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The art room was louder than usual. Students are moving the chairs around and trying to finish their projects, and someone swearing as a part of the sculpture broke.
Max kept her head down anyway.
She shaded the corner of her sketch. Lucas still had a few minutes left with the tutoring club. She told herself she had time.
“Okay, okay, stop guessing,” Willow laughed. “You’re all terrible at this.”
“The person I have a crush on is Lucas.”
For a second, the room went quiet. She focused on her breathing, trying to feel the pencil between her fingers. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of watching her fall apart over something this stupid.
“He’s really nice,” Willow went on. “He’s always on top of things. He’s sweet, and I see him with his sister all the time. And, he’s really handsome.”
Max pressed harder against the page.
Dahlia leaned back in her chair. “He is handsome. You two would look perfect together.”
Max inhaled slowly. Then exhaled. In and out.
“I think he’s just friends with that girl he’s always with,” someone else said. “Max, right?”
“Yeah,” Dahlia replied. “They walk everywhere together.”
“I heard they’ve broken up, like, five times,” someone else added. “Sounds messy.”
Max swallowed.
Willow frowned. “He deserves better.”
Max blinked once. Then again. She wiped her eyes and told herself it was just dust. Or that she was tired.
The door opened.
“Hey, Willow. Are you good?” Lucas asked.
Willow brightened immediately. “Yeah. All set.”
Lucas’s gaze moved to Max. He waited by the door.
Max gathered her things, moving slower than she needed to. Lucas noticed, but he didn’t comment.
Outside, students passed them laughing, arguing, and shoving each other. Max walked beside Lucas. She was close enough that their sleeves brushed, but close enough to reach for his hand.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said.
He nodded, accepting it for now.
His dorm room was quiet. Posters were taped unevenly to the walls, and photos of friends and family were pinned wherever there was space.
Max dropped her bag by the door and sat on his bed.
Lucas shut the door behind them.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said gently. “But you’re shaking.”
Max crossed her arms, gripping her sleeves. “I heard them talking about you. About us.”
That was all she could manage.
He didn’t interrupt.
“They think you deserve better,” she added quietly. “Like I’m holding you back.”
Lucas leaned against his desk, giving her space. “Is that what you think?”
She stared at the floor. “Part of me thinks that if you were with someone else, things would be easier for you.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer.
“You’re not holding me back,” Lucas said. “If I wanted something different, I would have left. But, I didn’t.”
Max finally looked at him. Her eyes were teary, and she blinked hard, trying to keep it together.
“I love you,” he said. “I’m here because I want to be.”
He hesitated, then said, “People go through hard things. That doesn’t mean they’re broken.”
She stepped forward and rested her forehead against his chest.
Lucas wrapped his arms around her.
Neither of them said anything else.
They didn’t need to.
✦ ✦ ✦
Max stood in line at the vending machines, rocking back on her heels, and glancing at the clock sometimes.
Two girls stood in front of her. Once, she recognized immediately: Violet, one of Lucas’s teammates’ girlfriends. The other was unfamiliar: brown skin, hair pulled back, a notebook tucked under her arm as she’d come straight from class.
“I think I have a crush,” Charlotte said, lowering her voice just enough to pretend it was a secret.
Violet laughed. “On who?”
Charlotte leaned closer. “Lucas Sinclair.”
Max froze.
The other girl hesitated. “Yeah, I kind of figured.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Wait. You too?”
Violet shrugged, embarrassed. “He’s smart and kind.”
Max stared very intently at the glowing soda buttons.
“I don’t even know if he’s dating that redhead girl,” Charlotte said. “Max? They’re always together but—”
“They’re probably just best friends,” Violet replied. “If they were dating, she’d be at his games more.”
Max inhaled slowly.
She didn’t interrupt or correct them; instead, she smiled.
Everyone knew about Lucas Sinclair’s jersey.
The one he'd made after she never gave her back. People talked about it like it was a myth because no one had ever seen it.
Max had.
It was folded neatly on the top shelf of his closet.
Ten minutes later, she was tugging it over her head in his dorm room. It was clearly too big on her shoulders, but it looked perfect. It was the identical jersey that Lucas had; it had the same colors and his number, but it had Max's last name.
Across the front, stitched clean and bold:
MAYFIELD
When she walked back into the gym, heads turned. She felt the pause and the double takes. Someone behind her whispered, “Wait, isn't that—”
Charlotte and Violet were already seated a few rows down.
Violet noticed first. Her eyes dropped to the jersey, then widened. “Oh.”
Charlotte followed. “Oh my god.”
Max slid into the seat behind them, crossing her legs like this was nothing.
The team jogged out to warm up. Lucas waved, then stopped.
He stared.
Then he jogged over, smiling, “You’re wearing it.”
Max shrugged. “I felt like tonight was a good night.”
His eyes flicked down, then back up. He leaned in, kissed her forehead, then her lips.
“Lucas,” she laughed, nudging his chest. “You're at your basketball games.”
“I know,” he said, still smiling like he couldn’t help it. “I wasn’t ready for this.”
“Don’t start.”
“You look—” He paused. “Yeah, you look perfect.”
Her cheeks were red. “Go.”
He laughed, backing away. “I have to play better now.”
“For what reason?”
He shrugged. “I can’t lose now.” "My girlfriend is here."
Max covered her face, mortified and smiling.
Lucas jogged back to his team, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe his luck.
Max leaned back in her seat, smiling to herself.
✦ ✦ ✦
Max didn’t realize the phone cord was wrapped around her wrist until it tugged when she moved.
She leaned against the kitchen counter, listening to the faint crackle of the line.
“So anyway,” Mike was saying, “Dustin’s losing his mind over this new campaign. He’s been talking about it for, like, an hour.”
Max smiled. “That sounds like him.”
She glanced at the clock on the stove. Almost nine. Lucas had said it was just a boys’ night at Mike’s.
The phone shifted in her hand.
Then she heard Lucas’s voice in the background.
“I’m telling you, Dustin, she looked sexy.”
Max froze.
“What?” she said.
Mike paused. “What?”
“I—nothing,” Max said quickly. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing,” Mike replied. “Dustin knocked over a drink.”
Max didn’t answer. Her heart started to race.
Sexy.
She heard a girl laugh in the background.
Her jaw tightened.
“Who else is there?” Max asked, trying to calm herself down.
Mike hesitated. “Uh. Dustin’s friend stopped by. Iris. She’s leaving soon.”
“Oh,” Max said.
She stared at the fridge. At the crooked magnet holding up a grocery list in Lucas’s handwriting.
She told herself to hang up. She didn’t.
Instead, she paced around her living room, the phone cord stretching as she moved from the counter to the doorway and back again.
Sexy.
He’d said it to her once, after graduation, and he never stopped.
She set the phone back in its cradle with a soft click.
Ten minutes later, she was grabbing her keys.
Mike’s back porch light flicked on when she knocked.
He opened the door, squinting. “Why are you here?”
“Let me in,” Max said, already stepping forward.
He blocked her with one arm. “Nope. You don’t just show up unannounced. I'm not letting you in.”
“Michael.”
“Maxine.”
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I heard Lucas say something.”
He waited.
“He said ‘sexy.’”
Mike stared at her. "Okay?”
“I don’t know who he was talking about.”
“You were on the phone.”
“I know.”
“So you didn’t hear the whole sentence.”
“I know that too.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you here?”
She crossed her arms. “Because I like it when he calls me that.”
Mike’s face lit up. “Oh my god.”
“Don’t.”
“You’re jealous.”
“I am not.”
“You drove forty-five minutes.”
Before she could respond, the front door opened, and Iris stepped out, waving goodbye.
Mike grinned. “Wow. Perfect timing.”
They stepped inside.
Lucas looked up from the couch and immediately stood. “Max? What’s wrong?”
She stopped in front of him, her heart pounding. “I know what you said.”
His expression fell. “What?”
Mike leaned against the wall, smirking. “Want me to say it, Maxine?”
“Stop calling me that,” she snapped.
Dustin blinked. “Call her what?”
Lucas took her hands gently. “Hey. If I messed up, tell me.”
She swallowed. “I heard you call someone sexy.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Dustin started to smile. “Oh."
Mike laughed. “She only likes it when you call her sexy.”
Her face turned red. “Michael.”
Dustin grinned. “Wow. I thought Lucas would be the jealous one.”
“Seriously,” Will said. “You came all the way here because you thought Lucas called Iris sexy?”
Lucas smiled, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “That’s what this is?”
She hid her face. “I didn’t want to say it.”
“I was talking about you,” he said, almost laughing. “Last night. The black dress. I was telling Dustin how beautiful you looked.”
Mike laughed. “So you really drove all this way because your boyfriend complimented you.”
Max groaned.
Lucas laughed and pulled her against his chest. “You okay?”
She nodded.
Lucas pressed a kiss to her hair.
“You’re impossible,” he murmured.
✦ ✦ ✦
Max sat halfway up the bleachers with Robin, a camcorder in her hands, tracking a tiny red-headed blur sprinting across the court.
“That’s him,” Max said proudly. “Number four. Going the wrong direction.”
Eli dribbled once, lost control of the ball, then grinned as he’d just won the NBA Finals.
Robin laughed. “He’s got enthusiasm.”
“That’s Sinclair blood,” Max said. “Zero awareness yet so much confidence.”
Down on the court, Lucas clapped loudly. “Good job, buddy!”
Steve, standing next to them, cupped his hands around his mouth. “Eli Mayfield—Sinclair! Future basketball genius!”
Max laughed. “You tell everyone that.”
“And I stand by it,” Steve said, nodding. “I see greatness.”
Max zoomed in just as Eli stopped to wave at her instead of playing defense.
“Hi, Mommy!” he yelled.
Lucas laughed, hands on his hips. “Alright, eyes on the ball, sweetheart.”
Max lowered the camera, smiling to herself, until Robin nudged her arm.
“Hey,” Robin murmured. “Is it just me, or is that mom talking to Lucas a lot?”
Max didn’t look away from Eli. “What, Mom?”
Robin moved her head toward the court. “Blonde in the pink hoodie. Standing way too close to him.”
Max finally glanced down.
She saw it.
Jake’s mom, if Max remembered right, was standing near the sideline, right next to Lucas. Her hand brushed his arm as she laughed at something he said.
Max frowned. “She’s probably just being friendly.”
“Mm-hmm. And apparently my intuition’s been wrong before,” Robin said.
Steve glanced between Lucas and the woman. “Oh. She’s back.”
Max’s head turned toward him. “Back?”
Steve shrugged. “Yeah. She comes to every game and talks to Lucas every time. I think she knows more about his coaching style than her kid’s name.”
Robin leaned in. “Wow. She’s really flirting with your husband.”
Max watched as the woman reached up, fingers brushing Lucas’s shoulder.
Her jaw tightened.
Down on the court, Lucas laughed politely, nodding as she spoke. He didn’t lean in or touch her back. His attention kept drifting to Eli, who was now sitting on the floor, tying and untying his shoe.
“She asked about his hair last week,” Steve added.
Max turned her head toward him. “His hair?”
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Routine. Products. The whole thing.”
Lucas wore his afro just the way Max liked it. Eli had insisted on matching him that morning.
The woman smiled and said something that Max couldn’t hear.
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. Steve winced.
“Oh,” Robin said. “She just called him handsome.”
Max’s eye twitched.
“Do they not see his kid’s jersey?” she muttered. “It literally says Mayfield-Sinclair. Hyphenated.”
“And,” Robin added, “you and Eli are the only redheads in the building.”
Steve sighed. “Oh, they know.”
Max looked at him. “Then why—”
“They don’t care,” Steve said. “There’s even a Facebook group dedicated to Lucas coaching Eli.”
“A what?” Max asked slowly.
“Yeah,” Steve continued. “Some of the moms post pictures of him helping out, commenting on how involved he is. Especially how hot he looks when he’s coaching Eli.”
Robin laughed.
Max stared. “There’s a Facebook page about my husband.”
Steve nodded. “Almost 300 members. Very active.”
Max exhaled. “I’m going to stop this.”
Robin’s eyes lit up. “Oh? You’re going in?”
Max stood, fixing her jacket. “I’m going in.”
She descended the bleachers calmly.
Lucas turned the second he saw her.
“Hey, baby,” he said, smiling, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Max leaned into him, fingers sliding onto his shoulder. “Hi, sweetheart.”
The woman blinked.
“Oh,” Lucas added easily. “This is Max. My wife. Jake’s mom. Sorry, what was your name again?”
The woman stiffened. “Oh—hi. I’m Chole.”
Max smiled. “Nice to meet you, Chole.”
She moved closer to Lucas, intertwining her fingers with his. Eli choose that exact moment to come over.
“Mommy!” he yelled, slamming into her legs.
Max picked him up. “Hey, superstar.”
Jake’s mom stared at the matching red hair. The last name and the wedding ring.
“Oh,” she said again. “I should go sit down.”
“The game's almost over,” Max replied.
Chole nodded and retreated.
Lucas glanced down at Max. “Are you okay?”
She kissed his cheek. “I'm fine.”
Back in the bleachers, Robin grinned.
“I did not think you had that in you,” she said.
Steve laughed. “Yeah. I always assumed Lucas was the jealous one.”
Max smirked. “A lot of people think that.”
Eli’s team “won” shortly after because someone decided everyone deserved a trophy.
They went out to dinner afterward. Eli fell asleep halfway through dessert.
That night, Max sat at her computer, looking for the Facebook page.
It took her five minutes.
The comments, photos, and complaints.
“She was so rude today,” Zoe commented.
“Did you see how she clung to him?” Chole wrote.
“Guess we know who the wife is now,” Naomi added.
Max smiled and she clicked follow.
From then on, she made a point of sitting front and center at every game, camera ready and wedding ring proudly visible.
✦ ✦ ✦
Candlelight flickered between them, reflecting in the curve of Lucas’s glass. Max watched it wobble as he laughed at something she said.
This was the first dinner they’d had alone in weeks.
Max folded her hands in her lap, trying to stop herself from reaching across the table.
Lucas looked good. Button-down sleeves rolled to his forearms. She’d seen the way people glanced at him when he passed their table earlier. She told herself she didn’t care.
She did.
“So,” Lucas said, smiling as he set his fork down, “my mom says Eli told her he’s going pro.”
Max snorted. “At three?”
“He is very confident.”
“He is very delusional.”
Lucas laughed, shaking his head. “Guess it runs in the family.”
She kicked his shin lightly under the table. He bumped her knee back.
The waitress cleared their plates and asked about dessert. Lucas glanced at Max. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to linger and find another excuse to look at him.
“Excuse me?”
The voice came from behind Lucas.
The woman was standing too close, close enough that Max could smell her perfume. She was smiling at Lucas like she already knew him, fingers resting lightly on the edge of the seat.
“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “I just had to say, your watch is gorgeous.”
Lucas blinked. “Oh. Uh. Thanks. It was a gift.”
“Lucky you,” the woman said, eyes flicking down his arm. Not the watch, but at him.
Max stayed quiet.
Lucas moved, positioning his body back toward Max without realizing it. “Can I help you with something?”
The woman laughed. “No, no. I just noticed you from across the room. You have really good taste.”
Her gaze lingered.
She didn’t move away. Didn’t acknowledge Max. Just kept talking, asking where Lucas worked, how long he’d lived here, and whether he came often.
Lucas answered because that was who he was; kind and polite. Oblivious in the way that made Max want to scream and kiss him at the same time.
Max watched the woman lean in, watched her fingers brush Lucas’s forearm when she laughed.
That was it.
“Lucas,” Max said, “we should get going.”
He looked at her immediately. “Now?”
She nodded once. “Yeah.”
The woman finally looked at Max’s. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize—”
Lucas stood. “That’s okay. Have a good night.”
The woman smiled one last time, eyes lingering on him.
Max didn’t exhale until she was gone.
They paid quickly. Lucas reached for her hand out of habit, but she slipped it into her coat pocket instead.
The car ride home was quiet.
Max stared out the window, jaw clenched, replaying the moment over and over. The closeness, her sense of entitlement, and the way it kept happening.
When they got home, Max took off her heels, setting them neatly by the wall. Lucas leaned against the doorway. He’d been replaying dinner in his head the whole drive.
Max hadn’t said a word.
“Hey,” he said gently, breaking the silence. “You’ve been quiet since we left. What’s wrong?”
She didn’t turn.
For a moment, he thought she might brush him off. Instead, she spun toward him and grabbed his collar.
Before he could react, she pulled him down and kissed him.
Her lips pressed against his with urgency, hands clutching him like he might disappear if she let go.
His hands went to her waist, kissing back slower, deeper, as if telling her without words that he was right there.
She pulled back just enough to breathe.
“Are you stupid,” she asked quietly, “or are you just oblivious?”
He frowned, genuinely confused. “What? Why would you ask that?”
Her eyes searched his face. “Did you not see her, Lucas? The way she kept looking at you? Laughing at everything you said, touching your arm like it meant nothing?” Her voice wavered despite her effort to stay calm. “And you just let it happen.”
Realization hit him all at once.
“Oh.” His shoulders dropped. “Max, I didn’t mean to. I swear. I wasn’t trying to encourage her. I didn’t even think—”
“I know,” she said. “I know you didn’t. That’s what makes me mad.”
Her grip tightened briefly before she leaned in again, kissing him. Lucas responded immediately, one hand sliding into her hair, the other resting at the small of her back, holding her close.
When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against his chest, eyes closed.
“I spent all week looking forward to tonight,” she whispered. “I packed Eli’s bag, double-checked everything, and made sure his grandparents had his favorite plushie.” She let out a laugh. “I even set my alarm two hours early.”
“All I wanted,” she continued, “was one night with you. Just us. No schedules or responsibilities, no one else trying to get your attention.” She lifted her head to look at him. “Could you just give me that tonight?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah,” he said firmly. “You have my whole attention.”
“I don’t even want you to go anywhere,” she admitted quietly. “I want you here with me.”
Lucas smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I can do that.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Lucas tested the water with his hand, then stepped aside, letting Max slide in first.
They fit together easily in the tub. Her back rested against his chest, his arms loose around her. For a while, neither spoke.
Then Max sighed, leaning back until her head settled against his shoulder.
“I hated tonight,” she admitted.
“Yeah?” Lucas asked.
She nodded. “Not because of you.” She hesitated. “I wanted it to be ours. Just us again. Not mommy and daddy.”
Her hands folded over his forearm. “We’re always busy, Lucas. I know that’s I know that’s just life right now, but tonight was supposed to be—”
She sighed. “It was supposed to be ours.”
His grip tightened.
“And when she started flirting with you,” Max continued, “it felt unfair. I felt stupid for being jealous, but I couldn’t help it. I kept thinking this was supposed to be my night with my husband.”
Lucas pressed his cheek lightly against her hair.
She took a breath. “I get jealous because sometimes I’m scared,” she admitted. “Scared we’re growing apart. "Scared that one day I’ll wake up and realize you might not love me anymore.”
“There are so many women who would want someone like you,” she went on, “You’re kind, patient, and caring. And I can’t imagine anyone else in the world who could ever compare to you.”
When she turned her face just enough for him to see, “I can’t imagine a life without you, and that terrifies me.”
He kissed her temple first, then rested his forehead against hers.
“I didn’t know,” he said quietly. “I swear, Max, I didn’t see it the way you did. I’m sorry I made you feel invisible tonight.”
He shifted slightly so she was more facing him. “I’m here because I chose you. Every day. I want you here with me now and every day after.”
She smiled.
“That being said, now I finally understand,” Lucas said, teasing a little.
She squinted. “Understand what?”
“How truly jealous you are,” he replied, trying not to laugh. “Everyone’s always told me, but wow."
She straightened immediately. “No, I’m not.”
Lucas grinned. “You dragged me home and kissed me as your life depended on it.”
“That doesn’t count,” she said.
“And then you interrogated me.”
“Doesn’t count.”
“And now you’re sitting in a bathtub telling me you’re afraid of losing me.”
She splashed water at him. “That definitely doesn’t count.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “You’ve been like this since we were kids.”
“I have not.”
Lucas laughed, “Maxine.”
She sighed. “I’m not jealous. I’m just very protective.”
Lucas laughed. “I don’t mind. All I have to do is remind you.”
He kissed her shoulder. “There isn’t a single version of my life that doesn’t have you in it. I couldn’t love anyone the way I love you.”
Max leaned back against him, eyes closed, laughing.
“Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m a little jealous.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Max crouched low beside Eli, one hand steadying his skateboard as he wobbled up the ramp for the first time.
“Lean forward, Eli! Yeah! Just like that!”
She clapped and laughed as he moved.
Eli squealed. “Again! Again, Mommy!”
Max grinned. “Okay, okay. Watch me first, then you try.” She rolled forward in a small kick-turn, her hair catching the sunlight. Eli’s eyes went wide.
“I can do that!”
A man passing by slowed, skateboard tucked under his arm. “That’s a really cool trick,” he said. “You’re doing a great job teaching him.”
Max smiled. “Thanks. He’s been practicing all morning.”
The man crouched and demonstrated a simple ollie. “See? Like this.”
Eli shrieked with delight. Max laughed, guiding his hands back to the board.
Lucas stopped near the ice cream stand. Vanilla for Max and chocolate for Eli. Both cones melting in his grip, forgotten.
There they were. Max crouched beside their son, Eli, laughing so hard he nearly tipped over. And Max, she looked beautiful. Completely at ease.
Lucas felt his stomach tighten.
He approached quietly. “Hey, Eli! Look what I got!”
Eli shrieked. “Daddy!” Lucas picked him up, spinning him just enough to make him laugh harder. “I’m flying!”
Max looked up, setting the ice cream down. Her eyebrow arched.
“Lucas.”
“I’m not jealous,” he said.
She laughed. “You are.”
He watched her guide Eli again.
“I’ve never felt this before,” he admitted. “Jealous of my own family.”
Max crouched beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah,” she said gently. “I get that.”
Eli wriggled. “More tricks!”
Lucas chuckled and set him down. Together, he and Max guided Eli through a tiny kick-turn. Eli laughed when he stayed upright.
Lucas brushed Eli’s hair from his eyes. “He’s amazing.”
“He is.”
Lucas kissed her temple. “And I thought I could just watch.”
Max laughed. “Now you get it.”
He nodded. “Completely.”
Eli ran ahead. “Watch me, Mommy! Watch me, Daddy!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Eli lay sprawled across his bed, one arm flung over his stuffed dinosaur, hair sticking up in every direction. His mouth hung slightly open, breathing slowly. The exhaustion of a day spent falling and laughing and getting back up finally catching up to him.
Max fixed the blanket and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Goodnight, baby,” she whispered.
When she turned, Lucas leaned against the hallway wall, arms folded, watching her.
“He didn’t even argue,” she said. “I think the park knocked him out.”
Lucas smiled. “He tried to tell me he wasn’t tired and yawned mid-sentence.”
Max laughed and stepped into him without thinking, resting her forehead briefly against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
They moved through the house quietly. In the living room, Max curled into the corner of the couch, pulling her legs beneath her. Lucas sat beside her, his knee brushing hers.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Lucas broke the silence.
“I didn’t like how I felt today,” he said.
Max turned toward him. “Which part?”
“All of it,” he admitted. “Seeing you and Eli.”
He stared down at his hands. “For a second, I didn’t know where I fit.”
Her chest tightened.
“You fit,” she said.
“I know that,” he replied. “But knowing something and feeling it aren’t always the same.”
Max reached for his hand, holding his hand. He squeezed back.
“I always thought if I worked hard enough, that would be enough,” Lucas said. “That I could show up when I was needed, and everything else would fall into place.”
He shook his head.
“That’s what scares me,” Max said. “Missing things.”
Lucas looked at her. “You’ve felt this before.”
“More times than I can count.”
“I hate that.”
“You don’t have to hate it,” she said. “Just don’t ignore it.”
He exhaled. “I think I understand it now.”
From down the hall came a soft thump. Eli rolled over in his sleep, followed by a mumble. Max smiled without thinking.
“He’s dreaming,” she whispered. “Probably about falling again,” Lucas said. “And getting back up.”
She laughed.
Lucas stared ahead, then said, “I was jealous today.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Not the guy.” He hesitated. “I was jealous of how you and Eli looked together. Like you didn’t need anything else.” Max turned toward him. “We always need you.”
“I know that now,” he said. “But in that moment, it hit me how much I want to be there for all of it."
She cupped his cheek, thumb brushing along his jaw. “You already are.”
“I don’t want to feel like I’m watching my life happen,” he said quietly. “I want to actually be in it.”
“You are,” she said. “You just finally stopped standing off to the side.”
Lucas laughed under his breath. “Guess I did.”
They sat together, hands still intertwined.
“I was scared,” Lucas admitted.
“Of what?”
“Of how much I care,” he said. “And how much it would hurt to lose even a second of it.”
She leaned forward and kissed his jaw. “Welcome to my world.”
He smiled, resting his forehead against hers.
“Mommy?”
Max sat up instantly. “Hey, buddy.”
Eli stood there, his hair sticking up. “I had a dream,” he said.
Lucas opened his arms. “C’mere.”
Eli climbed into his lap without hesitation, curling against his chest.
“What was it about?” Max asked. Eli yawned. “I was big,” he said. “And I didn’t fall, like last time.”
Max smiled. “That sounds like a good dream.”
Lucas kissed the top of his head. “You’re getting there, champ.”
Eli blinked slowly. “Can I sleep here?”
Max and Lucas exchanged a look.
“Just for a minute,” Lucas said.
Eli nodded and was asleep again almost instantly.
Max rested her head against Lucas’s shoulder, watching their son breathe.
“You okay?” she asked.
Lucas nodded. “Yeah.” He kissed her hair. “I really am.”
She smiled, eyes closing. They stayed like that until Eli fell asleep. Lucas carried him back to bed.
When he returned, Max was still on the couch, waiting.
“You coming?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, offering his hand. “Always.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Bonus scene
Max knelt on the floor, sorting folded shirts into even piles, when she heard small footsteps behind her.
“I’m helping,” Eli said.
She smiled without turning. “You say that every time.”
Eli crouched beside her anyway, poking at a pile of shirts. Then his eyes landed on it.
The jersey.
“Hey,” he said, pointing. “That’s Daddy’s shirt.”
Max reached for it at the same time he did. Their hands touched.
They both froze.
Slowly, Max looked down at him. Then Eli looked up at her, his eyebrows already pulled together.
“I was getting that,” Max said.
Eli tightened his grip. “No. I was.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I wear that.”
Eli shook his head. “You wear it a lot, but Daddy wears it too, and I want to wear it.”
Max sighed. “Eli, it’s huge.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “I like big shirts.”
“That’s because you trip in them.”
“I don’t trip that much.”
She laughed at herself. “Sweetheart. This one’s mine.”
Eli frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair,” Max said, then winced. “Okay. That sounded mean.”
Eli hugged the jersey to his chest. “Daddy gave it to you, but I’m daddy’s kid, so I should wear it.”
Max opened her mouth to argue, then stopped.
Before she could say anything else, Eli turned toward the door and yelled, “Daddy! Mommy won’t share!”
Max groaned. “Wow. Straight to tattling.”
Footsteps sounded down the hall, and Lucas appeared in the doorway, already smiling as he knew exactly what kind of situation he’d walked into.
“What’s going on in here?”
Eli pointed. “She won’t give me Daddy’s shirt.”
Max stood, brushing off her knees. “Because it’s my shirt.”
Lucas lifted an eyebrow. “Is it?”
“Yes,” Max said. “I’ve worn it for years.”
Eli crossed his arms. “She always takes your stuff.”
Lucas laughed. “That is not wrong.”
“I like wearing Daddy’s clothes,” Eli continued. “They make me feel big and strong. Just like daddy.”
Lucas smiled.
“Okay,” he said, “Sounds like we need a fair ruling.”
Max smirked. “Oh, so now you’re a judge?”
He crouched in front of Eli. “Why do you really want the jersey?”
Eli thought for a second. “Because Daddy wears it, and Mommy wears it. I want to match.”
Lucas stood, stepped into the closet, and reached behind a storage box. When he turned back around, he was holding two jerseys.
One full-size.
One small.
Eli’s eyes went wide. “Is that mine?”
Lucas handed it to him. “Always has been.”
The front read: ELI MAYFIELD-SINCLAIR.
Eli gasped. “It has my name!”
Max stared at Lucas. “You made him one?”
“And you,” Lucas said, nodding to the other jersey. “Because experience told me I’d need backups.”
Max laughed. “You’re impossible.”
Eli shoved his arms into the jersey. “Look! I look like you!”
Lucas crouched and adjusted it. “You do.”
Eli tugged at the hem, frowning. “It’s still big.”
“That’s kind of the point,” Max said.
She reached for her own jersey and slipped it on over her shirt, sleeves falling past her wrists. Eli looked up slowly.
They stared at each other.
“You match me,” Eli said, eyes wide.
Max crouched in front of him. “You match me.”
Max wrapped her arms around him. “Looks like this one’s ours now.”
Eli nodded seriously. “Yeah.”
Then he stepped back, pointed between them, and announced, “We’re the same.”
Max laughed. “We are.”