He sat in the chair next to the bed, unable to tear his eyes away from her face. “And what did you find out, Madame Detective?”
“Not much. Nothing the doctors haven’t already told me. I did find it a little spooky reading about my own supposed death.” She sighed and rested against the pillows behind her back before continuing, “Losing over two years of my life is scary. It seems like just yesterday that we were attending the Bannister Charity Dinner, but I can feel the hole in my life, that everything’s changed.” She paused and whispered softly, “I’ve changed.”
“We’ll figure it all out, sweetheart. I swear. Everything will be okay,” Max answered, taking her hand in his and scooting the chair closer to the bed.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Her eyes moved from his face and looked at their joined hands. “Obviously I haven’t been living a life of leisure. My hands are rough.”
Max flipped her hand over, noticing her ragged nails and callused hands for the first time. “You’ve never lived a life of leisure. You’re the busiest woman I know.”
But her appearance was always perfect, always impeccably groomed and stylish.
The changes were odd, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.
“Oh well. At least I’m thin,” she said wistfully.
Yeah. She was. Too damn skinny. Another thing that was perplexing. Mia always had herself on some kind of diet, and Max had hated it. She’d had perfect curves, and an ass that made his cock hard every time he got a glimpse of her swaying hips in front of him. “It’s nothing that some good Italian food won’t fix,” he told her with a grin.
She groaned. “Pasta is my enemy.”
“You love it,” he reminded her, wanting to laugh at a comment she’d muttered every time she’d put away a plate of fettuccini, usually followed by a healthy serving of tiramisu. Honestly, he didn’t care how she looked; in his eyes, she’d always be the most beautiful woman on the planet.
She pulled her hand gently from his and set her laptop aside. Twisting her hands nervously together, she mumbled, “I had them do a DNA test. My brothers provided their blood for me to have it done. It wouldn’t be as conclusive as it would be if my mom was still alive but—”
“Why? I know you’re my wife. You know—“
“I want you to know for certain. I disappeared for over two years. You deserve some sort of scientific proof.”
“I don’t need it. I have no doubts. I knew the moment I saw you in the park, Mia,” he replied, slightly annoyed that she felt she had to prove herself to him.
“I think my brother wants it,” Mia said quietly, the disappointment evident in her voice.
Bastard. I’ll rip his damn heart out. “Travis,” Max said aloud, his tone vibrating with anger.#p#分页标题#e#
“No. I think Travis believes me. But I’m not so sure about Kade,” Mia admitted, her expression vulnerable.
“Kade? Why the fuck does he want it?” Okay…Max could believe that Travis would want proof. He could be a coldhearted bastard who believed only in concrete facts. But Kade? “I’ll kill him,” he grumbled, thinking of the many ways he could torture his brother-in-law for asking this of Mia right now.
“He didn’t really ask. I offered. And I think it’s important that we get rid of any doubts for a lot of reasons. Kade just seems different, distant, and hesitant to accept that I’m really his sister.” Mia sighed. “Maybe it’s just from the disappointment of the accident and his girlfriend breaking up with him. But he seems uncertain, and I don’t want anyone to have any doubts.”
“I’m still fucking killing him,” Max answered irritably.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you drop the f-bomb before,” Mia said teasingly.
“Yeah…well…things have changed. I’ve changed,” Max admitted, knowing it was true. He wasn’t the same man she had known before.
“I’m different, too. I remember our life together before I disappeared, but I don’t feel like that same person anymore,” she whispered just loud enough for Max to hear her. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey.” Max stood and tipped her chin up so he could see her gorgeous eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I never stopped loving you. And I never will. We’ll start over, get to know each other again.” He’d take his time, let her recover, but Max was determined that Mia would know him.
He wanted to tell her that he knew how empty his life was without her, how his heart had bled each and every day that she’d been gone, that he wished he had died with her when he thought she was dead. But she wasn’t ready for that right now, and he ruthlessly shoved the thoughts away. Right now, he just wanted her whole, healthy, and happy.