47

Elaine

I lay naked beside Max, listening to him snore softly while my heart hammered wildly against my ribcage. It was a dreary Monday morning and we'd just gotten back from San Francisco where we had fun over the weekend. I'd called Cora before we alighted the plane to sleep with Finn for the night and make sure he didn't come out while I figured out a way to tell Max. I couldn't hide it from him any longer. The bond we shared at this point was too sacred, too important for deception. All through last week, working beside him at the office was bliss. He became more understanding, more patient, and more professional, and we snuck in a lot of kisses between edits. It had become natural to wake up beside him every morning. It felt more than right.

I sucked in a deep breath, bracing myself for what I was about to do. I even muttered a silent prayer before shaking him lightly. “Hey, Max.”

“Huh?” he replied sleepily, turning to face me. “Sweetheart. What's wrong?”

I swallowed a hard lu