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"But"

"No buts This is exactly e need Now get dressed, he’ll be here in fifteen e showed up exactly fourteen minutes later

From the bathroorilling him as they went from room to roo to be proven right, and that George had absolutely no idea what he was doing

"Sara’s breastfeeding so I assume you have expressed erator," George said,about? Honestly, I think I’ve seen more of Sara’s boobs in the last four months than my own" There was the sound of the freezer door as it opened and closed, and I stepped out into the living rooe answered Max’s questions one by one Max looked begrudgingly i," George continued "Probably every three hours or so? I’ll heat the refrigerated milk first--only ever under ater, never the microwave It kills beneficial properties, you know--and I’ll use the frozen if needed Though you’ll probably be back by then" George trailed off

"We have a bottle warmer," Max said, brow furrowed in what I was certain had to be confusion George really did see care of an infant than ere "And nappies?"

"You mean diapers? Oh you Brits are so damn cute And please, Maxwell I could probably diaper you in your sleep and you’d never have any idea I a out to kiss his cheek "Sorry, Chloe’s not here and I had to throw that in for her Thank you sothis"

He waved me off "No problem The little princess and I will probably just sit here and cry through The Notebook For very, very different reasons, I’m sure"

Between kisses and cuddles and last-e to shoo us out of the aparto to the restaurant around the corner George had apparently made such an impression that Max made us last-minute reservations at a little Italian place a fewAnna when I didn’t have to, but I was also giddy We were going on a date, just the two of us, and my pulse hadn’t slowed down yet

I watched his profile as he drove us both to the restaurant; as I studied the way the streetlights passed overhead to eht back to our first real date--is that what that was?--when he’d takenat hisat his mouth

The press didn’t follow hiether, but since Anna had been born, there was an uptick in Hot Daddy Max Stella photos in Page Six and on various Internet gossip sites I couldn’t say that I blamed thetightly as I was pulled back in tiether after the pictures in the papers, the ones that made me think he’d cheated He’d thrown a party, and after not answering his calls for over a week, I’d shown up, finally ready to talk But it hadn’t been as sienuinely hurt--and I had so s; he had handed over the last tiny bit of himself with that

I remembered how that look had squeezed my heart, painfully He’d been scared to let , with both of us sweaty and spent, we couldn’t hide with our faces pressed to the other’s skin, or in the gah photos He looked atelse between us

"Stay," he said, bending to suck at the skin just beneath ood and if you spook again it will absolutely wreck me"

"I won’t"

"I love you, yeah?"

I nodded, heart trapped somewhere between my throat and the sky "I love you"

"That means we’re settled It means there’s no question where my heart is You’ll stay here"

It had been that easy It had always been that easy And I had learned to trust it

But noas a different shape: bigger, yes, but unwieldy, and the ease of it all--Max and Sara, a rhyth between us like a shared heartbeat--was now pounding too hard forIt was like a faucet had been turned on insideme armth and pride and thrill and terror and vulnerability and strength and powerlessness and lust and it never shut off It filled and filled until I was sure I was bursting from it, but how could I ever complain that I felt tooup with the constant awareness that if anyone ever tried to hurt e?

How could I ever complain that it was often hard to find myself in the desire to be mother and lover in equal measure to the two people in my life who seemed to matter above even my own need for air?

Max held e pulled me out of my memories