Chapter Text
One day, she’ll be his. Their engagement news had taken him off guard but that could not deter him. Not ever.
One day. She’ll become his again.
—
“This is not the reason for me coming up to your room.”
This had never been Max’s intention the first moment he entered her room and found her teasing her hair at the vanity table, eyes flicking to him by the door, grinning. Now here they are, on top of her bed, nails digging into his neck as his hand moves up her thigh. Pulling back, she glances up at him, hair mused and classic red lipstick messy. She’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever had the honor of calling his.
And how he adores her. They’re getting married, they’re happy, everything couldn’t be better for them.
“I didn’t hear you complaining a few minutes ago,” Fran counters, chest rising and falling as she breathes hard beneath him. It’s true, usually he’s good at keeping his desire at bay and not allowing himself to get caught up in this beautiful and sinfully seductive temptress beckoning him in for yet another kiss.
Her hands reach for the top button of his pajama top but he pauses, jerking back as if the blood finally rushed back to his brain and he realized that they’d been about to cross that threshold rule he of course put in place of taking things at a glacier pace. God knows the reason for that. He couldn’t think of it at the moment, not as her fingers dip down his chest then back up his neck, then into his hair.
She takes control back rather quickly, reclaiming his mouth in a passionate kiss that takes his breath and has him eager for more as he grips her hips and deepens their connection. He takes a handful of her robe between his fingers as he trails kisses down her neck, the faint moan she releases inciting him to do it again, teeth grazing against her pulse point. “I - uh, this is terrific but-“
She quirks a brow, not ready to end their morning, especially after it getting good.
”But,” Fran begins to pout, making it damn near impossible for him to get up and not kiss her. “It’s early. No one’s up yet.” She made it very tempting for him but Max knew if he caved and gave in, they’d never end up out of her bed.
“I know, darling, but you know Niles can be a… a-”
“Yenta,” She finishes for him, a grin curling her mouth as she gets up from her bed. He follows her, nodding along as he bends his head to kiss her one more time.
“I’m gonna go get a cup of tea. I’ll catch you at breakfast, yeah?”
She beams up at him, grinning as they kiss before he exits her room. “Yeah.”
—
“Ma, I told you not to buy that dress.”
“How could I have known it wasn’t going to fit?”
Fran quirks a brow at her, then at the tiny dress she held up in her hand. “Your own eyes?”
“Har, har, real amusing, darling. I’m just trying to make a nice impression.”
“Aw, Ma, you know daddy doesn’t care about this.” Off the frown Sylvia gives her, she adds, “It is daddy you’re trying to impress, right?”
“Not exactly. And before you go in on your protests about me and the butcher, you have to realize that your father and I are-“
“Please don’t tell me you and daddy are getting a divorce?”
“Fran, honey,” she pauses, then after a moment of quiet, she begins to explain how she and Morty had been unhappy and that they’d been arguing about almost everything.
“I can’t believe this.”
“Darling, it’s not a big deal. Marriages end all the time.”
Fran glares at her mother, then at the impressive diamond ring on her finger.
“Not exactly the kind of thing I need to hear from you right now, Ma. I just got engaged to a great guy and now you’re ending your marriage.”
“Frannie, nothing is going to change your impending nuptials to Maxwell. I promise you that.”
“Yeah, but,” she frowns, “You and daddy are the kind of relationship I revolved my entire feelings about marriage around. You’re meant to be together, that I know. How are you going to just end it?”
Sylvia takes a breath before telling her, “I have a date tonight.”
The dress, the new hairdo, oh my god, she’s dating again! “Oh my god, Ma! How can you move on that quickly!?”
“Easy. I accepted Pauly’s offer to get dinner.”
“Pauly? As in the butcher?”
Her mother nods, invoking Fran to gasp and hit her arm, “Ma! You can’t do that!”
“I am. Your father didn’t care to take me out on dates, but Pauly does.”
“That’s your argument? Ma-“
“Fran, you can’t change my mind.”
They’re interrupted by a knock on the door, inciting them to hurry to answer it, Fran glaring as a delivery guy offers a bouquet of flowers to her mother. “Really and I take it those are from your butcher boyfriend?”
“Actually, darling, these are for you.”
Oh. She takes the flowers from her, curious to find a note or card.
“Max really is amazing.” Her mother adds as she plucks out the card from the top. “Here you go, darling.”
Fran reads it quickly, a pretty blush creeping up on her cheeks at the intimate and carefully chosen comments on the card. “Hmm.”
“I take it your future husband has plans for you two tonight?”
“Not exactly. Just a romantic gift from him.”
”Darling, Fran, I cannot tell you how excited I am at the thought of getting you all to myself. Just the two of us, in the near future. You’ll be mine and only mine. Forever.”
Maxwell informing her that he never intended to give her up and that she’ll always be his forever had the intended effect on her, a flicker of heat building between her thighs at the mere thought.
Currently aware of her mother being there, she clears her throat and pockets the note. “I’m gonna head home, Ma. You be careful on your date, I guess.”
—
“Oh, Maxwell,” Fran calls out to him, eager to thank him for the flowers and, okay maybe to kiss him too. She finds him in his office on the phone, but the moment his gaze turns and he notices her there, he grins and motions her to come in.
She does just as that, closing the door behind her. He ends the phone call rather abruptly and she urges closer to his desk, perching herself up onto it as she always does. “Hello, darling.”
She bends forward to kiss him, relishing in how his fingers dance across her bare thigh, his bold touch invoking her to deepen their kiss. “Hmm, hello to you too.”
“How are your parents doing?”
She tenses, and of course Max notices that right away. “Is everything okay?”
“They’re getting a divorce.”
“What?”
“Ma told me all about it earlier. Oh, Max, I can’t believe after all this time they’re breaking up.”
He frowns, hand rubbing her leg.“Oh, Fran, that’s terrible. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“You already have. Oh, and thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.” She kisses him again, brow raising at his confused reaction to that.
“Flowers? I didn’t get you any flowers.”
“You didn’t have them delivered to Ma’s?”
”No. Trust me, if I got you flowers, I’d have them brought here, darling.”
She thinks back to the note, to how the guy had mentioned being eager to have her all alone. And how she’ll be his forever. And one questioned remained.
If Max hadn’t gotten her the flowers, then who did?