Chapter 19
"I was nine when Tess and her family moved here from Tennessee." Max started. "Isabel and Gracie became best friends with her immediately. I was a bit wary of her, I was always shy as I had told you before."
Liz nodded. She could imagine a younger Max being shy, he still was at this age.
"She immediately became a hit, well my sisters always were, so being her involvement was imminent. Then Maria came along and showed a slight interest in me."
"Maria?" Liz asked shocked.
"Well, just enough to make Michael jealous. In the same process made Tess more aware of me. We were sort of expected to be together after that. It would only be too perfect. So my sisters bullied me into it, and we began to date. Eventually I got to know her better and grew to like her, even care about her a great deal. We lasted all the way though high school and half way though college. Then she got pregnant."
He tensed and Liz didn't know whether to move away from him or snuggle closer. It was more comfortable to snuggle and she did. Max's arms came tighter around her and she assumed it was more comforting to him as well.
He blew out a breath. "She became depressed during her pregnancy. The doctor said it was quite common among women, so we didn't worry. During the pregnancy I kept a constant eye on her. I never loved her, but I loved Lily already so much. I never knew what she was going to do whether herself. Not herself necessarily. I learned she'd never hurt herself, but the baby."
He took a quick breather and dropped a kiss to the top of Liz's head. Thankful for her support and lack of interruptions.
" We planned to get married everything was set, we even had a date. Then one night, Lily was crying in her crib. Tess's place was empty so I automatically assumed she had gone to retrieve her for once. She was nine months old and never had she ever done that. I waited, and the crying continued. I got up, and Tess wasn't there. Lily's crying ceased immediately when she saw me. Instantly I knew something was wrong."
"Tess had never been close to Lily, just enough for an attachment to be formed. There were times when she had cried and it had been for Tess. She smiled whenever Tess picked her up but the connection was never really there. Lily was happy, but for Tess, for Tess it was an obligation."
Max shifted Liz on his lap so she rested her head on his shoulder, she remained quiet knowing it was almost out. "She left that night. I heard the door shut, and I knew she was gone. Knew she wasn't coming back. Six months later, I met you, and the world changed for the better." He smiled. Relieved. No one but no one knew the true story. The whole truth. "Max." Liz didn't even know what to say.
"Don't say anything. Why don't we just rest for now?"
He looked at the clock, "it's almost midnight and you have class in the morning."
"Not until noon." She let out a yawn.
"So, the kids will be up early. You know that." He smiled, totally relaxed with her in his arms.
"You're right." Her eyes drooped. "You can sleep in my room, I'll stay on the couch."
She was asleep already. Content with her in his arms, he reclined against the couch and fell asleep as well.
****
"Quiet, Daddy's sleeping." Liz told Lily.
Lily nodded. "Aidan?"
"Aidan's sleeping too." Liz told her. Lily had woken up at five thirty, and not wanting to wake Max, Liz had gotten up with her. They were lying in Liz's bedroom watching Sesame Street.
"Elmo!" Lily said excitedly.
"Yes, Elmo." Liz smiled. Lily laid her head on her chest.
"You ready to go get breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Let's change your diaper first."
"No wet." Lily said proudly.
"No wet?" Liz asked.
"No wet!" She said again. Liz checked and sure enough the diaper was dry.
"Go to the potty, Lily, fast." Liz took her.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Lily ran out to her father who was just waking up.
"I potty toilet!" She announced proudly. Max's eyes widened.
"Good job!" He picked her up and kissed her. "You think you can do that all day too?"
She nodded.
"We'll see." Liz said. "Do you have any big girl underwear?" She asked Max.
"Yeah, princess ones. Let's see if you can make it the whole day Lilybird and then we'll go for ice cream." Max promised his eyes beaming.
Lily clapped. "Yes!"
"We'll have to go home and get out those big girl underwear that Nana got for you." Max smiled.
Lily clapped her hands in approval. "Now?"
Liz shook her head wanting them to stay longer.
"No, we'll wait a little later." Max told her. "You can just wear your diaper till we get there."
"Ok." She acknowledged. "Hungry."
Liz nodded and headed towards the kitchen. "How about waffles?"
Lily nodded unsure what waffles were.
"Go wake Aidan up and I'll get started here." Liz told her. As she walked to the counter.
"Aren't you supposed to finish a lab report?" Max asked, watching her move easily around the kitchen.
"Yeah." Liz looked at the time; she still had a few hours. "I'll get it done."
"I'll take the kids over to my place after we eat so that you can do that, if you would like." Max said tentatively. He stood in the doorway.
"Aidan's supposed to be at daycare at nine. His class is going to the park." Liz looked out the window. "Though it's still raining I doubt they'll go. If you want to take them that's fine with me."
"I'd love to. Lily's been lonely without him."
"Aidan, too." Liz turned as he wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"What time did Lily have you up this morning?" Max asked. "Five thirty." She kissed his neck then turned around to finish making up the batter.
"I'm sorry, you should have woken me." Max told her.
"It's ok. We had some quality girl time watching Sesame Street." Liz smiled.
"Mommy, Lily woke me up." Aidan whined.
"Well, if you would have gone night night like you were supposed to last night, you wouldn't be tired." Liz looked at the table. "Now sit."
He glared at her and climbed into his seat.
"Waffles!" He smiled at his favorite breakfast.
"Yeah, eat them fast, you are going with Max and Lily for the day." Liz smiled.''
"Why not you?" He asked.
"Because, I have class and homework I have to do." Liz said and set a plate of cut up waffles in front of Lily.
"Ok." He accepted her answer and they ate in silence.
Liz promised to go straight over to Max's apartment after her class and not delay.
"Bye Mommy!" Aidan blew a kiss.
"Bye Liz." Lily said through tears, angry that she couldn't stay with her.
"We'll see you later, Liz." Max kissed her lightly on her cheek.
"That you will." Liz smiled and kissed him back before shutting the door.
"I was nine when Tess and her family moved here from Tennessee." Max started. "Isabel and Gracie became best friends with her immediately. I was a bit wary of her, I was always shy as I had told you before."
Liz nodded. She could imagine a younger Max being shy, he still was at this age.
"She immediately became a hit, well my sisters always were, so being her involvement was imminent. Then Maria came along and showed a slight interest in me."
"Maria?" Liz asked shocked.
"Well, just enough to make Michael jealous. In the same process made Tess more aware of me. We were sort of expected to be together after that. It would only be too perfect. So my sisters bullied me into it, and we began to date. Eventually I got to know her better and grew to like her, even care about her a great deal. We lasted all the way though high school and half way though college. Then she got pregnant."
He tensed and Liz didn't know whether to move away from him or snuggle closer. It was more comfortable to snuggle and she did. Max's arms came tighter around her and she assumed it was more comforting to him as well.
He blew out a breath. "She became depressed during her pregnancy. The doctor said it was quite common among women, so we didn't worry. During the pregnancy I kept a constant eye on her. I never loved her, but I loved Lily already so much. I never knew what she was going to do whether herself. Not herself necessarily. I learned she'd never hurt herself, but the baby."
He took a quick breather and dropped a kiss to the top of Liz's head. Thankful for her support and lack of interruptions.
" We planned to get married everything was set, we even had a date. Then one night, Lily was crying in her crib. Tess's place was empty so I automatically assumed she had gone to retrieve her for once. She was nine months old and never had she ever done that. I waited, and the crying continued. I got up, and Tess wasn't there. Lily's crying ceased immediately when she saw me. Instantly I knew something was wrong."
"Tess had never been close to Lily, just enough for an attachment to be formed. There were times when she had cried and it had been for Tess. She smiled whenever Tess picked her up but the connection was never really there. Lily was happy, but for Tess, for Tess it was an obligation."
Max shifted Liz on his lap so she rested her head on his shoulder, she remained quiet knowing it was almost out. "She left that night. I heard the door shut, and I knew she was gone. Knew she wasn't coming back. Six months later, I met you, and the world changed for the better." He smiled. Relieved. No one but no one knew the true story. The whole truth. "Max." Liz didn't even know what to say.
"Don't say anything. Why don't we just rest for now?"
He looked at the clock, "it's almost midnight and you have class in the morning."
"Not until noon." She let out a yawn.
"So, the kids will be up early. You know that." He smiled, totally relaxed with her in his arms.
"You're right." Her eyes drooped. "You can sleep in my room, I'll stay on the couch."
She was asleep already. Content with her in his arms, he reclined against the couch and fell asleep as well.
****
"Quiet, Daddy's sleeping." Liz told Lily.
Lily nodded. "Aidan?"
"Aidan's sleeping too." Liz told her. Lily had woken up at five thirty, and not wanting to wake Max, Liz had gotten up with her. They were lying in Liz's bedroom watching Sesame Street.
"Elmo!" Lily said excitedly.
"Yes, Elmo." Liz smiled. Lily laid her head on her chest.
"You ready to go get breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Let's change your diaper first."
"No wet." Lily said proudly.
"No wet?" Liz asked.
"No wet!" She said again. Liz checked and sure enough the diaper was dry.
"Go to the potty, Lily, fast." Liz took her.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Lily ran out to her father who was just waking up.
"I potty toilet!" She announced proudly. Max's eyes widened.
"Good job!" He picked her up and kissed her. "You think you can do that all day too?"
She nodded.
"We'll see." Liz said. "Do you have any big girl underwear?" She asked Max.
"Yeah, princess ones. Let's see if you can make it the whole day Lilybird and then we'll go for ice cream." Max promised his eyes beaming.
Lily clapped. "Yes!"
"We'll have to go home and get out those big girl underwear that Nana got for you." Max smiled.
Lily clapped her hands in approval. "Now?"
Liz shook her head wanting them to stay longer.
"No, we'll wait a little later." Max told her. "You can just wear your diaper till we get there."
"Ok." She acknowledged. "Hungry."
Liz nodded and headed towards the kitchen. "How about waffles?"
Lily nodded unsure what waffles were.
"Go wake Aidan up and I'll get started here." Liz told her. As she walked to the counter.
"Aren't you supposed to finish a lab report?" Max asked, watching her move easily around the kitchen.
"Yeah." Liz looked at the time; she still had a few hours. "I'll get it done."
"I'll take the kids over to my place after we eat so that you can do that, if you would like." Max said tentatively. He stood in the doorway.
"Aidan's supposed to be at daycare at nine. His class is going to the park." Liz looked out the window. "Though it's still raining I doubt they'll go. If you want to take them that's fine with me."
"I'd love to. Lily's been lonely without him."
"Aidan, too." Liz turned as he wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"What time did Lily have you up this morning?" Max asked. "Five thirty." She kissed his neck then turned around to finish making up the batter.
"I'm sorry, you should have woken me." Max told her.
"It's ok. We had some quality girl time watching Sesame Street." Liz smiled.
"Mommy, Lily woke me up." Aidan whined.
"Well, if you would have gone night night like you were supposed to last night, you wouldn't be tired." Liz looked at the table. "Now sit."
He glared at her and climbed into his seat.
"Waffles!" He smiled at his favorite breakfast.
"Yeah, eat them fast, you are going with Max and Lily for the day." Liz smiled.''
"Why not you?" He asked.
"Because, I have class and homework I have to do." Liz said and set a plate of cut up waffles in front of Lily.
"Ok." He accepted her answer and they ate in silence.
Liz promised to go straight over to Max's apartment after her class and not delay.
"Bye Mommy!" Aidan blew a kiss.
"Bye Liz." Lily said through tears, angry that she couldn't stay with her.
"We'll see you later, Liz." Max kissed her lightly on her cheek.
"That you will." Liz smiled and kissed him back before shutting the door.