Steve grinned at me and shook his head. Cotton stared at Mom and Max and also shook his head, though for different reasons than Steve.
I watched through the windowed door for awhile then I wandered to the armchair, plopped into it and stared at the roaring fire, thinking Max was good at building fires.
Then again, he seemed good at everything.
I waved through the window when I heard the honking car drive by and then watched Max walk through the door.
“Max, you shouldn’t give into her nuttiness, trust me, it only makes her more nutty,” I called.
“Your Mom wants to be carried to her car, I can carry her to her car, I’ll carry her to her car. Not a big deal,” Max replied, bending and pulling off his boots.
“Whatever,” I muttered and turned back to the fire.
I felt him come to me rather than heard him and then I scrunched to the side as he sat in the chair beside me and propped his feet up on the ottoman.
I was about to open my mouth to say something, what I had no idea, when Max slid an arm around my shoulders and spoke.
“Two miracles occurred today. My woman saved the girl I think of as a sister’s life and it’s eight o’clock, we’re alone and you’re not sick, drunk or asleep.”
“Max,” I whispered and he turned from gazing at the fire to look at me.
“Never, Nina, never in my f**kin’ life will I forget you racin’ down that incline, jumpin’ in the goddamned river and bent over, breathin’ life into Mindy.”
I closed my eyes but opened them again when Max’s hand came to my face and his mouth touched mine.
He pulled back an inch and murmured, “Thank you, baby.”
“Max –” I started softly and he cut me off.
“But, you ever even think of jumpin’ into a river again, I’ll tan your ass.”
I felt my brows snap together just as I felt my body jerk. “I’m sorry?”
Max’s arm dropped across my lap, his hand at my hip and he stated, “You scared the f**kin’ shit outta me.”
“Max –”
“Seriously, Nina, swear to God, I watched you go into that river, you didn’t f**kin’ hesitate, and my goddamned stomach dropped. I thought you’d both go.”
“Max –”
“There’d be nothin’ I could do, that river took you, it wanted you, it’d have you and I’d lose you both.”
“That didn’t happen,” I reminded him, trying to keep my patience.
“No, thank f**k, it didn’t. Coulda, but it didn’t.”
“I had to get to her.”
“I know you did.”
“So I got to her.”
“Yeah, you did, nearly lost your life doin’ it.”
“That isn’t true.”
“A river’s unpredictable, babe, you don’t know that but I do. Especially in spring. You shoulda waited for me.”