Page 128 of Under Her Skin

Ihopoff the bed and go open the door to find little Zane with a tiny fistful of wildflowers. He holds them up and I pick him up in my arms and takethem.

“How sweet, Zane. Of course I’d love to play with you. What are we going to play?” I carry him down the stairs and find his sister waiting for us with a net in herhand.

“We’re gonna catch some fireflies and put ‘em in a jar. Wanna help?” Zoeyasks.

“I sure do,” I say as I get to the bottom step and put Zane down. One grabs one hand and one takes the other and they lead me out into the darkening night to catch somefireflies.

Lexi and Max are sitting on the patio as Zakk plays in the sandbox near them. After I run around with the twins, grabbing up the little bugs, we place them in the jar and go sit down with theirparents.

Max gets up and takes me by the hand and pulls me inside withhim.

“I want to talk toyou.”

I follow along and he sits me down in the kitchen and pours me a glass of milk and places two cookies in front of me. “You sick of me?” I ask with a laugh, sure he’s about to tell me it’s time for me to gohome.

“Never,”he says as he tweaks my nose. “I want to talk to you about Blake. I called himtoday.”

I look down and frown. “Max, I know you mean well, but you shouldn’t have done that. He needs to get on withoutme.”

“No, he does not.” He sits down on the bar stool next to me. “You and he have something, Shelly. It doesn’t come along every day and I’d be no kind of a big brother if I let you blow it alloff.”

“Max,I…”

His finger touches my lips, stopping me. “Rachelle Stone, you are a viable woman who is worthy of love. If you don’t pursue this thing you have with Blake, you will end up with the wrong man after the wrong man. Much the same as your mother did when she turned away from your father, destroying them both. I can’t sit idly by and watch you do that to yourself. I mean what kind of a big brother would I be if Idid?”

“Iguess a crappy one,”I say with a frown. “But, Max, Blake has to hateme.”

“He doesn’t. Sure he’s hurt, but do you know how many times Lexi and I hurt each other before we came to our senses?” He nudges my shoulder withhis.

“Yeah, I do as a matter of fact. Lexi told me. By the way, I’d love to meet some of the people she told me about. The little French girl who you call your angel and that man she married, the model guy from those steamy book covers with Lexi.” I pause and look at him. “How did you handle your true love all up under those gorgeous men likethat?”

“It wasn’t easy, believe me.” He gets up and gets himself a beer from the fridge. “Now, don’t be pissed at me but I did something behind yourback.”

My eyebrows go up to the top of my head and I say, “Well, before you tell me, hand me one of those beers so I can chill and not tear your head off when you tell me something I can tell is going to make memad.”

“You’re right,” he says as he grabs me a beer. “Here, take a long drink then I’ll fill youin.”

I do as he says then he takes my chin in his hand and looks at me with those deep green eyes of his. I remember them from when I was three. “Do you remember me telling you that you had pretty eyes when I was little?” Iask.

“I do.” He lets my chin go and runs his hand through my hair. “Remember me telling you that you didtoo?”

I smile as he does remember. “So weird how you remembered me after all these years. I was only there for a few weeks before my grandparents found me, afterall.”

Slow strokes he makes through my hair as he gazes into my eyes. “You were so little and helpless. I took it as my responsibility to keep you safe and help you not be so sad. Your eyes held such sadness back then. You were utterly confused by being leftthere.”

“I am starting to recall those memories.” I laugh a little. “A complete stranger on the airplane I rode into Austin on told me I needed to deal with my memories instead of trying to hide from them. I thought he was an ass for talking to me thatway.”

“People don’t always mind their own business. I think it’s something they’re supposed to do, to be honest. I was just like you and when people talked like they knew anything about me or what I had gone through, well, I thought they were idiots.” Max leans back against the bar and smiles at me. “We’re probably more like brother and sister than most real siblings. We’ve been through much the samethings.”

“Okay,so what did you do that’s going to have me mad, bro?” I ask with achuckle.

“I sent your grandfather’s truck back to him. I had one of Hilda’s cousins drive it. I want you to use one of our cars and I want you to go to Lubbock and surprise Blake.” He looks at me for myreaction.

I blink several times and look down. “Why?”

“Because your classes are starting again soon and you need to see him before you go back to L.A. Just so you know, I’m not taking no or I’ll think about it as an answer.” He touches my cheek, making me look at him. “Wanna knowwhy?”

I nod and whisper, “Why?”