Page 130 of Maximus

“Max.”

“Thank fuck.” His exclamation was guttural and I felt it slice through me.

“Max,” I repeated.

“Are you hurt, honey?”

“No. I’m okay.”

“Thank God. Fucking hell, I’ve been out of my mind.”

I heard the hitch in Max’s voice and I lost it. All the stress and fear I’d pushed aside came rushing to the surface and I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped. Raw pain slipped past my lips in a rush of air that burned.

“I’m so, so sorry.” Next to me Natasha rested her head on my shoulder and placed an arm around my chest, pulling me closer. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Shh, honey. Nothing’s your fault.”

The sadness in his voice cut me to the quick. God, how could I have been so stupid?

“You told me to watch my surroundings,” I reminded him. “God, I’m stupid. I almost…almost…”

“You’re killing me, honey,” he groaned. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

“The boys! How are the boys?”

“They’re scared. But holding it together.”

“Can I talk to them or do you think—”

“I think you better talk to them or Liam’ll be pretty mad at me. We’ve been waiting twenty-seven hours for this call.”

Oh, God, he’d been counting the hours.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t know what you’re thanking me for. Tex and the team tracked you down. I’ve been pretty fucking useless.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“It’s the truth, Eva. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. The boys and I… fuck, honey… it’s taken everything in me to pull my shit together for them.”

“You taking care of them means the world to me. I couldn’t even think about them because I was afraid I’d have a nervous breakdown. But I knew they were safe and I knew no matter what happened to me, you’d take care of them. That meant everything.”

“Hang on.” I heard rustling on Max’s end, then the sweetest sound warmed me from the inside out.

“Mama?”

I stifled another sob and cleared my throat. “Hey, little man.”

My son on the other hand couldn’t contain his. It took a few moments for Max to calm him down as my heart ached. I wished I was there, but knowing that Max was and he was consoling went a long way to soothing my pain.

“Are you on your way home?” Liam hiccupped.

“I am. It’s gonna take a while, but Max’s friends are with me and they’re bringing me home right now.”

“Max told us they were going to find you.”

That made me smile.