“Finn, we can discuss all this shit when all the right mothafuckas are in the dirt. I can’t sit here and break this shit down when there is still plenty to do. Just trust me and do what I say, a’ight?”
“Aight,” Finn agreed
“I’m gonna check on her before I go.” Max disappeared down a small, narrow hallway.
When he got to the first door to a bedroom, it was left open, and a light from the lamp shined into the hallway. Mila lay in bed with an IV in her arm and a blanket covering her frail, battered body. He seated himself on the edge in front of her. Looking into her bruised face only made him seethe with more rage. Knowing that Eirian and his people were dead gave him a sense of satisfaction. Gannon was still a problem, and he wanted at him more than anything right now. Reaching out, Max’s hand caressed the side of Mila’s face and he watched her wince, but her eyes remained closed.
“Mila?” he asked softly.
Slowly, she peeled them open, and he could tell she was out of it as she tried to focus on him. Her thick brows dipped in confusion.
“Max?” she managed to mumble through her swollen jaw.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he replied.
“No. You’re not real.” She groaned, rolling her head to one side of her pillow. “This isn’t real,” she whined, agony filling her voice as she choked on the sobs that wanted to come. She missed her husband. She was just seeing things. That had to be it, right? He wasn’t real. He couldn’t be. She had a funeral. They had him buried. This didn’t make any sense.
“Baby, it’s me,” Max assured her, his hand reaching for hers and giving a gentle squeeze.
When she felt his flesh against hers, her head turned, and she observed him carefully. Due to her injuries, her vision was blurred, but his touch was the same. The rhythm of her heart picked up, and she covered his hand with her own.
“Max? No. How can you be here? You died. They said you were dead.”
“I know, baby. I know. It had to be done this way,” Max spoke gently, and she broke.
She cried heavily, and he scooted himself closer so he could comfort her. He brought her into his strong chest, and she inhaled his manly scent. When that smell hit her nostrils, she lost it. She bawled in his arms until her chest tightened. As bad as she felt, having Max hold her brought her back to life. He let her get it all out, stroking her hair and allowing his fingers to touch her scalp.
The gesture was so familiar. He’d done that for her before, when Mikki died all those years ago. He was back. Her husband was there. Mila held on to him. If it wasn’t real, she didn’t want him to slip away again. Max wiped her tears and nudged away so he could look at her. He was glad she was awake. With the extent of her injuries, the doctor thought she might have had some kind of brain damage. Her battered face made it hard for Max to look at her.
“Where have you been? Where are we? Are the kids okay?” Mila interrogated.
“The kids are fine. I’m going to have Rose bring them here with you so you all can be safe and together. I have something to take care of.” Max stood, ready to go, but his wife tightened her grip on his arm.
“No. Don’t go,” she pleaded.
The desperation in her eyes made him weak. He didn’t want to go about things this way. He could see by the fear that she harbored that Mila hadn’t been the same since he left. His gentle hand swept her cheek, and she let a tear slip down her face.
“Mila, I promise to come back. I have to go now. Finn is here, and this place is surrounded by guards. You are safe.”
“I am safest with you,” she whimpered.
Max leaned over and pecked her forehead gently. “I’ll be back. You have my word,” Max assured her.
Mila finally released his hand, but she was unable to hold back any further tears. She fell apart when he was gone,and when the door opened again, Finn marched inside. One empathetic glance from him, and she lost it again. He joined her on the bed and sat right beside her. Finn put his arms around her and pulled her into a loving embrace. Mila continued to weep until she couldn’t cry any more.
She sat inhaling Finn’s scent and listening to his heart rap loudly in his chest. He was feeling some kind of way about everything himself and trying to come to terms with it all. Mila’s cries reminded him of another time, and he recalled his own parents. Life hadn’t been good to him, but Mila and Max had taken him in and looked out for him always. Thinking back, Yoni also was a fixture in his life. All staples that provided a moral compass for him that he wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“When did you become this supportive ass man, Finn? What happened to the reckless ass little boy that used to rip through my house like a tornado?” Mila taunted.
“Crazy shit, a nigga met a woman that made me want to change,” he confessed, Luna heavy on his mind.
Mila grinned, and even that hurt her face, so she winced before giggling.
“Luna is a very lucky girl. I don’t even think she realized yet what she has stumbled upon with you. But… I will say, just like Minx and Rose… I always knew that something would jump off with you two. You got chemistry. You just covered it up with all that damn bickering. But I can see that she is in love with you, and clearly, you are too. I’m happy for you. You deserve that. I know that I can never replace your mother, and Max can never be your father?—”
“And it’s not even about that. I had my parents. And they weren’t all bad. I feel like it was a blessing that you two were also brought into my life. You’re my surrogate parents, and I love y’all.” Finn rested his chin on top of her head and continued to hold her.
“You and Rose are my bonus sons. I wouldn’t have made it through the last month or so without you. Thank you.” Mila rested her head on his shoulder, and she and Finn reminisced until she dozed off .
