Page 29 of Maximus

“But someone hurt you,” Liam argued.

“The only thing that matters is no one hurt any of you.”

“That’s not true,” I cut in.

“Which part, Eva?”

“That it doesn’t matter that you got hurt protecting us. It does matter. And the boys should be grateful you put yourself in harm’s way for us, not told that your wellbeing doesn’t matter. That’s crap, Max. Your life is just as important as ours, so please don’t tell my kids you don’t matter.”

Nothing.

Not even a flicker of recognition I’d spoken.

“Is everything all right?”

“I came out to remind you not to open the door.”

Well, that was mildly insulting—I wasn’t some dipshit who had a death wish, therefore I’d go traipsing outside for funsies.

“Right,” I mumbled. “Thanks for reminding me, otherwise I may’ve taken the kids for a stroll.”

“Now’s not the time to be a smartass.”

“But now’s the time for you to treat me like I’m an idiot?”

Max said nothing.

Then he turned and walked away.

I was reconsidering my earlier assessment—maybe I should be afraid of Max. He had no problem turning his anger toward me.

Liam broke into my thoughts. “Is someone trying to hurt us?”

I took a deep breath, and even though Max was no longer scorching the room with his presence, it still burned to inhale.

“Remember Tex?”

“The man who saved us.”

It wasn’t a question, I knew my boy would never forget Tex—I made sure of it.

“Yes, honey, that’s him. He still watches out for us. He thinks that…well…he sent Max to make sure we were safe.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said, honey. I didn’t want you or your brother to be scared. So I didn’t tell you the truth about who Max was.”

“You lied.”

Christ Almighty, Liam’s accusation hurt like a bitch.

“Yes, Liam. I didn’t tell you the truth. Like I said, I didn’t want to scare you and I wasn’t certain Tex was right. He likes us a lot, and because of that, he’s protective of us. I thought that it would be best until I knew for sure not to tell you.”

“But lying is wrong. That’s what you always say.”

“It is. I’m very sorry if I hurt your feelings, but it’s my job to protect you. And part of that is making sure you and your brother aren’t scared and worried something bad is going to happen.”

“Mommy,” Eli murmured and my eyes went to my youngest son. “Is Daddy gonna take us again?”