Steph dived across the bed and grabbed the phone. "Stephanie Tait."

"Scully always sounded better."

"Max!" she exclaimed.

"Steph Scully. It just rolled off your tongue. Guess I can't call you Scully any more."

"Guess not."

"I always thought it would be Hoyland next."

"Yeah, me too," she replied.

"I…"

"You said you weren't going to have anything to do with me," she said.

"Yeah, well, I didn't count on one thing."

"What?"

"I miss you."

Steph exhaled softly and smiled. "I miss you too."

"We can't…"

"Max…"

"I'm not the kind of man who has affairs with married women."

"Not even if you still love her?"

"Who said I still love you?"

"You did, the other night."

"When?"

"In bed. The way you were. I know you, remember."

"Well… Look, I have to go."

"Max?" she said quickly.

"What?"

"I still…"

"Goodbye, Steph," he said quickly before hanging up.


Max rang the doorbell and waited. This was nuts. Rustling the papers he looked up as the door opened.

"Ian, hi," he said. "Lou wanted me to drop these papers round." It was a lie. Lou had actually asked him to mail the papers, but why not save the postage?

"Great," Ian said, taking them off him. "Come in, come in."

"Nice place," Max said. It looked different in the daylight.

"Yeah, it's not a bad place. Be better when Steph and I make it a home."

"Oh?" Max asked.

"You've got kids, so Lou says. You know what I mean."

"Oh. Yeah."

"She's not ready yet, but as soon as she is…"

"Stop scaring the poor man," Steph interrupted. "He doesn't need to know all the details."

"If I can get a parent on my side, I'll do it," Ian said.

"Aren't you going to be late?"

"I'm going, I'm going," he said. "I'll see you tonight?"

"OK," she said.

Max tried to look away as Ian kissed his wife but he couldn't. Seeing someone else kissing Steph, his Steph, was too much.

"Good to see you again, Max," Ian said before he left.

"What are you doing here?" Steph asked.

"I needed to see you," Max replied.

"Why?"

"Because I'm still in love with you," he said quickly. "I can't stop thinking about you, about the other night, and I…"

"Shhh," she said, closing the distance between them.

"Steph…"

"You can walk away," she whispered.

"Not from you, I can't," he replied.

Steph leaned in and kissed him gently.


Steph lay on the couch, resting her head on Max's lap. "I want to stay like this," she whispered.

"Me too," he said, running a hand through her hair.

"Which part?" she giggled.

"All of it," he replied. "When is Ian going to be home?"

"Don't…"

"What? You want him to walk in? He doesn't know about me, about what happened between us, does he?"

"He knows, but he doesn't know it was you."

"What did you tell him?"

"Not much. He didn't ask."

"Just married you."

"Max…"

"We can't do this, you know?" he said quietly.

"Yeah. I figured this was our swansong."

"If…"

"Yeah."

"I should go," he said.

"Now?" she asked, sitting up.

"Yeah. Clean break."

"You're working with my husband, Max."

"I'm trying not to think about that."

"We're bound to see each other, Max. Mum's wanting me to come over soon."

"If you do, Summer'll want to see you."

"Have you said anything to her? Either of them?"

"Not yet," Max said.

"Tell her I'll be round soon."

"She'll like that."

"Won't be much of a clean break," Steph smiled.

"We'll be fine, won't we?" Max asked.

"We have to be."


A month went past and they didn't see each other. Max did business with Ian, and Steph came home to visit Lyn and Oscar - and Summer - but they always missed each other. It was probably better that way, less complications.

Max was always aware of Steph's movements. Ian was only too happy to talk about his darling wife and so Max always got warnings of her visits to Ramsay Street.

He was safe for now, apparently Steph wasn't feeling well so he didn't think twice when there was a knock at the door.

"We need to talk," Steph said.

"What?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

She walked into the house and looked around. "You've redecorated."

"Did that just after we bought the place."

"You own it?"

"Yeah, Mal put it on the market just after… you left."

"Kids in?"

"No, just me, and you didn't come to talk about the décor."

"No."

"You've left Ian?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"…I can't."

"Why not?"

"What?"

"Why don't you leave him? I mean it, Steph. Leave him."

"I can't."

"Give me one reason."

"I'm pregnant. And it's his."

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

"How pregnant?"

"Before you pregnant."

"Steph…"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I…"

"Why did you come round here? To tell me your happy news?"

"I wanted you to hear it from me."

"Very thoughtful of you."

"Max… please."

"I'm sorry, you expect me to be happy for you?"

"It's your 'Get out' clause, Max. You were the one who said you didn't want to have an affair. You rejected me, Max."

"No, I still love you."

"Don't do this to me, not now…"

"Well, you couldn't see a future without kids of your own. Now you've got what you want."

"You really think that?" she snapped. "You really think I want this?"

"Want what?" He saw the look on her face before she could mask it. "Is it Ian's baby?"

"…Of course," she replied.

"Steph…"

"It's… almost certainly his."

"Steph," he whispered.

"I have to go," she said quickly. "I'm supposed to be meeting Ian for lunch."

"Does he know?"

"Not yet."

"Are you going to tell him? It might not be…"

"Max, please. It's his. I know it."

"You know it?" he quizzed.

"You don't think a part of me wants this baby to be yours? Max, I wanted… Ian is my husband. And I do care about him."

"You care about him? So how do you feel about me?"

"I can't love you, Max," she said, backing up to the door. "Not anymore." She grabbed at the handle and fled before he could say anything more.