When Fran woke up the next morning, she was lying on her stomach and Max was curled up next to her, his arm over her back. She slowly remembered the events of the previous evening and smiled. She turned her head the other direction to face him and watched as he stirred slightly. She slid her arm up over his hip under the covers and scooted a little closer to him. He was so peaceful. He was cute. He stirred again and moved his hand over her side.
"Good morning, baby…" she whispered.
"Mmmmm…" Max took a slow breath and clutched her side. Fran took his arm and rolled over so they were spooning. Max pressed his lips against the bare skin on the back of her neck.
"Mmmm… your skin's so soft… you feel so good…" he clutched her tightly and pressed his lips against her. She held on to his arm around her and closed her eyes again. It felt so nice to just lay there with him. He kissed her on her back several times. "Sweetheart?"
"Hmm?"
"You doing okay?"
"Mmm hmm." She kissed his fingers that she held in front of her chest. "So far so good, sweetie. I feel pretty good. Very good if I think about last night."
"Mmm, yes. It was so nice to be with you, like that." He kissed her shoulder again, then moved closer to the back of her neck. "You don't feel warm at all, so that's good. I mean, as far as my lip thermometer can tell…"
"I sure do like your lip thermometer…" she settled back against him, then moved his hand slightly up into her shirt to rest on her stomach. "How about there?" She asked.
"Mmmm… very nice…" He mumbled into her shoulder.
"I mean, temperature-wise?"
"Perfect…" He sighed against her, and she smiled, and let him keep his hand there.
"You made me feel so incredible last night, Max! God I needed that, I needed you."
"I needed you, too, Fran. Just thinking about it…"
"Mmm hmm…" She clutched his arm and he tugged at her, pulling her closer to him. They rested together for a while longer, not wanting to have to start waking up.
"Do we have to get up yet?" He whispered.
"Nope."
"Okay, good…" He kissed her on her back and hugged her again, and she smiled and rubbed his hand against her belly.
"So, what should we do today, sweetie?" She asked softly. "I was thinking about going over to see daddy, make sure he's okay."
"We could do that if you want. I could bring my cigars over to him, if that's okay with you. I don't think I want to smoke them anymore." Fran rolled over to look at him.
"No? Any reason in particular?"
He rested his hand on her hip and looked into her eyes. "I was just thinking a lot, that, well, you know, I'm not getting any younger, that maybe it would be a good thing if I started taking better care of myself." Fran reached up and stroked his cheek.
"Maybe we all should do that, make sure we're doing better so we can all be around for a long time." He wrapped his arms around her.
"Yes, that sounds nice. We have a lot of things we still need to do in the future," he smiled.
"You got that right!" She rolled over with him and rested on top of his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, then began scratching her back.
"Mmmmm… that feels good!"
"Good. I want you to feel good. You need to feel good."
"You make me feel good. So, thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll do whatever I can if it makes you happy."
Fran slid her hands up alongside his body and buried her face in his chest. "Just more of this, right now…" she sighed as he continued slowly scratching her back.
"You think the children are up?"
"I thought I heard something earlier. And the sun's up, so they probably are. You want to make it down there for breakfast with them?" She asked.
"No rush. I think it'll be alright to take it easy this morning. We can spend some time with them this afternoon when they get home."
"Yeah, that'll be nice."
Max hugged her tightly, then stroked her hair. "Mmmm…" he kissed the top of her head. "We should take your temperature soon, too, darling."
"Yeah. Maybe after I'm awake. After a shower. I think that sleep really helped. Today should be a lot better."
"I'm sure it will be."
"And I want to kiss you as much as I can!"
Max chuckled. "Yea!" They both laughed, and Fran lifted her head, then kissed his chest several times.
"You know, a shower does sound pretty good. You want to go first, since I take longer?"
"Go ahead, sweetheart. I'm not in a rush."
Fran's chin rested on his chest, and she looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he had a slight smile on his lips. He continued stroking her back. "I want some more of this tonight, sweetie. And one of these days, I may have to drag you in the shower with me…"
"Mmmm!" Max grinned, then rubbed her shoulders. He opened his eyes just enough to look at her. Fran kissed his chest again, smiling, and then rolled off of him and sat herself up on the bed.
"What are we wearing today? Because I wanna show off my rings. I'm kinda thinking I might wear a skirt."
"I'm all for that. What do you want me to wear? Maybe a suit? Instead of jeans?"
"Sure, if you want. But we don't have to be super-formal. You don't have to wear a tie if you don't want to."
"Alright. I'll see what you're wearing and we can coordinate. I mean, if you want to…"
"Of course! If I'm showing off my rings, I need to show off my reason for them! You're my arm candy, baby!" She patted his belly and he laughed, then she got off the bed and went to the closet to decide on an outfit. Max closed his eyes again as she turned on the light in the closet. She picked out a matching skirt and jacket, then the blouse she wanted to wear, and then grabbed underwear, a bra, and pantyhose from a drawer, shut off the light, and brought it all out to her dressing table. Max peeked his eye open and watched her sort things out, then she carried what she needed to the bathroom. "Be out in a little bit!" She called back to him as she turned on the bathroom light.
"No rush!"
When Fran's hair was dry, she came out of the bathroom to find Max fumbling through the closet, trying to find a suit he wanted to wear. The television was on a news program. Fran brought her pajamas over to the closet to toss them into the hamper. She was wearing her skirt, but her blouse was still untucked, and she wasn't wearing her stockings yet.
"Hey, baby! Find something?" She asked. Max turned around and smiled, looking her over.
"Hello there. I was just looking for one of my shirts, but now I'm thinking it might be at the dry cleaners. What do you think about this suit? Is it too dark for celebrating our engagement?"
Fran stepped over behind him, tossed her pajamas into the hamper, then put her arms around his waist and leaned around him to look.
"I like those pants. What kind of a shirt was it you were looking for?"
"It's just a white one, but it's a nice, crisp cotton. A little thicker. And I like the collar on it. But if it's at the cleaners, then I need to find something else."
"Hmm, what if you wore a different jacket? Maybe something a little lighter in color. It doesn't have to be really light, just something that looks nice with those pants. And then we can find a shirt."
Max started flipping through his other suits and blazers as Fran helped him. She took his pants from him and held them up to the blazers.
"Oh! Now this is nice! The heather gray one- it has black flecks in it. Do you like this?"
"Sure, that doesn't look like I'm going to a business meeting. But what about a shirt? Here, I have some in these drawers, and the rest are hanging up. What do you think?"
"I like the idea of a crisp collar, without a tie. And you know, if it's on the thinner side, you can wear an undershirt. Would that help?"
"Yes, I expect it would. Here, let me have a look at the ones hanging up here, and can you check the ones in these drawers? A lot of them are similar, but might be a bit dull." They both went to their shirt sorting task, until Fran found one at the bottom of a stack in one of the drawers.
"Ooh, Max! Look at this one! It's still wrapped like you haven't worn it. Is this new?"
"Well, what do you know! That looks a lot like the one I was looking for! I had no idea there was another one like it. Here, let's hold it up to these… what do you think? I like that collar."
"Yes! I like it too! Well, let's start with that. You can try it all on and then we can see how it looks. Hey, that white is exactly like the white on my skirt! Oh, are you going to wear a belt?"
"Yes, I should. Here- my belts are here. What do you think?"
"Black leather belt, and how about a silver buckle? I'm gonna wear all my new silver jewelry."
"Alright, and I'll wear my silver watch- the nicer one. Here- is this buckle good?" Max pulled a belt off the belt rack and showed her.
"Yes! Nice and shiny! And we can pick out what shoes to wear after you get dressed."
"Alright. Great! Now I'll go grab a shower so we can get downstairs and get some breakfast." They carried his things out of the closet, and he set his blazer on the chaise and his still-folded shirt next to it. "I'll be right out, darling."
"No rush, baby. I still have to curl my hair and do my makeup," Fran said, squeezing his hand as he headed for the bathroom. She headed for her chair at the dressing table and sat down, then began putting on her panty hose. She had to unzip and drop her skirt to pull them up all the way, and once they were sorted out, she pulled her skirt back up and zipped it, then went to the closet to look in the full length mirror. She tucked in her blouse and smoothed everything out, then went back to her dressing table and turned on her hot rollers, then realized the news program was still on the TV. She went back to the bedside and grabbed the remote, then changed the channel to The Price is Right. She sat down at the dressing table and worked on her makeup, and then set out a necklace and her new charm bracelet so she could wear them that day.
Just then, Max came out of the bathroom with wet hair and was clad only in his pants. Fran froze in place with her mascara in her hand and couldn't help but look him over.
"Sorry!" He said, hurrying towards the closet with his pajamas in hand. "I forgot to grab an undershirt."
"Don't apologize, sweetie. Absolutely nothing to apologize for." She watched him walk across the room, then disappear into the closet, and come back out moments later. He looked so good, she was almost swooning.
Max thought he might be blushing because of how Fran was looking at him. "Careful you don't jab yourself with that thing, darling."
"Oh! Sorry! I was just, uh, I was-" Fran looked at the mascara brush in her hand, then back at him. "You just distracted me is all. I wasn't expecting a gorgeous shirtless man to pop out of the bathroom like that. Gorgeous, yes, but the shirtless thing- yowza! You know, maybe we don't need to go out today… we can stay here, and you wouldn't have to get dressed…"
Max chuckled. "I'm flattered, Fran, but I do think you need to see your father. And we always have this afternoon to, you know, not be dressed up…" Fran took a deep breath and sighed.
"Oh, alright. If you say so."
He pulled his undershirt on over his head. "Can we take your temperature now? I can grab the thermometer for you."
"Okay, yes, I need to do that." Max grabbed the thermometer from the bedside table and brought it over to her. She looked at it, shook it out, checked it again, then put it under her tongue. Max stood behind her and squeezed her shoulders, looking at her reflection in her makeup mirror. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
"You're so pretty, Fran. I'm very smitten with you, you know."
Fran made a noise and reached up to hold his hands on her shoulders. She smiled and patted his hands, then reached for her hot rollers. Max headed over to grab his shirt and opened it up, then went to the full length mirror as he put it on and buttoned it up, then tucked everything into his pants. He grabbed a pair of socks and came back out into the bedroom.
"Darling, could I borrow your hairdryer? Mine doesn't have one of those things on it like yours does, and I think that works better." Fran nodded and gave him a thumbs-up, thermometer still sticking out of her mouth. Max grinned at her, then set his socks on the chaise and headed back into the bathroom.
As Fran heard the hairdryer turn on, she grabbed a curler and began quickly sectioning off her hair and rolled it up quickly. She had it down to a science, and could practically do it with her eyes closed. By the time Max came back out, with his gorgeous short curls neatly styled, Fran had all of her hair rolled up and was putting on her jewelry. Max gave her a smile, then went to his closet to pick out several pairs of shoes to try, then headed back to the chaise and sat down. He pulled on his socks, then slipped into the first pair of shoes, put on his belt, and headed for the mirror. He decided against that pair and kicked them off in the closet, then went back to the chaise for the next pair. He grabbed the jacket this time and put it on, and went back to the mirror. Not bad, he thought.
Fran came up behind him, reached around his middle, and buttoned the jacket for him, then turned him around to look at him. She smiled, then took the thermometer out of her mouth. She held it up and looked at it, squinting slightly. She handed it to Max.
"Hmmm… I think it says it's normal… wait, it might be a tad above normal- but you did just get out of the shower…" He said. He handed it back to her and she tried to read it again.
"Yeah it's a notch above normal, but that can be normal too. We'll check it again after lunchtime. But I feel fine, if you're wondering."
"Good. And I was wondering," he kissed her. "So what do you think? Should I try on that last pair of shoes?" Fran looked down at the shoes by the chaise, then at the ones he was wearing.
"Nope, you're good. I like it! Don't forget your watch, too. I'm gonna use the hair dryer to hurry these curlers along, be right back!" He watched as she pranced into the bathroom and closed the door. He headed over to his dresser and picked up his nice watch from its holder, then put it on his wrist.
Fran set the thermometer on the bathroom counter and reached for the hair dryer, then turned it on and held the diffuser at the curlers, working her way around her head. She looked back down at the thermometer, wondering if it was right. Could she be getting another fever? But she felt fine. She did feel a bit warm after her nice, hot shower. That must be what it was. It took her a little while to cool off. She ran the hair dryer back over all of the curlers one more time, then turned off the hair dryer and set it down, and took out one of the curlers. Perfect! She hurried back out of the bathroom and pranced over to her chair again, then quickly took out all of the curlers and put them away as Max sat near her on the end of the bed watching the game show on TV.
Fran carefully combed through her curls and set her hair, clipping it back and tucking it in. She caught Max watching her. "What?" She smiled, looking at him in the mirror, then turning around.
"Sorry, couldn't help myself. You're beautiful." He smiled.
Fran acted bashful and raised her shoulder, then made a kissing gesture to him. "You're awfully handsome yourself, fiancé." That really made him smile. He gave a soft laugh.
"How about that? We're engaged!" He gushed.
"We sure are! Look at my fabulous ring!" She waved her hand at him.
"I'm glad you like it."
"I sure do, Max! It's perfect!" She finished her hair, checked her makeup, and then got up from the chair. "Come here, sweetie- I need to pick some shoes, and I want to see what we look like together." She took his hand and pulled him from the bed back to the full-length mirror. She put on her jacket and checked her outfit, then Max wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"You look absolutely lovely, darling!" He looked in the mirror at the both of them.
"Aw! So do you. Now let me see what shoes work with this…" She looked over their outfits, then at the jewelry. She held her left hand up in front of of her, looking at the stones and the silver shimmer. Then she turned to look at the rack of shoes she had in the closet and saw the perfect pair. Max watched as she hurried over and grabbed a pair of heels, then held onto him as she slipped each one on her foot and fastened it. Then she looked at her reflection again. "What do you think?" She looked up at him. Max looked her over, then looked at them both in the mirror.
"Fantastic! And I think we make a great couple, don't you?"
Fran pulled his arms around her from behind. "I do! The best couple!"
Max turned her around and kissed her softly, then looked into her eyes, and over her face. He found himself truly fascinated by her.
Fran wondered what he was thinking. She wondered if he was getting turned on by her, but this seemed like something more than that. Like a happy enjoyment, a way of observing someone who you truly loved- like when she would be on the couch in the living room watching something on TV, and she would see him in his office reading a script, or writing frantically. He would put on his glasses and he looked so classy, so smart. He would lose all awareness of his surroundings, including the fact that she would be watching him. It gave her a certain kind of feeling in her heart- love. Like when she watched him sitting with Gracie as they talked something out, or as she told him about her day. She adored him when she saw things like that. Maybe he was feeling the same thing for her right then. She smiled at that thought. She rested her head against his chest. He reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her back. They both squeezed each other tight.
"Mmmmm…" Fran sighed, closing her eyes.
"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Max whispered, pressing his lips to the side of her forehead."
"Everything's wonderful, Max. I just need to hold you sometimes."
"Anytime, darling. I need to hold you, too." He kissed her forehead and she ran her hands slowly up and down his back. He moved her left hand back towards his chest and looked at her rings again.
"Max? Can I ask you something? It might sound kind of stupid…"
"What is it, darling?" He leaned back and looked down into her face.
"Well, it's about my rings. You know how I had you hold on to my claddagh ring when I had to have the MRI? I sort of- well, I get a little superstitious about taking them off. But a way around that is with you- for you to hold on to them. But I was thinking that I'd kind of like to switch these rings around- so the engagement ring is closer to me. Just for now. But I don't want to be the one to take them off, you know?"
"You want me to switch them for you? I can do that, if you want me to."
"Would you? I know it seems stupid-"
"It's not stupid at all, darling, I get it," He kissed her forehead again. He took her hand from on his chest and slid off the rings gently, then put the engagement ring on first, then the claddagh ring with the point of the heart towards her. Then his kissed her fingers. She looked at the rings and smiled, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Thank you, sweetie."
He kissed her again. "You're welcome. Can I ask you something, Fran?"
"Of course."
"That finger's a bit full now, where are you going to put the next ring?" He grinned.
Fran got butterflies immediately thinking about it. "That one's going on this finger! Right with the engagement ring. I might move the claddagh ring to my other hand." She looked from her rings back to Max's face. He was still grinning at her. "What?"
"Just thinking about it- that we're engaged. I can't believe it. We should talk about that sometime- about the wedding. You know, in case it might be good to reserve a place now or something. And think about when you might want to have it." His voice softened, talking about it was getting him emotional.
"Yeah, that will be nice. That'll be really nice." She smiled and they rested their cheeks against each other's. She loved being in his arms, it felt so wonderful, so safe. She felt loved. He felt the same way, too. He was still realizing how much he needed this, how much he needed her.
"Mmmm… it feels so nice to hold you, Fran."
"It feels so nice to be held by you, Max. I mean that. It's hard to let go of you." She rubbed his back some more.
"You don't have to let go of me. Especially now. We both need each other. Just grab my hand anytime you need me, okay?"
"Okay, and the same goes for you. I love it when you come to me- for a hug, or a kiss, anything. I'm all yours, okay?"
"Okay," they kissed each other lightly on the lips. "You ready to get some breakfast, then head over to see your parents?"
"Yes, I'm hungry!"
Max laughed. "Then I guess we both are!"
Fran took his hand and they headed for the door. "Oh- shoot! I need my other prescriptions! Yuck! Too many things to keep track of. I'll put them in my purse." She went back to the bench at the foot of the bed and took her new pill bottles from the bag they brought back from the appointment. She grabbed her purse, put them inside, shut off the TV, and took Max's hand again. They headed out of the bedroom for the kitchen to get some breakfast.
Niles was cleaning the kitchen and dining room when Fran and Max came down the back stairs.
"Oh! Good morning! You'll be happy to know the children got out just fine this morning, and they were all very helpful. What would you both like for breakfast today? I can do bacon and eggs and toast, or if you'd like, I can make pancakes, or omelettes… what might you be in the mood for?" Niles asked, putting the last of the morning's dishes into the dishwasher.
"Oh, Niles! Scrambled eggs and toast sounds fantastic!" Fran exclaimed.
"I agree," Max said.
"Oh, Ms. Fine, if you're interested, there's still some egg drop soup in there too that I could warm up for you…"
"Do you even have to ask? Yes, please! Sweetie, do you want some, too?"
"It's okay with you if I have some of your soup?"
"Hey, it's not 'my' soup, of course you can have some! Is that okay, Niles?"
"Of course it's okay! Now, let me just get the coffee going, unless you'd like something else to drink?"
"Oh, I'm having coffee today! And I don't want any argument about it!" Max laughed at her. He was so happy to see her in such a good mood.
"No argument from me, but just remember, if anything bothers you I can't promise I won't say I told you so, but the doctor said there weren't any restrictions, so it should be fine as long as you want it," Max said. Fran goofily clapped her hands in front of her and went to get them some mugs. "But I do want to put my foot down about you making sure you get enough water too, alright?"
"I will, I promise."
"Do you want any juice or anything else with breakfast?" He asked.
"Oh!" Niles said. "I sliced some strawberries in there for the children's breakfast, if you want what's left. They're in that Tupperware on the top shelf."
Max went to the fridge and retrieved the tupperware, a loaf of bread, and the carton of eggs for Niles, then set them on the counter.
"Strawberries are good for me, I don't think I need any juice, thank you," Fran said. Niles switched on the coffee maker he had already prepared for when they came down. Fran set the mugs next to it, including one for Niles. She and Max went to sit at the kitchen table as Niles got out a skillet and bowl and other items he needed to make them breakfast.
Max took Fran's hand after they sat down. "Darling, do you want to call your mother before going over there? To make sure they'll be home?"
"I guess I probably should," she thought. "But I might have to ask Ma to not say anything to daddy, I don't want to take the chance that he'll find an excuse to run out of the house and avoid me. I mean, I don't think he will, but still."
"Are you sure you want me there? Would you feel more comfortable talking to them privately?"
"Absolutely not, and besides, you need to give daddy those cigars."
"Oh yes, that reminds me, Niles- The cigars in my office, I'll be giving those to Morty, so if there's any chance you might want one for yourself, make sure you grab it before we go."
Niles turned from the stove to look over at them. "You mean you don't want them?"
"No, Niles. I'm going to be making some changes, I want to be a little healthier, you know. Do a better job of taking care of myself. Smoking is not the best idea, I know I smoke those too often. And I think I want to get rid of the alcohol, too." Niles' eyes went wide. "You're welcome to have some of that as well, but I don't want to be pushing it on you. We might even offer some to C.C. if she wants it."
"Oh, no no, I'm sure she has plenty at home, excessive amounts, even. We don't need to contribute to her problem. And anyway, maybe that would be a good thing if there wasn't any alcohol around here for her to dip into. It might help her health some, too."
"That it might, Niles. Good idea."
Fran leaned back in her chair and put Max's hand in her lap, holding it with one hand and stroking the back of it with the other. "Do you want to call for the driver to take us over, or take a cab? Or what?"
"I can have the driver take us in the town car, if that's alright with you. Then if we want to stop anywhere on the way back, we can always do that."
"Where would you want to stop at?" She asked.
"Well, I hear there's a good deli in that part of Queens… I mean, unless you might like something else. I was thinking maybe we could bring something back to have for dinner, or dessert. Maybe a nice cheesecake?"
"Mmmmm! That sounds good! Niles, would you like us to bring back anything from the deli?" Fran asked.
"Oh, I'd be happy with whatever you might find there. Like some pastrami, cauliflower salad, roasted potatoes… even a cheesecake would be lovely…" he hinted. Max and Fran smiled at each other.
Max turned around and saw that the coffee was finished brewing, so he got up to fill their mugs, and brought all three to the table, then grabbed the cream and sugar and several spoons out of the drawer. Fran gleefully poured the cream and spooned out the sugar into her mug and stirred it quickly.
"You want an ice cube to cool it down quicker?" Max smiled.
"Hey, I'm tempted, but that might water it down too much. I'll just keep stirring it until I can drink it," Fran said. Max smiled and fixed his coffee, then took her hand again. They looked at each other and smiled. Max found it easy to lose himself in her eyes. She felt the same way about his- especially the way they sparkled when he was happy, like now. She scooted closer to him and leaned against his arm.
Niles turned around from the stove to reach for the loaf of bread and put some slices in the toaster. He looked over at the two of them and grinned. He wanted to ask if they had slept well, but he had a feeling that it was none of his business. He popped the slices down into the toaster and turned back to finish cooking the scrambled eggs. He reached into the cabinet and got out two plates and set them on the counter, then headed to the fridge to get the egg drop soup, put that container in the microwave, and got out forks, knives, and spoons. He then got them napkins and set the table for them, and went back to the stove to begin serving their breakfasts. He divided the eggs on the plates, got the toast that had just popped up and cut them in half, then set their plates on the table with the tray of butter, then headed for the microwave to retrieve the soup. As they began eating and buttering their toast, he poured the soup into two separate bowls and brought them over to the table.
"Is there anything else you need? Jelly for your toast? Oh, I almost forgot the strawberries! Niles reached back to the counter and opened the tupperware and set it on the table in front of them.
"You good, Fran? I'm good." Max said. Fran nodded with her mouth full and gave a thumbs up. "Niles, come sit, have some coffee."
"Oh, well, alright, thank you. Don't mind if I do." He sat down with them at the table and fixed his coffee, then attempted a sip.
"Thank you for this, Niles. I never thought I would like soup with breakfast, but it's actually fantastic! Especially with the toast." Max said.
"You got that right!" Fran agreed, dunking her toast into the soup.
"Do you have any plans today, Niles?"
"Just the usual cleaning. And making sure I'm here for when those things from Ms. Babcock arrive."
"Oh, that's right. Can you put that on my desk when it does get here? I'll look over it when I can."
"Yes, sir. Do you need me to call for the car? You mentioned going over to the Fine's."
"Um, I guess so. Fran was going to call over there first, I guess after breakfast?"
"Yeah, once I make sure they'll be there, then if you want to call the car? That should work."
"Oh, Let me run and find a bag for you to take the cigars in, I'll be right back, just a moment." Niles took a swig of coffee and rushed out of the kitchen to get the cigars from the office and put them in a bag.
Fran and Max continued eating their breakfasts. Max stuck a strawberry slice with his fork and offered it to Fran. She leaned over to take it from the fork, then left half of it sticking out of her lips. She leaned over to Max, who gently bit it in half and took it in his mouth, then kissed her on the lips.
"Yum!" Fran said, and he chuckled. Max finished his eggs and drank some coffee. Fran finished her breakfast before Max did, then picked up her coffee to check its temperature. It was perfect.
"Someone's hungry!" Max said, patting her thigh.
"I wonder why…" she flirted. Max blushed. He remembered all the wonderful kissing the night before. Max finished his soup and leaned back in his chair. Fran set her coffee down and leaned back as well. "You get enough to eat?" She asked.
"Yes, I think so. Especially if we might be going to a deli later. I'm going to have to have a good workout pretty soon to work all of this off."
"Yeah, me too, at least as much as I'm allowed to." Fran's mood seemed to shift slightly.
"You can probably do most of what you usually do, just no heavy weights or anything. We can work out together, if you'd like. We can figure something out."
Fran tilted her head back to look at him. "Thank you sweetie. I'd like that." She reached out her hand for him to take and he took it and kissed the back of it.
"I love you, darling," he whispered.
"I love you, too," she smiled. "And thank you for switching my rings."
"You're welcome." Max stood up and leaned over her, kissed her, then he picked up their plates and bowls and brought them to the sink. Just then, Niles came back in to the kitchen.
"I've put the cigars in a bag and put the bag on the front table for when you leave, sir." Niles walked back to his chair and sat down to his coffee.
"Thank you, Niles," Max said.
"So how were the kids this morning? Were they doing okay?" Fran asked Niles.
"Yes, they seem like it. Margaret seemed to be watching out for things, especially with Brighton. He may have been a bit quiet, I think his mind was preoccupied, of course. I think Grace was alright, though I think she missed having breakfast with you, Ms. Fine. But she'll be okay."
"Poor baby, I'll have to give her some extra attention today. I think my sleep is back on track for the moment, so maybe we'll be able to have breakfast with everyone every morning again." She looked at Max, who nodded his head.
"I know I'm a bit selfish right now with wanting to be with you, but the children do need time with you as well. So it's alright if they might need you, I'll understand," he said.
"I can spend time with you, too, Max. We're a family, we all need each other. They need time with you, too."
Max smiled. "Okay."
"I guess I should go call Ma and see if we can head over soon. She knows I want to come by, so hopefully she'll keep daddy there." Fran got up from her chair and kissed Max lightly. "I'll be right back," she said.
"Okay, darling." Max sat back down at the table to wait for her to come back. Niles looked over at him.
"Are you doing alright, sir? If you don't mind my saying so, you seem anxious every time she's away from you."
"Well, of course I am, I feel like I need to look out for her, take care of her. You know? And I just miss her when she's not with me," Max said, looking forlorn.
"You really do love her, don't you?" Niles asked him.
"Yes, I do. I really do." Max clutched his cup of coffee in his hands.
"Would you like another cup of coffee, sir?"
"No, thank you Niles. I better not."
Niles picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. "You know, sir, everyone is ecstatic about the two of you getting engaged. We really are."
"Thank you, Niles. I am too. It was a long time coming, but I don't want to wait for anything like that anymore. I waited too long to do something about how I felt about her."
"Yes, you did. Thankfully she still felt the same way about you. I'm glad you did something when you did, to step in and take care of her. She really needed you."
Max nodded, looking down into his cup. "Niles?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Would you like to write up something for the newspaper? About the engagement, I mean? Some kind of nice announcement? Maybe Brighton can do a photo of Fran and I. Would you?"
Niles looked beside himself. "Oh, yes sir! Could I? Oh, I would love to do that!"
"Okay then. We should just check with Fran to make sure, but I don't see why she would mind. But show it to us before it goes to the newspaper, alright?" Max smiled. He was glad Niles was so happy about it. He could see the wheels in Niles' head spinning already, thinking about what he would write. "Have you thought about how to bring it up to C.C.?"
Niles snapped out of his dream. "Well, I was thinking of calling her after the courier delivers the paperwork this afternoon. You know, to let her know that it got here. But I'm not quite sure how to bring it up. It might depend on how the conversation goes. What exactly did you tell her?"
"Well, I told her we were together. But I'm not sure if she quite understood. If she did, she might not have understood that I meant seriously. I'm sure she's not happy about not being allowed over here, but you can understand why, right? I mean, maybe after Fran's surgery, after she's back here and recovering well, I might see if we can get back to working from the office. But I don't want any other stress added to what Fran is already dealing with."
"Or you either, sir. And the children. Ms. Babcock isn't exactly the kind of person you turn to to ask for help in this kind of situation."
"You're right. But I don't want you to be too cruel. I know she can be a bit much, but try to just be very matter-of-fact with her, and not like the kind of schoolyard bully she can be."
"Yes, sir, understood." Niles had a serious look on his face, which slowly morphed into a naughty grin.
"Niles, I mean it."
"Yes, sir, of course, sir!" He looked serious for a moment again, and then the both of them broke out in laughter.
"No, really. Maybe one jab, but nothing insulting. You know she doesn't really have any friends."
"Oh, that's true. Maybe just telling her the truth, that you proposed to Fran and she said yes, maybe that will be enough. Well, I'll just play it by ear. Literally." They both smiled and went back to their coffee.
"Fran is a wonderful woman, you know. Truly wonderful. I don't know what I was afraid of. She's everything to me."
Niles smiled. "Oh, sir, you aren't afraid anymore. That's what matters now. She knows now how much you love her, and you know how much she loves you. It's really wonderful."
Max smiled. "It is wonderful, Niles. It really is." Max rested his cheek on his fist and Niles grinned at him.
Fran came back into the kitchen with the cordless phone and set it on the table, then sat down next to Max again.
"So what did you girls gab about while I was away?" She asked, patting Max on the thigh.
"Oh, sir! Can I ask her?" Niles exclaimed.
"Go ahead."
"Well, Ms. Fine, Mr. Sheffield thought that maybe, if it was alright with you, that maybe I could write up an engagement announcement for the paper, for the two of you, obviously. Would that be alright with you?"
"Aw, Niles, of course! But you know, Ma might want to look at it before it goes to the paper. So we have to just be sure we don't tell her, okay?" They nodded their heads and smiled.
"So, did you get a hold of her? Are they going to be home?" Max asked.
"Yeah, they'll be there. Ma isn't telling daddy we're coming over, just in case. So I guess if you want to call the car now, we can get ready to go."
"Okay, I'm pretty much ready, except for my coat. You need anything else?"
"Um, nope, I don't think so."
"I'll get the car for you, then," Niles said, swigging the last of his coffee and setting it on the counter. He grabbed the cordless and hurried out of the kitchen to call the driver.
"Oh! I want to grab some mints. So I can make out with you in the car!" Fran said, making eyes at Max.
"Yes, ma'am!" Max said. She jumped up from her chair and rounded the counter to get a pack of mints from the drawer. Max got up and put their mugs in the sink, then pushed the chairs in and took Fran's hand as they headed out of the kitchen.