A/N: Another chapter up. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Characters property of ABC. Story all mine. No infringement intended.
Chapter 36
"Matt, come on," she said, shaking his shoulder trying to wake him up. He grunted then turned his head in the opposite direction, pulling the covers tighter around his neck.
She sighed and glared at the back of his head. He'd promised that he was all hers for the day and they were already off to a poor start. The after Thanksgiving sales were one of her favorite shopping excursions. She wanted to share it with him and he was making it especially difficult. Maxie sighed again and resisted the urge to stomp her foot. She refused to resort to the childish behavior until a devilish thought crossed her mind followed by a Cheshire grin gracing her lips. She rushed off to the bathroom shortly, before returning yanking the sheets off Matt and trickling water down his back. Maxie watched as Matt curled forward in a momentary attempt to get away from the cold water before rolling over and grabbing her around the waist pulling her onto the now damp bed with him.
"You're going to pay for that," he growled as he ran his fingers quickly up and down her sides resulting in shrieks of laughter. When she could no longer catch her breath, he had mercy on her. "Are you sorry now?"
"No," she answered, when she was finally able. "You promised we could do whatever I wanted today."
"And we will at a decent hour," he replied looking up the skylight in his bedroom. "The sun isn't even up yet."
"And you'd better be glad. The sales start in an hour."
"Sales? What sales?" He asked nonplussed.
Maxie rolled her eyes at his ignorance.
"The after Thanksgiving sales. They're going on all day but you get the best deals starting at 5 am."
"You can't be serious," Matt remarked, clearly not understanding the importance of the day.
"I'm very serious. Shoppers wait for this day all year and you told me we could do whatever I wanted. This is what I want."
"You're sure? You're sure you don't want to just hang around here and sleep today."
"Yes, I'm sure."
Matt closed his eyes for a long moment and finally sighed before pushing Maxie off him and rising from the bed. Walking out of the room with no explanation, Maxie scrambled off the bed and followed. When he turned into the kitchen, she could hold back no longer.
"What are you doing?"
"Making coffee," he replied casually, measuring coffee into the machine. "If you're going to be dragging me from store to store at this hour, I need caffeine and lots of it." Matt turned back to the task at hand and mumbled, "I knew I should have purchased that expresso machine." He added an extra spoonful of coffee to the brew.
"So, you're actually going?" she asked from the door.
Matt stopped what he was doing and turned to her, leaning his hip against the counter. "I told you we could do whatever you wanted and I meant it at the time . . . so we're going shopping . . ." Maxie rushed across the room and wrapped her arms around him, ecstatic to be sharing something she loved with him. "Next time, I'll ask before I commit," he deadpanned, chuckling when Maxie hit him on the arm.
Not letting his attitude faze her, she began, "Okay, you get your coffee and then you need to hurry and get dressed." As she spoke she moved back into the bedroom gathering her clothes and raising her voice to ensure Matt heard her instructions. "Shopping doesn't start for an hour, but we should be outside the store now. We'll have to settle for half an hour before opening. That gives you 20 minutes to be ready. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes and shoes, because we won't be able to sit down for awhile."
Maxie rushed to the bathroom and quickly showered hurrying to leave Matt enough time to get ready. She reentered the bedroom exactly four minutes later and found Matt lounging on the bed, his eyes closed.
"What are you doing? Do you know what you're going to wear? You don't have time to lie around. This is an important day." After her birthday, the day after Thanksgiving was Maxie's favorite day of the year. It was the best of all worlds. The weather didn't matter because the stores were inside of climate controlled malls, her favorite designer departments were only frequented by the most discerning of shoppers, and thanks to Kate Howard, Maxie now had an eye for the most recent up-and-coming fashions.
"You're scaring me," Matt replied, taking a sip from the coffee cup in his hand.
"Good," she answered, pulling him up from the bed and pushing him toward the bathroom taking the cup from him as he passed her. "I'll pull out some clothes for you. You need to hurry."
She shut the door in his face and moved quickly to his closet from which she grabbed a pair of comfortable looking jeans and a soft navy blue sweater that she loved. Sitting his favorite loafers on the floor next to the bed, she moved to the kitchen to retrieve his travel cup to refill his coffee, so he would have no excuse to slowpoke around.
"Hurry up, Matt," Maxie called glancing at her watch for what must have been the tenth time. What could possibly be taking him so long? He was a doctor and he rushed off the hospital all the time. Maxie knew he could be dressed within minutes and now he decided to be the tortoise to her hare. Great!
"Hold your horses, I'm here," he said from behind her dressed just as she'd practically ordered. Matt turned slowly in a circle so she could inspect him and asked, "Is this okay?"
Maxie glanced back down at her watch, completely ignoring him while she grabbed her coat and replied, "It's perfect. Let's go."
Matt rolled his eyes. He could tell this might have been one of his biggest mistakes.
Later that morning, Mac found Felicia in the kitchen making coffee.
"You're up early," he commented, opening the fridge for the orange juice.
"I didn't sleep very well," she replied, removing two cups from the cupboard. "Do you still like cream and sugar?"
Mac swallowed at the familiarity of the scene. For the past few years, it had only been the girls and him. Felicia in the kitchen making coffee brought back bittersweet memories that were better left forgotten. The day before she had claimed she wasn't going anywhere, but Mac had lived through her being gone and he didn't trust her. Parts of him would always love her, but he didn't trust her. He couldn't. He felt used. Felicia had found someone to raise her children so she could run off after her ex-husband. Mac didn't mind raising the girls. He loved them more than anything. It was the principle of it.
"Mac?" Felicia called softly, getting his attention. Only then did he realize that he hadn't answered her.
"Yeah. I still take cream and sugar."
"Great," she returned smiling at him. "It'll be ready in a few minutes. Would you like some breakfast? I can make something."
"No thanks. Robin, Patrick and the baby are supposed to come by later for a late breakfast. I'll probably just have some fruit until they get here."
"Okay, well I can cook breakfast for all of us."
"That's really not necessary," Mac countered, sure it was only a matter of time before she'd disappear again. He didn't want to depend on her for anything. "I'll make something later or pick up something at the coffee shop."
"Nonsense. I can cook. Nothing fancy, mind you, but a meal."
"Thank you," Mac finally replied, sure none of this would last very long. He just had to guard his heart so it wouldn't get broken when it was over.
Matt shifted from one foot to the other, where he stood just in the aisle, while Maxie picked her way through the men's shirts. He looked up in horror when she finally pulled out both a pink and light purple shirt appearing to compare them to each other while shooting glances in his direction. Surely, she wasn't going to buy either of those shirts for him.
"Which do you like?" she asked quietly.
"For what?" he returned, dreading the answer.
"For you, of course," she said, and glanced at him. "So, which do you like?" Maxie glanced between the two shirts turning each this way and that.
"Neither," he replied instantly, hoping against hope that she'd heard him. The noise around them was distracting. He never realized how loud people were when they shopped. Each store was hot, crowded and he longed for the low, constant sounds of his OR.
"Nonsense," she replied, as if he was just joking. "Both of these shirts will look great on you."
He glanced toward the nearest exit that couldn't be more than 50 feet away. Knowing he'd never make it, Matt grimaced and decided to try another tact. "I don't really need a new shirt."
"This isn't about needing a new shirt. It's about needing a little color in your life," she replied and moved closer to him with the shirts. Maxie held up one then the other, holding her tongue between her teeth as she tilted her head from one side to the other. "Ugh . . . I can't decide. I think both of them."
Matt, who'd been too distracted by the adorable way she looked when she was concentrating to hear her words, was confused when she turned and walked to the register still holding both shirts. When she handed them to the cashier and tossed a gorgeous grin his way, Matt knew he was a goner and would wear either of those shirts anywhere just for her.
Noah leaned against the door frame watching Anna, where she ran on the treadmill in the workout room, sipping from a cup of French blend that she insisted they buy at the coffee house.
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to work out?" she asked barely breaking a sweat at what Noah noticed was a six mile per hour rate.
"I'm just going to stand here," he replied, then added with a raised eyebrow. "The view is amazing."
She smirked at him over her shoulder and he flashed the famous Drake smile that was sure to get him out of trouble.
"That smile doesn't work on me," she said dryly.
"It does, you just don't want to admit it." Noah ambled into the room and took a seat on the bench near the wall. "How much longer do you have?"
"Just a couple more miles."
After a few minutes of quietly watching her and listening to the softly piped in Rock music, he asked, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"We're expected at Mac's for a late breakfast and I think we should definitely go. With Maxie so upset, I think both she and Felicia may need some objective third parties present."
"That could get dicey. I remember what Matt and I were like just a few months ago. Hell, we're still tentative at times."
"You're right. Except you didn't know about Matt. I think Felicia wants to be here for her daughter now and may be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Maxie knows that. I just don't know how Maxie will react to it."
"Based on what I know about Maxie, she'll fight Felicia every step of the way."
"Yes, she will," Anna responded, taking a breath before she continued, "but, she has Matt now. That may help since he's gone through something like that with you."
"I'll hold my opinion on that. I haven't been Matt's dad that long and I'm always afraid I'm going to say or do something that will drive a wedge between us. Depending on my growing relationship with Matt may not help as much as you think."
Having been in five different stores before 9 am, Matt was taking a much needed break on a bench outside yet another clothing store where Maxie was picking out a Christmas present for Anna.
Matt fumbled with the phone on his hip when it vibrated shocked that anyone would call him this early when he wasn't on call. Glancing at the caller ID before answering, he sighed and pressed the TALK button. "Why didn't you warn me that I might be stuck in the third level of Hell today?"
The soft laughter that wafted through the phone drew a soft smile to Matt's face.
"Matt, brother-in-law, you have got to kidding me," Robin replied. "You should have known that Maxie was going to take you shopping. What world have you been living in the past few months?"
"Obviously, an imaginary one, where most of the shopping in the world is done online without having to step foot inside anything other than a grocery store."
His brother's chuckles joined Robin's laughter and for a moment Matt had to admit this whole thing was pretty funny.
"Sorry for the rude awakening, but its best you know now that Maxie loves shopping. This should build some character."
"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, glancing at the array of shopping bags that surrounded him. "Was there a real reason the two of you are harassing me this early in the morning?" With a glance at his watch, Matt groaned. He had the day off and he was doing something he hated because it made his girlfriend happy. Then he realized Maxie was his girlfriend and if all it took was spending a few hours shopping to make her happy, he'd do it all over again. When had that happened?
"Matt? Are you listening?" Robin said, anxiety clear in her voice.
"Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?"
"Are you and Maxie coming over to Mac's for breakfast?"
"I don't think so. When I asked her about it, she was pretty sure her mom was going to be there and she wasn't real interested."
"Matt, she has to come," Robin insisted. "Her mom is here and this is an opportunity for them to rebuild their relationship."
"Robin, I hear where you're coming from, but she doesn't trust her mom."
"Can't you talk to her?"
"I already talked to her, but I won't try to convince her to do something that may end up hurting her worse in the long run. I don't know her mom. She seems like a nice lady, but Maxie doesn't believe she'll stick around and it would hurt worse if Maxie let her mom in and then she walked away again. I won't ask her to do that. I'll support whatever decision she makes about her mom."
"Wow," Robin said.
"What?" Matt asked.
"You really care for Maxie."
"I do and I won't let anyone intentionally hurt her."
"I know. I just want her happy."
"Robin, I know that. I want the same thing," he replied. Glancing up, he said, "Hey, I've got to go, the shopaholic is walking out of the store. I'll talk to you later." He stood and waited for her to reach him before asking, "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I did," Maxie replied enthusiastically, wrapping her arm around his and leaning into his side. Tentatively, she said, "I saw you on the phone. It wasn't work, was it?"
"No. It was Robin, asking whether we'd be at your dad's later."
"What did you say?" she asked quietly.
"I told her I didn't think so. That you weren't real interested in going there right now."
"How did Robin take it?"
"She wanted me to talk you into going. Robin wants you to be happy and she thinks that means making peace with your mom."
"Are you going to try to talk me into going?"
"No. She's your mom and if you're not ready to see her then I support your decisions. But like I said last night, you're going to have to deal with her at some point."
"If she stays long enough, I'll go to my dad's and spend some time with them."
"Fair enough," he said pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Are you ready to go home?"
"Home?" she replied, confusion clear on her face. Then she laughed. "Oh, you're joking." Glancing down at her watch, she said, "It's only 9. We still have hours of shopping to do." Grabbing two of the shopping bags, she turned toward the parking lot, leaving him to follow.
"Hours?" he repeated with a groan. He was going to miss all the football games and it was all Robin and Patrick's fault.
"Hurry up, Matt," Maxie called over her shoulder. "We have to get to Bloomingdale's next.
Felicia set a plate overflowing with French toast in the center of the table surrounded by a bowl of fruit and a plate of breakfast meats. A pitcher of orange juice sat off to the side.
Robin had helped Mac set the table and softly talked about Felicia being back, while Patrick talked to Anna and Noah about his daughter, who was keeping them entertained in the living room. Now they all sat around the table and tried desperately to ignore the fact that two of the chairs were blatantly empty.
Robin's gaze connected with her mother's. She read the same concern she felt. Felicia and Maxie had to come to terms. She just hoped it was sooner rather than later.