“Alright,” he said, taking a deep breath. “So we know time is of the essence. I’m going to go home and talk to my wife about applying for foster status. Our kids are all living their own lives now, leaving just my wife and me to rattle around our big house by ourselves. Would you be okay with that?”
I nodded, not daring to believe he was serious. “Until I turn eighteen,” I said, trying to reassure him that he wouldn’t be stuck with us forever.
“For as long as you need us,” he corrected, making my heart swell.
“Okay, so you’ll ask your wife?” I asked, expecting several roadblocks that could derail his generous offer.
“I believe that will be more of a formality,” he said, smiling at me.
“Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I said pessimistically. He meant well, but in all honesty, things like this never worked out for Kevin and me.
“Katelyn, we’ll work this out. I promise.”
“I don’t know. This town is starting to feel like the ‘Stepford Town.’ Everyone is just way too nice,” I said, trying to remove some of the pressure off of him.
He laughed. “Being nice isn’t a bad thing. Do you feel good enough to return to class?”
“Yeah, my headache is all but gone,” I said, standing up.
Max was just finishing up his lunch when we returned to the classroom. His eyes met mine and I returned a thankful look. I knew I was probably opening myself up for a major letdown, but I decided in that moment I no longer cared. My face must have given Max some kind of indication as to what I was thinking because he grinned widely and waved me over to him.
“I moved your desk back. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect,” I answered, looking at Bethany who was obviously fuming. I didn’t like hurting her feelings, but I had spent the past two months trying to convince myself that I was just like her because we both cam
e from nothing. The truth is that being poor is the only thing we had in common. Unlike Bethany, I didn’t blame the rest of the world for my problems. Life was tough enough without carrying around that kind of hate. For her sake, I hope she gets over that one day.
Max squeezed my hand lightly as I slid into my seat. “Thanks for the necklace and the rest of the stuff,” I whispered as Mr. Graves started covering the different layers of an atom.
The rest of the day passed in a happy blur. Every once in a while Max would reach over to touch me as if he was reassuring himself I wouldn’t leave.
***
The days following my reconciliation with Max were the happiest of my life. Kevin and I spent most our afternoons at Max’s large and inviting home. His parents took to Kevin immediately and I watched him blossom under their affection and attentiveness. I put aside my embarrassment over the Halloween fiasco and the fool Lucinda had made of herself in the grocery store with Max’s dad. Kevin and I were invited to dinner every night, and at first I felt bad for the imposition, but I quickly began to realize they seemed to enjoy our company.
The free meals took the pressure off of worrying about Lucinda’s welfare card which was a good thing since the January money was spent much like the December money had been. Lucinda used the small amount of cash she acquired to pay for gas to visit Jim and purchase more cigarettes. If not for Max’s parents, Kevin and I would have surely starved. I was unsure of how she was surviving, but I did notice that many nights she slept elsewhere, leaving the trailer to Kevin and me. She was uncommunicative when I tried to press for details, choosing to either outright ignore me or give me a slap for annoying her.
As January crept into February, Kevin and I were only home at night and as little as possible on the weekends. He quickly became the mascot for our group and hung out with us the majority of the time. Lucinda’s erratic behavior kept me from wanting to leave him with her, and Max seemed to know this without a word from me. Though he did grumble about what an excellent chaperone Kevin made for us. I laughed at his complaints, but felt the same frustration at times, especially when our heated kisses began to escalate, only to crash down to reality when Kevin would give us an “ew, gross.” Needless to say, it was a definite mood killer once he piped in.
I was over at Max’s house the week before Valentine’s Day when he asked if I was comfortable enough leaving Kevin with his parents while we went out for Valentine’s Day. We had snuck down the hall to the movie room to get a few minutes by ourselves.
“Don’t they want to go out themselves?” I asked, standing by the recliner he had sunk into while I munched on a licorice whip.
“Nah, my dad says it gives him an excuse to stay home instead of fighting for a table with a bunch of lovesick couples,” Max reassured me, laughing. “Besides, they plan on getting that new movie he and Kevin have been itching to see on Netflix.”
“Your parents have been really great,” I said, letting him pull me on to his lap.
“Where’s the kissing police?” he asked, nuzzling his lips into my neck, making me shiver in anticipation.
“Mmm, that feels good,” I said as I leaned my head back to give him better access. “He’s in the kitchen with your mom,” I said, distracted when he dragged my lips to his. I opened my mouth and tangled my tongue with his, making him groan this time. “I love you,” I added through a half moan in the heat of the moment. I came crashing back to Earth when he stopped kissing me. I looked at him with vulnerable eyes, wondering how he would react. The words had just slipped out of nowhere. The only other person I had uttered them to in years had been Kevin, but I had known for several weeks that I was in love with Max.
I waited with baited breath for his response as we continued to stare deep into each other’s eyes. “You do?” he finally choked out.
I nodded. “Look, I know it might be too soon and I shouldn’t…” I said until my voice trailed off as he crushed his lips to mine.
“I love you too,” he said, pulling back after a moment. “I think I’ve loved you for months. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but I do believe in fate. Every crappy situation you’ve had to overcome led you here. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and it’s because I’ve been waiting for you, I just didn’t know it until you got here.”
“I think so too,” I said, feeling my heart melt at his words of confirmation. I pulled him back to me, tangling my fingers through his lush auburn hair. He settled firmly against my body by placing his hands on my hips. I could feel his passion matching mine and I moaned again as his hands sought the firm skin of my stomach, slowly inching up my midriff. I shifted my hips more, snuggling against him and making him well aware of how I was feeling. Liquid fire poured through my veins as I strained even closer. His needs matched my own and I felt his hand creep farther up until it rested right below my bra. I fought the urge to beg him to continue and deepened the kiss even further. He sensed my desire and moved his hand further up, resting it finally where I wanted it the most. The moment was ours as his hand explored my body, causing me to gasp with pleasure.