Making It Through (8 page)

We were crammed into the small study room at the library, papers and books strewn everywhere, mixing together, creating a wonderful mess and utter chaos.

“Do you think you have it all sorted to a place where we can stop, Mady?”

I rubbed my eyes and removed my glasses, placing them in their case. “If I look at any more figures, or another paragraph of words that I have to look up in the dictionary to understand, I think I might just scream.”

Max laughed. “W
e're
done, then. Pretty sure the library staff would frown upon that kind of commotion.

I leaned back in my chair. “Yeah. I bet
you're
right.”

He had begun to sort our papers, when he commented, “You know, I didn’t know you had glasses until today?”

“That’s because I never wear them.
I'm
strictly a contact girl, but, this morning, I dropped one in the sink, and it went down the drain. When I went to grab another pair, I realized I hadn’t reordered them.”

Max started to fidget, his leg bouncing slightly. He was probably the most laid-back person I had ever known, so something was up.

“What the heck is wrong with you, Max? You’re acting funny.”

“Nothing’s wrong. Just getting packed up. Do you want to go eat?”

I raised my eyebrow. “You’re weirding out because of dinner? Okay… sure, let’s eat. I don’t feel like going home anyway.”

We walked through the library doors towards Max’s car before he spoke again.

“So, I was wondering if you would mind if we stopped by my parents’ house for a few minutes before we go eat. They're having a small family gathering, and because I haven’t been over there much lately, I promised I'd stop and say hi. It won’t take long, I promise.”

I felt an uncomfortable lump form in my throat. “Uh, why not just go without me? I can eat at home easily enough.”

“Please?” He looked me deeply in the eyes, leaning toward me, his want clear, pulling at my heart.

“Why do you want me to go? It’s your family. It feels like I'd be intruding.”

Max draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer, starting to beg, his lips grazing my ear, making me shiver. “Pleeeeease Mady? For me? These things can be dull, and it would be awesome to have someone there, so I can easily excuse myself.”

“I thought you said your family was great?”

“Oh, they are, don’t get me wrong, but after our marathon study session,
I'm
exhausted and would rather skip tonight.”

I shook my head. “But you just asked me to dinner.”

He smiled broadly. “A man has to eat, doesn’t he?”

I laughed softly. “Yeah, all right.
I'm
hardly dressed to be meeting anyone, but if you say it will be quick, okay.”

“You look great.” He grinned at me and opened the car door.

It wasn’t long before we pulled in front of a tiny little house with the white picket fence that Max had previously described. I could hear music as we strolled up the walkway. Max opened the front door without bothering to knock, and I was hit with loud chatter, laughter, and music that was playing somewhere within the house.

And then it hit me. “You lied to me, didn’t you?” I elbowed him in the side.

“Yup,” he answered with a smug grin.

“Why?”

“You wouldn’t have come otherwise, and I wanted you to meet my family.”

I shook my head at him and smiled. “You’re crazy. You made it seem like this was going to be death by boredom. There is no way that anyone here is bored.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

He grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me further into the house. This was no small gathering—everywhere I looked, there were people whom I assumed were family members. Max dragged me through the crowd to the kitchen. A lady noticed us, and she quickly made her way toward where we stood, eyes alight.

“Maxwell! What on earth took you so long to get here?”

The woman grabbed him and pulled him tightly against her, wrapping her arms around him.

Max managed to untangle himself and turned to me. “Mom, I want to introduce you to Mady. Mady, this is my mom, Gloria.”

I reached out my hand to her. “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Granger.”

“Oh honey, my son has finally brought a girl home, that deserves more than a handshake. It's wonderful to meet you. Please, call me Gloria.” I was then wrapped tightly in her arms. I looked over her shoulder at Max, who was grinning widely at me. Gloria shouted over my shoulder, and into my ear, “Theodore? Come here and meet Maxwell’s girlfriend!”

The room silenced.
Oh, God
.

An older gentleman sauntered into the room with a large smile on his face. I knew then what Max would probably look like when he aged. Theodore was a handsome man, with salt and pepper hair cropped closely to his head, and kind, deep brown eyes, wrinkled at the side from years of smiling wholeheartedly. He reached his hand toward me as Gloria released me from her grasp.

“It’s lovely to meet you, young lady. Max said you were beautiful, but he did not do you justice.”

I felt my cheeks heat at the compliment. I looked over to Max questioningly. He had the decency to appear sheepish. “Dad, Mom, come on,
you're
embarrassing us. I already told you, Mady and I are just friends.”

Theodore shook his head. “Then you, my boy, are a damn fool.” He clapped his hand on his son’s shoulder and turned before addressing me. “If I weren’t already smitten with my woman, here,” he enveloped Gloria in his arms, “I would snatch you up myself.”

Max scowled at his dad, and I began to giggle. An arm wrapped around my shoulder, startling me. I looked up to see a handsome, grinning man. “Did I hear that you two aren’t an item? If so, I would love to take you out sometime.”

“Dude, back off.” Max’s eyes narrowed. “Mady, this is my cousin Darren. Darren, you have about two seconds to remove your hands from her.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “All right man, no need to lose your cool. I can appreciate a staked claim. Shame though, she’s hot.”

I looked up at him, a sudden stab of irritation flashing through me. “Hey,
I'm
no claim to be staked.”

Max grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him. “Easy, tiger. You can’t blame a guy for trying when he hears that a gorgeous woman isn’t taken, can you?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my surprise left me dumbfounded and my cheeks on fire. I couldn’t believe that he asked it as his family looked on. He turned his attention to his cousin. “However, that doesn’t mean a guy has to hit on every single woman he meets.”

“Hey!” Darren protested.

My eyes shot up to meet Max’s, a wide grin splayed across his face. “Still hungry?”

I shrugged. My stomach was fluttering around something fierce.

“Don’t bother saying no,” he advised. “Mom won’t let you
from
her sight until you've had seconds.”

I looked at Gloria, who was nodding seriously. “You girls these days are too skinny. Go, eat.” She shooed us away with her arms.

The kitchen counter was piled high with many delectable dishes. Max handed me a plate, grabbed a serving spoon, and heaped a large pile of rice on my plate. “That’s too much,” I hissed.

“Nope. You heard Mom, you need some meat on your bones.”

I shook my head at him. “I’ll serve myself, thank you very much.”

When our plates were full, Max
led
me out the back door to the small garden, toward a patio swing in the far corner. I sat and took a moment to look around. Night lights lined the horseshoe-shaped garden, the soft glow illuminating the plants. Family members were scattered around the yard, but the swing gave us a little distance from the crowd.

He started a soft sway of the swing, and we ate in contented silence. When he'd finished eating, he brought both of our plates to the kitchen. He returned with a couple glasses of unknown liquid.

“Do I want to know?” I asked, gesturing to the glass.

“Um, no, probably not.” He took a swig. “You were great tonight, Mady.”

I shook my head. “You ambushed me.”

He began to swing us again. “My family loves you; it was worth it.”

We sat there in the quiet of the night, the crickets singing around us. It was in this beautiful setting that my heart began to ache. It always hit at the worst of times.

I faked a yawn. “I think I should get going, Max. I’m exhausted.”

He looked at me, his eyebrows pulled together in thought, before nodding. “Okay. Let’s say goodbye to my folks.”

We found Gloria sitting in Theodore’s lap in the living room. I couldn’t help a small smile at the sight of them.

“Mom, we’re going to head out.”

She frowned. “Already? You just got here. Please tell me you ate, at least.”

I nodded. “We did. I’m sorry to pull Max away from your party, I’ve just had a long day, and I’m very tired. Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

Gloria stood and wrapped her warm arms around me, comforting me briefly from the anxiety I had building inside of me. “Now, Mady, you take care of my son for me, will you? He’s a good man, but he needs the care of a good woman.”

I wasn’t sure she had the right woman, but I nodded anyway, as I didn’t want to say anything to disappoint her.

Max hugged his mom tightly before ushering me to the car. We drove along, and the silence did nothing to help the hole that was opening in my chest, but I couldn't stop it.

“Are you all right, Mady?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him glancing between me and the road. I nodded, unable to speak. If I did, I would most definitely cry, and I much preferred doing that in private, if I could help it.

Max’s eyebrows were pulled together, knowing full well I was lying to his face.

By the time we had stopped outside my house, I had managed to get control of my precarious emotions. We looked at each other, my smile weak and not at all happy.

“Thank you for forcing me to meet your family today. They were very kind to let in a perfect stranger.”

Max took a deep breath, the air filling his chest. His shirt stretched across the muscles there, and it was a welcome distraction.

“You know you can talk to me right?”

I nodded, my eyes moving to my fingers in my lap. “I know. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, all right?”

He leaned over and kissed my forehead with tender lips. My eyes closed, trying to hang on to the sweet feeling it sent through me. I grabbed the door handle and forced myself to the curb. With a lackluster wave, I quickly walked to the front door and inside, before I decided to run back to him.

The house was quiet for a change, but the despair, which settled upon me the minute I was alone, was crippling. It was all I could do to make it to the safety of my room. My legs gave out and crumpled to the floor. The dam inside my head burst, and the tears poured down my face.

The Granger family had been so kind, so full of love, the happiness filling the too-small house. I hated that they had what my family used to have, when my family was breaking apart.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if trying to hold my physically-aching body together. Our lives would never be the same without Matt. It wasn’t fair. I knew I was being stupid, I did, but I couldn't help it.

When the tears began to slow, I crawled to the bed and climbed in. I turned off my cell and tossed it on the side table. I couldn’t pretend to be feeling fine, and no one wanted to hear about Matt anymore. I was alone in my struggle. I pulled the blankets over me, praying that sleep would find me and ease the pain for a little while.

I stayed curled in bed until the sun rose, and then gave up on the illusion that I would be able to sleep for any significant length of time.

I quickly dressed and made my way downstairs. The house was quiet. After grabbing a water, I slipped outside and made my way along the familiar route to the only place that made sense for me to go.

I approached the stone, the grass still damp from the morning dew, the fog still lingering. Was it not morbid that I found a little bit of peace in a place like this? I knelt down and ran my fingers over the letters of his name.