Chapter 15
"Hello, Liz." Kyle smiled when she answered the door.
"Kyle." She smiled back. "Come on in." She turned and walked back into the front room.
"Where's, mon papillon?" He asked looking around.
"Alex decided to steal her while you weren't around. They took her out." Liz smiled. "She was full of energy when she woke up and argued about everything. She didn't want her hair a certain way or she didn't want that outfit. You know how she gets."
"Yeah."
"Luckily, Serena's staying over so I didn't have to deal with it before Serena gracefully took over."
Kyle's face changed. "Serena's staying here?"
"Yes." Liz wondered briefly why he cared. Serena and Kyle hadn't gotten along real well in the past few years and apparently never had, according to Maria. "I offered to have her stay here. Alex has the whole third bedroom over there turned into a computer room with his gadgets and things. I have Hannah's room and she refused to sleep in her bed, so why not?"
"Yeah." He said quietly. "How long is she going to be here?"
"Couple of weeks."
"Weeks?"
"Yes, Kyle, possibly months. She's in a row with her parents again and she's done with schooling." She studied his reaction carefully. "Kyle, is there anything you want to share with me?"
He looked at her; his eyes tired, hurt. "No, Liz."
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head and studied him.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Because I do have that Mommy sixth sense thing." She smiled.
"I know, and a very good one at that." He pulled her close and rested his cheek on her hair.
"Thank you." She whispered. It was one of her biggest insecurities. What if Max didn't approve of the way she had raised her? What if she wasn't doing anything right? She could be messing up a little girl's entire life.
"You're doing a good job, Liz." Kyle said reassuring her. "Mon Papillon is going to be a good little girl and an incredible woman, like her mother."
She sighed and moved out of the room, knowing something was still wrong with him. She had learned that if he wasn't going to talk about it, he wasn't going to talk about until his own time. She turned on a movie and curled on the couch. He automatically sat down next to her and she moved to his side. Almost a perfect fit. Almost, Max had been a perfect fit.
It had been four years and she still hasn't gotten over him. As great as Kyle was, Max was it for her and she knew it. Deep within her. She knew that if he showed up at her front step at that moment she couldn't stay mad at him. She'd let him back in. Into her baby's life, into hers. The thought frightened her and angered her. Max hadn't loved her in that way. He had easily let them slip from his hands, his arms. She was comfortable in Kyle's arms, but not safe. She didn't feel the quiet strength that had radiated from him, even as a teenager. She hated herself for comparing the two. She knew no matter how hard she twisted it, Kyle would never be Max. No one could be Max.
Hannah, her baby, had already began to show the same quiet strength and determination. It didn't help that she spent most of her time with Amy Valenti and her daughter. They both had a stubborn streak that was leaking into her. If it hadn't been for Serena this morning, Hannah would have gone out without her hair being combed. She was quiet and liked to read. That much she got from her. She got most of her looks from her, but most of her personality, that as Max.
Liz let her mind rest as she began to drift off into sleep, something she hadn't gotten since Hannah had crawled into bed with her. Hannah always snuggled close but unfortunately for Liz, she kicked in her sleep.
Liz opened her eyes when she heard the front door open nearly two hours later.
"Hi, Mommy." Hannah ran in the house.
"Hello, Hannah bean, did you have fun with Serena and Uncle Alex?" She asked when she pushed herself into the space between her and Kyle on the couch where they were watching a movie.
"Les." She said scooted back catching Kyle in the stomach.
Kyle caught his breath at the sharp little elbow and let it out fast when Serena walked in the door Alex a step behind.
"Sorry, Liz, she ran ahead of us." Serena said breathlessly.
"I win." She said hopping off the couch and holding her arms up to Alex.
She was tiny still, the size of a small three year old. Her heart condition made it hard for her body to keep up with the amount of oxygen that it could keep in her body, stunting her growth. Although the doctor said she was perfectly healthy and could go on with her normal way of life and she would grow with time, Liz wasn't seeing it.
"Yes you win." Alex said with a grin.
"Canny?" She held out her hand.
"Yes, you can have your candy." Alex removed the tootsie roll from his back pocket.
"Alex, she hasn't had lunch yet." Liz chided standing up. "Would you like to join us, I'll make grilled cheese."
Up to this point Serena had been silently observing Kyle. "No, Liz, I'll go see what Maria's doing."
"Maria's with her mother today, you know that, sit." She said looking at the table.
Serena sat in the chair and leaned her legs against the table.
Liz moved around the kitchen watching her. Kyle and Alex were arguing with Hannah about where she wanted to sit.
"Are you alright, Serena?" Liz asked sitting next to her when the sandwiches were cooking.
"Yes." She said quietly. Then a quiet "no."
"What's wrong?" Liz asked immediately concerned.
Serena just looked at Liz. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Are you sure?" She went into mother mode.
"Yes." She stood up. "I think I'm going to lay down for a while."
"Do you want a sandwich?"
"Save one for me later?" She asked.
"Sure." Liz smiled.
An hour later, after everyone had left, and Hannah was down for a nap, Liz went in to check on Serena.
"Hey, I warmed up your sandwich for you." Liz sat on the bed next to Serena.
"I don't want it right now." Serena said.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked. "Hannah's down, I have all the time in the world."
"It's nothing, Liz. Just a simple breakup. I really should be over it." Serena sat up.
"I wasn't even aware you were seeing anyone." Liz raised her eyebrows.
"I wasn't, haven't for a while." She said and rested her head on Liz's lap.
"Well, was he important to you?" Liz asked.
"Extremely." Serena nodded.
"Why can't you go back to him then?"
"There's another woman." Serena rested her head. "And she's really nice, so I can't hate her."
"Oh." Liz sat stroking Serena's hair. "Are you going to Hannah's graduation tonight?"
"Of course!" Serena said quickly. "I wouldn't miss it. She talked about it the entire time we were gone."
"I'm glad." Liz said smiling. "I think Isabel's going to try to come." Liz said absently.
"Isabel, her Aunt Isabel?"
"Yeah. She's been really supportive and Hannah adores her." Liz paused when she heard a quick call from Hannah.
"Go ahead. We have to start getting her ready anyway." Serena sat up.
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped into the room.
"Yes, Hannah?" Liz stood up from the bed.
"Can we go?" She asked tilting her head to side in a move that was every bit Liz.
"No." Liz answered calmly.
"But, Mommy you said." Hannah began to pout.
"I know what I said, Hannah. First you have to take a bath, then we'll curl your hair, then we'll put on your pretty new dress that Grandma Amy made for you, then we can put on stockings and you're new shoes. Then Kyle will come and pick us up. THEN we can go." Hannah seemed pleased with getting to dress up. "Alright." She let her hands fall. "Now?"
"Yes now. Come on, Hannah."
****
Kyle stood in his room straightening his suit jacket. The ring burned in his pocket. He'd had it for quite some time now. He just didn't know when to do it. Tonight, he thought. When he went to take her home.
"Kyle, are you alright?" Amy asked. She noticed when her stepson looked nervous.
She had adopted Kyle as her own when she and his father, Jim, had gotten married when he and Maria were five.
"I'm gonna do it tonight, Mom." He said shyly.
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Honey?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes. I have a great job, I love her, I love Hannah, Mom, and I think I'm ready for this." He said with a confident smile.
"Alright if you feel you're ready, then good luck." She leaned on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead as she had done when he was a child.
"Thank you, Mom, I have to go pick them up now."
****
Max stood in front of the door nervously. He knew that it was the right address; he had done all the research necessary to make sure that was correct.
He pulled his hands out of his pocket and reached for the doorbell.
****
"Hannah, go let Kyle in please." Liz said while she finished curling her own hair.
"Why?"
"Because, he's coming to pick us up and go to the daycare center." Liz said looking at her daughter to make sure she would listen.
"Fine." She ran to the door, her little heels clicking on the tile floor.
****
Max stared at the door as it creaked open.
"Who you?" The tiny girl asked.
Max stared at the little girl and immediately knew who she was. His mouth went dry. She had dark brown hair. Staring at her eyes was like looking in a mirror. Her ears were certainly his. Everything else, as he had suspected, was her mother's.
She was wearing a red dress with the tiny black patent leather shoes that all little girls have. Her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail with a red ribbon and curled at the ends.
"Hannah, why don't you let him in?" Liz asked.
Hannah looked at her mother and backed up away from the door. Liz finished putting her ear ring on before she pulled the door open wider.
"We're ready, Hannah, get your things." she said before looking up.
Max collected himself and got his brain to function after seeing her for the first time in four years. "Liz?"
Liz froze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew this was going to happen Isabel had warned her.
"Max." She whispered and turned around.
"Hello, Liz." Kyle smiled when she answered the door.
"Kyle." She smiled back. "Come on in." She turned and walked back into the front room.
"Where's, mon papillon?" He asked looking around.
"Alex decided to steal her while you weren't around. They took her out." Liz smiled. "She was full of energy when she woke up and argued about everything. She didn't want her hair a certain way or she didn't want that outfit. You know how she gets."
"Yeah."
"Luckily, Serena's staying over so I didn't have to deal with it before Serena gracefully took over."
Kyle's face changed. "Serena's staying here?"
"Yes." Liz wondered briefly why he cared. Serena and Kyle hadn't gotten along real well in the past few years and apparently never had, according to Maria. "I offered to have her stay here. Alex has the whole third bedroom over there turned into a computer room with his gadgets and things. I have Hannah's room and she refused to sleep in her bed, so why not?"
"Yeah." He said quietly. "How long is she going to be here?"
"Couple of weeks."
"Weeks?"
"Yes, Kyle, possibly months. She's in a row with her parents again and she's done with schooling." She studied his reaction carefully. "Kyle, is there anything you want to share with me?"
He looked at her; his eyes tired, hurt. "No, Liz."
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head and studied him.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Because I do have that Mommy sixth sense thing." She smiled.
"I know, and a very good one at that." He pulled her close and rested his cheek on her hair.
"Thank you." She whispered. It was one of her biggest insecurities. What if Max didn't approve of the way she had raised her? What if she wasn't doing anything right? She could be messing up a little girl's entire life.
"You're doing a good job, Liz." Kyle said reassuring her. "Mon Papillon is going to be a good little girl and an incredible woman, like her mother."
She sighed and moved out of the room, knowing something was still wrong with him. She had learned that if he wasn't going to talk about it, he wasn't going to talk about until his own time. She turned on a movie and curled on the couch. He automatically sat down next to her and she moved to his side. Almost a perfect fit. Almost, Max had been a perfect fit.
It had been four years and she still hasn't gotten over him. As great as Kyle was, Max was it for her and she knew it. Deep within her. She knew that if he showed up at her front step at that moment she couldn't stay mad at him. She'd let him back in. Into her baby's life, into hers. The thought frightened her and angered her. Max hadn't loved her in that way. He had easily let them slip from his hands, his arms. She was comfortable in Kyle's arms, but not safe. She didn't feel the quiet strength that had radiated from him, even as a teenager. She hated herself for comparing the two. She knew no matter how hard she twisted it, Kyle would never be Max. No one could be Max.
Hannah, her baby, had already began to show the same quiet strength and determination. It didn't help that she spent most of her time with Amy Valenti and her daughter. They both had a stubborn streak that was leaking into her. If it hadn't been for Serena this morning, Hannah would have gone out without her hair being combed. She was quiet and liked to read. That much she got from her. She got most of her looks from her, but most of her personality, that as Max.
Liz let her mind rest as she began to drift off into sleep, something she hadn't gotten since Hannah had crawled into bed with her. Hannah always snuggled close but unfortunately for Liz, she kicked in her sleep.
Liz opened her eyes when she heard the front door open nearly two hours later.
"Hi, Mommy." Hannah ran in the house.
"Hello, Hannah bean, did you have fun with Serena and Uncle Alex?" She asked when she pushed herself into the space between her and Kyle on the couch where they were watching a movie.
"Les." She said scooted back catching Kyle in the stomach.
Kyle caught his breath at the sharp little elbow and let it out fast when Serena walked in the door Alex a step behind.
"Sorry, Liz, she ran ahead of us." Serena said breathlessly.
"I win." She said hopping off the couch and holding her arms up to Alex.
She was tiny still, the size of a small three year old. Her heart condition made it hard for her body to keep up with the amount of oxygen that it could keep in her body, stunting her growth. Although the doctor said she was perfectly healthy and could go on with her normal way of life and she would grow with time, Liz wasn't seeing it.
"Yes you win." Alex said with a grin.
"Canny?" She held out her hand.
"Yes, you can have your candy." Alex removed the tootsie roll from his back pocket.
"Alex, she hasn't had lunch yet." Liz chided standing up. "Would you like to join us, I'll make grilled cheese."
Up to this point Serena had been silently observing Kyle. "No, Liz, I'll go see what Maria's doing."
"Maria's with her mother today, you know that, sit." She said looking at the table.
Serena sat in the chair and leaned her legs against the table.
Liz moved around the kitchen watching her. Kyle and Alex were arguing with Hannah about where she wanted to sit.
"Are you alright, Serena?" Liz asked sitting next to her when the sandwiches were cooking.
"Yes." She said quietly. Then a quiet "no."
"What's wrong?" Liz asked immediately concerned.
Serena just looked at Liz. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Are you sure?" She went into mother mode.
"Yes." She stood up. "I think I'm going to lay down for a while."
"Do you want a sandwich?"
"Save one for me later?" She asked.
"Sure." Liz smiled.
An hour later, after everyone had left, and Hannah was down for a nap, Liz went in to check on Serena.
"Hey, I warmed up your sandwich for you." Liz sat on the bed next to Serena.
"I don't want it right now." Serena said.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked. "Hannah's down, I have all the time in the world."
"It's nothing, Liz. Just a simple breakup. I really should be over it." Serena sat up.
"I wasn't even aware you were seeing anyone." Liz raised her eyebrows.
"I wasn't, haven't for a while." She said and rested her head on Liz's lap.
"Well, was he important to you?" Liz asked.
"Extremely." Serena nodded.
"Why can't you go back to him then?"
"There's another woman." Serena rested her head. "And she's really nice, so I can't hate her."
"Oh." Liz sat stroking Serena's hair. "Are you going to Hannah's graduation tonight?"
"Of course!" Serena said quickly. "I wouldn't miss it. She talked about it the entire time we were gone."
"I'm glad." Liz said smiling. "I think Isabel's going to try to come." Liz said absently.
"Isabel, her Aunt Isabel?"
"Yeah. She's been really supportive and Hannah adores her." Liz paused when she heard a quick call from Hannah.
"Go ahead. We have to start getting her ready anyway." Serena sat up.
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped into the room.
"Yes, Hannah?" Liz stood up from the bed.
"Can we go?" She asked tilting her head to side in a move that was every bit Liz.
"No." Liz answered calmly.
"But, Mommy you said." Hannah began to pout.
"I know what I said, Hannah. First you have to take a bath, then we'll curl your hair, then we'll put on your pretty new dress that Grandma Amy made for you, then we can put on stockings and you're new shoes. Then Kyle will come and pick us up. THEN we can go." Hannah seemed pleased with getting to dress up. "Alright." She let her hands fall. "Now?"
"Yes now. Come on, Hannah."
****
Kyle stood in his room straightening his suit jacket. The ring burned in his pocket. He'd had it for quite some time now. He just didn't know when to do it. Tonight, he thought. When he went to take her home.
"Kyle, are you alright?" Amy asked. She noticed when her stepson looked nervous.
She had adopted Kyle as her own when she and his father, Jim, had gotten married when he and Maria were five.
"I'm gonna do it tonight, Mom." He said shyly.
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Honey?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes. I have a great job, I love her, I love Hannah, Mom, and I think I'm ready for this." He said with a confident smile.
"Alright if you feel you're ready, then good luck." She leaned on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead as she had done when he was a child.
"Thank you, Mom, I have to go pick them up now."
****
Max stood in front of the door nervously. He knew that it was the right address; he had done all the research necessary to make sure that was correct.
He pulled his hands out of his pocket and reached for the doorbell.
****
"Hannah, go let Kyle in please." Liz said while she finished curling her own hair.
"Why?"
"Because, he's coming to pick us up and go to the daycare center." Liz said looking at her daughter to make sure she would listen.
"Fine." She ran to the door, her little heels clicking on the tile floor.
****
Max stared at the door as it creaked open.
"Who you?" The tiny girl asked.
Max stared at the little girl and immediately knew who she was. His mouth went dry. She had dark brown hair. Staring at her eyes was like looking in a mirror. Her ears were certainly his. Everything else, as he had suspected, was her mother's.
She was wearing a red dress with the tiny black patent leather shoes that all little girls have. Her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail with a red ribbon and curled at the ends.
"Hannah, why don't you let him in?" Liz asked.
Hannah looked at her mother and backed up away from the door. Liz finished putting her ear ring on before she pulled the door open wider.
"We're ready, Hannah, get your things." she said before looking up.
Max collected himself and got his brain to function after seeing her for the first time in four years. "Liz?"
Liz froze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew this was going to happen Isabel had warned her.
"Max." She whispered and turned around.