Kenny stared at her like she had lost her mind. "Max . . ."

She shook her head. "And that terrifies me more than anything else. I've got to go. Bye."

1919191919191919

"Forgiving Max won't make you forget your father," Littleton said gently. "He'd want you to forgive her, Kim. I don't know what was between them, but . . . he cared about her. At least on some level."

"He loved her. He said it. Do you think they would have . . . been together if Mom hadn't run off with Rachel? Or if Kenny didn't get sick?"

"No. Absolutely not," Littleton insisted. "Sometimes things, well they just happen."

Kim shook her head. "I know Dad made a choice to drink and drive, no one made him do it. We were so awful to him, Matt, Zach and me . . . we're not blameless either. We should have helped him!"

"We all should have," Littleton insisted, as he pulled her closer to his side. "It'll be okay. We'll all be okay."

1919191919191919

Kenny slammed the door, and stormed up the driveway just as Max was unlocking her front door. "Max!"

She brushed back her still falling tears, as he whirled her around to face him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What am I doing? You tell me that you love me, and then you just take off? What the hell is that about?"

"I can't do this now!"

"You don't have a choice!"

"Let go of me!" she snapped, pushing him away. "Just go!"

"Damn you," he whispered, as he pulled her in and kissed her hard on the lips.

1919191919191919

"I think we all need to get together," Kim whispered, as he held her tightly. "She probably hates me after I said I wanted Kaylee dead."

"No," he replied. "I doubt that. Tomorrow though. A fresh start for all of us."

"I love you."

1919191919191919

Max pulled back, and pushed him back again. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What am I doing? Kissing the woman I love, and the same woman who just told me that she still loved me. What are you doing?"

She shook her head, as he trailed his fingers through her hair. "I can't . . . no matter what I feel . . . Oh hell."

"Max?"

She reached her hand up to stroke his cheek. "I can't keep fighting this."

"What?"

"Everything," she whispered, as she kissed him softly. "Hmm. Kenny?"

"Hmm," he whispered, as he let his lips travel down from her mouth, to her jaw line and collarbone. "Max? Damn you feel good."

She shook her head, as she wrapped her arms around him. "Come inside with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Ssh," she whispered, as she kissed him again and stroked his face. "I want to feel your hands on me."

He nodded, as he pulled her tightly against him. "Oh Max . . ."

"Just touch me," she whispered, as they stumbled through her front door. "I need . . . just touch me."

He groaned, as he kissed her again. "I could touch you forever. You have the softest skin . . . I love you. I'm never letting you go again."

"Ssh," she whispered again, as he slid his hands up under her tank top. "Hmm."

"Max?" he asked, pausing.

She looked up at him. "Why are you stopping?"

"Because you don't want to do this," he said weakly. "And I don't want to make you."

"I throw myself at you, and that isn't good enough?" she asked. "I thought that you wanted this, me."

"Oh, I want you," he said softly, laying his hands on her shoulders. "More so then you know. Not like this. Not when you're pissed off at me, the world, and everything. Later, when we can do it right."

"So now I'm not good enough for you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Now that I'm practically throwing myself at you, you don't want me any more?"

"Max, I told you why not. Stop picking a fight," Kenny replied, trying to stay calm. "Come on, Sweetheart. I don't think you suddenly got past everything in the last few minutes."

"Why do you even care what I got past?" she retorted. "All you've done since you've come back is try to worm your way back into my bed. Well, here is your chance. You want me? Just take me. I don't care any more."

"You're better than that!" Kenny yelled.

"Oh really? I'm not some perfect angel!"

"No shit! And you know what? I still love you despite that! I don't just want to sleep with you! I want a life with you! I can't make up for what happened before, but Max . . . Hell. I just want to start over again."

She swallowed, as she turned back to look at him. "I'm so afraid to be happy again."

Kenny took a tentative step closer to her, and brushed her hair off of her flushed cheek. "You deserve to be, more so than just about anybody."

She laid her hand over his. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah I do."

"I let you go . . . I thought I was over you, and that I could move on . . . I . . . How?"

"I told you to let me go, to move on," Kenny replied softly, hating the hurt he saw in her eyes.

"I want to hate you so much," she practically whispered.

"You should. I'm an ass, and if you'd let me," he breathed, stroking her cheek. "Will you let me?"

"Yes," she sighed, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

1919191919191919

"I love you too," Littleton replied, as they flopped down on the bed. "So much Kim."

"I can't wait to be your wife," she sighed. "I wish that my Dad was here."

"He is."

1919191919191919

"Max," Kenny breathed, as his lips hovered above hers. "I want you, I love you. So much that it hurts."

"I love you too," she whispered, as she pulled away slightly. "Kenny?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we take this slowly?"

"We can do anything that you want."

"There is just so much going on . . . Thanks."

"I'd do anything for you," he promised, aching to kiss her again. "I promise that I'll never hurt you again sweetheart. You're my world."

Max swallowed back her tears. "I know . . ."

"But?"

"I don't want there to be any buts. It seems so easy to be with you, to have you hold me, kiss me . . . To be loved like that, I don't want . . . When were together before, what I felt for you, it consumed me. It was everything I ever wanted, and it hurt like hell to have it ripped away," she replied, knowing she was babbling. "You know all of this. We're really going to do this?"

"All you have to do is say yes," he replied, tracing her jaw line with his finger. "Say yes Max. I don't deserve it, I know I hurt you badly."

"Ssh," she whispered. "I know why you did it, we've been over this so many times. We've both made so many mistakes."

"Yeah we have," he agreed. "Let's not make another one."

"Okay," she replied very softly, "Yes."

1919191919191919

Kim smiled at that. "I know he's here that way. I wish he could see how grown up Matthew and Zach are, and I'm sure he wouldn't have put up with some of the stunts that Matt pulled."

"He'd be so proud of you. For everything that you've done."

"Not everything . . . I know he loved Max, in some way or another. I even get why, I think they needed each other during that time."

"Yeah, they did."

"She didn't kill him . . . I know that too."

"Well we'll go tell her that tomorrow. For now, how about we go to bed?"

1919191919191919

"If I don't go now," Kenny trailed off, as he trailed his hand down her cheek. "I need to go."

She nodded. "I know."

"Tomorrow?" he asked, before kissing her on her forehead.

"I have pick Kaylee up from the hospital . . . after that? Dinner or something? Here?"

"I'd like that," Kenny replied, reluctant to let her go. "Are you okay to pick her up alone? I don't have anything else to do."

Max nodded. "It'll be fine . . . What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"With all of this. Your life. You can't just stay here forever."

"Why not?"

"Your family, and you have another life back there."

"You're my life," he countered. "Yeah, I've been staying with my parents since I got out of rehab, but it isn't a life Max. I guess I'll have to start looking for a job and a place to live because I can't stay at the hotel forever. I want to be with you, and I want to get to know Kaylee. And I know you don't want me living with you right now."

Max bit her lip. "Yeah. I know that it would be easier, but yeah. I want you to know Kay, but us . . . it's going to be slow."

"I know," he said, smiling at her. "Although I wouldn't mind just kissing you all night."

She smiled back at him. "You better go."

1919191919191919

"I can't stand by and watch this," he said aloud, as he watched the other man depart.

He sunk back into the shadows, and stared at her. The porch light illuminated her body, and reflected off her hair. Beautiful, he thought, so beautiful. It's been so long.

She is with him. Again.

1919191919191919

Max smiled, as she watched Kaylee stroke Meatball's soft fur. It's so good to see her healthy, and moving around again. Even if it is slowly right now. Thank you for giving her back to me.

"Mommy!" she called, as Meatball licked her face. "Story?"

"All right," she agreed, settling down on the floor next to her. "Then you have to go to bed, Sweetie."

"Not tired."

Max grinned, as she watched Kay stifle a yawn. "How about Snow White?"

Kay nodded happily. "I love you Mommy."

"Love you too Kay," Max replied, stroking her hair back.

Max opened the book, as she watched as Kay already began to doze off. My beautiful baby girl, she thought, you make my life worth living. Smiling again, she lifted a sleeping Kay into her arms. I guess it's good that she is sleeping, especially with Kenny coming over. How did that happen? We're really going to do this?

Shaking off her dark thoughts, she laid Kaylee down in her own bed. "Good night, Sweetie. I love you."

1919191919191919

"We're all going to get together tomorrow night," Littleton said. "She just brought Kaylee home today, so tonight wasn't any good."

"Her too."

1919191919191919

"Did you actually cook that?" Kenny asked.

"Of course I did," Max replied. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I just remember someone who burned water. This tastes damn good."

She smiled back at him. "Things change."

"That they do," Kenny agreed, as he reached across to brush her hair off of her cheek. "How's Kaylee doing?"

"Good. Tired though. It's going to take some time for her to get her strength back, but the doctors say she is going to be fine."

"I'm glad," he trailed off. "Max?"

"Hmm?"

He shook his head. "I . . . I don't know why I'm so nervous with you tonight."

She paused, as she looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm making you nervous?"

"We're on a date, Sweetheart, after all of this time. C'mon. You gotta be nervous too."

"A little, and I shouldn't be. Neither should you. How many times have we had dinner together?"

"Too many to count," he agreed, as she joined him on the couch. "You look tired."

"It's been a long day," she replied. "It was all worth it though, having Kay home, and you here."

"I'm glad to be here," Kenny said softly, stroking her cheek. "You have no idea how much."

Max merely nodded, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Oh, I want him to kiss me, she thought, and touch me. I forgot how he can make me feel. "Kenny . . ."

He bent his head, so their foreheads touched. "Max, I want to kiss you."

"Ssh," she whispered, as she pressed her lips to his. "Just do it."

1919191919191919

He stood on the beach, and watched the two figures entwined on the couch. This can't be happening, he thought, I came back for this? They're here too. I saw them, all of them. I need to talk to her first, and then the rest. She needs to see.

Not him. He doesn't deserve her.