seemed a little upset by the news of your reassignment when I spoke with him,” she had said, giving Justin a concerned look.
“I didn’t have time to talk with him about it yet,” Justin had said, feeling two inches tall for lying. “I’ll go find him right now and explain. Sorry about that.”
Justin hadn’t gone to find him.
In fact, ever since Max had deemed it necessary to abandon him the morning after the best night of Justin’s life, Justin had done everything in his power to avoid seeing Max at all.
Waking up that morning had been a rude wake-up call. Justin had fallen asleep after three amazing rounds of sex, fully intending to go another round or two in the morning, only to wake up to cold sheets and a face full of mocking sunshine.
Max’s sudden absence made Justin question everything. Had he misunderstood Max’s intentions last night? Or had Max been disappointed in what Justin had to offer? That thought had led to a plethora of “what-if” questions that had had Justin near tears all morning.
He should have tried harder, given more. He shouldn’t have been so desperate. On and on, the thoughts overwhelmed him.
It coalesced when Justin joined his parents for coffee and breakfast in the kitchen, and his mother had given him a knowing look.
“Have fun with Max last night, dear?” she had asked.
Justin broke down and cried right there at the table.
His father had threatened to shoot Max. His mother threatened to gouge is eyes out and slice his dick off with a scalpel. Justin had managed to calm both of them down enough to explain that he had simply misunderstood how much Max was willing to give.
“After all, I always have expected too much out of life, haven’t I?” Justin had asked.
That didn’t seem to quell the worrying looks he received the rest of the day.
Needless to say, it had been a relief to go back to his place.
At least nobody judged him as he plowed through a family-sized bag of Hershey’s Mint Kisses and watched Hallmark Christmas movies like they were going out of style.
When Justin went back to work the next day, it had been easy enough to keep himself busy. The trick had been avoiding Max. The thought had occurred to Justin that nothing was stopping Max from coming to find him, but he hadn’t worried too much about it. If Max had been in such a hurry to rush out the morning after, the odds weren’t high that Max would seek him out at work.
That had been until one of the nurses had tracked him down and told him Max had been looking for him and had left a message at the nurses station.
Justin had collected the message and tucked it into his pocket without reading it. It sat on his entryway table at home, and Justin found himself unable to bring himself to throw it away or read it quite yet.
The sting of Max’s rejection hurt. And it would hurt for a long time, Justin could admit to himself. He wished he was stronger than that, but after so many years of harboring these feelings close to his heart, Justin knew it wouldn't be easy getting over Max.
He wondered if he ever would.
Their night together had been perfect. Max had been beautiful, strong, hungry, but also caring. Justin had given Max everything, laid himself bare, both physically and emotionally. And he'd felt that Max had recognized it, reciprocated it with every kiss, every touch.
Justin wanted to keep the experience to himself. It was nobody’s business but his and Max’s. His parents knew, simply because it had been their house, their party. Miranda had noticed the moment Max and Justin had disappeared. And given what his mother knew about Justin’s feelings for Max, it wouldn’t have been a big leap to come to the correct conclusion. But Justin didn’t want to tell any of his friends, friends who knew of Justin’s long-time crush.
He knew they would tell him to forget all about it and move on with his life.
But the fact of the matter was, Justin didn’t want to forget that night. If anything, he wanted to keep that memory close for as long as he could. Maybe that wasn’t the healthiest thing for him, but he didn’t care.
Thankfully, work provided a good distraction, as challenging as it could be this time of year. And Max hadn’t tried to find him since.
Justin gave a smile and a little wave to a child being pushed in a wheel chair down the hall by her father. She frowned at him, looking at the clothes he wore. He had changed into a pair of worn jeans, a soft gray T-shirt, and his favorite red knit cardigan. He also took out his contacts, which had begun to feel like sand paper after so many hours, opting for his black tortoise-shell glasses instead.
“Doctor Coffey?” she asked. “Where’s your white coat?”
The father smiled, sharing a look with Justin as though to say, “Kids.”
The young girl had been admitted last night with lower abdominal pain, and Justin had been assigned as her primary physician. He had quickly and accurately diagnosed appendicitis and scheduled her for emergency surgery. The procedure had gone well, but the girl needed to stay at Children’s to be monitored for any more signs of infection.
Justin knelt by her chair, offering an easy smile.
“I’m not technically working anymore for today. But there’s going to be a big surprise for everyone later. That’s why I’m here.”
The girl’s brown eyes grew wide with excitement.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice so quiet Justin almost missed the words.
“Honey, you have to wait,” her father chimed in, giving Justin a conspiratorial wink. The parents had already been briefed about the gift deliveries today. “That’s why it’s called a surprise.”
A pout formed on the girl’s face, her bottom lip protruding in an adorable fashion. Justin tried his best not to laugh.
“I promise, you’re going to love it,” Justin said, standing up straight. “How are you feeling?”
The girl shrugged. “Okay. My tummy hurts, but the nurse is very nice.”
“That’s good to hear,” Justin said. Then he looked at the father, eyebrows raised in silent question.
“She slept well for most of the night and morning after you left. Pain seems low,” the man said, looking relieved.
“Good. We’ll be in to check her progress, of course. And I’ll be back on duty tonight. We should have more test results then, just to rule out any other issues.”
“Great,” the father said. “And thank you.”
With that, the father and daughter moved on, and Justin resumed his walk down the hall, nodding to nurses and doctors as he passed.
Rounding the corner, Justin made his way for the conference room they were using as a staging area. It held the gift wrapped toys, a giant red wagon for the delivery, and various refreshments for the volunteers. He hoped like hell Max wasn’t in there and felt his stomach tighten with nerves. It was inevitable that Max would check up on the toy delivery progress today, but maybe Max was wrapped up in a case.
At least he looked good. Just in case.
The next few hours were a whirlwind of organizing deliveries and hauling presents down the halls. Justin’s heart filled with warmth at the sight of the smiling children as the volunteer San
ta and elves entered their rooms, gifts in hand. Parents tried to hide their tears, grateful that the hospital was doing what they could to bring some joy during a time when parents simply couldn’t.
Justin stood on the sidelines, observing, and passing out tissues and coffee shop gift cards to the parents, which another volunteer team had coordinated. Justin wished Max were here experiencing this with him, wished things had gone differently. Justin would have insisted that Max hand out the gift cards. After all, Max was the one who deserved the parents’ gratitude the most, not Justin.
Justin shoved all those desires away as he walked out of the room, glancing down at his tablet to check off the delivery they had completed. Santa and his elves followed close behind, talking in hushed whispers behind Justin.
“Alright, the next room, then. Let’s see if they’re awake first,” Justin said, already taking a few steps down the hall.
“Doctor Coffey?” one of the elves asked. Justin turned his attention back to the group. The elf was a small, thin man with a jovial face. Justin dug deep for the man’s name. Robert? Richard?
“Yes? Sorry, do you guys need a break?” he asked, frowning down at his watch. They hadn’t been at it for very long, but Justin often forgot his own work stamina was much more rigorous than others. A hazard of the job.
“No, Doctor Coffey. We just need to do one thing.”
With that, the elves huddled around the wagon, pulling free a small silver box. Justin tensed, alarms sounding in his head. He didn’t remember seeing that box earlier when he had helped pack up the wagon. The thought of a foreign object in the hospital that hadn’t been screened for dangerous substances set him on high alert.
“What is that?” he asked, stepping forward. He reached out for the box, intent on confiscating it before a child reached into it.
“It’s a gift for you,” Santa said, giving him a soft, knowing smile. “Do not fear, it was given out of love.”
Mistletoe Mistake Page 6