Well, this is the last chapter. Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I was so happy about them!
I'm sorry if I made stupid mistakes, English isn't my first language.
A Happy New Year!!!
Chapter 4
Max awoke the next morning, finding the other side of the bed empty. She checked the alarm clock. It was almost seven. She frowned. Had she really just slept more than six hours in a row?
Quickly she jumped out of the bed. Had everything just been a dream? But she had woken up in Logan's bed, right? And judging by the tangled sheets next to her she hadn't slept alone.
She could hear his rubber wheels on the hardwood floor and walked towards the sound coming from the living room.
The moment she turned around the corner and saw the beautifully decorated Christmas tree she stopped in her tracks, staring at it. "What? Logan, how…?"
"Good morning." He smiled up at her, his hair still tousled even more so than usually, he was wearing sweat pants and a long sleeved grey shirt, no socks. "I figured I get done with this before the kids wake up."
He put another wrapped box beneath the tree where it joined a whole bunch of other presents of different sizes.
"Where did you get all those things?"
"While you were in the shower yesterday I ran a few errands," he grinned.
"They are gonna be so happy," Max's eyes shone and she shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you did this." She finally found the ability to move again and stepped closer about to give him a hug, then she hesitated. What had really happened last night? What did he want to be true?
"Max?" he asked, nervousness apparent in his voice.
But before she could react, they both heard a high pitched scream from behind. By turning around they saw a little girl wearing a far too big t-shirt standing thee with huge eyes and an open mouth. "Santa," she whispered. Then she turned on her heels. "Josh! Jason! Santa was here!"
Logan grinned up at Max.
Moments later the three kids all stormed into the room and stopped inches in front of the tree. "He knew we were here!" Amy still couldn't believe it.
"Of course, he did." Logan explained. "And he also asked me to tell you that your parents love you and will pick you up in the afternoon."
Four sets of eyes shot towards him. "We're gonna see Mommy and Daddy today?" Jason asked, disbelievingly.
"Yeah. They will be heard today and then you guys are ready to start off a new life. But until then I think you still have to unpack quite a few boxes. If I remember correctly from what I was told, the blue ones are for Josh, green for Jason and red for Amy."
While the twins immediately dropped to their knees, Josh still stared at Logan.
"Are you okay, Josh?" Logan looked up at the boy with a warm gaze that indicated he didn't hold a grudge against him.
"Yes, of course. I mean…I just don't know how to thank you. I mean, you did all this…"
Logan smiled at the little boy struggling with his words. "Don't worry. It's Christmas, time for miracles."
"Well, thank you." Josh smiled before he cast his eyes down and eventually joined his siblings unwrapping the presents.
Max watched the kids for a moment, standing next to Logan. Eventually she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. He immediately looked up at her and covered her hand with his own.
"How did you manage to get their parents out that fast?"
He shrugged. "Eyes Only knows some people who are powerful enough to pull some strings. But without you opening my eyes…" He left the sentence unfinished.
"See the silver one over there?" he asked in a low voice instead. "That's for you."
She looked at him incredulously.
"Go ahead."
Without another word she picked up the small box and sank down on the sofa. Logan wheeled closer and watched her intently as she carefully unwrapped it and slowly opened the boy inside. A gasp escaped her lips. "I can't accept this. I mean, it was your mother's." She carefully took the beautiful locket from its box and held it between her fingers.
Logan took a deep breath to steel his resolve. "She always told me to give it to someone special. I'm pretty sure she had my future wife in mind, but I never gave it to her for some unexplainable reason." Before she could intervene he continued quickly. "I know that you won't become my wife, Max. But I want you to have it so you know how special you are to me and how much I love having you around, even if we will only be friends."
Max looked him deeply into the eyes, her dark brown ones drowning in his beautiful blue ones. "Why did you say that? Why do you think we can't be more than friends?"
"Max, you don't…"
"No, I mean it, Logan. I…I probably am not going to marry you tomorrow, but we could still try and be together, and if it works, who knows…Why do you dismiss it so easily?"
Logan could feel tears welling up, the laughing children were all but forgotten for the moment. The only two persons that existed were Max and he. "Max, I love you. I always have. I just…"
"No just. I love you, too. Why do you think you are not worthy?"
"Max, just look at you, and then look at me. I'm no more the guy I used to be. That guy was killed."
"That's not true, Logan. I mean, you are probably right when you say you are no longer the guy you used to be, the guy that hit on me and almost scared me away by doing so. But even back then, you affected me. I'd never been that nervous around anybody. And now, every time I see you, my heart beats faster, and that butterflies I always thought were just nonsense are definitely there."
Logan stared at her for a long moment, trying to understand what she had just told him. "You are serious, aren't you?"
Without hesitating another second Max threw herself around his neck and held him tight, tears falling freely onto his shirt, leaving wet imprints on the grey silk. "Of course I am, silly."
They held each other for an eternity, not wanting to let go, afraid that the feeling would disappear along with that. Logan placed soft kissed on Max's hair, for the first time in months feeling truly alive.
"Merry Christmas," they both whispered in unison.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful new year 2005!!!
And don't stop writing your stories, I'm looking forward to reading them all!