Max

by Sawyer Bennett

  I give him an amused smirk. Take a drink of beer.

  Garrett takes a swig of his own and points the bottle at me. "So I'm kind of expecting the next words out of your mouth are going to be something like, 'Well, you see, Garrett...there's this girl.' Am I right?"

  "Freakishly so," I mutter. "You got all that from me looking happy and mellow?"

  "No, I got that because you've been checking your watch about every five minutes and you were studying Hawke and Vale tonight like you were trying to analyze something."

  "Not analyzing them," I correct him. "I'm just happy for them. I hope they work through all their shit."

  "Not even going to ask," Garrett says, and I wince, as I realize Garrett doesn't know the backstory about the two of them.

  But he's cool and not nosy in the slightest as he grins at me and asks, "So tell me about the girl."

  "I kind of want your perspective because...well, Olivia had some major battles while you two were starting out, and I know it was a struggle for you when we'd be on the road and away from her. I'm just curious how you coped with it, because I know with our life...being away half the season sucks for both sides."

  "Still doesn't tell me about the girl," Garrett pushes me.

  "Girls," I tell him with a direct look, emphasizing the plural nature, and watch as his eyebrows shoot up. I laugh and then clarify, "I had a pretty serious relationship when I was young and it followed over into the NHL. The distance is part of what killed it. And now I've met a woman who I think is amazing, but she's got her own set of problems she's battling, and I worry about her. This is the first away game, and honestly...it's driving me a little nuts."

  Garrett nods and a flash of pain crosses his face, and there's no doubt he's remembering that time almost two years ago when Olivia got really sick after one of her treatments and had to be hospitalized while the team was on the West Coast playing hockey. He went apeshit and I remember I seriously wondered whether he would come back with the team on the road until Olivia finished her treatments.

  "Wish I could tell you there was an easy way to wrap your head around it, but there's really not. There's one thing that makes it easier, and that's knowing what a great support system Olivia had here with Stevie and Sutton."

  I shake my head dismally. "Jules doesn't have anyone."

  "Pretty name," he tells me.

  "Really fucking pretty girl," I tell him back.

  "Another thing that helped is that I know Olivia is strong. I mean, really, really strong. She's one of those women that will stand against a storm because that's her inherent nature. I just knew deep down she'd be all right and no amount of worrying on my part was going to make it better."

  Now, this I can understand and I nod. "Jules is strong too. She doesn't like to take help and insists on doing everything herself. She's a survivor and yeah...she'll be fine with or without me."

  "What's her deal?" Garrett asks with curiosity.

  "Her sister died a little over four months ago from cancer," I tell him, and Garrett winces hard because I know that strikes close to his fears with Olivia. "Jules is raising her niece and two nephews."

  "How old are they?"

  "Annabelle's four, Levy's six, and Rocco is seven," I tell him.

  Garrett's eyebrows shoot up and he gives a low whistle. "Damn...that's a handful."

  "Tell me about it," I say in amazement. "She works two jobs and then cooks and cleans for another woman in exchange for watching the kids after school. She is literally busting her ass from the time she gets up until she goes to sleep well after midnight, and I'm not talking easy jobs. She works in a nursing home full-time as a nurse's assistant and then at a convenience store at night."

  "Jesus fuck," Garrett mutters.

  "She doesn't even have time for herself," I mutter back.

  "Then how does she even have time for you?" he asks.

  "Yeah, that's also a problem I haven't been able to fully figure out," I tell him before I take another swallow of my beer.

  "Well, I can only tell you my experience, and that's trust in the strength of your girl and she'll be fine when you're away," Garrett says wisely. "It will get easier with time. But dude...she's got to cut something out of that hectic schedule or there isn't any relationship."

  "That's for fucking sure," I say with a laugh.

  "One other thing, Max," Garrett says, and his voice turns serious. "I think it's fucking great you're interested in someone and I can tell by the way you talk about her that she's something special. I also get you're worried about her. But don't forget your job, and the fact that your job especially out of all of us on this team requires your head to be in the game fully. Figure a way to compartmentalize because you cannot afford to have your game affected. You're coming off two injuries and you had to battle to get that number one spot back again. Whatever you do, don't lose it."

  I blink in surprise at Garrett because, honestly, I had not even thought about that. I mean, my head was in the game tonight. It was in the game on Tuesday night too. I played fucking fantastic. But I also knew that Jules was in a fairly good spot. While she insisted on giving Chris two weeks' notice, she at least had a game plan that once put into effect would help make her life a little easier. I was feeling pretty damn good about her situation, and I think that translated into my game in a positive way.

  But Garrett's words hit me hard, because he's pointing out that it could easily go to shit.

  --

  "Hey you." Jules answers her phone on just the second ring, but although I can hear the pleasure in her voice that I've called, I can also hear the exhaustion.

  "On your way home?" I ask as I prop myself up against the headboard. Garrett left about ten minutes ago, and I'm exhausted, but no way I was going to go to sleep without talking to Jules. It's five after midnight and I imagine she's in her car and on the way home.

  "Yeah," she says, and then punctuates it with a yawn. But then she immediately says, "I watched your game tonight."

  "You did?" I ask in surprise.

  "I did," she says with a laugh. "Turns out that little TV in the break room that Chris has includes the NHL package. I kept the door open and watched when I could. You were awesome tonight."

  Her voice is soft, definitely tired, but there's such pride in it, it sort of humbles me. That she would even have the resources available within herself to show me that pride and excitement when I know she's probably beyond exhausted.

  It makes me goddamn ache with the need to just touch her. Kiss her again.

  I definitely want to fuck her, but that will come with time.

  But we'll have to make the time.

  "I want to take you out," I tell her in a low voice. "Just you and me. No kids."

  "What did you have in mind?" she asks, and I definitely hear a sexy purr inside that question. She'd probably shoot me if she knew some of the things I'd been fantasizing about.

  But I don't go there. Not yet. "Maybe just out to dinner or something. I'll handle the cost of a babysitter."

  "Okay, then," she says, and I can't see her face but I can hear the smile in her voice. "It's a date."

  "It will be," I say with a laugh. "Now, when is your last day at the convenience store?"

  "Not next Friday but the one after," she says. "He asked me to stay until the end of the month and that was only a few more days so I said okay."

  I grit my teeth. I'd like her out of there yesterday, but I know Jules has to do things the way it makes her feel the best about her choices.

  "Then we'll go out that Saturday," I tell her firmly.

  "Awesome," she says, and then immediately follows up with, "Oh, shit...no wait. I can't. It's Halloween and I'm going to take the kids trick-or-treating."

  "Well, count me in for that," I tell her, and I try to disregard her snort.

  "You seriously want to come trick-or-treating with me and the kids?" she asks skeptically.

  "Is there candy involved?" I ask sarcastically, and before she can an
swer I add, "Because yeah...I'm totally in on that."

  And fuck...her sweet laugh of delight causes my skin to tingle. It's the best fucking sound I've heard all day. Even better than when the buzzer went off at the end of the third period and I'd put a shutout in my win column.

  "But Jules," I say in a low voice, and her laugh cuts off midstream. "After trick-or-treating, I'm getting a babysitter for the kids and then I get you to myself, okay?"

  "Okay," she whispers in a husky voice, and I know she's imagining some of the things I am. It sends a bolt of lust straight down to my balls.

  The next two weeks are going to be torture, waiting for my first real date with Jules.

  The woman shrieks, "Oh my God...Carl...get out here. Zack Grantham and Max Fournier are on our front porch."

  Kate snickers beside me and I watch with fascinated interest as the homeowners proceed to have a meltdown that two of the Carolina Cold Fury are at their house. Kate then snorts as we watch the poor kids holding their little plastic pumpkin buckets out for candy, but they're being thoroughly ignored while the homeowners ask for pictures.

  "Is it always like this?" I ask in a hushed voice as we stand at the end of the driveway while I witness yet again the oddness of celebrity.

  "Not always," she says with an amused voice. "But often."

  We're currently at the end of our jaunt through Zack and Kate's neighborhood. Max suggested taking the kids to trick-or-treat here with Ben, and then Kate had volunteered to host a slumber party for all of the kids after, and thus Max and I would have our date.

  The thought makes my palms sweat, but in a good way.

  Kate and Zack Grantham are an amazing couple. Max filled me in on a little of their background before we came over, I think because he wanted me to feel comfortable with the kids staying the night there. Kate had started out as Ben's nanny after Ben's mom had died in a tragic car accident. The simple story is they fell in love and got married just last month, and best of all, Kate adopted Ben, the finalization coming through just the week after they said their vows.

  That was the basic story, but Kate filled me in more each time the guys would take the kids up to a house for treats. Kate told me with a fond smile that Zack was a real asshole to her at first, but she said that's because he was all stuck inside his head after Ben's mom died. She said he eventually came around after he lost her--although I didn't press her for those details--and she's been living the fairy tale ever since.

  That made me take pause, because that's sort of how I've been feeling. That Max is like the knight in shining armor that has come to rescue me. Although I'm not letting him fully rescue me, I have totally accepted his help and I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I feel guilty, almost as if I'm using him, because I still can't understand what he's getting out of all this. But on the other hand, there's something about Max and all he brings to my table that just seems right. It's almost a feeling of fate or destiny...that I was given a terrible uphill battle with Melody dying and me taking on the kids, but that Max was put in my path for some higher purpose.

  There's a part of me I believe will always feel a little guilty for all he's done for me so far, because I don't know how I could ever truly repay him. I mean, I'll totally repay the loan he's given me, but how do you truly let someone know that what they've done for you is a life changer?

  On top of the guilt, I'm also suffering under a bit of fear that all of this with Max may be too good to be true. Here's a man that has the potential to be all I ever would need in this life, and I'm honestly afraid to believe in something that could actually be fleeting.

  With pictures out of the way, the homeowners finally hand out candy and they go a little overboard in their enthusiasm, giving each kid a handful of full-size candy bars that barely fit inside their already stuffed buckets. Each of the kids grins, says "Thank you," and the whole group comes trotting down the porch steps toward us.

  And what a group they make. Ben, who's only about six months older than Annabelle, is dressed as a little vampire. He's got his hair all slicked back, pale makeup, and dark shading under his eyes. Those little plastic vampire teeth are way too cute. Annabelle wanted to go as Tinker Bell and I was able to find her the cutest green dress with a sparkly tulle skirt that came with little fairy wings that went across her back. Levy and Rocco weren't so easily settled on their costumes, but after a lot of debate, hemming and hawing, Levy settled on wanting to be a ninja and Rocco on a fireman, and I had absolutely no qualms about spending the money on those costumes from the check that Max gave me a few weeks ago when his friend bought my paintings. My only slight regret was the plastic ninja sword that Levy swings a little too wildly, in my humble opinion.

  "Look what I got," Annabelle says as she reaches me, thrusting her bucket out for me to examine. "You can have some if you want."

  I ruffle her hair and tell her, "Oh...I so want."

  "I'll give you some of mine too, Aunt Jules," Rocco pipes in, his need for affirmation evident on his face.

  "You are so generous, Rocco," I tell him. "Thank you."

  Levy ignores all of us, pawing through his treasure trove of treats.

  "Okay, looks like the kids' buckets are full," Max says as he claps his hands together, and then puts a hand to Levy and Rocco's backs to urge them forward. "How about we get them back to Zack and Kate's house and they can get started eating all of that rotten goodness."

  Kate elbows me slightly in the ribs, and when I look at her, she gives me a knowing grin.

  It says, "Max cannot wait to get you alone. He's so cute in his impatience."

  I grin back, and when I slide my gaze over to Max as he starts pushing the boys down the street, he shoots me an intense look over his shoulder that promises our alone time is going to be very good.

  We make it back to Kate and Zack's house, and Max and I hang around for about thirty minutes to make sure my crew is settled and they're not going to wig out when I leave. Turns out, Annabelle, Levy, and Rocco are quite the independent little brood as they barely glanced at me twice when I reminded them that they were staying the night and I'd see them in the morning. I had to even prod them to stand up from the table where they were digging into their candy to give me a goodbye hug.

  After farewells to everyone, Max and I walked out to his car hand in hand. He had laced his fingers with mine as we headed down their driveway to where he'd parked his car on the road. It felt natural and right, as if we'd been holding hands our entire lives.

  After we both get settled in and buckled, Max turns to me in his seat before he starts the car. "Jules...I want you to know I have no real expectations of where tonight is going to go. It's been four weeks since we first met, but tonight is really our first date."

  "I have no expectations either," I tell him, and while that's true, it doesn't mean I haven't thought about how far things might go. "I'm just happy to have a kid-free night and to share it with an amazing man."

  "And gorgeous too," Max says with a grin. "I'm gorgeous, right?"

  "Totally," I agree with a laugh.

  "All right," he says as he starts the car. "Then my suggestion is that we have a quiet night. Take-out Thai would be my choice and then we go to your apartment or my house and just hang."

  "Thai sounds great and let's do your house," I tell him. "I'd like to see how the rich and famous but mostly bachelor Max Fournier lives. I'm going to stereotype here and say I'm expecting a sink full of dirty dishes in the kitchen and clothes all over the bedroom floor."

  "That's awful forward, Miss Bradley," Max says with a mock huff as he pulls away from the curb. "I'd never let a lady see my bedroom on a first date."

  I snort in response, but then I wonder...is he teasing me or being serious?

  --

  Max's fingers brush against my temple and then sift through my hair. I shift my head as it lays on his right thigh, and I think to myself, nothing awkward about this. Again, my time with him is effortless. Conversation is engaging,
silences are golden. He freely touches me and it feels natural.

  The end credits roll on the screen of his sweet eighty-inch 4K TV that takes up an entire wall in his living room. Dinner was causal as we ate on the deck of his beautiful home. It's what I expected and then it's not. It's large and in a well-to-do neighborhood, but it's not ostentatious. The furnishings are comfortable; the colors are warm. It's the type of house that you don't worry about tracking mud into, but that has nothing to do with the house itself. It has everything to do with Max's casual and easygoing nature.

  After dinner he suggested a movie and I happily agreed. He's right...neither of us have any expectations, and I can't ever remember a first date being so spontaneous and fun. I can't ever remember meeting anyone like Max and having just an innate feeling of comfort around someone.

  That is not to say that there isn't some sexual tension between us. No, rather, there's quite a bit. Max and I haven't had much time together the last few weeks since our first amazing kiss. I've still been working brutal hours since giving my notice at the gas station and Max is deep into regular season hockey. He's playing phenomenally and I've learned quickly that to play at that level takes extreme dedication to your job. That means daily workouts, sometimes for two to three hours. Practices and team meetings. The games themselves. And let's not forget about travel. A two-game trip out to California had him gone for a solid five days.

  But that's not to say we haven't seen each other. Last weekend Max hung out with me and the kids one afternoon and we took them to a museum. And a few times Max came and kept me company at the convenience store, and yeah...there may have been a little making out at the end of my shift and before he put me safely in my car for my drive home. Each one of those make-out sessions got a little hotter and our hands tended to roam further and further on each other the more we tested boundaries. The last time he kissed me, which was three nights ago, his hand ended up between my legs and mine ended up on his crotch, but totally with the material of our jeans separating us. Still, it was intimate and thrilling and both of us groaned as we touched each other and kissed.

  Max ended up tearing himself away from me and muttered something about "not wanting to fuck you for the first time in a parking lot." Of course, that only guaranteed I'd fantasize about him fucking me in a dark parking lot, but I knew that wouldn't be how we came together for the first time.