She took another sip of her coffee to hide her reaction.
Did they still want her?
She wished Max would reach out and touch her. Kiss her. Order her to talk to him in that low voice he used when he wanted instant obedience. He hadn’t always gotten it, of course, but that was part of the fun.
Max poured coffee into a cup for himself before filling a glass of water and placing it in front of her, removing her cup of coffee.
“I was still drinking that,” she protested.
“You’ve got a headache. You keep rubbing your temples.”
She hadn’t even realized she was doing that.
“You know caffeine makes your headaches worse. You need water and rest.”
“I’m not tired.”
She waited for him to get all growly. To give her that stare that meant she better do what he said. And fast. But he just sat across from her, looking into his coffee.
As though he couldn’t stand to look at her.
Her mother had driven every man in her life away with her constant drama and cries for attention. Savannah wasn’t like her mother. She wasn’t going to drive her men away. She wasn’t going to be a burden.
The shell she’d built to protect herself had just been a Band-Aid. It hadn’t solved anything. It was time to stop being a victim. Time to stop hiding from her problems. She was stronger than this, damn it. She’d fix what was broken, and everything would go back to the way it was.
It had to.
Max studied Savannah with worry. Her cheeks were sunken, her skin pale. She looked tired and worn out.
He wished he could take her away from all this. A vacation. Somewhere where they could relax and try to heal some of the pain they all felt.
“Is everything okay, Max?” She reached over, and, for the first time since she’d first woken up in the hospital, she touched him voluntarily. A surge of hope filled him as she clasped his hand, holding it tight.
“Of course, it is, love,” he lied. No matter what, she’d never know the depth of the trouble they were in. She knew money was tight, it always had been so there was no keeping that from her. But he didn’t want her worrying about this on top of everything else going on.
She cleared her throat. “I tried to find you. Grandma Evie called.”
“Sorry. I was just checking on the horses. Is she okay? Did she want something?”
“To wish you guys happy birthday.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, right. I forgot.”
“Me too,” she said quietly. “I’m really sorry I didn’t remember.”
“Hey.” Slowly, so as not to frighten her, he reached out to cup her chin in the palm of his hand. He raised her face, smiling gently. “No big deal, love. It’s just another day. Truthfully, I don’t really need the reminder I’m another year older.”
“I could bake you a cake,” she offered.
He winced. “Using the same recipe as last year?”
“Yes, but this time I swear I’ll check that it’s sugar first before I put it in.”
“I like salt, love, but not in my chocolate cake.”
It was a ghost of a smile, but a smile nonetheless. A real smile. Maybe she was getting better. Maybe she could get through this with a bit more time and patience.
If only he could figure out some way to fix all his other problems, then he might be able to sleep again.