I don't own The Selection.

reviews:

Amy:

Ahhh! That was a stressful chapter, and I will say that my heart was hurting almost the whole time. I feel like you wrote this really well and displayed the emotions really well, LOVE how May and Peyton are engaged! Stay safe!

livewithbooks:

ah, it was a bit stressful to write too! thank you so so much! stay safe too

Virtue01:

Thanks for the update brilliant chapter. How can their little argument be pointless, they have been fighting from the day they met. America would be angry that Maxon kept thinhs from her. Kota is as horrible brother to America and rest of his family. He used physiology conflict with such descriptive words to try and separate Maxon and America. Once again I just love the way their friends and family always support them. Yeah, May is engaged. Glad that Maxerica made up stay safe and have a good day as well.

livewithbooks:

thank you so much for your review! i really appreciate it! have a great day

ayo, i'm back with chapter 34! okay so this week is a ton busier for me than usual- not necessarily because of school, but because of band. i have district honor band friday and saturday and we're doing ACAP testing the rest of the week.. though, i should post at least once or twice! i hope everyone enjoys this chapter! and remember, any suggestions, ideas, or comments are so greatly appreciated. love you guys!

I laid Roman against my chest and Avery in my lap.

Technically speaking, I was off duty for the night, meaning I could do whatever I wanted, but I could still be summoned to deal with emergencies. So really, the words off duty didn't mean much in my line of work. Sometimes it was more annoying than other times, like when I was trying to spend time with America and the twins.

"No! Red bridesmaids dresses, really? We already have red hair!" May groaned. "Ames, what do you think?"

"I think the dresses should be pink." America said. "Like a light pink."

Beside me, Peyton shifted uncomfortably. Like most people, he was definitely more uptight around me and America. Truthfully, he did work for me, but he was soon to be my brother-in-law. So I was going to try to get to know him.

But for now, I was giving my attention to the sleeping twins in my arms. With one hand, I rubbed small circles on Roman's back, and with the other, I rubbed small circles on Avery's stomach. I'd learned that it not only helped them sleep, but could often calm them down when they cried at ungodly hours of the morning. Not to mention that it could sometimes help me burp them after a feeding.

The girls sat in a circle—the girls being May, Magda, Kenna, America, Brice, and Astra. They surrounded the coffee table, which was covered by dozens of different wedding items. There were bridal magazines, venues, color palettes, and so many other things that I didn't know the names of. Wedding planning looked like a lot—and I mean a lot of work. For ours, I'd let America do her thing and had only given my input when needed.

"Where would we even have the wedding?" May asked, frowning. "Ah, crap. We only have the money we've saved up."

America looked at me, and I gave a small nod. May shouldn't need to worry about money and expenses. This was her wedding, afterall. And we happened to be the richest people in the entire country. There was no way we were about to let them struggle with something that wasn't necessarily a struggle anymore.

"May, if you and Peyton need any financial help, so to speak, then Maxon and I are more than happy to help." America said. "I'm serious. You've talked about your wedding day since you could talk."

May beamed. "You're serious?"

"Dead serious. Why do you think I married a king?"

"I thought you married me for the food, Ames." I said.

She shrugged. "Oh, I did. Money's a nice perk."

America leaned back, so that she was sitting between my legs. Even the simplest of touches still made my heart skip a beat. It was either the warmth of her skin on mine, or the knowledge that she was so close to me. Three years of marriage, two kids later, and we hadn't lost that.. spark.

"Oh," May frowned, turning to another page. "I need someone to walk me down the aisle, guys."

I hadn't even considered that.

America had Aspen walk her down the aisle, but May… Shalom had passed, and I wasn't really sure if she had any male friends or not. And then, her eyes landed on me.

"Maxon? Would you do it?" She asked, and America put a hand on my foot. "You don't have to—"

"I'd love to," I said. "Are you sure?"

"Seriously, I have the opportunity for a literal king to walk me down the aisle, and I'm taking it."

They moved on to looking for dresses, and May decided she was going to ask Mary if she could make her a custom dress. Mary had made America's wedding dress, which had been absolutely perfect in every and all ways.

I looked back down at the twins, who were both grinning up at me with a grin that I had seen on my own face before. America took Roman into her own arms, and I moved Avery up to my chest. They'd both gained a bit of weight, which was actually very good. It meant that they were growing healthily. And they were starting to be able to raise their own heads up! I couldn't believe it!

I kissed Avery's forehead, and touched our noses together. She gurgled, cooed, and kicked her foot up so it was pressed against my cheek. In retaliation, I tickled her belly and got a loud giggle—well, gurgle, and a squirm.

And then, it hit me that Kota was willing to take her away from me. Damn him.

Avery took joy in holding my finger, her mouth tilting up in the corners, and I saw tiny little dimples. I could see her smile a dozen times and never get used to just how beautiful it was. And Roman's little smirk! I swear he'd been watching America, because he had her exact smirk. And to think they were only two months old.

Catching me off guard, Astra crawled up on the couch between Peyton and I, and sat forcibly in his lap. He looked more shocked than I was, but didn't seem annoyed.

"Who you?" Astra asked, crossing her arms. "You Mackin's friend?"

"No, Astra, that's my future husband." May laughed. "His name is Peyton."

Astra's jaw dropped. "Like Kile!"

"Kile?" Kenna asked. "Honey, are you engaged too?"

"Yes! Kile and me gonna get married when we old."

"Well, that's another wedding to plan." Brice sighed. "But you better wait a while, kiddo. You're not even in elementary school yet."

"I hate waiting," Astra huffed.

She turned back to Peyton—whose lap she was sitting in, and began to mess with his hair. She picked up pieces and dropped them again, as if she was truly fascinated by it. He sat there, looking rather confused. I mean, he did have a four year old in his lap playing with his hair. One that he didn't even know.

"Don't worry," America said. "She does that to everyone. Maxon got the nickname Mac'n Cheese."

Astra frowned. "Mackin yellow. Pey..ton is… a unicorn."

"A unicorn?" James laughed. "Why's he a unicorn?"

I didn't understand the unicorn description. Sure, Peyton had brown-ish hair with lighter streaks through it that blended well, but he didn't necessarily remind me of a unicorn. His eyes were also a faded blue, and looked more like a silvery gray. Purely guessing, I assumed he was in shape due to the frequent workouts the guards participated in. Sure, he was handsome. Even I could see that.

In a respectful and entirely polite way, Peyton was very quiet and seemed to keep to himself. No one was going to push him out of his comfort zone, though. That would be unnecessary. Perhaps it was the fact that America and I could fire him at any given time. His job was probably his only source of income right now.

"Cause I want him to be a unicorn, Daddy." Astra said, like it was obvious.

Astra stayed put in Peyton's lap, while the girls went back to wedding planning. America stayed between my legs, sometimes putting a hand on my foot. I would've preferred for her to sit beside me or in my lap, but as long as she was touching me, I was fine with it.

"Astra, why don't you come hold Rome?" I asked, and she happily moved to sit between us.

She held his head up like instructed, and never once let him fall from her arms. Astra actually bent down to plant kisses on his cheeks and tickle his belly. Of course, he loved both and gave very positive responses like gurgles and grins.

"He look like you, Mackin," Astra said, tilting her head. "He yellow too."

"He is, isn't he?" I grinned.

"Why won't he talk?"

Peyton answered this question. "He will, but he's too little right now."

"Oh," she said. "That's okay, Romey. I still loves you."

Crying cut through the baby monitor, and I decided that I'd take the morning shift today.

"I'll—" America was cut off by her own yawn.

I laughed. "Ames, I'll do it. Get some more rest, love."

After pulling on a t-shirt, I left the bedroom and went down to the nursery, where I was greeted by the sight of the twins both crying. I turned on the lamp and sighed when I saw that Roman's bedding was damp. He was crying and then screaming, before I picked him up and quickly took his wet onesie off.

I laid him down on the changing table, and peeled the nasty diaper off of him. Working quickly, I tossed it in the trash and wiped him down before he could pee on me. When I was done, he was re-diapered and lying in Avery's crib beside her.

I still needed to change his sheets.

His sheets were easy to get off, and I threw them in the hamper. In their closet, there was a dresser containing extra bedding, so I collected a new sheet and replaced the other one.

"Hey," America said from behind me. "I'll feed them."

I passed Roman and Avery to her as she sat down in the rocking chair. "He had a bit of an accident, it seems."

"Poor baby," she sighed. "It won't be the last time."

"We'll work on it," I laughed. "Do you know the time?"

"It's almost six. They let us sleep longer than usual. Oh, and I'm going back to work part-time today. Kenna and Mom offered to watch the twins for us."

"Bless them,"

She grinned. "I thought you could use the break, seeing as the work I don't do is your responsibility."

"But I've survived," I said. "And you needed to rest, my love."

In under an hour, we'd not only fed both twins, but gotten them ready to see their aunt and grandmother. They looked absolutely adorable, if I did say so myself. Avery was sporting a tiny dress that was a light pink, and a white headband. Roman wore a baby hoodie and jeans, along with a beanie. America and I were definitely worthy of being fashion designers.

After dropping them off with their babysitters for the day, America and I walked down to my first meeting together. This one was going to be with Daphne and Frederick, mostly discussing the letters we'd both gotten.

"Your Majesties," Stavros said, standing.

The only people here were Stavros, Aspen, Carter, August, Gresham, Tayden, Daphne, and Frederick. Gresham and Tayden were highly trusted advisors of mine, like Stavros, but without the high rank he had. Daphne and Frederick sat at the opposite end of the table, though I didn't like the way Frederick was looking at America.

I almost kicked myself. You idiot, I thought, no need to be jealous.

Twenty minutes passed and everything went well, until Daphne began to get obviously irritated with something. She stood and looked at me.

"Maxon, how do you expect Avery and Roman to survive when you couldn't even keep your own parents alive?"

Silence followed.

That was way too far.

I had spent years blaming myself for my parents death, and now, she was bringing it back up like it was a typical everyday topic. And comparing this situation to the one four years ago was entirely unfair. We hadn't had so much as a warning then, yet we did now. We had a warning in advance. And that could be what saved my children for all I knew.

America held my hand. She didn't even know how badly I needed that.

"And how would I have done that, Daphne?"

"You should have stopped your little dating game and tried, Maxon."

Walk away, Maxon. Walk away.

And at last, I did walk away. If I hadn't, I would probably have turned into my father right there, which would have been the worst thing imaginable.

I went to the one place I could always calm down; the gardens.

After sitting on the bench, I held my head up with my arms, which were securely placed on my knees. Today was sunny. It was warm—pleasantly warm, and the wind was hardly noticeable. I focused my attention on the sounds around me. Birds tweeted, and I wished I could understand them. And then, footsteps, and the sound of the bench beside me creaking. Someone was sitting with me. Their footsteps had been familiar enough for me to know exactly who it was.

America.

I raised my head, and she scooted closer. In the sunlight, she looked like a goddess. Her hair and skin glowed, and her eyes sparkled. It was just enough to calm me down completely. Now, I was much happier than I just had been.

"I'm proud of you, Max," she said, taking my hand. "I know it was hard to walk away from that. She was out of line."

"Ames, I shouldn't have had to walk away. I'm so much like him—"

"Maxon Schreave," she said. "Would Clarkson tuck his kids into bed every night? Would he have walked away? Would he have proposed to me again just to make up for the first time? Would he?"

"No," I said. "But I would."

"Exactly. Now, kiss me."

I laughed at her bluntness, but quickly obeyed my order. Her lips were soft and warm, and soon, our hands were on each other. She let hers move to my hair and to cup my face, and mine rested on her waist. I swear my heart was beating out of my chest, and my thoughts were only focused on this. Her shirt lifted the tiniest bit, and my thumb brushed a bare patch of her skin. She sighed into my mouth, before she pushed herself into my lap.

We broke apart, both of us breathing heavily. America was a better kisser than she knew.

I leaned my head against hers. "I love you."

"I love you more," she challenged. "Oh, you've got lipstick."

"Where?"

"Right—" she wiped at my mouth with her finger, effectively getting the substance off. "There. Brand new."

"You should stop wearing that stuff." I laughed. "I'd like to be able to kiss you without staining my own lips."

"You'll have to ask Mary about that one. She makes those decisions."

"Maybe I will."

"Maxon!" She whined, slapping playfully at my chest. "You can't—"

I cut her off with another kiss, but this one was more passionate. Her hand held my face, and mine held her to me. The world around us seemed to have stopped, leaving just her and I. She pulled away, her eyes closed and her breathing rather labored.

"You can ask Mary," she decided. "Please, do ask her."

"What changed your mind?"

"You did."

Once she'd gotten the rest of the lipstick off of my lips, she simply laid against my chest and we talked. About work, about the twins. May's engagement, Peyton's shyness. It was nice to just be able to talk, even though I would've loved to kiss her again right now. I loved every moment with her, even if I didn't know it at the time.

"I don't want to go back in there, Ames."

She turned to look at me. "You don't have to. Stavros told me he'd handle Daphne."

"What do we do?"

"Why don't we just.. enjoy right now?"

"Sounds good with me," I laughed. "I wanted to thank you for well… holding my hand earlier."

"What?"

"Ames, it keeps me sane. I can't lose my temper when you're touching me. Thank you."

She sat in my lap so she was sideways, her arms around my neck. We kissed slowly, and then America laid her against my cheek. I drew small circles on her back, loving the warmth of her skin on mine.

"This is really nice." She said, kissing me again. "We don't get much peace anymore."

"But wouldn't you say it's worth the busy days? We have the most amazing little munchkins, even if they do wake us up at ungodly hours of the morning."

"Yeah," she said. "We make really perfect babies."

"We should make more."

"Hold your horses," she said, putting a finger to my lips. "Enjoy the two you have, Maxon Schreave."

"Fine, but only if you kiss me."

"That's a deal I can make."

"Let's get another dog." America said.

I stopped rubbing Osborne's head, taken aback by what she'd just said. Ozzy looked back at me, and tried to lick me. I continued petting him and looked back at my wife, who was grinning. Sure, another dog would be nice, but could we keep up with two dogs and twins?

"Oh, come on." She said. "Don't look at me like that. I'm serious, Max! Osborne needs a friend, and the twins would surely love all the animals."

"Are you thinking of a puppy? Or a more mature dog?"

"Let's look at our options!"

"Ames—"

"Maxon, it's a dog not a baby."

Looking down at Osborne, I had to admit that he could use a friend. Something or someone to keep him busy. America and I couldn't be with him every minute of every day, so we definitely needed to do something for him. And how bad would another dog be? Sure, more messes would probably be created… and there would definitely be more dog toys around, but it wasn't a horrible idea. The twins would have to love the four-legged creatures.

"Okay." I said, shrugging. "Let's do it."

She hugged me, and then, we went off to get a ride to the nearest animal shelter.

Aspen and Carter looked up as we entered their office, and both dipped their heads. America rolled her eyes and sat down. They didn't look that busy, so I guessed they wouldn't be bothered by our request.

"Okay, we need a ride."

"To where, exactly?"

She smirked. "To a bar, obviously."

"Please tell me you're kidding." Aspen said, looking towards me.

"Sorry, but no." America sighed. "We're going to get very drunk in public, and as your leaders, no is not an answer."

They looked between us, and then, America shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm kidding." She laughed. "We're adopting another dog."

Relief crossed their faces before they'd taken in what she'd said. I mean, this was a rather spontaneous decision on our part. And I hadn't actually expected us to be adopting one immediately.

"A dog?" Carter asked. "Why are you asking us?"

"You're the only ones who can let us leave." I reminded them.

Aspen shrugged. "We'll get you a car."

"Thanks!" America grinned.

Exactly two hours later, we pulled up to the adoption shelter, where we were given a warm welcome from the staff and owner. Once inside, we stayed together so we could find the perfect dog. We needed one that was friendly, preferably potty trained, and gentle with kids. Those were the only requirements for our choice.

Rows of crates lined the room, and the two dozen or so dogs in the room all barked simultaneously at our entrance. America squeezed my hand after ten minutes of looking around. We stopped at the cage of a Bernese Mountain Dog, whose name appeared to be Wilma.

I bent down in front of the crate and opened it. She shyly came forward and sniffed my hand, just before nuzzling my face with her nose. I rubbed her neck. America sat beside me.

"She's perfect, Max."

According to Wilma's sheet, she was only one and a half years old. She had been dropped off at the shelter when she was two weeks old, completely unhealthy and nearing death. Her personality was unique. Only around people she trusted was she rambunctious and playful. Around untrusted people, she was quiet and calm. And she was apparently amazing with other dogs and children.

"Wilma," I said, rubbing her head. "I think we should get her, Ames."

"Well, Wilma, let's get you home."

After we'd signed all of the legal papers, she was officially ours. But they went ahead and gave her all necessary shots for us, and a sheet on what things she would need. That was greatly appreciated.

When we got back to the palace, Wilma stayed at our sides, until she saw the group of people waiting inside. Then, she cowered behind America, tail tucked between her legs.

"Poor thing," Marlee frowned. "What's his name?"

America grinned. "Her, and it's Wilma."

"You weren't kidding." Carter said, grinning too. "She's a shy one, isn't she?"

Finally, Wilma moved out of her comfort zone and went to see Lucy first. I could see her reasoning. In the best way possible, Lucy was definitely the least intimidating. She was kind, friendly, and went out of her way to help anyone and everyone.

"She's huge," Lucy laughed. "What possessed you to get another?"

I pointed at America and she elbowed me.

We got Wilma's bed and dog bowl set up next to Ozzy's, so that they could be.. neighbors? Her bowls were yellow, and his bowls were green. After filling them both up, America brought Osborne into our bedroom to meet the new addition.

He barked at her, but it sounded like a happy bark—if they even existed. America held onto his leash, which we were using just in case. Wilma had one too.

Once we'd determined that they wouldn't attack each other, we dropped the leashes and let them do their thing. Osborne sniffed her, and once she seemed comfortable, she sniffed him. Neither of them snapped at each other, which was a very good sign. In fact, they seemed to like each other. That was a win on our side!

"Good girl," I said, rubbing Wilma's head. "And good boy, Ozzy."

"That went well," America observed.

"Much better than we could've hoped."

The door opened and May ran in, panting from what I guessed was the run to our room.

"You got a dog!" She squealed, dropping to her knees to pet Wilma. "Oh, you're gorgeous!"

Kenna and Brice ran in behind her, James and Magda right behind them. Wilma retreated into my lap, and pressed her nose against my cheek. Osborne barked and joined us, almost knocking me over. America laughed and threw a toy, which only got Ozzy's attention, so he ran over to get it. Wilma stayed put in my arms.

"Another dog, guys?" James asked.

Magda awed. "She's beautiful, honey."

"What's her name?" Brice asked, sitting down beside me. "Aw!"

"Wilma," I said. "I think it suits her."

"Shy, isn't she?" Magda asked.

America nodded. "Total opposite of Ozzy, but they seem to like each other."

"What was your reason for adopting her?" May asked. "You must've had one."

"Well, we can't be here to play with Osborne all the time, so maybe Wilma can fill in. And who knows, maybe they'll be friends." America shrugged.

I rubbed Wilma's head, and looked more closely at her coat. She was three different colors; brown, black, and white. Her head had a white stripe that thinned at her eyes, and thickened towards her nose. Other than that, she was a big, fluffy dog. At one and a half years old, she was as big as Ozzy, who was almost three years old. But she was definitely cuddly. And warm.

"Have you considered them.. liking each other?" James snickered.

"They're neutered and spayed, James," I informed him. "No puppies anytime soon."

"Aw, man." Brice said. "They'd be so cute!"

"Has she met the twins?" Magda asked.

America shook her head. "I think we're trying that tomorrow."

I took a minute to appreciate my life.

Not only was I married to America, I was living a life with her. I ran a country with her! We adopted dogs together. We had children together.

Five years ago, this would have been a dream of mine.

i just wanna say one thing: i suck at writing politics of any sort. please, do not hold that against me! i'm truly aiming for this story to be more upbeat and happier! i love all things maxerica and the whole family dynamic they have! and again, i hope you enjoyed and have a good day!