Fran took out out two tall glasses and filled them with ice and set them on the counter next to the bag, then opened the fridge and took out a tall bottle of water. She set that on the counter with everything else, then noticed the pile of papers on the kitchen table. She set about organizing them again, and stacking them neatly into the piles Max had made, in case he wanted to read the rest of it later. Then she went to check the dishwasher and see how much more she could fit in it before they needed to run it. She figured dinner dishes would do it, and made a mental note to remember to run it that night.
Max bumped his way through the door with the bucket of water sloshing from side to side. He looked cute as he tried to maneuver the bucket and mop through the door without spilling anything.
"Come here, let me help you with that," Fran said, directing him over to the sink. "Here, wring that sucker out as much as you can, then we'll empty the bucket in the sink." Max did as she said and wrung the mop several times, then tapped it against the side of the bucket before taking it out.
"I'll go put this back in the closet before it drips everywhere," he said. He headed for the utility closet and Fran lifted the bucket up to the sink and slowly tilted it over, pouring the slightly dirty water out into the sink and trying hard not to splatter anything. Max came back over to her and watched her empty out the bucket, then rinse it out. "Here, let me get that from you, then I'll get my hands washed, and we'll head upstairs." He took the bucket from her and went back to the utility closet to put it away, and Fran washed her hands, then went over to get the bag of catalogs and see what else she could carry upstairs. Max headed to the sink and washed his hands, then dried them off on the nearby towel.
"Can you take the water and one of the glasses, sweetie? Or I'll carry the water and you get the glasses, or whatever?"
"I'll get the bottle of water, darling. I can try to take both of the glasses, too, if you need me to."
"That's okay, I got two hands." She grabbed a glass, and Max grabbed the water bottle and the other glass, then they headed for the stairs, shutting off the kitchen light on the way upstairs.
Sylvia clutched her hands together at her chest and smiled as the two men set the couch down and began to remove the protective plastic wrap. She grabbed the cushions that were stacked on the chair and the coffee table nearby and the men helped her set them in place.
"Oh it looks wonderful! Just wonderful! Don't you think?" She exclaimed.
"Yes, it does, Mrs. Fine. It seems to fit just fine, doesn't it?" Jackie replied.
"Yes, just perfectly! Oh, everyone will be so jealous of us!"
"Hey, can you go close up the truck- let Mr. Fine know he can come back up?" Jackie said to Nick. "And one last thing, Mrs. Fine. Can you sign off on this sheet here? If everything looks good, and no damage. Then we'll be out of your way and you can enjoy your new furniture." He unfolded a sheet from his pocket and handed it to her with a pen for her to sign.
"Oh, yes, yes! Everything looks perfect. You boys did a wonderful job. Oh, Jackie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, ma'am."
"Well," she signed the paper and handed it back to him. "Ah, by any chance, did you happen to be there when I was on the phone with Frannie? I mean, before you left there, when she was talking to me on the phone?"
"Um, yes, when we were taking things to the truck."
"Well, she just said something that surprised me is all. And, well, I don't mean to put you on the spot or make you uncomfortable, but she said she didn't want me coming over there because she was on vacation, and she wanted to spend it with her boyfriend."
Jackie looked at her, confused at what she was asking.
"Well, was there a man there with her? I mean, she said her boyfriend…"
Jackie squinted and scratched his head. "You mean, he isn't her boyfriend? I thought, well, I thought they were married, even though the last names were different."
"What? You mean Mr. Sheffield? You thought they were married?" Sylvia's eyes went wide.
"Well, yes. I mean, they were awfully close with each other, it seemed. I mean, I just assumed they were together, and she talked about 'the kids.' They seemed awfully happy, anyway. They were holding on to each other."
"Oh! My goodness! Oh! I sure hope you're right! Oh! My daughter has a boyfriend!" She clutched her hands to her chest again and Jackie chuckled.
"I don't want to speak out of turn, I know it isn't any of my business. I just assumed, with how they were with each other, that they were together. I mean, they seemed a bit like newlyweds or something. Happy like that."
"Oh, stop! You're gonna make me cry! I'm so happy! I need to call her!"
"Okay, well, I'll get out of your way then. Have a nice day, ma'am."
"Oh, yes, thank you! You too! You just made my day! Oh, I hope it's true!"
Jackie left through the front door and closed it behind him, and Sylvia ran for the phone.
Fran heard the phone ringing down the hall. Max had shut off his phone so they could have a nice afternoon together, without any interruptions.
"You want to get it?" He asked Fran.
"Nope. Let the machine get it. I bet it's just Ma calling to say they got the furniture. She's probably gonna invite all the women in the building to come see it." Max laughed and squeezed her knee, and she rested her head back on his shoulder. They were sitting on his bed, legs stretched out in front of them, as they watched old game shows and flipped through the catalogs again. Max was looking through the catalog Jackie gave them, admiring everything he saw.
"Hey, Fran? Jackie said his name was Giaco, didn't he?"
"Um, yeah. But everybody calls him Jackie instead."
"Look at this- these photos of his uncle and cousin. I wonder if he took them? He said he was taking pictures at their shop all the time." He held the catalog over for her to see the pictures.
"You know, I bet he did. Those are pretty good, too. You finding anything you like?"
"Yes. All of it. These pieces are beautiful. It really is heirloom furniture. You would really want to take care of it and pass it down through the generations. They even have some pictures here of the joinery. It looks like eighteenth century furniture, but made for modern use. Like something to put a television on, or a stereo in. And they aren't overly ornate, some pieces even have a bit of a mid century look to them. And look at the colors on these- I don't think I've ever seen any wood furniture made like this."
"So what day do you wan to go over to their shop?" Fran asked, squeezing his arm and looking up at him. He turned and smiled at her.
"Mmm, how about wednesday? Maybe make a day of it? We could have lunch somewhere. Maybe- if there's anything else you want to get from those shops, we could order them and go pick them up?"
"Ooh yes! I'd like that! I'd like that a lot!" She patted his arm and grinned, and they went back to looking through the catalogs and marking pages of things they liked, and occasionally laughed at things that were said on the game show on TV.
Fran hadn't realized quite how much she had been smiling since Friday night when they had gone out to Coney Island. So much had happened since then, yet it wasn't that long ago. But they had known each other for quite a while, and all the time they spent together before seemed to be steering them towards this point. They were finally together. They were getting comfortable with each other- holding hands, holding each other, kissing. Kissing in public. They were enjoying their more domestic activities together, and seemed to have completely dropped their roles as employer-employee. It felt so freeing. She could finally show him how much she really loved him, and she could be open to him showing her, too. He gave her so much comfort as they leaned together there on the bed. Occasionally, after turning a page in his catalog, he would reach back for her knee and would rest his hand there, gently stroking it with his thumb. Fran thought about how content Max seemed to be, too. She wasn't used to seeing him like this, except occasionally when they were on vacation, away from the stress of his work, and away from all the social pressures of the city. But here they were, at home, relaxing together, alone. She wanted more of this. Even though she missed the children, and Niles, she knew that she didn't want this time with Max to end once the others all came home.
Max seemed to notice a shift in her thoughts, and turned from the catalog to look at her.
"Hey you," he said softly. Fran tilted her head to look up at him.
"Hey, yourself." She looked into his twinkling eyes and immediately felt reassured again. He leaned to her and kissed her on the lips, and the butterflies rushed through her again. "Mmmm… You know I really love it when you do that," she said.
"When I kiss you?"
"Mmm hmmm… and you seem to know when I need it, too."
"I do? Well, I'm glad. Did you need a kiss just now? I kind of felt like you tightened your grasp on my arm a little, like you might have been thinking about something."
"I did? I'm sorry. I didn't realize I did that."
"I didn't mind. It wasn't by much, but it just felt different. Was there something on your mind? You know, that made you need a kiss?"
"Hmm," she stifled an almost nervous laugh. "I guess I was thinking about when everybody comes back home. That maybe we might not get as much time like this together. And how much I like this, with you. I want more of it."
"I do, too, sweetheart. I do too. I imagine we'll both have more demands on our time. But that doesn't mean we can't have a lot of time alone like this. I want to make certain we do. I also don't want to deprive the children of you. Maybe, while they're at school, we can set aside some time to spend together. Maybe a long lunch, just the two of us? Then, you know, in the evenings, when the children settle down, if they don't need anything… maybe we can have some time to ourselves, on the new couch… or maybe we can sneak away, somewhere more private…" he wrapped his arm over her shoulders and rested his forehead against hers.
"Yes, please!" They both chuckled, and Fran picked up the catalog on her lap and tossed it to the end of the bed, then reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck. Max took his cue and tossed his catalog away, and pulled her to him. They kissed each other playfully, then were quickly overcome with passion and emotion. As they let their tongues get involved, Max and Fran slowly slid over to the side until they were lying down across the bed, Max on top of her. He rested Fran's head on one of the pillows and they continued kissing passionately. She held him tightly to her and he slid his hand up her back. After several minutes, they relaxed and softened their kisses, and Fran caressed his cheek. Their tongues played gently with each other, and they both had to remind themselves to take a breath. Max took her lower lip between his, kissing it, then kissed the corner of her mouth, then carefully worked his way across her cheek, then down across her jaw, back to her lips. He kissed her deeply again, let her have his tongue, then let his lips hover over hers before kissing her again.
Fran was going crazy. His kisses were amazing.
"God, Max!" She gasped.
"Mmmm…" he sighed. "Definitely need lots more of this…" They kissed again, and Fran slid her hands down his arms, then in to his sides and around his back. She held him tight and clutched his shirt, and let him work his kisses back and forth across her cheeks and her lips. Time seemed to both stand still and fly by as they relaxed with each other. She stroked his back, he stroked her cheek. He looked into her eyes as they reluctantly parted their lips. They let their eyes gaze over each other's face, then Max lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her again. They were both in heaven.
Fran slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck again. She kissed him more firmly, and tried to roll over on the bed with him.
"Here, come over here with me, there's more room..." Max whispered, guiding her over to where they were before when they were looking at the catalogs. He slid a pillow down, then rested his head on it, and Fran crawled over to him, then onto him. He ran his hands around her waist and she propped herself on her elbows over him, then rested her forehead against his. He stroked her waist gently and she let the tip of her nose graze across his, then kissed him again, passionately. Max clutched her sides in his hands and was overcome by her kiss. He didn't want it to stop. He let her take control of things and followed her lead, letting her take his tongue, then letting his tongue slide intimately across hers. She let him feel her lips hovering over his, as he had done to her, and that agony of separation drove him crazy. She let the tip of her tongue drag softly across his lower lip, then she took his lip between hers. Max gasped and wrapped his arms tighter around her. Fran could have kissed him for hours and hours, but she realized they were getting each other so turned on that it might get difficult to stop, and she didn't want to rush things like that with him. She let her kiss taper off, then she kissed his cheek softly several times and rested her cheek against his.
"God, Max, we're gonna get in trouble if we keep this up." She sighed and rested down on top of him, laying her head on his shoulder. "Not that I don't want to keep kissing you, but- you know…"
"Yes… it feels so good to kiss you like this. So good."
"Mmmm…" Fran agreed. She wrapped her arm over his chest and he laid his over hers, and stroked her arm. Fran sighed again and closed her eyes.
"I love you, Fran. I really love you." He raised his other arm up and grasped her shoulder, then kissed her forehead.
"I love you, too, Max. More than anything. I'm glad we came up here."
"So am I." During their kisses, they hadn't even noticed that the television was still on in the background. The contestants continued on the game shows, the audiences continued laughing and cheering, and Fran and Max were oblivious to everything but themselves. Max reached over to the bedside table for the remote and muted the TV, then set the remote back down. He wrapped his arms around Fran and rubbed her arms, making sure she wasn't cold.
"Max? Have I ever told you how good you smell?"
Max laughed. "You might have mentioned something before." Fran laughed and rubbed his chest and inhaled deeply. "And you still smell wonderful yourself, sweetheart." He squeezed her to him and she squeezed him back.
They held each other for a while, eyes closed, and Max stroked her arm softly and pressed his lips against her forehead. He was so happy and so content, and holding her in his arms, he could tell that she was, too.
"Sweetheart?" He asked quietly.
"Mmm?"
Max opened his eyes and looked over her body, over her arm clutching him. "Have you thought any more about if you stopped being a nanny? Of there's anything else you might want to do?"
Fran opened her eyes and turned her head just enough to look towards his cheek. She thought a moment about what he asked. "I guess I probably thought about it, the what-ifs. Why do you ask?"
"Because, well, what if you stop being the nanny? I mean, now? I mean, if we're seeing each other now, that will change things, won't it?"
Fran shifted over and propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. "It'll change things in some ways, sure. But, are you asking me? To stop being the nanny? Now?"
He reached up to her shoulder and pushed her hair back. "Maybe I am. I still need you to look after the children. I mean, Maggie and Brighton, they're a bit too old for a nanny, they can do most things on their own. And Gracie's growing up fast, too. But she still needs you a lot. But now- well, you've always been so much more than a nanny to us. And now, you're my girlfriend. If I had to pick a title I preferred, at least for me, it would be that you're my girlfriend. I want people to know that. That's how I want to introduce you. But then I wonder how the children might introduce you to people. Would they call you the nanny, or their father's girlfriend, or just 'Fran'?"
"Hmm. I guess I hadn't thought about that part. Are you still feeling uncomfortable about the idea of people finding out you're involved with your nanny?" She grinned slightly, just barely teasing him about the subject that made him uncomfortable before.
"I'll admit that much. I want everyone to see you as my girlfriend, and me as your boyfriend, that we're a couple. A real couple, and not something hush-hush to be gossiped about. Nothing like that. You know, the inappropriate thing. I kind of, I was just thinking, what would that be like? If you were here because we are a couple, and you're close to the children. If it was more like being a family, and you watched the children because of your relationship with them, and not because it was a job. And then, I wonder about what would happen with your paycheck. Would I stop paying you? Would that be fair? Or right? Or wrong? You deserve to be able to pursue an income if you want. But then I think, what if you did? If you took another job somewhere else? Would we not get to see you very much? And then- well, I don't like that thought. I guess I'm already a bit selfish with you. I still want you to be here. I want to be able to see you during the day. But that isn't really fair of me to put that expectation on you."
"I understand. But maybe you're overthinking things just a little. You know, the kids would still need someone to be available if something should happen and they needed one of us, like if they were sick at school and needed to come home. I'd want to be able to help. I know with your work that sometimes it can be really hard for you to figure out how to do that- to rush out of a meeting or rehearsal to deal with something like that. And Niles shouldn't have to do that, even though I know he would. But I get what you're saying. And I don't mind not being the nanny anymore, if it means I get to be your girlfriend instead. I'll still do everything I can for the kids, I don't want that to change. But as for income, yeah. That would be the main part to figure out. And we can talk about that more. We'll figure something out. But first, I would like to be introduced as your girlfriend. Because I'll be ecstatic to introduce you as my boyfriend." They both smiled, and Fran leaned over to kiss him firmly on the lips.
"So, you'd be okay with not being the nanny anymore?" He asked.
"Yeah…" she replied softly. "Because there would be a good reason why." They kissed again, and let it linger for a few minutes.
"Mmmm…" he sighed. "Anytime you want to kiss me like that, please do. It's so nice to kiss you, sweetheart…"
"Mmm hmm. Kiss me anytime you want to. I don't care where we are." Max wrapped his arms tighter around her and she kissed his cheek, then rested back down against his chest. He ran his hand up her back and under her hair to her neck, then softly grazed his fingers across the back of her neck. It gave her goosebumps and she smiled. They lay together in the quiet for a good while, Fran's eyes closed as she clutched his side tightly, and Max looked at the ceiling and around the room through his half-closed eyes as he stroked her arm with his thumb, and continued to graze her neck with his fingers. He felt so relaxed when he was with her like this. He didn't care about work, or the frustration his cancelled meeting had caused him. It felt like it never happened. He was on vacation with his girlfriend now, and nothing else entered his mind.
Fran could still smell his intoxicating cologne. She could feel his heart beating slowly through his chest, and felt the slow rising and falling as he breathed. She still couldn't believe she was lying with him on his bed, and how they had kissed. She wanted more- so much more- but she was thoroughly enjoying her time with him and didn't want to push things too much. She didn't want to miss anything, even the quiet time they could have together. She needed it as much as he did. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so calm.
"Max?" She asked softly.
"Hmm?"
"What time do you want to do dinner? I think I might want to change clothes for that, and then I'd need a little bit of time to heat things up and get it all together."
"Well, I suppose we could do that around six, like usual. You want to change your clothes for dinner?"
"Yeah."
"What do you want to wear? Should I change too?"
"You can if you want, you don't have to. But I thought I might put on a dress or something. I figured, you know, if we might dance afterwards, I might need some heels, and a dress might be nice."
"Oh, okay. Yeah. I get it. I could probably change into something a little less casual. Maybe a blazer? Do you want me to wear a tie?"
"You don't have to go that far. But a blazer might be nice. Then I can slide my hands inside it, and around you…" she slid a hand under him and curled up tighter against him. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
"That sounds nice…"
Fran lifted her head to look at him and smiled, then shifted herself over him and kissed him. She kissed him deeply, then let her lips and tongue graze over his, taking his breath away. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her close, then she leaned to the other side and kissed him deeply again. She loved the feel of his lips on hers, loved the feel of his tongue sliding across hers. The pressure was just right, the passion seemed to course through the both of them equally. He encouraged her kisses, lightly tugging at her lip, carefully sucking at her tongue, teasing her with his mouth. He clutched her shirt in his hands, not wanting to let her go. They'd gone to that other place together, where everything was silent except for their heartbeats and their breaths. They could only feel each other, they'd lost all awareness of their surroundings. Max wanted to roll her back over and take charge of their exploration of each other, but he let her take the wheel. Her kisses were mesmerizing. He didn't want them to stop. He was getting turned on, thinking about her body in his arms, and where he wanted his lips to go next, but he knew he needed to take it easy and not get too carried away.
She parted slowly from his lips, letting him catch his breath, then let her lips move across his cheek, giving him soft little kisses along the way. She followed his cheekbone to his temple and kissed him there, then worked her way down along his jaw to his chin, then found his neck and kissed him there. First it was a gentle, reassuring kiss, and then another one, and then she parted her lips more and it felt like she was consuming him. He writhed in pleasure. She sucked his neck into her mouth with just the right amount of pressure, careful not to give him a hickey, and drew the tip of her tongue across his skin firmly. Max let out a moan and turned his head, giving her more of his neck to do with as she pleased. She kissed him again, working across his neck and his throat to the other side, down towards his collarbone, then up towards his ear. She kissed him along his jaw and made her way back to his lips, then kissed him passionately. He clutched at her back and ran his hands over her, then rolled over with her.
He took over from her and kissed her deeply, then slowed down their passionate kissing before he felt like he might lose control. He hovered over her lips and kissed her softly, then rested his forehead against hers. She opened her eyes and he looked at her, his eyes twinkling.
"I love you so much, Fran!" He whispered to her as his lips nearly touched hers. "I think we might need to slow down a little before we get into trouble. Not that I want to stop, because I don't. I don't want to stop this." He kissed her carefully, then closed his eyes and exhaled.
"Max, I'm so crazy about you! I love you so much! I'm sorry if I'm getting carried away, I can't help it. I feel like I'm starving for you…" She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers though his hair.
"Mmmm… I like it when you do that. You give me goosebumps." He kissed the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, and worked his way across to her ear. He couldn't help himself, and kissed her neck. She exhaled and turned her head to let him continue. He found another spot on her neck to kiss, and kissed it, then opened his mouth a little more and let his tongue trace across her skin, until finally sucking at her neck and pulling it in gently between his lips.
"Oh!" She gasped, wanting more. She ran her hands down his chest, then around his waist, clutching at the back of his shirt. As he kissed her neck again, she found herself pulling at his tucked-in shirt and freeing it from his pants. Max moved across her neck to her throat and her collarbone, softly sucking at her skin and letting the tip of his tongue tickle her. She moaned softly as he worked towards her other ear, then he carefully, quietly, took her earlobe into his lips. He sucked it briefly, then let go and took her neck back, kissing her with more pressure this time, letting his tongue run up her skin. She pulled him to her tightly, and wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her throat, then her jaw, and found her lips again. She let him take her tongue with his, and Max guided her through an exhilarating, stimulating, tender kiss. He parted from her lips just enough for them both to catch their breath, then he kissed her again, but this time much more gently. He didn't want to stop kissing her, but he knew how close he was to going too far. He didn't want to rush their intimacy and have it happen too soon, and when they weren't prepared for it. He needed more time like this- just kissing, and getting to know her body- getting to know her lips.
As he slowed their kisses and playfully teased her with the tip of his nose against hers, she clutched at his lower back, then let her hands slip under his shirt. He sighed and kissed her again, loving the feel of her fingers sliding across the skin of his back.
"My god, Fran… what are we going to do…" he whispered. He was so wound up, and hoped she didn't notice. He thought for sure it was too soon to be revealing that part of himself to her.
"We're just gonna stay like this for a while… holding each other. Okay?" She ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheek. "Come here, baby, lay down and rest a minute. Right here, with me." She guided him to slide down just enough so he could lay down on her with his head on her chest and shoulder. She hugged her arms round his shoulders and he closed his eyes, and tried to relax. She kissed his forehead and stroked his shoulders, and kept her legs wrapped around him.
"I'm so crazy about you…" he whispered. He slid his hands up the bed and under her shoulders.
"I'm crazy about you, too, Max. I'm in love with you." She squeezed him and kissed his forehead again. She closed her eyes and smiled, and she felt like the tears were trying to come, but she didn't want to let them.
"Oh, Fran!" Max tried not to get choked up, too. "I'm in love with you, too. I'm so in love with you. I don't ever want to let you go!" He clutched at her back and nuzzled his face into her, trying to stop his eyes from watering.
"It's okay, sweetie! It's okay! I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever. Just hold onto me, okay? I love you! I'm gonna take care of you. Always…" She squeezed his shoulders tightly and kissed the top of his head, nuzzling his hair. He took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to control his emotions. He kissed her chest through her shirt and tried to take another deep breath. Her arms were wrapped over him protectively, partially covering his face. He felt so safe with her lying there- locked into her arms and legs. Nothing else could get to him. He let himself relax. He let himself focus on the touch of her hands as she rubbed his shoulders and stroked his hair. She kissed the top of his head again and again.
Max sighed and Fran felt him begin to relax. His body felt heavier on her as he seemed to ease the tension in his body. She stroked his head again, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly. She stroked his shoulders with her thumbs and rested her lips against his head. She could smell the faint scent of his shampoo and it made her smile. It smelled like coconut, and reminded her of their beach vacations. Max would always oblige when she needed someone to cover her back and shoulders with Hawaiian Tropic. His firm hands were always careful with her, and she thought it was cute how he always seemed to be nervous about touching her like that, yet enthusiastic at the same time. And here she was, running her hands over his shoulders, comforting him, loving him. She really was in love with him, and for some reason, saying that part out loud seemed to make her more emotional than telling him she loved him. Was it so different, loving versus being in love? Maybe it was. Maybe it helped let him know how important he really was to her. Because he was everything to her.
Max let his mind take in what they had just said to each other- that they were in love with each other. It was more than loving each other, they were head over heels in love with each other. It was exhilarating. He thought he would be scared to feel that way, but he wasn't. Maybe it was because they had already loved each other for so long, that having that security in their relationship made it easier to just give in to all of his feelings for her. He was so attracted to her, physically and mentally. He felt like a young boy who had finally worked up the nerve to talk to his first crush, and she didn't reject him. She adored him. It felt so wonderful. He smiled and took another long, slow breath and slowly exhaled. He let the tension leave his body, and began to forget the ache he was feeling for her, and felt his mind drifting off. He focused on the feel of her fingers moving slowly back and forth over his shoulders, and soon he had drifted off to sleep.
Fran felt Max let go of the last of his tension and his body settled down completely on hers. She was pretty sure he might have fallen asleep, and she didn't want to move and possibly wake him up. She rested with her eyes closed and felt his hair against her face. She thought about how this was her boyfriend, in her arms. She had loved him for a long time, and it almost felt like a relief that she could finally show him, and he could show her. She felt how much he loved her back, and it made her feel so good, so incredibly happy. She pressed her lips against his head and kissed him softly, and gently stroked his shoulders. This was her man, and she would stay with him forever. The things he had shared with her about the past, so much pain that he had been through, it made her want to protect him and comfort him as much as she possibly could. He deserved to be happy, and she really wanted to be the one to make him happy.
Max exhaled and shifted, clutching her tighter, then relaxed again. It was almost like he had read her thoughts. She hugged him like he was her child. Fran began to feel herself relax more with him in her arms. She knew the television was still on in the background, but didn't worry about it. It was still muted, so the house was quiet. She concentrated on the rise and fall of Max as he breathed, and the feel of his head resting so close to hers. If Max needed a nap, then maybe it was okay for her to take one, too. They had plenty of time before their dinner date, and she didn't want to move anyway. So she let herself settle into a peaceful rest, and eventually drifted off to sleep, with Max as her blanket.