so …” My breathing hitched, threatening to send me over the edge. I might as well have caned him myself.
He didn’t turn around, but his hand searched and found my knee. “How are you going to finish fixing me up if you’re crying?”
I laughed weakly through the tears and wiped my face. I got everything cleaned, trying to stay gentle.
“Do you think there are any bandages in here?” I asked, looking around the room.
“The box,” he said.
As he sat there, steadying his breathing, I opened the clasps on the box, looking at the abundance of supplies.
“Why don’t you have bandages in your room?”
“Sheer pride. I was determined never to need them again.”
I sighed quietly. I read the labels, finding a disinfectant solution, something that looked like it would help soothe the pain, and bandages.
I moved behind him, preparing to apply the medication. “This might hurt.”
He nodded. When it made contact with his skin, he grunted once and then reverted to silence. I tried to be quick and thorough, ready to make him as comfortable as possible.
I started putting ointment on his wounds, and it was clear that whatever I was using helped. The tension in his shoulders eased as I worked, and I was glad; it felt in a way like I was making up for some of the trouble I’d caused.
He snorted out a light laugh. “I knew my secret would come out eventually. I’ve been trying to come up with a good story for years. I was hoping to find something believable before the wedding since I knew my wife would see them, but I’m still stumped. Any ideas?”
I thought a moment. “The truth works.”
He nodded. “Not my favorite option. Not for this anyway.”
“I think I’m done.”
Maxon twisted and bent a little bit, moving gingerly. He turned to look at me, his expression thankful. “That’s great, America. Better than any job I ever did.”
“Anytime.”
He looked at me a moment, and the silence grew. What was there to say now?
My eyes kept darting to his chest, and I needed to stop that.
“I’m going to wash your shirt.” I buried myself in the corner, rubbing his shirt against itself, watching the water turn rust colored before it escaped down the drain. I knew all the blood wouldn’t come out, but at least it gave me something to do.
When I finished, I wrung it out and placed it back on a hook. I turned around, and Maxon was staring at me.
“Why don’t you ever ask questions I actually want to answer?”
I didn’t think I could sit next to him on the bench without being tempted to touch him. Instead I settled on the floor across from him.
“I didn’t know I did that.”
“You do.”
“Well, what am I not asking that you want me to?”
He let out a long breath and gently leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Don’t you want me to explain Kriss and Celeste? Don’t you think you deserve that?”
CHAPTER 29
I CROSSED MY ARMS. “I’VE heard Kriss’s version of what happened, and I don’t think she’s exaggerating anything. As for Celeste, I’d rather never talk about her ever again.”
He laughed. “So stubborn. I’ll miss that.”
I was quiet for a minute. “So it’s done then? I’m out?”
Maxon thought it over. “I’m not sure I could stop it now. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I shook my head. “I was mad,” I whispered. “I was so mad.”
I looked away, not wanting to cry. Apparently Maxon decided that I needed to listen to what he had to say, whether I wanted to or not. Finally he had me trapped, and I would hear everything he’d been waiting to tell me.
“I thought you were mine,” he said. I peeked over and found him staring at the ceiling. “If I could have proposed to you at the Halloween party, I would have. I’m supposed to do something official with my parents and guests and cameras, but I got special permission to ask you privately when we were ready and have a reception afterward. I never told you about that, did I?”
Maxon looked over to me, and I gave a small shake of my head. He smiled bitterly, remembering.
“I had this speech prepared, all these promises I wanted to make. I probably would have forgotten it and made an idiot of myself. Though … I can remember it now.” He sighed. “I’ll spare you.”
He paused briefly. “When you pushed me away, I panicked. I had thought that I was done with this insane contest, and I