Maximum Commitment (Sin City #13) - Tricia Owens Page 0,38

is, you don’t need to prepare anything.”

“I cook breakfast every day,” she informed him proudly. “Ethan used to love my pancakes but then he bought me a fancy waffle machine and that was what he lived on whenever he visited during college.”

“Your waffles are the best,” Ethan said with enthusiasm. He glanced at Max, who was still coming to grips with breakfast. “We usually eat pretty lightly. So maybe just over easy on toast for us? Do you have any yogurt by chance?”

“I just bought some! Is blueberry alright? They were two for a dollar.”

Ethan smiled. “Perfect, Mom. Thanks.”

“Yes, thank you,” Max added belatedly.

Dale thumbed down the hall. “The shower is a little touchy. I’ll show you what you need to do,” he said to Max.

Max nodded and followed him down the hall. The bathroom was even smaller than he remembered from that afternoon. Only one person could stand at the sink. A second person would need to be inside the tub. Seafoam blue tiles covered everything.

Ethan’s father swept aside the stiff plastic shower curtain that was decorated with starfish. “You just need to be really careful with the temperature dial,” he explained as he motioned at the big acrylic handle in the wall. “It’s gone reversed for some reason, so if you want hot, you need to turn it to Cold. And if you want cold, you turn it to Hot. Also, the water pressure is a little weak, and since you’re so tall, you’re going to want to adjust the head if you want to wash your hair without getting a crick in your neck.”

“Understood,” Max said solemnly as his gaze ran over the knitted cozy for the toilet paper and the sunshine stickers on the vanity mirror.

“While I have you here one on one...” Dale cleared his throat, eyes averted as though he were shy. Or intimidated. Max hoped it wasn’t the latter. “Without a daughter, I don’t need to give the Dad’s talk. And especially with Ethan being older and you being, well, the sort of man you are, it’s probably not necessary at all,” he began nervously.

Max’s mouth opened when he realized what was happening. He felt suddenly hot all over and found his own gaze wandering the small room rather than resting on Ethan’s father.

“Ethan means the world to his mom and me,” Dale went on after clearing his throat again. “I’m sure he told you what it meant when he came into our lives. We wish it could have happened earlier, so we’d have more time with him now, but we’re grateful all the same. Really, really grateful.”

“I understand,” Max said quietly. He prayed Ethan wasn’t standing within earshot. In a house this small, could they hear this conversation from the living room?

“Him finding someone he loves enough to marry—and for it to be, well, not a woman, making it even tougher. For him, I mean, not for us. It’s, uh, it’s another thing we’re grateful for. Jeannie and I honestly do feel like you’re our son, too, Maxmillian.”

“Thank you. That means more than you know,” Max murmured, humbled to his core.

“But I guess, being the dad and all, I have to warn you or something.” Dale chuckled awkwardly. He pointed a finger at Max, though he was pink-cheeked. “Don’t hurt my boy. He’s a good boy. You’ll never meet a more kind-hearted one, and now that he loves you, he’ll love you for life. Please don’t—please don’t take that for granted.”

Max could feel himself sweating. The conversation was simply awful, and yet—he cherished it in some strange way. He was getting The Talk from a parent who wanted to protect the man he loved. How could he resent that? It was impossible.

He held out his hand. After a second of surprise, the older man accepted it.

“I love your son,” Max told him. “I love him to a degree that, if I attempted to explain it, would only embarrass us both. Suffice it to say, he will always be cared for and loved by someone who measures the days by his smiles.”

“Wow, that’s, um, more than I expected. The way you said it, I mean.” Dale squeezed his hand. “I believe you. And I trust you, Maxmillian. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Your son holds my heart, Dale, so all is well.”

Despite his intention to avoid it, Max still ended up leaving them both embarrassed. It was a tremendous relief when Ethan called out from the hallway.

“Seems to be taking an