Jesse and Suze left the restaurant at 6:30 the next morning, walking hand in hand to Jesse's car. It had been a busy night and both of them were pleasantly tired. They were so tired that they drove back in silence, replaying the night's events in their heads. When they pulled into Jesse's driveway, Suze smiled.
"Thanks for coming to pick me up." She said with an underlying meaning.
"No problem." He winked and then remembered that he still didn't know why she had needed him to pick her up. "Why did you need me to come and get you?" She sighed and rolled her eyes, running her hair threw her wild, curly black hair.
"It's nothing." She said.
"Come on, tell me." He said grabbing a hold of her hand, and running his thumb over her skin.
"Michael asked me to marry him...again!"
"Oh, I see." He said trying to hide the amusement on his face.
"That's not even the worst part. He interrupted Ceecee's parents' speech to ask me." Jesse let out the laugh that he was holding back. "It's not funny! I was mortified." But he kept laughing.
"What's his deal anyways?" Jesse asked with a smug smile. "Like where did he think that asking you in a room full of strangers, at your best friends engagement party would make you say yes?" she shrugged.
"I guess he thought I wouldn't be able to say no, for fear of embarrassing him in front of so many people." Jesse laughed again.
"Even I know better than that, and he's proposed what, 3 times?"
"Something like that." She said with a sigh. She rested her head on the head rest and looked over at her dark house. "I guess I better go. I've got to open the restaurant at 10 today. Big wedding party." She smiled at him. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"See you later?" He asked and she bit her lip and nodded. "When?"
"I'm at the restaurant until 10. Is that too late?"
"For you? Never." He flashed his most charming smile and she shook her head and laughed.
"All right Prince Charming, you can cut the crap. You've already won." She said as she opened the car door and climbed out of the car.
"But that crap is my specialty." He said following her.
"Yes, I've noticed. It's kinda sad, really." She said, stopping at the back of the car and turning to face him. He touched her cheek gently and pulled her in for a kiss. The kiss was brief, but it was passionate and made Suze's face heat up. She pulled away and then looked around nervously.
"I don't think anyone's up this early?" He chuckled and looked around at the quiet houses.
"You can never be too sure..." She eyed the neighbour's house suspiciously and then smiled. "See you later."
"10." He said and she shook her head as she walked over to her front porch and fished out her keys from the bottom of her purse. She waved at Jesse who stood on his porch, and unlocked the door. She stepped into the dark hallway and kicked off her shoes. She threw the keys into the basket of keys that sat on a table beside the door. As she dropped her purse on the ground she became aware of heavy breathing hidden in the darkness. She froze on the spot and her mind went blank. Before she could even think of a plan of action the light flicked on and Max's smug face came into focus.
"Hello mother!" He said sitting in an arm chair that he had moved into the hallway, for dramatic effect. He was sitting with his fingers pressed together, wearing green chequered pyjama pants and a red t-shirt. She sighed and shook her head.
"Max! You scared the shit out of me!" She said sternly. "Don't do that!" She said walking past him, and started climbing the stairs.
"You're not going to explain yourself?" He said jumping out of the chair and following her up the stairs.
"To my 18 year old kid? I don't think so." She opened her bedroom door and flicked on the light. She left the door open and willed him to follow her. She grabbed a pair pyjamas from her closet and went into the on suite bathroom. As she turned on the bathroom light Max sighed and walked into the room and flopped down on the bed.
"Well, if you're 18 year old kid was up the whole night worried about where you were then maybe you should!" He crossed his arms with a triumphant expression. She could tell that he was really enjoying the role reversal. She closed the door and quickly slipped out of her skirt and blouse. She slipped on her black pyjama bottoms and white t-shirt, threw her hair into a pony tail and opened the door again. When she came back out, Max was lying on the pillows looking up at the ceiling, a deep crease in his forehead, which indicated that he was thinking. She smirked and went to her side of the bed and pulled back the covers.
"So..." He said once she was settled under the covers.
"Trust me...you don't want to know." She said with a yawn. The crease deepened and then he cringed. She chuckled and stared at the dark ceiling.
"I'm almost afraid to ask but...Jesse or Mike?" He asked cautiously.
"Jesse." She half-whispered. She turned her head to watch his reaction. She watched his face for any sign of how he would take this, but it was expressionless. Then he made a gagging noise and she broke out laughing. "Get Lost!" She said pushing him playfully.
"Payback's a bitch, huh?"
"Payback? For what?"
"For that time when you walked in on Gina and I." He smirked and she shook her head as a particular image popped into her mind. He laughed and then sighed, falling quiet. He turned onto his side and studied her face. The slowly rising sun made it easier to see his sparkling green eyes looking over her face, as if he was trying to memorize it. She had seen this gaze so many times before. A flashback popped into her head of when she held her tiny baby in her arms and he looked up at her, for the first time actually seeing her. Then she remembered the number of times that, over the years, he would end up in her bed, always in the spot that he lay now. She touched his cheek and thought about her baby, who in such a short time had grown up into the man who now lay beside her. He smiled at her and she couldn't stop the prickling feeling in the corner of her eyes.
"So...Are you like together now?" He said in a mocking "valley girl" voice. She chuckled and looked away, wiping the tear that had fallen down her cheek.
"Get Lost!" She said again.
"You know, I always prayed that my Mommy and Daddy would get back together again." He teased and she shook her head.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She asked, closing her eyes, still smiling.
"At this hour? Not all of us are creatures of the night." She bit back another laugh and pretended that she had fallen asleep. He didn't buy it though. "So are you guys like official? Like have you updated your facebook statuses yet?" She let out a laugh and he chuckled too.
"Isn't it time for your run?" She smiled as she waited for a smart remark, but she was met with silence. Then she remembered about how just a few hours ago they had found poor Sheeba lying dead in the back yard. "Max, I'm so sorry. I-"
"I think I'm just going to skip my run for today." He said with a sad sigh.
"Oh honey. I'm sorry." She turned to him and pulled him into her arms. He lay there for a moment, allowing her this moment.
"Mom, I'm fine." He said gently pulling away, but she held on tight. "Mom..."
"I know you're a big boy now, but...you'll never be too big for a cuddle with your Mommy!" She smiled and stroked his hair as he sighed with defeat. "My poor little baby." She said with a smirk and he shook his head.
"Done yet?" He asked and she released him.
"Fine, go on. Forget about your poor old mother." She turned back onto her back and closed her eyes.
"Do...do you mind...if I just lie here a sec?" He whispered and she felt her heart break again.
"Sure honey." She said, watching him closely. After 10 minutes his eyes closed and his heavy breathing told her that he had fallen asleep.
She walked out onto the porch at 9:45. She figured that Max had left somewhere between 7:30 and 8, and she hadn't seen him since. Around 9 she heard the lawn mower going next door and knew he was over at Jesse's trying to forget all his troubles. She slipped on her sunglasses and unlocked her car. The sound of voices made her look over at Jesse's house.
Max was standing at the bottom of the porch steps, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue swimming trunks and a blue baseball cap. He was drenched in sweat already and was leaning on the silent lawn mower handle looking up at Jesse with a stern expression.
Jesse had changed from what he had been wearing before. He was now wearing a green t-shirt with a logo on it and cream coloured khaki shorts. His hair was damp from a recent shower and he was trying very hard not to smile at Max. It was a freak of nature the way Max and Jesse were so similar. As she looked from father to son she could hardly spot a difference. The only differences were that Max had Suze's nose and his skin was lighter than Jesse's. Other than that they had the same sparkling green eyes and crooked smile. Suze used to think it was punishment for letting her emotions get the better of her, for falling in love with an idea that could never possibly be. But now she looked at Max's likeness to Jesse as a blessing. It showed her that this was the way it was supposed to be, Jesse was supposed to be in her life.
"I'm just warning you! You hurt her once and I'll tear you to-"
"Max!" She called across the driveway, separating their houses, startling both of them. "Are you being nice?"
"Just setting a few things straight." He said looking up at Jesse, who nodded and then winked at her.
"I've got to go to the restaurant today, so you'll be by yourself for the day." She said to Max, who nodded and then looked up at Jesse again. She smirked and shook her head. "Well come and kiss me goodbye." She said and laughed as both Max and Jesse walked towards her. Max shot Jesse a look that said, "careful old man". He kissed her cheek gently and stared Jesse down as he bent down to kiss Suze's cheek as well. He lingered a moment longer than necessary and Max cleared his throat.
"Alright, we all get the point." He snapped from behind Jesse and Jesse smirked down at her.
"I'll be home at 10." She said in a lower voice and his smile widened.
"See you then." He said in a tone matching her own and Goosebumps broke out over her skin.
"Bye Mother." Max said and Suze kissed him again.
"See you boys." She said climbing into the car. As she rolled down the windows she heard Max say, "And don't even think that I'm going to call you Dad."
"What about Daddy?" Jesse asked with a smug expression and waved as Suze drove away. She was completely unaware of the turmoil that would result from her new love affair.