He slid her a quick look, his eyes warm. “Yeah, and remember that, Rory. Remember the very same thing. None of this is your fault.”
An hour and a half later they made it up and over the summit and into their small Tahoe town. It was just barely eight o’clock. Definitely past her self--imposed deadline, but still early. Hopefully early enough, but her heart was pounding with anxiety.
Max pulled into the driveway of her childhood home. The place was a small ranch--style house, emphasis on small, in a neighborhood of hard--working -people who didn’t spare a lot of time or money on their yards. Not that it mattered because the new snowfall was a white blanket over everything as far as the eye could see, giving new life to the tired street, making it indeed look like Christmas.
“Rory,” Max said quietly, once again putting a hand on her thigh. “Breathe.”
Right. She’d been holding her breath. She gulped in some air but she was close to a nervous breakdown. Hands sweating, she made herself busy gathering her stuff because a good part of her nerves, she suddenly realized, was from the thought of saying goodbye to Max.
He’d made his interest in her clear but she still felt a moment of panic that she’d somehow misunderstood. “Thanks for the ride,” she said quickly as she slid out of the truck, grabbing her bag. “I appreciate—-”
Max got out of the truck as well, and then was there, right there at her side, pulling her around to face him. “I’ll drive you back to the city whenever you’re ready to go.”
“I can take the bus—-”
“I’ll drive you,” he said firmly.
“But I don’t want to cut your visit with your family short—-”
“I’m taking you back,” he said right over her. Calm. Sure. Absolutely adamant. “Whatever day and time you want. I’ll call you in a little bit to see how you’re doing, and you can call me too. Any time.” He bent a little to look right into her eyes. “Repeat after me, Rory. Any time.”
She stared into his dark green eyes and felt something catch in her heart. Or maybe it was just rolling over and exposing its tender underbelly. “Any time,” she whispered.
“Because this isn’t over,” he said and waited for her to repeat that as well.
“Max—-”
“You wanted to give me a Christmas present,” he said quietly. “This is it. This is what I want.”
“Me?”
“You.”
Warmth filled her, and not just her good spots. She felt cherished, wanted, cared for . . . and she felt something else—-a huge smile on her face. She couldn’t control it. “And I didn’t even have to wrap it.”
He relaxed and smiled back, and then leaned in for a kiss just as Carl stuck his big head out the truck’s still open door and licked Rory from chin to forehead.
She laughed while Max cupped the dog’s face in his big palm and pushed him back into the truck. He turned to Rory then, his smile fading as he looked past her to the front door. She followed his gaze and froze at the sight of her stepdad standing on the porch, arms crossed, face creased in the stern frown that had framed her entire youth.
“You’re here,” he called out. “Thought maybe you’d changed your mind.”
Again. He didn’t say the word but she felt it shimmering in the air between them. “I didn’t.” The warm fuzzies of a moment ago were fading fast, leaving her chilled, more than the snow around her. “I’m sorry I’m late, but—-”
“No one expected you to get here on any sort of timetable.”
Okay, she got it, she was the screw--up once again, but damn. It hurt more than she thought to be on the other side and be judged for who she’d once been. “You don’t understand, this time was different—-”
“Actually, I do understand and I’m not surprised—-”
“Hold on,” Max said and grabbed Rory’s hand. “You haven’t let her talk.”
Her stepdad looked at him. “Max Stranton. What are you doing here?”
“I’m Rory’s boyfriend,” he said so easily that Rory’s heart skipped a beat. “The storm slowed us down,” Max went on. “The roads were a mess.”
“You two okay?” her stepdad asked.
“Yes,” Max said. “But we stopped to help an older -couple with a flat, and then my dog took off on us. Rory could’ve gotten a ride from the one car who’d stopped but she stayed to help me find Carl.”
Her stepdad looked at Rory.
“I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you,” she said, “but there was no way I could just take the ride and leave Max alone on the summit in the storm with his dog missing.”
“Of course not,” her stepdad said.
Rory blinked. Was that . . . understanding in her stepdad’s voice? Still stunned at that, she turned to Max when he said her name. He cupped the nape of her neck in a big palm and pulled her in for a quick but warm kiss. “Any time,” he said softly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Even if it’s in a few hours.”
She let out a half laugh that was more like a sob so she cut it off. “I already told you, I won’t cut your visit short—-”
“Or yours,” her stepdad said. He’d left the front porch and had come closer. “Your mom and sisters are going to be thrilled you made it, Rory.”