Page 43 of Max

Shay paced back and forth, back and forth. It had been four hours since they took her father to surgery, and despite her asking a thousand and one times, there was no word. Everyone had tried to calm her down, but her father was lying on a table, his heart stopped while they did a bypass. There was no calming her down.

Desi had given her father a hug before he was wheeled away. He wasn’t at all surprised to see her there. Her father loved Desi, especially when he found out she was responsible for her leaving Duncan. He didn’t know the full story. He wasn’t aware of the physical and emotional abuse. He just never liked Duncan and was happy as a kid at Christmas because she’d divorced the pretty boy, as he called her ex-husband.

A hand on her elbow brought her up short. Max.

He was staring at her, willing her to understand that she was making everyone else, including her family, more nervous than needed. She couldn’t help it, though. This was how she dealt with stress.

“Let’s take a walk,” Max said quietly.

“Yeah, okay.” Getting out of this room would probably do her some good.

“We’re going on a coffee run. Who wants a cup?”

Every single hand in the room went up at Max’s question. Shay snorted. They just wanted to get her out of here, and ordering coffee would take some time.

“Des, stay put.” Max shot his sister a warning look, and she grinned. Cole, however, had on a grim face. Des would not be escaping him today. Poor Desi.

Her family had been a little shocked that Desi was Max’s sister, but they’d accepted it without hesitation. She loved the way her family was accepting of everyone. It made her proud.

“Come on.”

She felt the pressure of Max’s hand on her lower back as he ushered her out of the room. They didn’t go far, though. He ducked them into an empty room and closed the door. There were no patients assigned to the room, and she turned questioningly.

“What…”

“I thought you needed a minute to pull yourself together.”

“Not happening until they come and tell me he’s okay.”

“Darlin’, I know this is hard, but I’m going to tell you what my pa told me. This isn’t just about you. The people in that waiting room are his family too, and they’re just as worried as you are. You got to pull yourself together even though it’s the last thing you want to do.”

“But how, Max? How do I do that?” she whispered.

Max pulled her into his arms, and she melted into them. She felt safe with Max, like everything would be okay. It was strange. Only her father had ever made her feel this safe.

“You take a deep breath and push it all down—the fear, the pain, and the dread. You breathe through it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Yes, you can. You’re stronger than you think you are.”

“No, I’m not strong.”

“You survived an abusive marriage, Shay. You got out in one piece. You’re not only strong, you’re brave.”

“No, Desi did that. She took one look at me and pulled me out, threatening Duncan in the process. She was the brave one, not me. I’d still be married to him if not for her.”

“I get why you think that, darlin’, but let me tell you the simple truth. If you hadn’t been ready to leave, you wouldn’t have. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen women go back to an abuser. They weren’t ready to leave, and most of them ended up dead eventually. It takes a lot of fucking courage to leave, so don’t shortchange yourself. Des may have given you the excuse to go, but you were the one who left and stayed gone.”

Shay tilted her head up, and a small gasp escaped at the fierceness of his expression. His eyes practically glowed with it. She saw the raw honesty and truth reflected in those emerald depths. He really did believe in her.

“Max?” Her voice came out all breathy.

“Yeah?”

“I…um…”

He smiled, a bit of the devil shining through his expression. “Cat got your tongue, darlin’?”

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