Kade and Travis had left for the day, but Maddie and Sam had stayed behind, Maddie hunting down the doctors to get the whole story after getting Mia’s permission to do so. Thank God his sister was a physician. Max needed to hear what was happening from someone he trusted, and in a language he understood.
Sam stood and clasped his wife’s hand, pulling her to her feet.
“I don’t want to leave you alone here tonight, Max,” Maddie said softly, her sympathetic gaze running over her brother and his disheveled appearance.
Max looked up at her, his heart warming from her sisterly concern. Putting his coffee on the table beside him, he stood up and pulled her into a bear hug. Sam plucked the coffee from his wife’s hand deftly as Max swept Maddie into his arms and squeezed her tightly. “Thank you for being here when I needed you, but I’m not alone anymore. Mia’s here. I’m exactly where I should be.” His voice was hoarse, his emotions getting closer to the surface with exhaustion.
Releasing Maddie, he told Sam, “Take her home. She’s pregnant with my nephew.”
Sam snorted. “You mean my daughter?” He raised a brow at Max.
Max rolled his eyes. “My nephew,” he argued good-naturedly. He knew Sam didn’t care whether Maddie had a boy or girl, as long as the baby was healthy. But since he’d learned that Sam was dreaming of a little girl cousin for Simon’s soon-to-arrive baby girl, Max immediately had to be contrary. It just wouldn’t be natural not to argue with Sam.
Sam took Maddie’s hand and slapped Max on the back. “Now you can have one of your own, buddy. See you tomorrow.” Sam exited the waiting room with Maddie, his parting words still echoing in Max’s brain.
Max had barely started to dare to believe Mia was alive, back in his life again. It was too early to start thinking about kids, but it didn’t stop the longing when he thought about the fact that he might have something other than a bleak future. His heart racing, he exited the waiting room, striding quickly toward Mia’s room.
His wife had been in the hospital for two days, yet he’d barely had a chance to talk to her. Someone was always taking her away for tests or exams, and when she was in her room, someone was always visiting. He wanted some time alone with her, needed it.
He didn’t knock. The door was ajar and he pushed it open gently with his shoulder, his eyes immediately drawn to the bed. Max didn’t know what he had been expecting, but he exhaled hard, expelling the breath of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Maybe he was afraid he was delusional, or that she’d be gone. But she was there, her head down and looking at the screen of her laptop, her teeth worrying her lower lip as she tapped on the keyboard.
She’s scared. I know that worried expression.
Her hair was still short, but it was blonde again, the color that she’d used apparently temporary. Most of it had washed out after the nurse had helped her shower. Max couldn’t deny that he wanted to know why she had wanted to cover her blonde locks, why she’d cut her beautiful hair short, but he pushed the questions away. He wasn’t getting any answers—not right now anyway. Instead, he just stared at the short curly locks that framed her beautiful face. Dressed in a pink pastel nightgown with fuzzy slippers, she looked much younger than her actual twenty-nine years.
I missed two of her birthdays. We missed two anniversaries.
No matter. Max planned on making up for every moment they’d lost. Never again would he tell himself he had time, that he had years to enjoy life with Mia after he’d created his empire, and especially once he’d learned to control the intensity of his emotions around her. The latter was the primary reason he’d focused on his business. The way he’d felt about her was too intense, too raw, too hard to hide. She’d been his one vulnerability, a major crack in his Hamilton control, and he’d had a very hard time keeping his possessive instincts in check. Now, he couldn’t care less whether he was in control or not. Everything had stopped mattering to him the moment he had lost her.#p#分页标题#e#
Learned your lessons, dumbass?
Oh yeah, he definitely had. Life was short, and nothing really mattered except the people you cared about.
“What are you doing?” he asked curiously as he moved into the room, letting the door click closed behind him.
Her luminous blue eyes looked up from the computer, her lips curling into a happy smile as she saw him. The look was so familiar that it nearly brought him to his knees.
“Research. I’m trying to find out more about what happened to me and why I can’t remember.” She closed the laptop and gave him her full attention, a familiar action that had always disconcerted him and fascinated him at the same time. Now, he found it enchanting and seductive, something that helped quench a deep-seated need.