Out of the Ordinary (AU,M/L,Adult)COMPLETE

[Shadowlynxbehr]

La'Shon- Nope, Jeff will never learn . Serena....you'll see . No more angst....

anonymous- Glad you liked

roswell- Thanks, I really wanted to write Liz with a level head in this fic. Wanted her to seem more mature than the average 18 year old, but sometimes my muse ran away from me .

EVE- Nope, that's our Liz .

Q.F.- I know, . I know .

Vero- Yep, that's our Liz. Glad you liked it.

Em- I think we all agree about that at this point, .

BehrObsession- , you'll see . I know, I thought about it, but I couldn't think of a way to write it and keep the story flowing in the direction I wanted it to go. Well..... see the note below .

pandas- here's the next part


*NOTE* Okay, guys, I have to say that after this part, there will be four parts left and an epilogue. I know, it's sad, but I've told almost everything I've wanted to tell and by the time I get to the epi, I'll have told the entire story. So, enjoy these last few parts and I'll see you next Sunday. ~mwah~



Part 31

I sat in the middle of Max’s apartment surrounded by boxes and wearing a frown on my face. I had spent the last couple of days trying to figure out what I wanted to keep with me there at Max’s apartment and what I wanted to put into storage.
Suddenly a grin spread over my face as I realized that it wasn’t Max’s apartment any more, it was ours. Lifting my head, I looked around the living room and saw all the changes that had already occurred. In every room of the small apartment were my things, interspersed with Max’s.
That night, when I’d packed my things to move, the others had helped me get everything packed and over to my new home. Then mom had gotten the guys to take a few pieces of furniture from my old room so that my things wouldn’t wind up on the floor or be stuffed into Max’s already cramped drawers.
So, there was now a second dresser and a desk in Max’s room. In the living room, there were two tall shelves and we had replaced the small TV table with a larger armoire. Along with the furniture, there were plenty of small knick knacks and other things that I’d brought with me.
With a soft giggle at the thought that I was now officially living with my boyfriend, I went back to unpacking.
A few minutes later, Max came out of the bedroom and sat down behind me, pulling me into his lap. I grinned as he leaned down and placed a kiss on my neck.
“Still trying to figure out what to keep, beautiful?”
I nodded, “Yep.” I sighed, “It’s getting frustrating. Just when I think I’ve decided what to keep and what to send, I realize I need something else.”
He chuckled, “Well, wish I could help you there, although I have to say you should just take a break.”
I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, “I took a break about an hour ago.”
He laughed at that, “Not that kind of break. Although, I thoroughly enjoyed that break and I know you did too.” He leaned down and captured my lips in his, effectively taking my breath away.
When it became imperative to come up for air, he leaned back, but kept me in his lap. “So, what do you say we take a break tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?”
He nodded.
“What do you have in mind?”
He chuckled, “Want to go out to dinner?”
I rolled my eyes, “What, like a date?”
He rubbed his nose against mine, “So, are you saying that since you live with me now, we can’t go out on dates?”
I pouted, “I’d rather stay home and eat the food you cook.”
He grinned at that, “What about what my mother cooks?”
I sat up at that and stared at him, “Your mother?”
He nodded, “Yep. My parents have invited us to have dinner with them tomorrow night.”
I grimaced, “Dinner with the rents?”
“Hey! I braved dinner with yours!”
“I know you did, but I always did say you were much braver than me.”
He pouted, “Come on beautiful, they really want to meet you.”
I sighed, “They do, huh?”
“Yes.” When I didn’t say anything else he prompted, “Beautiful?”
“I’d rather spend my Friday night alone with you.”
With an exasperated sigh, Max dumped me on the floor next to him.
I laughed at his expression and climbed back into his lap, “Okay, okay. I’d love to have dinner with your parents, Max.”
He grinned and slid his arms around my waist, “Really?”
“Yes, really. I’m dying to meet the woman you take after.” As he started to blush, I added, “And the man who is so proud of his son.”
He sighed as he lowered his forehead to mine, “They’re going to love you, beautiful. I know they are.”
I grinned, “Well, they’d better, because you are stuck with me.”
He laughed at that before he kissed me once more.
When we came up for air again, I mumbled, “I think I need another break.”
He growled at that before picking us up from the floor and carrying me to our bedroom.

I stood besides Max, my hand in his as he rang the doorbell. It was Friday night and we’d arrived at his parents house a few minutes before seven. As I tilted my head back and looked up at his parent’s house in awe, I felt Max squeeze my hand.
I leaned in to him and whispered, “This place is huge! Did you ever get lost in here?”
He chuckled, “It’s not that big.”
I rolled my eyes, “Whatever, Max.”
I straightened up as soon as I heard the door knob jingle. When the door opened wider, a woman with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and one of the most lovely smiles I’d ever seen came into view.
She looked up at Max and I could see her eyes light up.
“Max!” she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, it’s good to see you again, my son!”
Max hugged his mother back before he pulled away with a smile. “Mom, this is Liz,” he said while pulling me into his side.
She turned her smile on me and held out her hand, “Liz, Max has told me so much about you. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, Mrs. Evans. Max has told me a lot about you too.” I said as I shook her hand.
She laughed, “Oh, please, I’m Diane and whatever he said is all lies.” She stepped back as she continued, “Well, don’t just stand out there all night. Come in, come in. Dinner is almost ready, but we have a little time to sit and chat in the family room.”
Max took my hand in his again and we followed his mother to the family room. As we neared the door, she called out, “Honey? Look who’s here!”
When she walked into the room and we walked in behind her, I got my first glimpse of Max’s father. He rose out of the recliner he’d been sitting in when Diane had called out and straightened out to his full height. I immediately noticed that he was taller than Max by several inches.
Tall, broad shouldered, graying hair, and a stern countenance, Mr. Evans was a formidable looking man. He inclined his head towards Max as we made our way to the couch. Then when Max was close enough, he held out his hand to greet his son.
“Max, it’s good to see you son.”
Max shook his hand as he replied, “Good to see you too, dad.” As his father’s eyes slid to me, Max said, “Dad, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Elizabeth Parker.”
I gave him a smile and held out my hand, “Pleased to meet you Mr. Evans. I’m Liz.”
He shook my offered hand and replied, “Phillip. Nice to meet you too.”
“Well, now that introductions are done, why don’t you two have a seat,” said Diane as she indicated the couch.
Max and I sat down next to each other and Diane sat on the other side of Max. As soon as we were all comfortable, Diane asked, “So, Liz, Max tells me you just graduated from high school.”
I nodded, “Yes and I can’t wait to go to college.”
She smiled, “That’s wonderful, Liz. What college are you going to?”
“The state university. It has a great business college and I’ve been accepted to it.”
Phillip looked at Max for a moment before looking at me, “You’re going to the state business college?”
I nodded.
“What branch are you interested in?”
“I’m looking into accounting or record keeping. Maybe even management.”
Phillip nodded, “I see, good choices.”
Max gave me a smile as he said, “Liz is really good at it dad, I think she would have put me to shame if we’d taken the same business classes.”
“Have you taken any, Liz?” asked Phillip.
I shook my head, “No. I had wanted to take some college prepatory classes during my senior year, but my father wouldn’t let me even though my counselor said I had the approval to do it.”
Phillip frowned, “Why wouldn’t your father allow you to take them? He must have known those classes would be beneficial for you.”
I rolled my eyes, “My father was more interested in marrying me off than sending me to college.”
A look of disgust moved over both of Max’s parents faces when I’d said that.
“Marry you off!” huffed Diane, “What century does he live in?”
Max sighed, “He’s the kind of man who’s more interested in social status than anything else. For him, money talks so…”
“Good God! Tell me he’s not trying to get you two married off!” exclaimed Phillip.
Max raised an eyebrow, “No. He was trying to get her to marry this other kid who’s a third generation richie. He didn’t know who I was until recently. Even then, he still preferred the other guy.”
Phillip gave us a puzzled look, “What?”
I nodded, “The fact that Max was a model put a huge blemish on him. My father believed that was a flaw Max would never be able to fix.”
“Is that so?” growled Phillip.
I blinked and looked at Max , who was actually looking a bit shocked at his father’s anger.
“Yes,” I replied. “He didn’t think Max was ever going to be serious enough to make a decent living. He didn’t seem trustworthy to my father.”
“And this other guy did?” asked Phillip.
Max sighed, “That’s a whole other story, dad. Suffice it to say, Kyle wasn’t anything like her father built him up to be.”
Phillip shook his head, “Well, if it’s like you say, how is it you still managed to be together and going to college no less?”
“Again, that’s a whole other story,” replied Max.
Diane nodded, “Okay then, let’s go to the dining room for dinner. You two can tell us all about this while we eat.”

We were still sitting in the dining room, enjoying some after dinner coffee with the carrot cake that Diane had made using a recipe of Michael’s when Max and I finally finished telling the entire story.
By this time, Phillip was livid. “Are you telling me that man still chose that delinquent over my son!”
Diane slid her hand over his hand that clutched the arm of his chair. “Phillip, it’s okay now. They’ve obviously worked things out.”
Max sighed and shook his head, “No mom. Liz’s father still prefers Kyle, but he and Kevin are the only ones. Everyone else is okay with Liz and I being together.”
Phillip shook his head, “I don’t understand it. Why would that man be so blinded by social status that he can’t see how good his daughter is turning out?” He turned to look at me as he continued, “You’re going to college and getting a degree in business. He’s the owner of a restaurant, doesn’t he see you could have helped him if you majored in management? You could be beneficial to him still. And even if you didn’t work with him, he would never have to worry about your well being because you’d have a good enough job to support yourself.”
Diane nodded, “That’s true. You’re going into a highly competitive market and if you’re as good as Max says you are, you’d come out at the top.”
“I agree,” added Phillip. “Then there’s the fact that you are with Max. Despite the fact that he modeled for a while, it doesn’t mean he suddenly stopped being smart. Even as he modeled, he saved his money and made good investments. And his business knowledge is still intact. I know he’ll continue to make good decisions like that and if the two of you combine your talents, you’ll blow all of us out of the water.”
As Phillip finished, Max slid his hand into mine and shared a smile with me.
“Well, at least the two of you are allowed to be happy now,” said Diane.
Max nodded, “Yeah, we’re trying. Liz is getting settled in my apartment and I’ll be helping her with college in the fall if she needs it.” He turned to look at his father as he said, “And I thought it was time to renegotiate the conditions you and I talked about.”
Phillip arched an eyebrow as he said, “Renegotiate, huh?” At Max’s nod, he chuckled, “Okay, then why don’t we step into my office and talk.”
Diane grinned, “Go ahead, you two I’ll keep Liz company.”
Max turned to look at me and asked, “Will you be okay?”
I smiled at Max as I said, “I’ll be fine. I’ll just help your mom with the clean up.” I leaned in to kiss his cheek as I added, “Don’t worry about me.”
He kissed me on the lips as he stood up and followed his dad out of the room.
Diane chuckled, “Well, he is certainly taken by you, my dear.”
I nodded as I said, “I’m certainly taken by him too.”
She laughed, “Certainly! Well, let’s get these dishes into the kitchen and load them in the dishwasher. We’ll talk some more as we clean up.”
Together we began the clean up of our dinner.

“And then he opened the box and I was speechless, just like he’d been all night,” finished Diane.
We were now sitting at the breakfast nook where Diane had been telling me how a stoic Phillip had proposed to her. I’d found out that Phillip had always been a no nonsense type of guy, even before he’d met Diane. Somehow, Diane had managed to see through his gruff demeanor to the kind hearted protective man underneath.
Their courtship had lasted only four months before Phillip had proposed to her. That was what had her so speechless, he’d surprised her. Of course, once she’d gotten over her shock, she’d immediately accepted. They’d been together ever since.
I smiled at her, “Wow, that’s so sweet, the way he did it.”
Diane nodded, “I know. I never would have expected something like that from him. I think that’s what made it so special in the end. The whole, complete surprise of it.”
We giggled about that as Max came into the room. He smiled at us and leaned down to give me a kiss.
As he pulled back, he asked, “So, what are my two favorite ladies talking about?”
Diane and I looked at each other and giggled again.
As I stood up, I slid my hand into Max’s and said, “Your mom was telling me about how she met your dad.”
“Oh,” he chuckled, “That story again.”
Diane rolled her eyes at her son, but she wore a smile.
“So, want a tour of the place? So you won’t get lost?” he asked.
I playfully swatted his arm. “Max!”
We all laughed as he led me out of the kitchen and began to show me around his parent’s home.
It was a two story, six bedroom four and a half bath house with a guest suite out back behind the pool. Max led me through the rooms downstairs which consisted of the kitchen, the family room, the dining room, the living room, his father’s office, and adjacent study which his mother used.
All of the rooms were larger than usual, but Diane had decorated each one of them to make them feel inviting. The kitchen was decorated in ivory and yellows and had a comfortable breakfast nook with a picturesque window seat. A long island separated the cooking area from the breakfast area.
The family room was filled with lots of couches, chairs, and a couple of recliners. It was a room for the family to gather and read or play board games. It was decorated in vivid greens and browns while the dining room was decorated in darker shades to give it a more elegant feel. The dining room had the long table that sat eight and two buffet tables along the walls.
The living room had a couple of couches and recliners surrounding a huge entertainment center. There was a widescreen television with a DVD player, surround sound, and a couple of game boxes plugged into it. His father’s office was wall to wall shelves and a huge desk with several chairs surrounding it and a computer on the desk.
His mother’s study had a desk in it too, plus shelves and drawers as well as a long table that had plenty of cloth, rulers, and tools on it. There was also an ironing board and sewing machine in the room.
As Max and I made our way upstairs, he led me into the first bedroom which had been converted into a library of sorts. I was walking along the shelves, looking at the books when his mother came in.
“Excuse me kids, but Max, can you help me with something for a moment?”
Max nodded, “Sure, I’ll be right back, beautiful.”
I gave him a smile and went back to browsing through the books. I had been doing that for a few minutes when Phillip came into the room.
“Hello again, Liz.”
I turned and smiled at him, “Hello, Mr. Evans.”
He chuckled, “Now I know I told you to call me Phillip.”
“Oh, sorry Phillip.”
“Better. So, Max giving you the grand tour?”
I nodded, “Yes, I got to see downstairs, but Diane needed help with something before Max could show me all of upstairs.”
Phillip nodded, “Oh, well, he’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”
I looked at the books again and said, “This is quite a collection you’ve got going Phillip.”
He grinned, “Well, it’s not all mine. There’s books from Diane and the boys added their own over the years too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I figured when they get their own places, they could integrate these treasures into them. You know, for their children.”
I turned to look at him with a smile, “That’s a great idea, Phillip.”
I was a little shocked to see him blush. He walked to my side as we both looked at the books on the shelves.
After a little more silence, he said, “I’m glad Max found you Liz.”
I blinked as I slid my gaze to him.
He continued, “It’s been rough for him, growing up. He had to be wary of anyone he met because they weren’t interested in him. And then there was me. I was hard on him growing up because I didn’t want him to make any mistakes that could cost us everything. In doing that, I nearly lost him. But Max is a survivor and in the end, he found you. I know you love him for who he is and not what he has. You are strong enough for the both of you and I thank you for that. I know my son will be just fine in your capable hands.”
As I stared at Phillip, Max came back into the room. “Hey dad, mom’s looking for you.”
He turned a smile on his son, “Figured she would be.” He gave me a nod, “Enjoy the rest of the tour, Liz.”
As he walked past his son, he playfully punched him on the shoulder before walking out of the room.
Max took my hand in his as he said, “Ready to finish the tour?”
I blinked away my shock and nodded as Max led me out of the room to the next one.
Another of the bedrooms had been converted into a game room with a dart board, pool table, chess table, and pinball machine. Next to that room was a bathroom which was supposed to be shared by the library, game room, and guest bedroom next to it.
The last three bedrooms each had their own bathrooms. One was Michael’s, the other was Max’s which he hadn’t really been in since he’d moved out and the last was his parent’s master bedroom. Each one of them had a color and theme that seemed to suit the occupants well. Anyone could walk into Max’s or Michael’s and know which one of them lived there. The same could be said about his parent’s room.
We went downstairs and Max finished the tour by showing me the pool area and the guest suite. There was a huge deck with a state of the art barbeque grill and accessories. Surrounding the oblong pool were plenty of tables with umbrellas and chaise lounges. The guest suite was one huge room with a bed, kitchenette, bathroom, and a round dining table with four chairs.
Once we finished, Max asked me if I was ready to go home and I said yes. We walked back into the house to say goodbye to his parents and came upon them in the living room.
They were sitting together on the couch watching television. Diane was leaning against Phillip’s side and he had his arm around her. I smiled when I saw him lean down to place a kiss on top of her head before nuzzling it.
Max was about to interrupt when I squeezed his hand and shook my head. Diane had just tilted her head back to give Phillip a kiss. We waited in silence for them to finish their kiss before Max cleared his throat.
His parents turned their heads and smiled at us, still comfortable on the couch.
“Ah, so the tour is over, huh?” asked Phillip.
Max chuckled, “Yep. Now Liz won’t be getting lost anytime soon.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “He’s never gonna let that go.”
He gave me his trademark smirk as he said, “Nope.” Then he turned back to his parents, “We’re going to head on home now.”
Diane nodded, “Of course, don’t want it to get too late now do we?”
She and Phillip got up to see us to the door. Phillip gave Max a hug as Diane hugged me.
“It was a wonderful having you over, Liz. I hope you and I will see each other again soon.”
“Thanks for having me, Diane. And I’d like that.” I replied.
Phillip moved over to me as Diane hugged Max. Phillip gave me a smile as he said, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Liz.”
I returned his smile, “Same here, Phillip.” He chuckled, then leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, engulfing me in a hug.
As he pulled away, I noticed both Diane and Max looking on in shock. Phillip stepped back and wrapped his arm around Diane as they waved to us.
“You two be safe!” Diane called as Max helped me into the car.
“Bye, son. Don’t be a stranger Liz,” called Phillip.
Max started the car and we waved one last time before leaving his parents house.

I giggled as Max tightened his arms around my waist and walked me towards our bedroom. As soon as we’d gotten home, he’d pulled me in for a long kiss before saying how he’d known his parents were going to love me. When I’d told him I loved his parents too, he’d kissed me again until we’d both been breathless.
Then I’d told him that I still loved him the best out of everyone and he’d growled, “You had better.”
That’s what had me giggling. That and the fact that he’d spun me around to face away from him and then proceeded to nibble on my neck. He was still doing that as he walked us to the bedroom and closed the door behind him with his foot.
As he took my earlobe in his teeth, he mumbled, “I love you, beautiful.”
I sighed, as his hands slid under my shirt to caress my skin, “I love you too, Max.”
He kissed my neck and whispered, “How much do you love me?”
I giggled, “How much?”
“Um hm, how much?” he asked as he continued to kiss his way up my neck and behind my ear.
“Well, um, I…” It was hard to concentrate when his lips were doing delicious things to my neck and his fingers were teasing the edge of my skirt.
Suddenly, he stopped and turned me around to face him. I whimpered in protest, but Max just gave me a gentle smile before he went down on one knee.
Before I had a chance to say anything, he asked, “Do you love me enough to marry me?”
My eyes went wide as he held up the beautiful jade and diamond ring for me to see. “Oh, Max!” I whispered as tears began to well up in my eyes. I nodded my head, “Yes. Yes, Max I do!”
He gave me that rare full blown smile, the one that showed his dimples and slid the ring onto my finger when I held my hand out. I laughed as I looked down at it, “Um, it’s kind of big.”
He gave me a sheepish grin, “Yeah, I figured it would be. It was mom’s and…”
I gasped, “This is your mothers? Oh, Max I can’t take this!”
He stood up and nodded, “Yes you can. She wanted you to have it.” As I looked up at him, he continued, “When I talked to my dad earlier I told him I wanted to go back to work with him sooner than I’d agreed because I wanted to ask you to marry me. While I was taking you on the tour, he told mom and that’s why she came and asked me to help her. She really wanted to give me this because she wanted me to give it to you when I proposed. It belonged to my father’s mother, then my mom. Now it goes to you.”
“Oh Max, it’s so beautiful.”
He caressed my cheek, “Not as beautiful as you.” I smiled at him through my tears. “Nothing will ever be as beautiful as you, Liz.”
I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. “I love you Max! I’d love nothing more than to be your wife.”
He hugged me back, “I love you too, beautiful.” He pulled me away to look into my eyes, “We’ll get the ring reshaped to fit your finger, okay?”
I giggled, “I was just going to use some string.”
He rolled his eyes, “String! Nope, my girl will always have nothing but the best.”
“But I already have the best, Max. I have you.”
He blushed at that before taking me back in his arms and sealing our lips together again.

TBC...

[Shadowlynxbehr]

La'Shon- Thank you . You will find out who Liz chooses to ask to give her away here. Thanks.

anonymous- Thanks

roswell- Thanks, I was hoping Phillip would come across as a 'gruff' teddy bear, LOL.

Erina- LOL, yes it is. Thanks.

Q.F.- You'll see . Awww, .

EVE- Thanks.

Em- LOL, true.

Behrsgurl- thanks

BehrObsession- LOL, good for you! You'll find out soon. Thank you

vero- LOL, it was wasn't it? Thanks.


Part 32

Two days after Max had proposed to me, I met my mom and Serena for lunch at Serena’s favorite restaurant, Cheddar’s. Max had dropped me off before going on to run some errands for the both of us. After the three of us had ordered and my mother asked how things were going with Max, I knew it was the perfect time to tell her the news.
Lifting my hand up so that they could see it, I showed them the ring as I announced, “Max and I are getting married!”
My mother’s eyes went wide in amazement as Serena smiled and leaned over to get a closer look.
“Oh, Liz! Honey that is so wonderful!” exclaimed my mother.
Serena nodded, “Yeah, I knew you guys would get married!” She stopped and gave me a puzzled look, “So, that will make him my brother right?”
My mother chuckled, “In a way, yes. He’ll actually be called your brother-in-law, but he’ll be a part of the family now. Like Isabel is.”
Serena nodded, “Right, I get it!” She grinned at me, “Way to go Liz!”
I laughed, “Thanks, sis.”
My mother took my hand in hers and brought it closer to her to see the ring. “Wow, it’s beautiful!”
I nodded, “Yeah, it’s his mother’s.”
She looked up at me as she asked, “His mother’s engagement ring?”
I chuckled, “Yes. He explained that it had been his grandmother’s engagement ring. Phillip’s mom. So, when Phillip asked Diane to marry him, it was passed on to her. Now, it’s mine. And someday, if we have a son, we’ll pass it on to the woman he chooses to marry.”
My mother nodded, “That is very romantic.”
My smile widened, “So was the way he proposed.”
Just as the waiter got there with our food, my mother grinned and said, “Oh, do tell!”

While we ate, I told them how Max had proposed. Telling them that he’d asked me how much I loved him and then he’d gotten down on one knee and asked if I loved him enough to marry him. I told them the story he’d told me about how he’d talked to his dad and then his dad had told his mom, then she’d given him the ring so he could ask me.
As lunch was winding down, mom asked if we’d started discussing the actual wedding or if we were going to hold off on it for a while.
“We are going to try for an end of July wedding.”
“End of July! Liz, that’s two months away!”
I nodded, “I know, but we want to get married before I start college at the end of August.”
“Oh, well that makes sense,” said my mother.
I smiled, “Well, we discussed our future plans and decided this is the way we want to do things, so we’ll see if it all works out.”
“Really? What plans are you talking about?”
“Well, we’re hoping this gives us enough time to find a house before we get married. Then we hope to have a week long honeymoon and when we get back, Max is going to go back and work with his dad again. Hopefully, I will have a week or two before school starts to finish moving into our new home.”
“You’re looking for a house?”
“Yep.”
“At the same time you are planning a wedding!”
I gave her a sheepish grin, “Well, Diane has volunteered to help with the wedding planning and Phillip has connections with several real estate agents, so our house hunting will be a little easier.”
My mother gave me a hurt look, “Oh, so Diane is helping with the wedding then?”
I took my mother’s hand in mine and said, “She volunteered mom, but I did tell her I wanted you to help too.” As she looked at me hopefully I asked, “Would you help me plan my wedding mom?”
“Oh honey! Of course I would! I’d love to help!”
I laughed as we both stood up and leaned over the table to hug each other. When we sat back down I continued, “Diane wanted me to give you her number so you could call her if you wanted her to help you with anything. Max’s parents are looking forward to meeting my family.”
“Okay, I’ll give her a call then. I can’t wait to meet them either. It’ll be wonderful to meet the people who raised a decent man like Max.”
“Thanks, mom.”
As she nodded, I turned to look at Serena. “Serena, would you be one of my bridesmaids?”
She gave me a stunned look and stuttered, “A bridesmaid? Really?”
“Yes. I want you and Isabel to be my bridesmaids since you two are my sisters.”
Serena launched out of her chair and hugged me tight, nearly causing me to tumble out of my chair. I laughed as she shrieked, “Yes! Yes!” She pulled away and grinned at my mother, “I get to be in the wedding too!”
My mother chuckled, “Yes you do, darling! And I know you’ll make a very pretty bridesmaid!”
As Serena giggled and returned to her chair my mother asked, “Have you already asked Isabel?”
I shook my head, “No. I wanted to tell you the news first before I started telling everyone else. Max and I plan on stopping by their house later today to ask Isabel that. Plus, I want to ask Alex if he’ll be the one to give me away.”
“Oh Liz! Alex will definitely say yes!”
“I hope so,” I whispered.
My mother gave my hand a gentle squeeze, “He will, honey. I have no doubt.” We sat in silence for a few moments before she said, “I take it you will be asking Maria to be the maid of honor.”
I nodded, “Yeah, and Max is going to ask Michael to be the best man.”
My mother chuckled, “That’s perfect!”

The three of us were making our way out of the restaurant as my mother asked, “So, which college did you end up choosing after all?”
“The state university.”
My mother smiled, “That’s the one in the city right? The one that has one of the best business schools in the state?”
I nodded, “Yes, that’s the one. I got accepted into the program so I’ll be going there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get that much money since dad makes too much and there was tough competition for scholarships. But Max said he would help me pay for school since he’s got a lot from his investments.”
My mother appeared to be lost in thought for a moment before she exclaimed, “Wait a minute! I think your father set up a bond for you! I think he did that for each one of you when each of you were born. But I think the rule was that you can’t touch it until you are twenty-one. I’ll have to ask Alex about that, maybe he can even find a way to change that so you can get it earlier.”
My eyes went wide. “Alex is twenty-two! Shouldn’t he have his already?” I asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think your father has even mentioned it to him!” Her eyes narrowed as she hissed, “And I think I have an idea why. Oh, that man! If this is at all like I suspect, I’m definitely going to talk to Alex about this!”
Serena and I gave each other puzzled looks, but before I had a chance to ask what she was talking about, I heard my name called out.
Max walked up to us at a brisk pace before wrapping an arm around my waist and giving me a kiss. “Sorry I took so long,” he said, “but I just came from talking to my dad to see what else we could do to help pay for your school.”
“It’s okay, we just walked out anyway.”
My mother laid her hand on Max’s arm as she said, “Max, thank you for trying to help my daughter go to college.”
He gave her a smile, “It’s not a problem Nancy. I promised her I’d help her with whatever she needed.” He turned his smile to me as he added, “And since she’s going to be my wife, it’s my duty to make her happy and give her the support she needs.”
I giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before my mother said, “Max, I think Liz may have more money coming to her soon. I have to talk to Alex first to find out if that’s true. But in the meantime, congratulations and welcome to the family!”
Max blushed as my mother engulfed him in a hug. “Thanks Nancy,” he said.
When my mother pulled away, Serena went up to him and hugged him too. “Welcome to the family, Max! I’m glad you’re going to be my brother!” As she pulled away she asked, “Did you know Liz was going to ask me to be in the wedding?”
Max nodded and gave her a huge grin, “Yep. We both wanted you to be in it. You are her sister after all and we wanted our families to be a big part of it.”
My mother shook her head, “You know, in all the years I’ve known Kyle, he never really spoke about his family the way you always do, Max.” She turned to look at me as she said, “He’s definitely a keeper honey.”
Turning back to Max, she finished, “I’m sorry Max. For taking so long to realize what you and Liz had.”
Max gave her a gentle smile, “It’s okay, Nancy. It’s in the past now and we’re all looking forward to a better future as one big, happy family.”
My mother nodded, “Yes, you are right about that. Well, I won’t keep you any longer, I know you have to spread the good news to the others. I’ll give Diane a call later to discuss getting together soon. Liz, I’ll talk to Alex after you talk to him and see if I can find out about the bonds I believe your father has for all of you. Hopefully that will help with your schooling.”
I nodded, “Okay, thanks mom.” I gave her a hug before giving one to Serena. “Bye mom! Bye Rena!”
The four of us waved our goodbyes as Max and I walked hand in hand to his car.

The rest of the day, Max and I spent going from place to place making the announcement to everyone else. After we’d left mom and Serena, we went to Maria’s house which was where Michael was spending more and more of his time at when he wasn’t busy with being a chef.
The four of us were in Maria’s den when Max and I told them about the engagement. Maria’s reaction had all of us jumping in our seats as she screeched then launched herself at me. She was squeezing the life out of me at the same time she was chattering a mile a minute.
Michael finally took pity on me and told Maria that I needed to keep breathing in order to make it to the wedding day. As he guided Maria back to her seat, Max pulled me closer to him and literally looked me over to see if any damage had been done.
Once Maria had calmed down, I asked her if she would be my maid of honor. She screeched once more, but before she had a chance to launch herself at me again, Michael pulled her back to his side. It was a good thing too because Max was ready to throw himself in front of me to keep her from getting too close to me.
When they’d settled down again and it was clear that Maria had agreed to be my maid of honor, it was Max’s turn to ask Michael to be the best man. Michael’s reaction was completely different than Maria’s. He sat there stunned that Max wanted him to do that. When he’d finally spoken, his voice had cracked with all of the emotion he had as he said he’d be honored to do it.
We sat there for a while just talking to them, telling them our plans for the wedding and for our future together. Eventually, we just started talking about nothing in particular and it felt good to just relax among friends. We finally left Maria’s house as the evening began since we knew Alex would be home from work by then.
Alex was the one who answered the door with a grin when he realized it was us. He gave me a hug and shook Max’s hand as he ushered us in and said Isabel was just finishing up dinner. Max and I told him we weren’t staying long since we just stopped by to tell him and Isabel something.
When the four of us were sitting in the living room, Max and I told them that we were engaged. Isabel cried out and launched herself at Max, hugging him tightly and saying “I knew it! I knew you’d finally found the one!”
As Alex dragged her back to the couch, he gave us both a huge smile and congratulated us. Isabel added her own congratulations too. Then, it was my turn to talk to the both of them.
First, I asked Isabel if she’d be a bridesmaid since Serena was one and I wanted my sisters to be bridesmaids. Her eyes had teared up as she readily agreed, feeling honored that I considered her as a sister.
Then, I asked Alex if he would give me away at the wedding. Like Michael, he was speechless and like Isabel, he had unshed tears in his eyes. After a few moments of composing himself, he said he would be honored to give me to Max.
I hugged Alex with tears in my own eyes and Max shook his hand again, thanking him for doing this for the both of us. When we’d settled down again, Max and I quickly filled them in about our plans before leaving so that they could have their dinner. They had invited us to stay, but we politely declined and made our way home to have our own quiet dinner together.

Max and I were cleaning up the remains of the dinner we’d cooked together which we’d eaten out on the balcony when he asked, “You sure this is what you want beautiful?”
I knew what he was asking. “Yes. I want my family there. The ones who’ve been supportive of both you and I. You know my father would never approve. There’s no way I want him there to spoil our special day.”
He nodded as we walked into the kitchen with the dirty dishes.
“Besides, Alex has always been supportive of us,” I continued, “and he genuinely likes you. I want him to be the one to give me away to you.”
“Okay.” He began put the dishes into the dishwasher before coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I stopped putting the leftovers away and leaned back against him as he asked, “And Kevin?”
I rolled my eyes, “Right. As if I want to give him and Kyle an excuse to ruin our wedding!”
Max chuckled softly and said, “Just checking.” I smiled as he leaned down and kissed my shoulder.
I sighed and closed my eyes as Max kissed a trail up my shoulder to my neck before he slowly turned me around to face him.
Taking my face in his hands, he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I can’t believe that in two months you are going to be my wife.”
I returned his smile and slid my arms around his waist. “And I can’t believe that in two months you are going to be my husband.”
As soon as I finished saying that, Max covered my lips with his and proceeded to do what he did best. He made me breathless and turned my legs to jelly.
As I clung to him, he walked me backwards until I was against the counter. Lifting me up, he settled me on the edge of it after pushing away the food containers.
I wrapped my legs around his and slid my hands up his chest, pulling his shirt up as I went.
Max stopped kissing me long enough to let me pull his shirt off of him before going back to my lips.
I moaned as his hands gripped my ass and pulled him closer to him, grinding his groin against mine. I slid my hands down his sides and slid them between our bodies to undo his pants. Just as I took him into my hands, his lips had moved to my neck to lick and nibble there.
I felt him moan against my throat as I slowly stroked the length of him. He gripped me closer and lifted his head to look into my eyes.
“God, I want you so much beautiful.”
I nodded and said in between pants, “I want you too, Max.”
He captured my lips once more before lifting me up and carrying me out of the kitchen.
I had my legs and arms wrapped tightly around him as he carried me into the bedroom. He lowered me to my feet next to the bed and we hastily removed our clothes in between kissing each other.
Tumbling onto the bed, I maneuvered us until I was above him. As I straddled his waist, I pulled my lips from him and looked down at him with a smile. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I moved back until I had lined up my groin with his.
I took his cock in my hand and guided him to my opening as I slowly sank down onto him. I could feel his fingers curling around my hips as I watched his eyes go to half mast. Still, we didn’t look away from each other.
I sat there for a few moments trailing my hands over his chest, staring into his eyes, and enjoying the way he felt inside of me. Then slowly I began to move my hips.
Max let me take the lead only using his hands on my hips to help me ride him.
Soon, I closed my eyes in pleasure and tilted my head back slightly. I could feel Max’s hands begin to wander up my body.
He cupped my breasts and teased my nipples with his thumb and forefinger. I moaned and leaned back, curling my fingers into his thighs for added leverage as his hands wandered back down my body.
As my walls tightened around his cock, I heard Max gasp. “Liz! Yes!”
His fingers gripped my hips once more as he lifted his hips, sending himself deeper into me.
I sat up and curled my fingers around his wrists as our pace quickened. “Max! That feels so good! I’m so close, baby!”
He grunted beneath me as he continued to thrust himself up into my body. “Yes, it feels good. Come for me beautiful!”
As he thrust into me once more, I let myself go with a scream. “Oh Maaaaxxxx!”
He tossed his head back as he felt me come and cried out, “Liz! Fuck, yes!”
I continued to grip him in my body as he spilled his seed into me. My hips continued to grind against his until our climax began to pass by and our bodies slowed down.
Finally, I stopped moving and collapsed on top of him, completely sated and exhausted.
Max wrapped his arms around me as we lay there letting our breathing and the beating of our hearts return to normal.
After a few minutes I mumbled against his neck, “We didn’t finish cleaning up.”
He chuckled beneath me. “It’s okay. It’ll still be there later. At least it’s all in the kitchen and in containers.”
“Mm hm,” I agreed.
He sighed, “I’m feeling too lazy to want to get up from here.”
I smiled sleepily against his neck, “Mm hm.”
I rolled off of him and turned around, pulling Max against my back. He covered us with the sheets before spooning me against his chest. As his arms settled around me, he kissed my neck.
“I love you, Max,” I whispered.
“Love you too, beautiful.”

TBC...

[Shadowlynxbehr]

Q.F.- I'm glad you enjoyed Maria, I had a blast writing her.

punk- LOL, Kyle is actually my second fave after Max, my first. So, you can imagine how hard it's been to write him as this really baaaad guy. I'm glad you're liking everything .

Em- Thanks.

EVE- LOL, I enjoyed writing her too.

Behrsgurl- Thanks .

anonymous- LOL, here's hoping...

roswell- Hmm...let's see...

BehrObsession- We'll find out about the bonds in the next part .

La'Shon- I agree, Jeff should be banned . Let's see what happens here...bonds will be in the next part.


Okay, here we go....


Part 33

A few days after Max and I had told our friends and family about our wedding, Phillip came over to our apartment.
I opened the door with a smile, “Hi Phillip, Max isn’t here right now.”
He nodded, “That’s okay. I actually wanted to talk to you. Do you mind?”
I shook my head, “Not at all, come in.” I stepped back to let him in.
As he sat down on the couch, I closed the front door and walked over to him. “Can I get you anything?”
“No thank you. I’m good.”
I nodded and sat next to him on the couch. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
He gave me a smile as he said, “I heard that you got accepted to the state university in the city.”
I nodded, “Yes, I start at the end of August.”
“Well, congratulations Liz. It is a fine business school you will be attending.”
I smiled, “Thanks, Phillip.”
He nodded, “There’s something I wanted to discuss with you. After Max came to me and said he would be helping you with school finances with the money he’s already saved up, plus the money he will earn when he goes back to work for me I thought there could be another way to help the both of you out.”
“Really? How’s that?”
“Well, I know it may be too early since you haven’t even started school yet, but I was wondering if you have an idea of where you’d like to work when you graduate.”
I shrugged my shoulders, “I know I will look for something locally, but I haven’t looked around at the possible places yet.”
He nodded, “I thought so. Well, I would like to be the first to offer you a place in my firm if you’d be interested.”
I stared at him in shock. “In your firm?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Phillip, are you sure you know what you’re asking? It’s like you said, I haven’t even started school yet. How would you even know if I can do it?”
He gave me another smile, “I trust my son, Liz. Max was always really good at what he did and he always had an eye for seeing the competition. So, when Max told me about how good you already are at accounting, I thought it was perfectly natural to offer you a position in the firm. Whether you do accounting or bookkeeping, you’ll have a place there. Plus, you can work your way up to a management position if that’s what you want to do.”
I arched an eyebrow, “So you’re saying you’ll have an open position in four or so years?”
He chuckled, “I’m saying that if you want to start interning when school starts, you can do so. I know I can work with the school to make arrangements for you to start interning with my firm as soon as possible. Even if you don’t want to stay there, it’ll help to have experience, plus I can arrange for the pay you earn as an intern to go towards your school payments.”
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Now you know you don’t have to agree to it Liz. Even if you don’t want to accept this, Diane and I will do everything we can to help Max and you pay for your expenses. I just thought I’d help you out not only with the expenses, but with some experience for you. And you don’t have to make a decision right away. I mean, before school starts if you want to start working then, but if you want to wait a little longer, that’s fine too. No matter what you decide, I’ll find a way to make it work for you.”
“Thank you for the offer Phillip. And you’re right, I do want to think about this for a while before I give you an answer.”
He nodded, “Not a problem. I just wanted to make the offer now, so you would have some time to think about it.”
I nodded.
“Okay, well now that that’s done, there’s one more thing I’d like to give you.”
I chuckled, “Why am I beginning to think Max put you up to this?”
He grinned, “Trust me, he didn’t. He did tell us about the things he’s been trying to do for you and of course Diane and I decided we’d help out. You are going to be family after all, so it’s only natural for us to take care of you the way we try with our sons.”
As I chuckled again he said, “Max told me about the situation with your dad and the car he gave you.”
I rolled my eyes, “He did, did he? Did he also happen to mention the struggle I went through when my father was trying to buy me a car in the first place?”
He grinned, “Yes. He said you tried to convince your father to get a reasonable car and not something flashy or expensive like everyone else in your family had.”
I nodded, “Yes. That’s why I left the car with my father. It’s his and I don’t want anything to do with it.” I sighed, “Although I know I’m probably going to have to look into getting a second hand car soon otherwise I’m going to drive Max crazy with having to take me places or pick me up.”
“Well, you won’t be driving him crazy any time soon.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, “What did you do?”
He stood up and dangled a set of keys as he said, “Why don’t you come outside with me and take a look.”
As I followed him to the front door I said, “Oh Phillip you really shouldn’t have done this. I was going to wait and get a used car, one that would be good enough to get me around until I could afford to get a new one. I didn’t think…”
I stopped the moment we’d made it outside and Phillip motioned to the car a few parking spaces down from the apartment.
“Phillip!” I whispered.
He gave me a smile, “I hope it’s not too far out of your range.”
I slowly shook my head as I continued to stare at the car. It was a red Toyota Camry. And just looking at it, I knew it was at least two years old, but still looked relatively brand new.
As we walked over to it, Phillip filled me in. “I figured you’d like the Camry and I decided not to get a brand new one for you, even though there was one on the lot that kept tempting me. Anyway, this one is two years old and has five hundred miles on it. I had it checked out and it’s still in very good condition, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
I nodded as I looked the car over.
“So what do you say, Liz?”
I sighed, “Phillip, you really didn’t…”
“I know, but you do need a car since Max will be going back to work soon.” He shrugged, “Think of it as an engagement present from Diane and me.”
I laughed, “An engagement present huh?”
I turned to look at the car again. I couldn’t help but be amazed at how astute Phillip truly was. He’d known exactly the kind of car to get for me. This was not a flashy, expensive car. It was a used car, in fairly good condition, and it was very economical. Exactly the kind of car I would have gotten for myself.
Finally I turned and looked at Phillip with a smile. “I love it Phillip. Thank you.”
He grinned, “So, you’ll take it?”
I nodded, “Yes, I would love to have this car. It’s perfect.”
He chuckled and dropped the keys into my hand, “You’re welcome.”

Max slid his arms around my waist and leaned over me, pressing a kiss against my neck as we walked out of the restaurant.
I giggled and leaned back against him. “Dinner was wonderful, Max.”
He chuckled and whispered into my ear as we waited for the valet to bring the car. “Can’t wait to get home and have some dessert.”
I turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Hm, and I would love to share it with you, handsome.” I whispered as I tilted my head back in invitation.
He gave me his trademark smirk as he leaned down to kiss me. Just as his lips met mine, we heard screams and I felt something whiz by us.
Max and I looked up at the same time, but it was Max who saw Kyle first. He was running towards us, pointing a gun. Max didn’t hesitate to push me behind him.
We all heard the sound of the gun going off again and I felt Max push me down to the ground as more screams rent the air. I could feel Max stumble back against me, but as I looked up at him, he was already running towards Kyle.
This time I was the one who screamed as I watched the scene play out in front of me in horror.
Kyle had been trying to aim the gun at Max through the crowd of people he was maneuvering through. Max had been dodging thorough the crowd too, making it hard for Kyle to aim at him. But there was suddenly an opening in the crowd and Kyle aimed. A split second after Max lunged at him, Kyle pulled the trigger. Just as I screamed, Max dodged the bullet and grabbed Kyle by the waist, lifting him up and slamming him down into the pavement.
I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the two of them as Max kicked the gun out of Kyle’s hand and pounced on him when he’d tried to get up.
“Max! Stop!” I yelled as he began to pummel Kyle.
I knew better than to get in the way, but Max wasn’t listening to me. Kyle lifted his hands and tried to get in a few swings. I could see some of his hits connecting, but they were no where near as effective as the ones Max rained on him.
As I continued to hover around the two of them, Kyle reached up and dug his fingers into Max’s left shoulder. Max screamed and wrapped his hand around Kyle’s wrist, attempting to pull his fingers away. It was then that I noticed the blood covering the front of Max’s shirt.
“Max!” I gasped as Kyle shoved him off of him and tried to scramble up.
Just as Kyle got to his feet and prepared to lunge at Max, voices intruded.
“Freeze, Police!”
Everyone froze as the police made their way among us, trying to find out what had happened.
With my heart in my throat, I turned to look at Max. He was still laying on the ground where Kyle had shoved him, his eyes closed in pain.
“Max?” I whispered as I moved towards him.
A police officer stepped in my way. “Don’t move, ma’am.”
I looked up at him, “Please, he’s my fiancé and he’s injured!”
“He’s not the one who had the gun, it was the other one. The other one shot him.” The police officer and I turned to see a group of people standing behind a line of police officers among whom one of them had spoken.
“Are you sure?” asked the officer.
Several heads nodded and one of the men spoke, “Yeah, that guy” he said as he pointed to Kyle who was getting handcuffed, “came charging in here pointing the gun at the other guy and her. The other guy managed to get the gun out of his hands before he could do anymore shooting.”
The officer nodded and stepped back, allowing me to go to Max. As I stumbled to his side and knelt down besides him, I could hear the sound of an ambulance approaching.
“Max?”
He opened his eyes to look up at me. “Liz?”
I smiled as I ran my fingers through his hair, “Hold on, baby. The ambulance is on it’s way. You’re going to be okay.”
He gave me a small smile and threaded his fingers into mine as he closed his eyes once more.

“Liz?”
The sound of my mother’s voice made me look up from the seat in the waiting room where I sat. She was walking towards me with the rest of my family trailing behind.
“Mom!” I cried as I got up and rushed into her open arms. She held me close, hugging me and letting me take comfort in her arms.
I pulled away and Serena came to give me a hug as my mother asked, “How is he?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know yet. They are still working on his wound.”
“What happened?” asked Isabel.
I sighed as we all took a seat in the waiting room. “We were leaving the restaurant that we had dinner in when Kyle came at us with a gun. The first shot missed us and Max managed to push me to the ground before Kyle got the next shot off. Unfortunately that shot got Max in his left shoulder.”
As everyone gasped Alex asked, “How bad did it look?”
“By the time I’d noticed it, the front left side of his shirt was soaked. But that was after he’d ran after Kyle, dodged the next shot, picked Kyle up, slammed him into the ground, and proceeded to pummel him.”
I looked up at my mother as I added, “Even then, I didn’t notice until Kyle managed to dig his fingers into Max’s wound before shoving him off of him.”
As my mother frowned Isabel asked, “How did Kyle know to find you at the restaurant?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know. Max and I decided to go eat there on the spur of the moment.”
Serena piped in, “Maybe he followed you two there?”
“Maybe. I was never aware of being followed.”
My mother shook her head, “I thought this whole thing with Kyle was over with. I just talked to his mother the other day and she said Kyle seemed to be over you.”
I nodded, “I thought so too, mom.”
“I don’t get it though,” said Isabel, “Why would Kyle try to shoot you if he wanted you back?”
“He wasn’t trying to shoot Liz, he was trying to kill me.”
We all turned to see Max leaning against the door frame, his left arm in a sling.
“Max! Oh thank God you’re all right!” I exclaimed as I rushed to his side.
He slid his good arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead, “I’m fine, beautiful. It wasn’t deep.” He turned to look at the others and said, “Kyle was aiming the gun at me. I saw him aim it directly at me when he shot me and the first bullet that missed, it was aimed at the spot I’d just shifted away from.”
“What! Someone tried to shoot my son!” boomed Phillip’s voice from the hallway as he and Diane came into the waiting room.
Diane immediately went to Max’s side and he gave her a hug when I stepped away to let him. “Oh, Max!”
“I’m all right, mom.” He looked up at his father, “I’m fine.”
Phillip pursed his lips to keep from saying anything, but Diane said, “Who tried to shoot you?”
“Kyle,” I replied.
Phillip’s eyes went wide, “Your ex? I thought that was over with? How did he find you?”
“We don’t know dad. I think he followed us there. We decided to go out to dinner at the last minute.”
“So, why was he after you?” asked my mother, “He was supposed to be over you.”
“He said if he couldn’t have Liz, she wouldn’t have me either.” replied Max.
I looked up at him, “What?”
Max nodded, “He said it the last time he tried to aim the gun at me, just before I kicked it out of his hand. He muttered it so low that I almost didn’t hear it, but I did.”
“Okay, so why now? I mean, he’s known that you and Liz have been an item all along.” stated Alex.
“That, I don’t know.” said Max.
“Maybe he was responding to your engagement?” replied Phillip.
All heads turned towards him as silence descended. Finally I shook my head, “But we haven’t told anyone outside of the family yet.” I looked at Diane and my mother as I added, “And none of the invitations have been sent out yet, right?”
They both nodded, until my mother’s eyes narrowed. “Unless…”
We all looked at her as I asked, “Unless what?”

“Kevin! Come down here this instant!” my mother yelled as we all followed her into the house.
My father heard her yelling and came out of his office grumbling, “Really Nancy, must you…”
He stopped when he saw all of us behind him. With a frown he asked, “What’s going on?”
As Kevin came down the stairs, my mother turned to glare at him. “When was the last time you spoke to Kyle?”
“Huh?” asked Kevin.
“You heard me! When, Kevin!”
Kevin rolled his eyes, “Yesterday I guess.”
“You guess?” hissed Alex. “If I were you, I’d have more respect towards our mother before I knock some sense into you!”
“Fine! Yes, I talked to him yesterday!” he snapped.
“Did you tell Kyle about Liz and Max being engaged?” asked my mother.
My father rolled his eyes, “What difference does it make? Everyone knows they’re engaged.”
My mother turned to look at him, “Not everyone. Only the people in this room and Michael and Maria know about it. We haven’t sent out the invitations yet so no one else should know.”
Kevin shrugged, “So what if Kyle knows, everyone will know when you send the invites out.”
“Kyle attacked Max today, Kevin!” I shouted.
Kevin turned to me with a sneer, “Well apparently it wasn’t that bad of an attack.”
“Jesus, Kevin! Kyle had a gun!” roared Alex.
“What?” whispered my father.
I turned to him and nodded, “Yes. We were leaving a restaurant a few hours ago and he came with a gun.” I indicated Max’s shoulder behind me. “He shot Max in the shoulder before Max kicked it away from him and beat him down until the police arrived.”
My father turned to look at Max, shock in his eyes. “Good lord!”
Kevin frowned at my father, “I thought Kyle was supposed to be a good shot?”
My father cringed as every one of us turned to look at him. My mother hissed, “Jeff, tell me you didn’t have anything to do with this!”
There was a pause before my father swallowed. Finally he said, “I didn’t know he was going to try to kill Max.”
“But you knew he was up to something!” I growled.
He turned to look at me. “I knew Kevin told Kyle about your engagement. And Kevin said Kyle was upset about it. I didn’t think anything about it until Kevin came home last night mumbling about something.”
Alex growled at Kevin, “And what were you mumbling?”
Kevin swallowed, “Kyle said he was tired of everyone thinking of Max as the perfect saint. He said he was going to go talk to the guy and make him tell Liz she was better off without him.”
My mother yelled at my father, “And you knew this! You knew he was going to talk to Max?”
“I thought he was going to talk to him. I didn’t think he’d try to kill him.”
“God dad! This is Kyle! Did you honestly think he’d want to talk to Max? He’s never had anything civil to say to Max before!” I screamed.
“Maybe he wouldn’t have talked quietly, but he said he was going to talk. All I heard was what Kevin told me. There was no indication that he was going to kill the man!”
Phillip stepped up to my father then, “Look, I don’t know where you come from, but where I come from, if Kevin had come home mumbling something like that. And knowing what I know you know of this Kyle, the warning bells would have definitely gone off in my head.”
My father frowned, “You don’t know Kyle, he’s not…”
“Don’t you dare start defending that boy again, Jeff! He’s not your son!” snapped my mother.
“He may not be my son, but he’s just as good.”
Now it was Max’s turn to step up to him, “You know something Jeff Parker? You are a real piece of work. Did it not occur to you that whatever Kyle had planned could have involved Liz? Did you not hear what she said?” he hissed. “He put your daughter’s life in danger too! She was right there when he tried to shoot me the first time!”
“Kyle would have never harmed Liz.” my father snapped.
“You son of a bitch! If he had hurt Liz, I would have kicked your ass!” roared Max.
“I’m kicking your ass just for good measure,” snapped Phillip.
Before either one of them could make a move, my mother walked up to my father and slapped him.
Silence descended in the room as we all stared at them. My mother’s voice came out in a deadly whisper, “How dare you put our daughter’s life and the life of the man she loves in danger like that. Have you no morals?”
My father just looked at her as the shock wore off, he finally whispered, “Nancy, I…”
“Save it, Jeffery! Whatever justification you have isn’t going to save you this time. You have gone too far! Mark my words Jeff Parker, I will tell your two oldest children the truth about the money you set up for them when they were born and why you never told them. Alex and I will get it all back from you before you know what’s hitting you.”
She turned to glare at Kevin. “And you. I have never been more ashamed of a child I bore than I am about you! How could you have possibly have come from the same place as my other children! You and your father deserve each other!”
She looked over her shoulder and snapped, “Serena, go back a bag, we’re not staying here tonight.” Turning back to my father she hissed, “If I never see either one of you again, it won’t be soon enough!”
As she stormed up the stairs to get her stuff, Diane looked at the rest of us, “I’m going up to help her and ask her to stay with us since we have lots of room.”
I nodded, “Thanks Diane.”
Phillip turned to glare at Jeff, “I’m going to wait with the car, but if Nancy needs help…”
“You go ahead, Phillip.” interrupted Alex, “I’ll help mom.”
I turned to Max and slid a hand over his cheek to get his attention, “Will you go wait with your dad while I help Rena?”
“Liz…”
“Max, I’ll go with her.” said Isabel.
Max nodded, “Thanks, Izzy.” He looked down at me and smiled, “I’ll wait in the car, beautiful.”
I smiled and gave him a kiss before watching him walk out of the house with his dad. I turned back around and started walking up the stairs.
“Liz…” I paused on the stairs without turning around.
“Don’t. Whatever you have to say, just don’t. Because everything that comes out of your mouth just gets uglier and uglier.” I stood there for a moment before I resumed walking upstairs to help Serena.
Alex stood at the bottom of the stairs and spoke. “I hope you’re proud of yourself dad. I hope everything you did for Kyle was worth all of this. I’m sure he’s going to enjoy the visits you’ll be paying him while he’s in prison for attempted murder.”
Without another word, he and Isabel went upstairs and left my father alone with Kevin, the only family he had left.

TBC...

[Shadowlynxbehr]

Hello everyone. Yes, I am back attempting to finish this story before it drives me crazy. LOL. I swear the laptop was sending vibes to me all this time and I seriously tried to write again and again, but my sadness always seemed to interfere. I've finally bucked up and decided not to let all of my RL issues drag me down. Besides, this keeps me from dwelling on it. I had no idea it was going to be this hard to keep on going. Delilah's death took more out of me than I care to admit.

I want to thank those of you who sent their prayers and condolences. La'Shon, punkrock (thank you for the PMs, they meant so much to me), Q.F., roswell, and moonlight.

Delilah was only 7, and I thought she still had half of her life to live, so it has been hard... Thank you all again.

Okay, some SOs:

punkrock- , that bad huh? Yes, the three are out. Yes, Phillip was just going about being a dad in a really WRONG way! Thankfully he was able to save himself BEFORE it got too bad.

EVE- you're welcome

Emz- Hmm...we'll see

Vero- , you are right. Jeff is insane and Kevin is rotten to the core.

La'Shon- Nope, Jeff, Kyle, and Kevin each have a place reserved for them in that 'furnace'. Thanks.

anonymous- thanks

Q. F.- Nope, Jeff isn't redeemable. We'll see...

BehrOb- Wow! Now I'm wishing I'd written the last parts like you described!

roswell- here ya go

moonlight- you're welcome


Okay, remember after this is one more part and an epilogue.


Part 34

*July 25th, The Wedding*

When the knock sounded on the door, all heads in the room turned towards it. I rolled my eyes as everyone stood there in complete silence before hiking up my skirts and walking over to answer it.
“Hi, Liz,” greeted Diane as she entered the room. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight of me in my wedding dress. “Oh you look so beautiful! Max is going to love it!”
I smiled, “Thanks Diane.”
I made my way back to the dressing table where Maria was trying to finish curling Serena’s hair and Isabel was frowning over my veil.
Isabel shook her head, “I don’t think you should use the white pins with the veil Liz, they don’t seem to be that sturdy.”
“I know Izzy, but the black ones will stand out too much.” I replied.
Diane walked up to Isabel and looked down at the veil, “Let me see.”
Isabel handed the veil to Diane who looked at it for a few moments then lifted it to my hair. “It’s supposed to go like this right?”
Isabel nodded.
“Okay then, why don’t we maneuver some stands of hair like this. Then place the veil over her hair like this and fasten it to the hair strands with some black pins here. And use the white pins along the outer edges where it’s okay for them to be seen.”
As Diane finished fastening the veil to my hair, Isabel grinned. “Wow! That works out really well Diane! You’re a life saver!”
I chuckled at Isabel’s relief. “Thanks, Diane. You saved Izzy from stressing too much.”
Diane grinned at my comment as Isabel gave a mock pout.
The door opened once more and my mother walked in with a grin. “I’m not sure who is more nervous, the groom or his father.”
Diane laughed, “I know! You’d think it was Phillip who was getting married with the way he was running around the house this morning. In fact, I think it’s all that running around he was doing that made Max nervous.”
I turned to look at Diane, “What was he running around for?”
Diane shrugged, “He was just trying to make sure all the guys were up and getting ready to make it to the church on time. I think he wants to make sure his son doesn’t miss the chance to marry you. He’s looking forward to calling you his daughter.”

I grinned at that. Phillip had already been calling me his daughter over the last couple of months leading up to the wedding. At first, he’d do that and follow it with a muttered comment such as, “Even if her good for nothing real father can’t accept the fact that she’s nearly perfect, I can,” or “Jeffery Parker’s loss is my gain.”
He’d been doing that until both Max and Diane had told him to stop with the Jeff Parker bashing because it was driving everyone insane and we’d all gotten the point by now. Still, Phillip continued to boast to everyone who’d listen that he had the best daughter a man could ever hope to have.
Not only did he treat me well, but he’d treated my sister and mother well when they’d stayed in his home for a couple of weeks. Once my mother had gotten the ball rolling for a divorce from dad, she’d gotten her money together and rented a two bedroom townhouse for her and Serena to move into.
In between moving into the new townhouse, helping me with my wedding, and divorcing dad, she’d also gotten together with Alex and I and told us about the bond money that our father had never mentioned to us before.
She had been right. Our father had set up a bond for each of his children when they were born. That meant that Kevin and Serena had one too, but the stipulation was that we couldn’t touch it until our twenty first birthday.
However, dad had not mentioned it to Alex because he’d gone and married an ex-model whom dad was wary of. Thinking that Isabel would take Alex for all he was worth, my father refused to tell Alex about his money.
For me, he was waiting until my twenty first birthday to tell me about mine. Of course, he was watching me to see what decisions I’d make by that time. We all knew without a doubt that he would have handed it over with glee if I’d married Kyle.
Needless to say, Alex was livid when he found out the reason our dad hadn’t told him about the bonds. It wasn’t the money that Alex was upset about since he was going to get lots of it from his job. It was the way his father viewed Isabel. All this time Alex had thought his family had accepted Isabel, only to find out his father looked down on his choice of a wife.
So, Alex took the case to one of the lawyers at the firm and they began the process of getting dad to release the bond to Alex and to get the terms changed so that I could receive my bond for college.
Alex had gotten his money the moment the lawyers took the case to a judge, but my case was still in negotiation. It was more paperwork than any other reason why my bond had not been awarded to me yet. The lawyers had said that the judge was all in favor of giving me the money to use as college tuition since most bonds were generally meant to help with financial situations such as the one I would soon be facing.
Once all that was being worked on, Alex got the lawyers to make sure Serena’s bond was still intact and under mom’s protection until Serena turned twenty one. This way, dad couldn’t touch it once the divorce was final.
It was no surprise that Alex, Phillip, and Max made it clear that my father was banned from making an appearance at my wedding. If he did, there was security waiting to arrest him if he so much as set foot on the grounds of the church and reception hall.

Another knock soon sounded on the door and Tess stuck her head in to tell us that they were ready to begin the ceremony. I gave her a quick hug before she returned to the church to take her seat next to Zan as my wedding guests.
The rest of us walked out together and began getting in line for the procession as my mother and Diane looked me over one last time. Once they were satisfied that all was well, they quickly made their way to their seats at the front of the church.
My mother sat alone, waiting for Alex to join her once he’d walked me down the isle and Diane sat next to a still nervous Phillip.
We all heard the music begin and I gave a thumbs up to Serena since she was the first bridesmaid to walk out. She gave me a smile and turned to walk down the aisle.
When Serena neared the halfway mark, Isabel gave me a quick hug and wished me luck before she too walked down the isle.
Serena was met near the end by her escort who was one of Max’s old modeling friends and the two of them walked the rest of the way and parted at the steps. Isabel’s escort was another one of Max’s modeling friends whom she was also familiar with.
Once Isabel neared the end, Maria turned to me and smiled. “Well, girlfriend, this is it! You are going to be Mrs. Max Evans very soon.”
I chuckled, “I know! I can’t wait!”
Alex laughed, “That was a hint, Maria! Don’t keep the lady waiting! Get going Ms. Maid of Honor!”
Maria gave me a hug before walking down the aisle towards Michael who was waiting for her near the end as Max’s best man. As the two of them walked to the end together and parted, the wedding march began.
Alex held his arm out to me and smiled, “Well, little sister, this is it. You ready to become Mrs. Evans?”
I linked my arm with his and beamed, “Lead on, dear brother, lead on.”

The ceremony went off without a hitch.
I was aware of Max’s eyes on me every step of the way as Alex walked me down the aisle. Alex then shook Max’s hand and placed my hand into his before going to sit next to my mother.
As I recited my vows to Max, I saw the tears sparkling in his eyes and felt the way his fingers curled around mine. It wasn’t until he’d slid the ring on my finger that tears welled up in my own eyes.
And when the priest pronounced us husband and wife, my mother and Diane were both sobbing softly. Phillip kept pretending he had something in his eye.
The kiss Max gave me when the priest said he could kiss the bride was enough to leave me breathless and made my heart soar. In that kiss I could tell how much he loved me and how happy he was that I was now his wife. I only hoped that he could tell how happy I was to be his wife and to have him as my husband.
Finally we made our way back down the aisle as applause surrounded us and followed us into the foyer. We moved into the room where the bridal party had been in before the ceremony to wait for the guests to leave the church so that we could take pictures.
As we stood in the room, Max caressed my cheek and whispered, “You look radiant, beautiful.”
I smiled, “And you look gorgeous, handsome.”
Max grinned at that.
I wasn’t kidding. He really did look gorgeous in his Armani suit. Granted, I had to beg and plead with him to wear the suit because he was just going to get a ready made less expensive suit off the rack. But I convinced him to go all out and wear a designer label since I was going to wear one and we only got one wedding.
It was the one indulgence I had insisted upon because I wanted the pictures of us together to look good. And I knew putting Max in Armani would guarantee that.
My dress was an off the shoulder, antique ivory gown with a wrap around skirt by Vera Wang. I’d picked it because I’d known it would go well with the traditional looking black and white suit that Max was going to wear.
It was a few minutes before the door opened and Isabel stuck her head in to tell us that we could take pictures now.

After our mothers had fixed us up again and the pictures had been taken, Max and I left the church and climbed into the limousine that would take us to the reception hall. The driver drove us around for a bit to allow the rest of the guests and wedding party to get there before us.
Max and I didn’t waste any time as we set about to promptly mess up all the hard work that had gone into making us look good. He was practically pulling me into his lap as our lips and hands tried in vain to reach through layers of clothing in search of skin.
I moaned into his mouth as his fingers pushed past the skirt and skimmed over my lace covered mound.
He growled the moment his fingers moved under the lace and dipped into my folds, discovering how ready I was for him.
As he stroked me, my hands went down to the front of his pants, trying in vain to get them open and give us both the relief we wanted.
Max leaned back slightly to give me some room to work and happened to glance over my shoulder as he did.
“Liz, beautiful, we have to stop.”
I shook my head in denial as I continued to work on his pants.
Max removed his hands from me and took hold of my wrists. I looked up at him and saw that disappointment in his eyes mirrored what I felt.
“We’re near the reception hall, beautiful.”
I turned my head to see that he was right. We were about two blocks away.
With a sigh of regret, I moved off of him and we both began to right our disheveled state. As the limo came to a stop, we looked each other over before Max leaned down to kiss me quickly.
“We’ll continue this later, Mrs. Evans.”
I grinned as I felt my heart flutter at his proclamation. “Looking forward to it, Mr. Evans.”

When we entered the reception hall, hand in hand, everyone stood up and cheered us on. Max and I made our way through the hall waving, smiling, and thanking those who stopped us to give their congratulations.
Once we were seated at the main table and surrounded by our wedding party, the meal was served. It was a five course affair completely arranged by Diane and my mother. Max and I had nothing to do with it since we’d both said all we’d wanted was to be husband and wife and go on a week long honeymoon.
Phillip had supplied the wines and other spirits for the evening, as well as the champagne that would come out when the cake was cut.
I barely made it through the main course and Max managed to eat portions of all the courses. Of course, he’d done the smart thing and only eaten about half of each portion before the next one was served like most of the others who were there.
Maria and Michael both went through the entire five courses as if there was no tomorrow and Isabel only ate the appetizer and salad before she was full. She said she was saving room for the cake as was Serena.
Once everyone was given ample time to finish the last course, the band started up and we were asked to begin the night by doing the first dance.
So Max held out his hand as he stood up and smiled down at me. “May I have this dance, beautiful?”
I slid my hand into his and allowed him to help me up. “Of course.”
We walked to the middle of the floor as the music began and Max took me in his arms. Needless to say we both promptly lost ourselves in each others eyes as we moved to the music.
As others began to fill the floor, Max and I continued to dance with each other. Max leaned in and whispered, “Did I mention how beautiful you are in that dress?”
I giggled, “Yes, but I don’t mind.”
He kissed my temple, “Well, you are. You took my breath away when you walked down the aisle on Alex’s arm. I couldn’t believe you were going to be all mine.”
I lowered my head to his shoulder and brushed my lips over his neck. I whispered, “I am all yours, Max. Always.”
I could feel him tighten his hold around my waist as we continued to move around the floor. We were both content to just hold each other as the song began to wind down.
Once a new song started, others began to come up and dance with us. Alex was the first to dance with me, followed by Michael, then Phillip. My mother danced with Max first, then Diane followed by Maria. One by one we danced with those who shared in our happiness of the night.
When we finally got a breather, Max and I sat down for a while as we continued to have people come up and congratulate us. Neither one of us had any idea that all these people knew us and were that excited about us getting married. There were people from Phillip’s company, Max’s friends from modeling, people from my class, and others that worked in my father’s restaurant that had come to know me. Others were people that our parents knew or were guests of the wedding party.
Max and I really didn’t mind that the wedding had turned out to be huge, all we’d cared about was that we were able to go through it. That in the end, we were married and happy. So, everyone there seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were and we couldn’t have asked for more.
Later in the night, Max and I cut the cake as the champagne was opened and distributed throughout the place. We had the first bites, feeding it to each other with smiles on our faces.
As the other slices made their way through the crowd, Michael stood up and made his speech as the best man. “Here’s to Max, my older brother for finally finding his place in life and finding an incredible woman to be his wife. Here’s to Liz, for making an honest man out of my big brother.” He stopped as others laughed at that. “But most of all, here’s to a long, happy life for the two of you. May you both have lots of joy, laughter, and love together forever. Because if you don’t, Maria is gonna make my life a living hell.”
We all laughed as we raised our glasses and took sips before Maria stood up to give her speech. “Liz, girlfriend, I’m glad you found your way and stood strong about what you wanted in life. I’m glad that Max is someone you wanted to help support you in your choices. And Max, girlfriend, I’m telling you now, Liz is a very special woman so you’d better treat her right. If I ever find out that you broke my best friends heart in any way, you’re going to lose your girlfriend status and I’m kicking your ass!”
More laughter erupted and Maria waited until it died down to continue. “Seriously, you two are the most perfect couple I’ve had the privilege to know. You genuinely care for each other, support each other, and seem to understand each other well. So, I too hope that continues to hold true for the rest of your lives together. Here’s to a long, perfect life for you two.”
As everyone raised their glasses again, she added, “Because if you don’t, I’m gonna make Michael’s life a living hell!”
Once more everyone erupted into laughter and applause for Michael and Maria’s speeches.
The rest of the night seemed to pass quickly as we continued to mingle and dance among our family and friends.
The celebration was still in full swing when Max and I decided to take our leave and return to our apartment. We were catching a plane early in the morning for our week long honeymoon, but we both wanted to enjoy our wedding night before we got some sleep.
As we got ready to leave, Max removed my garter and tossed it to the group waiting for it. It was a sight to see Michael leaping into the air and snatching it away from the guy in front of him. It was like a scene out of a football game! Needless to say he beamed as he came down with the garter firmly in his hand and immediately made his way to Maria for a congratulatory kiss.
I threw my bouquet next and Serena was the one to catch it. My mother congratulated her, but made sure she understood that she wasn’t to marry until after she’d graduated from high school.
After that, Max and I waved goodnight to everyone and climbed back into the limousine to return home.

I stood in the middle of the bedroom watching Max remove his suit.
The minute we were inside the apartment, Max had begun to remove his clothes while walking me back towards the bedroom. My arms had been locked around his shoulders as we kissed passionately.
Once Max was undressed, he came to me and caressed my cheek with one hand. I smiled and looked up into his eyes as his hands moved down my neck and over my shoulders.
He leaned down to give me a slow, sweet kiss before moving behind me. He slowly worked the buttons of the dress loose, baring my skin. As he did, he slid his fingers over me, making me close my eyes as shivers of desire moved through me.
Slowly he pushed the dress down my body, letting it pool around my feet. His fingers moved up my legs, over my lacy thong, and up my back. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he turned me around to face him and allowed his eyes to roam over me.
Lifting his gaze back to mine, he spoke in a husky voice. “God, beautiful, I still can’t believe you’re mine.”
I gave him a tender smile before taking his hand in mine and lifting it to my lips. I kissed the ring I had placed on his finger, then placed it on my hip. Leaning forward, I covered his lips with mine and whispered, “I love you, Max Evans, my husband.”
Max made a sound deep in his throat, somewhere between a whimper and a groan, and pulled me to him. He deepened the kiss and swung me into his arms, carrying me to the bed.
I lay back against the sheets as Max moved over me, his hands never still. Soon his lips moved over me, in the wake of his caressing hands. I pressed my breasts to his chest as he reached beneath me to undo the clasps of my strapless bra. As his hands caressed, his lips kissed and sucked on my breasts.
He moved from one to the other, giving them both equal treatment and making me purr in contentment. As I buried my fingers in his hair, he made his way down my body. He stopped to nuzzle my stomach and dipped his tongue into my navel a couple of times as his hands stroked my sides.
Moving lower, he curled his fingers around my thong and slid it down my hips and thighs in an incredibly slow way. His mouth followed the path of the thong as I lifted my hips to ease the removal. Pressing kisses along my hip and down my leg, he soon began to nibble on the inside of my thigh as he tossed the scrap of material over his shoulder.
As he settled his body between my legs, I widened them to give him room. He nudged the inside of my thighs a bit more before blowing over my wet mound. As more shivers ran through me, Max licked me from back to front causing me to lift my hips in the air.
I gasped as his tongue slid through my folds and dipped inside of me. He slid his tongue deftly along my walls as he lifted a hand to caress my clit. My hands grasped his head as my legs widened and I lifted my hips to get closer to his mouth.
My thighs began trembling as I could feel the end nearing. Arching my back, I could feel Max’s tongue slide out of me and begin licking my clit, while his fingers moved to where his tongue had been. As he began pumping his two fingers in and out of me, he took my clit into his mouth and began gently sucking.
Max increased the thrusts of his fingers and kept pace with the harder sucking of his mouth on me. I came with a scream as my thighs clenched his shoulders and my body spasmed with my climax.
As my body slowly came down from its high, Max remained where he was, leisurely kissing and licking my folds, my thighs, and my stomach. He waited, watching me as my body relaxed against the sheets and my breathing began to return to normal.
Lowering my gaze to him, I held my arms towards him. “Come here, Max. I want you inside of me.”
Max smirked and kissed the inside of my thigh before sliding his body up mine. As our lips met, I rolled us over until I was pressed against the full length of his body.
I slid my lips from his and kissed my way from the corner of his mouth, down to his neck. Nibbling my way over his shoulder, I ran my tongue over his collarbone before dipping it into the hollow at the base of his throat.
Max moaned as my hands wandered down his chest, nails scrapping over his nipples. I slid down his body as I kissed my way over his chest. Stopping to lick and suck on his nipples, I straddled his thighs and took him into my hands.
I stroked him slowly as I continued to move my mouth down his body until he could feel my breath on his cock. Max slid his hands into my hair as I licked the head like a lollypop.
His eyes were glued to my mouth as I slowly took his length into it. I tightened my mouth around him and slid my hands over his thighs. As I began to knead his thighs, I sucked him in earnest.
Max let out a growl as his hands gripped my head harder and urged me on. I used my tongue to swirl around his cock and pressed it against the sensitive underside of the head. Max threw his head back and croaked out an, “Oh, fuck!”
As I slid one of my hands to his balls and began to massage them, Max removed trembling hands from my head and gripped my shoulders. Forcefully, he tugged me away from my feast and pulled me up his body.
I pouted, but otherwise didn’t complain as I licked my lips. That motion caused Max to groan.
“Beautiful, you are killing me.”
I smiled as I raised up to my knees and slowly sunk down onto him. “No baby, I’m bringing you to life.”
Max settled his hands on my hips as I began to find a rhythm of riding him. His hands helped with the pace and his hips lifted to meet mine.
I arched my back as his hands slid up to cup my breasts. Using my knees as leverage and my hands that were now clasped around his forearms, I picked up the pace. As my body bucked against his, I whimpered in protestation. I was so close, but I wasn’t reaching the end.
Max responded by wrapping his arms around me and rolling us over until I was underneath him again. As I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his hips, he rose up to his hands and began thrusting hard into me. That was the perfect angle for him as he slid in and out of me, pushing me over the edge.
I dug my nails into his arms as I screamed his name in bliss and tightened my legs around his hips. That was all Max needed to roar my name and spill his seed into my welcoming body.
We clung to each other as our orgasms washed over us and left us sated and drowsy.
I knew I’d fallen asleep when I felt Max slide off of me and spoon me into his body. As he slid the covers over us and I moved closer to him, he wrapped his arms around me.
“Goodnight Mrs. Evans, love you.”
I smiled sleepily. “Night, Mr. Evans, my love.”

TBC...

[Shadowlynxbehr]

La'Shon- Well, the divorce isn't final and the story isn't quite over so...Kyle... . Aww, thanks.

anonymous- thanks

roswell- here ya go...

EVE- , nope unfortunately not. Yes, the chemistry between Shiri and Jason as Max and Liz always inspires me . I understand, the holidays are already hard for me this year...

Emz- , finally!

moonlight- thanks

BehrOb- was that a hint?

Q.F.- , yes you are! Thanks.

SAN- sorry, Jeff isn't good in this story. Awww, I'm sorry you got upset.

Vero- Yes, they do...

Erina- here ya go...

punkrock- nope . Thanks .


Okay folks, this is the last chapter and then I will post the epilogue in a couple of days...as soon as it's ready...

Enjoy...



Part 35

Imagine the surprise Max and I got when we thought we were being rudely awakened at seven in the morning after our wonderful wedding night! Max was already out of bed and mumbling under his breath when the knocking at the front door finally penetrated my subconscious.
I rolled onto my side and groggily asked, “Who is it?”
Max grumbled, “I don’t know, but they had better have a really good reason for disturbing us this early in the morning when they knew we just got married!”
My frown matched Max’s as I slid out of bed and hastily pulled on some clothes before joining Max in walking to the front door.
The moment he yanked open the door, we were greeted with a chorus of “Surprise!”
I stared at the small group of people as Max rolled his eyes and retorted, “What? You guys can’t possibly have gotten more sleep than we did! We left earlier than any of you did!”
My mother laughed, “Of course we didn’t! We just wanted to come and see you off on your honeymoon, that’s all.”
“Mom, our flight doesn’t leave until 10am, it’s seven!”
Diane shook her head, “Nope, the flight leaves at 9.”
“So you two should march back inside and take a quick shower and get dressed,” finished Phillip.
“We’ll pack your stuff in the car while you do,” added Alex.
“And we’ll drive you to the airport,” announced Serena.
“And if you hurry up, you just might be able to eat some breakfast before we go,” said Isabel.
Max and I didn’t have a chance to say a word as Michael and Maria began pushing the both of us towards the bedroom as everyone continued to give us instructions.

“Oh my God! Max look at the view!” I exclaimed as the car wound it’s way up the driveway towards the quaint Italian villa our parents had rented for us for the week.
Max nodded as he gazed at the same view, “I know! I still can’t believe they did this!”
I giggled, “We should have known they wouldn’t have let us plan our own honeymoon!”
Max gave me his familiar smirk as he said, “Well, I’m not complaining. I like their plan much better.”
I laughed at that.
He was right. Max and I had decided to rent a hotel in Hawaii on the beach for a week, since we really didn’t have time to make any real plans and the Hawaii honeymoon was a package deal. However, neither one of us had known that while our mothers were planning the wedding, they were also planning the honeymoon with the help of Isabel and Phillip.
Together, they had managed to find the two bedroom rental out in the lush green Italian countryside with the Dolomite mountains not too far away. It really was a beautiful sight. All of the green fields surrounded by huge lush green trees and the magnificent mountains sprinkled with snow.
It was indeed a surprise as Max and I took our shower together then ate the breakfast our mothers had prepared for us while Phillip, Michael, and Alex had packed our bags in the car.
As soon as we were done eating, all of us piled into three cars and they took us to the airport where they checked us in to another flight to Italy instead of Hawaii. We had thirty minutes to spare in which Max and I gawked and hugged and gave our thanks to everyone for putting this together and loving us so much.
Soon, we were on the plane on our way to Italy, making two stops before we were escorted to a chartered car that took us the hour and thirty minutes to reach the villa that would be our home for the next seven days and seven nights.

As the driver unloaded our bags and took them to the main bedroom, Max and I took in the sights of the house.
From the moment we walked in, we noticed the rustic feel of the place. The entire building was made of stone and the living room which we’d just walked into was a prime example.
In the middle of the room, acting as a divider was the rust colored couch with a low, rectangular coffee table in front of it. The table was made of a pale wood with a glass top and set on an oblong plush rug. In the wall in front of that was the stone fireplace with the same pale wood making up the high mantel and the master bedroom door to the right of it.
Behind the couch was a long buffet table made of the same pale wood and glass. Against the far wall, to the right of the second bedroom’s door, hung a tapestry which seemed to depict a long ago Roman battle scene. At the corner of the wall next to the bedroom door was the beginning of a hallway.
As soon as our bags were in the bedroom, the driver came out and spoke to us with a heavy Italian accent. “Your bags are in the bedroom. Here are the keys to the house. The kitchen has been stocked as requested. And the bedroom and the bathroom. If you need anything else, the phone number to call for service is next to the phone in the kitchen.”
Max and I both nodded as the driver handed Max the keys. He gave us a huge smile, “Anything else I can get you two?”
We shook our heads as Max said, “Thanks.”
He nodded, “Very well then, have a wonderful week.” As he made his way out the front door, he added, “Enjoy your honeymoon and congratulations!”
We waved to him as he walked to his car and left.
As soon as Max closed the door, I squealed and launched myself into his arms. “Max! I love this place!”
He laughed as he hugged me, “You haven’t even seen the rest of it.”
“Well, come on then, let’s go see it!”
I tugged his hand and we walked to the second bedroom’s door to look in. The double bed was set against the window that looked out of the front of the house and the bathroom was at the far end of the room. There was a small closet in the front corner of the room next to an equally small desk. Against the wall opposite the bed was a long, low dresser with photos of the countryside framed on the wall.
We left the room and walked down the hall, entering the door on the right which was the kitchen. Along the wall to the right were the appliances interspersed with cabinets and drawers. A pantry was in the far wall and more cabinets surrounded two picturesque windows on the left wall. There was a small stone island with a wooden top in the center of the kitchen.
We walked back out of the room and into the door on the other side of the hallway, which was the dining room. A tall buffet table was at the other end of the room and a table big enough to fit six comfortably sat in the center. Another tapestry filled the wall separating the room from the living room and this one depicted a feast of some kind. On the opposite wall were two doors that opened wide to give a great view of the oblong pool in the back and the mountains in the distance.
Max had opened the curtains that hid the doors and thrown open the doors so that we could see the view. As we stepped out onto the pool area, we saw the above ground Jacuzzi to the right.
It was a strange sight to us because, while the pool looked every bit a part of the place with the same types of stones made smoother for the pool; the Jacuzzi was very modern. It was surrounded by a very modern wooden screen to provide some privacy from the surrounding area. Still, we both knew we’d be taking advantage of that Jacuzzi while we were there.
We stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the view before Max tugged me back inside and closed the doors. As he closed the curtains, I made my way back into the hallway, towards the living room. Max caught up with me and we made our way to the bedroom door next to the fireplace.
As soon as we neared it, Max swung me up into his arms. I laughed as I slid my arms around his shoulders before leaning in to kiss him. That was the way we entered the master bedroom which would be our home for the next seven days.
Max moaned into my mouth as I continued to kiss him while he made his way into the bedroom. Slowly, I pulled my lips from his giving his bottom lip a lick before turning my head to look around the room. Max growled at that and took two more steps before he tossed me on the bed and pounced on top of me.
I laughed as he leaned down and took my lips in his, devouring me. I let him lean me back against the mattress as his lips left mine and proceeded to lick and nip at my neck. I gave a little sigh and tilted my head back to give him access as my eyes fluttered open.
It was then that I really saw the room. The king sized bed frame was made of wood that was the same pale color as before, only the legs and poles around the bed seemed thick and massive. Beautiful figures were carved into the poles as well as on the headboard set against the far wall from the entrance to the room. The bed was positioned in the center and there were hand carved night stands on either side of the bed.
“Max! Look how beautiful it is!”
Max mumbled against my neck, “Mmmm, you are beautiful.”
I slid my hands between our bodies and pushed him gently, “No, Max. Look at the room.”
“Later,” he mumbled as his hand slid underneath my shirt to cup my breast.
I gasped at the sensation, but continued to tug at his wrist. “Max, wait! We haven’t finished looking at the place.”
Max finally lifted his head look enough to look into my eyes as he whispered huskily, “I’ve seen enough. Right now, I really want to start my honeymoon by making love to my beautiful wife.”
I started to pout, but Max beat me to it when he slid his hand into my hair, dipped me back, and gave me the kiss that always made me breathless. The one he knew made me go liquid in his arms.
I gave up fighting as my arms slid down his chest, curling my fingers into the waistband of his pants before lifting his shirt up. He moved away from me long enough to let me toss his shirt away before moving closer to me again.
After that, we both made short work of our clothes and soon we were under the covers enjoying our honeymoon.

Max and I hadn’t left the bedroom again until the following day when hunger finally woke us up. We’d spent the rest of the evening and night in the bedroom, christening every surface we could think of. Starting out in the bed, we’d soon moved to the desk that was against the wall to the right of the bed and made love both on the desk and in the chair.
After that we’d moved to the rug in front of the fireplace in the front right corner of the room and I’d lain on the rug while Max started a fire. By that time, it had grown dark outside, so we’d enjoyed laying there surrounded by firelight and relaxing. Eventually, we’d started to make out again before Max positioned our bodies so that our hands and mouths would pleasure each other at the same time.
When we’d recovered from that round, we decided to take a shower and ended up with Max taking me against the wall, which was always one of my favorite ways to make love to him. He knew I loved the way he felt so long and thick in that position.
After that, we’d barely managed to dry off as we tumbled back into bed and curled up under the blankets to fall asleep.
When we woke up later, the fire had banked, so Max built it up again and I opened the curtains to the doors on the left wall so that we could see the mountains in the distance. Luckily, the moon and stars were bright enough to see them somewhat. So, Max and I got under the covers again, with him behind me, spooning me. We lay on our sides gazing out at the scenery and just enjoyed being close to each other.
Soon, one thing led to another and we were making love once more in the bed. It was late that night when we finally collapsed against the mattress, both of us too exhausted to go on. As Max fell asleep besides me, I got up to draw the curtains closed before climbing back into bed with him. The moment I moved to his side, his arms automatically hugged me close to his body and he buried his face in my hair.
I fell asleep with a smile on my face and my fingers interlaced with his.

After making a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, we ate our meal on the small round table that was near the doors to the back in our bedroom. With the curtains opened wide, we enjoyed our breakfast and the view.
While I took our remains back to the kitchen and cleaned up, Max put our things away in the dresser that was against the wall opposite of the bed and in the closet that was to the right of the dresser. After I’d finished in the kitchen, I helped Max put away the rest of our things before we got dressed and went for a short walk outside in the field.
We took a blanket with us and found a nice spot beneath some trees to rest. Lying on the blanket in the shade, we talked about the highlights of our wedding and how surprised and thrilled we still were that our family had planned this for us.
I asked Max if he wanted to stay there the whole week or if he wanted to see if there were places we could visit nearby.
“It’s our honeymoon, Liz.” He reached up and slid his fingers through my hair. “Not a vacation. I don’t want to do the tourist thing and hit up all the local attractions. We can do that some other time. I’d rather spend the week lost in you.”
I smiled as he pulled me down against him and gave me a sweet kiss.
When he pulled away, he added, “I also think we should use this time to talk more about our future and what we both want.”
I nodded, “Yes. What we want for ourselves and for each other.”
He nodded in agreement.
I leaned in to rub my nose against his, “Plus, there’s also the added bonus of having you entirely to myself with absolutely no interruptions.”
He laughed at that. “Oh, I so totally agree.”
“Good. So, let’s start now.”
Max quirked an eyebrow before sitting up and looking around. I laughed at that, knowing he was trying to see if the place was secluded enough. Judging that it was, he pulled me into his arms and we both giggled as we began to undress each other again.

After spending the afternoon riding my husband in the shade of huge evergreen trees and resting a bit, we returned to the house to make a light lunch of sandwiches and a side of fruit. Then after napping again, we woke up just as the sun began to fade and went out to take advantage of the Jacuzzi.

The next day we slept in, made and ate brunch, and spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool and talking. Every so often we’d take a dip in the pool and a few times we even played and splashed around.
When the sun began to set, we went inside and took a long hot shower together, but managed to just bathe and not have a repeat of my favorite water sport.
We got out and decided to make a full dinner together. As the food sat warming in the kitchen, Max and I returned to the bedroom and got dressed in outfits we’d packed just in case we’d go out somewhere fancy.
Returning to the kitchen, we began to take the food into the dining room and set it all out to have a romantic formal dinner together.
After we ate and returned everything to the kitchen, we moved to the living room where Max hooked up his I pod to a double set of headphones and we danced to the music there.

The next day, we went for a longer walk into the surrounding field and trees, making sure we could still see the house in the distance. We found a field of flowers and sat down on the blanket to enjoy the light breeze and talk some more.
We actually took a nap out there before we made our way back to the house and made lunch.
We spent the rest of the day lounging in the living room. It never seemed to amaze us at how fast time went by when we were simply lying around, talking, or making each other laugh.
We ended the night there on the couch and on the rug in front of the fireplace after Max had moved the table. I had retrieved a blanket from the bedroom and we’d spent the night in front of the fire in the living room.

The next day Max woke me up saying he had a surprise and took me into the dining room where he’d arranged for us to have breakfast.
Turned out the surprise was for us to have breakfast on each other and then finish off making love on the dining table.
Needless to say, after that, we both needed a shower to get the sticky mess off of ourselves. Still, we giggled and laughed all the way through the shower.
That night, we slept in the other bedroom even though it was rather small since Max and I had decided we wanted to see if we could succeed in christening all of the rooms in the house.

We went for another walk the next day and ended up chasing each other around the nearby field before deciding to head back and cool off in the pool.
We swam for a bit, then sunbathed and talked a bit drinking lemonade that Max had made.
After that, we got back in the pool and got frisky with each other. Our splashing and playing in the pool soon turned heated and before long, Max and I were making love in the pool. Our swim suits had been tossed haphazardly and we ended up just skinny dipping for the rest of the day.
I took a shower first while Max cleaned up, then while he showered, I started dinner. I was standing at the island, with my back to the door when Max came in. After I’d gotten out of the shower, I simply put on one of his buttoned up shirts and nothing else.
Max always liked seeing me in his shirts, so the moment he saw me standing at the island with my back to him, he moved behind me and pulled me back against him.
I giggled when his lips began nibbling at my neck, “Max! Dinner first, remember?”
“Mmmm, no I think I’d rather have an appetizer,” he mumbled as his hands slid under the shirt.
I leaned even closer to him as his fingers slid thorough my folds and began caressing my clit. I slid one arm around him, fingers disappearing into his hair as his other hand moved to cup my breast.
Turning my head so that I could kiss him, I whispered, “No, let’s start with dessert.”
Max moaned an agreement as I turned in his arms and he lifted me up onto the counter, pushing our dinner out of the way.
I slid my arms around his shoulders as he moved to stand between my thighs while I hooked my ankles around his legs. Our lips met once more and Max slowly began to unbutton the shirt before sliding his hands over my bare skin.
As he took my breasts in his hands and began to knead them, I slid my hands down his bare chest and nimbly undid the front of his pants. His lips moved to my neck and I tilted my head back to allow him access.
I slid one hand inside his pants and began to stroke him as his mouth moved down to take a nipple in his mouth.
“Oh Max,” I moaned as his teeth and tongue teased the hardening bud.
The more he loved my breast, the more I stroked him in my hand until I could feel his hot breath quickening against my skin.
Max moved his mouth to my other breast while I used both hands to push down his pants and underwear. In the end, I used my feet to push them the rest of the way down and Max cupped my rear in his hands to bring me to the edge of the counter.
Max pushed the shirt off my shoulders and I shrugged it the rest of the way off before wrapping my legs around his and pulling him back to me.
Our lips met in a heated kiss, my hand going between his legs to grip him and guide him to my opening. With a serrated moan, Max slid deep inside of me and took my hips in his hands to steady me.
I lifted my head to look into his eyes as he began to slowly slide in and out of me. “Max.” I moaned, “Oh Max, you always feel so wonderful.”
He nodded as he panted, his eyes boring into mine. “Yes, I love being inside of you beautiful.”
I smiled and tightened my hold on him.
“God! Liz! What you do to me, beautiful!”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders again and held him close as we both picked up our pace. As I felt myself nearing the end, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes enjoying the feel of my husband as he made love to me.
“Max, I’m close…oh I’m so close.”
“Me too, beautiful.”
I gasped as he hit the perfect spot, then threw my head further back and let out a serrated cry as I fell apart in his arms.
Max held me tight, his face buried in my chest as he continued to pound inside of me both prolonging my orgasm and bringing his on.
The moment I heard him cry out, “Yes! Lizzz!” I gripped him close and milked him until he slumped against me, completely emptied.
We stayed that way a few long moments before he slowly lifted his head to give me a tender kiss on the lips.
I sighed as he pulled away and cupped my cheek in his hand.
“I love you, beautiful.”
I leaned my forehead against his and whispered, “Love you too.”
We shared a smile before he helped me down and we put our clothes back on before salvaging dinner.

On our last full day there, we spent most of it in the master bedroom watching the sun rise, eating breakfast in bed, making love, and chasing each other around the room.
We took a nap and woke up to take a short walk before going back to our bedroom to watch the sunset and have a light dinner. After dinner, we packed up our things then relaxed in front of the fireplace in the bedroom.
When things started to heat up again, we moved to the bed and spent the rest of the night enjoying the feel of each others bodies. Even with the slow, pleasurable love making of the night, we still managed to get enough sleep so that we could get up in time to meet our driver.
Max and I had gotten up early enough to take a shower and eat breakfast before the car arrived to take us to the airport. Still, we both slept most of the plane ride home.

I frowned as Max and I walked into the airport holding hands. Only Phillip and Diane were there to greet us when I had known mom and Serena were supposed to be there too.
As the two of them came up and hugged us, asking us if we had a good time I interrupted.
“Where’s mom?”
Diane cast what looked like a worried look at Phillip as he answered, “She’s with Alex and the lawyer.”
I narrowed my eyes, “Right now? I thought we’d already straightened out the bond mess.”
Phillip shook his head, “No, it’s about Jeff.”
Max slid his arm around my waist as I stiffened “What about Jeff?” I growled.
Phillip sighed, “He tried to get his lawyer to make things difficult for Nancy, but they’re handling it.”
“What?”
Diane nodded as she patted my arm, “It’s okay, Liz, they’re handling it. Your mom wanted us to tell you she’d see you later this evening.”
Before I had a chance to say anything else, I heard my name called out. Turning around, I saw Maria walking swiftly towards me with Michael in tow. All of us saw the frantic look on my best friend’s face.
“Liz! There’s something you should know!”
“I know, my mom is dealing with Jeff’s lawyer…”
Maria shook her head, “No, girlfriend.” She glanced at Max before looking back at me and giving my arm a gentle squeeze.
“It’s about Kyle.”


TBC...

[Shadowlynxbehr]

Hey everyone! Well, here it is...the final part.

Of course, before you read, I do have to thank you all for coming along on this little journey of Liz's. I can't believe how this decade old story of my original characters came alive once I'd switched to Roswell characters. Now I can finally add this to my collection of completed stories. It feels good to complete it, even though I know many of you wish I would go on. Maybe soon, but there are still other stories I want to tell before I return to this. So, I hope you all enjoy this part...

roswell- LOL, I'm sorry. I can only hope my honeymoon will exceed my expectations...if I ever get married!

Q.F.- Ditto on the honeymoon Here it is .

EVE- Yeah, RL is a bummer, LOL. You're welcome.

Vero- Thanks, yeah Italy is just one of the places I still hope to see one day.

Behrsgurl- LOL, here ya go.

La'Shon- LOL, yes I did. Yep. . Well, it's not loooong, but... LOL, here ya go.

Laira- Awww, thanks.

BehrOb- LOL, wish I'd done the rubber room scene, but nope. Sorry, maybe someday. I have other ideas that I want to pursue first...



Okay, enjoy it while it lasts...and thank you all for feedback, I enjoyed every bit of it!




Epilogue

*Three weeks later*

I stood with my hands on my hips in the middle of the living room, surrounded by pieces of furniture and open boxes. Gazing around the cluttered room, I let out a tired sigh. Who would have ever guessed that Max and I had that much stuff? His apartment had seemed so small and I only had the things I’d taken with me when I’d moved out of my father’s house and into Max’s apartment.
Wiping an arm over my forehead, I walked into the kitchen to get a cloth to wipe my sweat soaked skin. Then I grabbed a cup from the counter and filled it with water from the sink before sitting down at the breakfast bar to take a break.
As I sat there, I looked around the kitchen, amazed that Max and I had come so far in so little time.
The two of us had managed to find this two story house nearly a week after we’d returned from our honeymoon. Since we’d already met with a realtor long before the wedding, there were already several houses waiting for us to choose from when we’d returned.
This four bedroom, three bath house with a balcony that ran the length of the house, and a kidney shaped pool in the yard had been perfect for the kind of future the two of us were planning.
Granted, our life together had started the moment we had said our vows to one another, but now we were living it. I smiled to myself as I thought over the last few weeks since Max and I had returned.
Three days after we had closed on the house, Max had returned to work with his father. So far, he was loving it. Now that Phillip respected his son and gave him all the space he needed to be his own man, Max had begun to thrive. Still, he was here during the nights and weekends helping to move things into our new home.
And during the times he wasn’t here, someone else usually was. Our new home was rarely ever empty of people as new furniture and other things were brought in. Some days found Phillip, Michael, and Alex all arguing about where a huge piece of furniture should go. Other days found Isabel and Maria helping me open boxes and putting things away. Still other days found Diane, my mother, or Serena giving me advice on what colors looked best in what rooms.
At least that’s the way it was during the days. The evenings were then spent having dinner at someone’s house or out at a restaurant. I had already managed to have dinner in my new home surrounded by the huge family that made up Max’s and my life. Both of us loved being able to share our happiness with our loved ones. However, even our families knew when it was time to leave the two of us alone. Everyone knew the two of us still liked celebrating our new marriage alone together.

I sighed as I closed my eyes. Things had certainly been busy during the three weeks Max and I had returned home. And it had started the moment the two of us had stepped off the plane.
The first thing I had found out was that my father had been giving my mom a hard time with the divorce. Mom had intended to just take everything owed her according to the prenuptial agreement she’d signed, but when Jeff had gotten his lawyers to try to find a loophole, she’d started to get defensive.
It turned ugly when Jeff got his lawyers to claim that she had manipulated her children and used them to stab him in the back. His lawyers were doing their best to make mom look like a conniving bitch and Jeff like a naïve man who had only wanted to do right by his family.
Mom had finally had it with Jeff, so Alex had once again gotten lawyers from his firm to handle the case. It was only days ago that mom’s lawyers had managed to get the house, the cars, the restaurant, and her share of money awarded to her. The icing on the cake had been when mom got full custody of Serena and promptly surrendered all rights to Kevin. She said it was only fair that Jeff reaped what he sowed.
Jeff had spent every moment he had trying to get Alex, Serena, and I to talk to him. He’d tried to find ways to get us on his side, but nothing had worked. I had disowned my father and Kevin the moment I’d found out that they had known what Kyle intended to do to Max. So, when I returned from my honeymoon to find my father begging me for forgiveness, I turned a deaf ear to him. To me, my father was dead and my younger brother had gone with him.
Alex and Serena had also cut ties with Jeff and Kevin. Alex had cut his when he’d been going through the mess with getting his bond money. Serena cut hers when she had to sit and watch Jeff’s lawyers spread lies about our mother. Serena knew it was Jeff that had put them up to it and that had been the last straw for her.
As soon as she was able, mom had put the house up for sale and she and Serena were now happy in the town home they lived in. She had sold all of the cars and split the money between Alex, Serena, and I. As for the restaurant, mom decided to keep it until Michael graduated from culinary school and took it over.
None of us knew where Jeff and Kevin were and no one cared, so long as they stayed out of all of our lives. Mom, Alex, and Phillip had gotten the lawyers to make sure that the two of them could never cause problems for any of us again.

Of course, the other thing that had been waiting for both Max and I when we’d gotten off the plane had been news about Kyle. He had been sitting in jail ever since he’d tried to shoot Max that day outside of the restaurant. However, he hadn’t been quiet about it. He’d tried to get his parents to help him get out and get back to me, but his mother had immediately seen the wrongness of it. It had taken stern warnings from her to keep his father from helping him.
When that had failed, he’d tried to get his lawyer to dig up dirt on Max. He tried to prove that Max had set Kyle up so he would end up in jail , out of Max’s way as he swooped in to take advantage of me.
Again, that plan had failed, especially since Max, me, and other witnesses to Kyle’s behavior testified against him. In the end, he had been convicted of attempted murder and confined to prison for up to 50 years.

That was pretty much the downside of returning home from the honeymoon. The upside was all of the good news and new opportunities that sprung up. One of the good things was that Maria had announced that she was going to college too. She was going to study fashion design with the intention of designing costumes for the movie industry.
Then, last week, she and Michael had announced more good news. The two of them had become engaged. As happy as all of us were for them, they said they were going to wait until Michael had finished culinary school before getting married. That way, he could take over the restaurant from my mother and make it his own.
It had made me laugh the way Maria had explained it. She had said she wanted to wait, but not that long. In other words, she could wait for Michael to graduate, but she couldn’t wait until she graduated from design school.

The other thing that had turned out well was Serena’s new school. She had been enrolled into an exemplary school and had started two weeks ago. Max, Isabel, Alex, and I had all been at the townhouse waiting for her to get home from her first day of school so that she could tell us all about it over cake and ice cream. The smile on her face as she’d looked between all of us and mom, who had picked her up from school, had been priceless.
Turned out she liked the school because everyone was smart like her and she found herself having to keep up with everyone. It was a challenge and Serena discovered she liked challenges. Plus, she had also found out that one of her friends from her old school was going there too. Still, Serena had talked on and on about all the things she thought were cool about her new school.
Two weeks later, she was already spending time in extracurricular activities like the Young Scholars club, which was for kids who loved words just like she did. Of course, Max and I had both grinned when she’d told us she was a member of the Science club and the Mathematics club. And Maria had beamed proudly when Serena assured her that not all of her activities were so nerdy since she also signed up for art and choir.
I already knew that I would be seeing less of my sister than she had originally planned, but I wasn’t complaining. I was extremely happy for her and proud that she was making an effort to stand on her own.

Besides, I was going to be pretty busy too. My first day of college was going to be this coming Monday. I had already signed up for my classes and paid for them. Max and I were planning on going to the campus the day after tomorrow to look it over and finish buying the rest of my books.
Other than school and studying, I was going to continue to make this place into our home. I decided that I wasn’t going to work during my first year of college and Max had agreed with me.
However, I had already let Phillip know that I was willing to work in his firm when I started my second year of college. He was already working with the school in setting everything up for me next year. So, for now I was concentrating on being a new wife and a new college student. Next year, I’d add to my dreams.

The sound of the front door closing startled me out of my musings.
“Beautiful?”
I grinned as the sound of my husband’s voice came floating from the hallway. “I’m in the kitchen!”
I made my way into the living room to see Max tossing his suit jacket on top of some boxes while he loosened his tie. He gave me his usual smirk as he said, “God, I missed you!”
I giggled and made my way into his arms, allowing him to pull me in for a kiss. As it ended, he only pulled away enough to lean his forehead against mine. His lips continued to brush over mine as he spoke.
“I’ve got some good news.”
“Really?” I whispered.
“Um hm,” he whispered back before kissing me again.
When he pulled back again I asked, “What is it?”
His smile grew wider as he said, “You’re going to be an aunt.”
My eyes went wide at that. “Oh my God! Isabel is pregnant!”
At Max’s nod, I laughed and hugged him tight. He returned the hug since we both knew Alex and Isabel had decided to go ahead and try for a family instead of waiting. Jeff’s treachery had affected my brother hard. Alex had decided that he was going to do whatever made him and Isabel happy. He knew she wanted children and now that they could afford it, there was no point in waiting. Lucky for them, there was no need to wait so long before Isabel had conceived.
“So, are we all getting together to celebrate tonight?”
Max sighed and slid his arms tighter around me. “No. They want to wait until this weekend.” He nuzzled my neck, “I’m glad. I wasn’t really looking forward to going out tonight.”
I pulled back to look into his eyes. “Oh, if you’re tired, I can call mom and tell her not to come over and help me…”
He placed a finger over my lips, “I already called her.”
I lifted an eyebrow, “You called my mom and told her not to come over?”
He smiled, “I asked her if I could have a romantic evening alone with my wife.” He chuckled before saying, “And she told me exactly what to do to make it as romantic as possible.”
I stared at him for a moment before I laughed softly. “She’ll never learn will she? She still doesn’t understand that you don’t need any advice on how to be the most perfect, passionate, romantic husband a girl like me could ever dream of.”
Max swung me up into his arms as he made his way towards the hallway, leading to the master bedroom.
Looking down into my eyes he said, “You’re wrong. I’m a perfect, passionate, romantic husband for a woman like you. Only you. And beautiful, you are my dream.”
I smiled as it hit me. I wasn’t doing something that was out of the ordinary. It was something that was more exciting. Something perfectly natural. Something that wasn’t a dream or anything.
I had found home.


THE END