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“I want to sleep in a tent shrouded in the mists of Machu Pichu and ride little dirt bikes in Argentina. I need someone who has adventure in their blood almost as much as I do. I want to rebel against the norm – because it doesn’t suit me. Itneverhas. Why do you think I was so upset about my leg, and so freaked out?” he let out a little chuckle.
“It makes it hard to climb cliffs on crutches…” he grimaced slightly and finally looked away. “Hard, yes… but never impossible. I’ll slow us down, but that won’t stop me.”
“Really?” Daphne whispered breathlessly, and he looked back at her, feeling her trembling fingers touch his hand. “Do you mean all of that?”
“From my very soul.”
“You’re not going to expect dinner at five and PTA meetings?”
“Not at all,” he said openly. “If we have a child, it would be much further down the road because I’m betting the hospitals in some parts of the world are much worse off than this one – and I wouldn’t want to take a chance with my partner’s life… or the health of our child.”
“You sound pretty convinced,” she chuckled tearfully.
“Because I am,” he smiled. “I think a certain beauty is the one who needs some convincing that I’m the right guy for her.”
“You sure are full of yourself…”
And he noticed that Daphne didn’t answer him. She didn’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to his requests to travel with him. She didn’t comment on making this marriage real between them. It was like she was still bouncing the idea around in her mind, waiting for something to go wrong and he understood that better than she would ever realize.
“Because you know I’m right,” he teased, letting the matter drop as he picked up his pen and marked through the three ‘X’s. Her eyes shot up to his in surprise. “I win, Daphne.”
Max was not surprised in the slightest that Daphne chose to run back to the cabin because ‘she forgot something’an hour later. She was retreating and needing space – and he could appreciate that.
He was surprised that Jake Ortega was the one to come pick her up.
“Daphne, Houghton is waiting in the van,” Jake began and stared at Max from the doorway of his hospital room. “I’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll wait,” Daphne began, and it was Max who responded as Jake opened his mouth.
“Daphne, go ahead,” Max said grimly, not looking at her as he stared at Ortega’s hardened expression. “I’m not sure you want to hear what’s about to come out of my mouth.”
“Max…” she began, and he felt his temper bubbling painfully as he hissed ‘Go away’ to her. He knew she was going to be mad, but he had a bone to pick with his buddy as his eyes flickered to see her leaving the room.
“You chose door number two, huh?” Max bit out. “How’d it feel to hit a sick and scared man who had nowhere else to go? Did it make you feel big?”
“Collins, I couldn’t just…”
“You knocked my butt out and dragged me here so they could lop off my leg. Does that make you feel like a real man, Ortega?”
“Do you think I wanted to watch you die?”
“You watched me fly out right above your head!”
“The entire truck was airborne!”Jake snapped angrily, and Max knew he was getting at the other man’s temper. They were causing a scene and yelling at each other now. “I lost a lung – so it’s not like I wanted any of this to happen!”
“You had two of them…”
“And you had two legs…”
Max saw red at that casually tossed statement that was lobbed so easily. Both men were still running high on emotions – and probably even more so for Max because Daphne was still evading him.
He yanked his sheet back angrily, pointing at his leg.
“Did you come here to see the handiwork? Hmm?” Max snarled. “I can get them to take off the bandages if you want to see the wound.”
“Max…” Ortega said, sagging visibly as he paled. His eyes were focused on the missing limb – which only made Max even madder.
“What? What’s wrong? Did you come to see the cripple?”
