won’t you let me help?”
“I don’t need help.”
“You push Daniel and Kieran away, even Josh texted me to ask if you’d lost your phone.”
There was a pause—a silence so complete Max could hear the sound of his own breathing. Then Finn turned his back on Max and rested his palms on the counter. He leaned over and bowed his head.
“I’m a grown man—”
“Not this again.”
“Yes, this again. I’m a grown man who can handle his own problems. I nearly got Daniel killed, I nearly got you killed. God knows where he would have stopped…my mom? Josh? Don’t you get it? Neil was my fault. I should have followed up on him—hell, just checked on the police database for what he was doing. I knew there was something about him that wasn’t right.”
“Okay.” Max said suddenly. Finn tensed and Max carried on. He placed the keys to the truck at his end of the counter. “Your new truck is out front. Daniel, Kieran and I managed to get enough money together so you have a pretty good replacement.” Finn cast a surprised glance at Max. “I’m home the rest of today. If you can get your head out of your ass long enough to see I don’t want you so I can look after you, but maybe that you could look after me. After all, the man I love was nearly beaten to death.”
He left before Finn could say anything. He wasn’t sure if he’d played the right cards. Doc had told him he should try to make Finn see that what had happened wasn’t all his fault. The only way he could do that was to show Finn that he had been scared too, maybe force Finn’s protective side to push past the fears.
He walked home, past the Chinese restaurant, past the school until finally he was in his small front yard. The sound of the truck drawing up next to him was a welcome relief. Now he just had to see if Finn was in a fighting mood or whether he was still in self-isolation mode.
“What did you say back there?” Finn said as he climbed out of his truck.
“What part exactly?” Max could play at this game all day if it meant getting Finn back in his life.
“The man you love.” Finn gestured at Max.
“Oh, that.”
“How can you even respect me, let alone love me, when you had to pull me out of chaos three times like some idiot?” Finn snapped. Then he seemed to realise what he’d said and he stopped talking and paled.
Max stumbled back a step. Finally it all made sense. This wasn’t Finn in fear for Max’s life, or Daniel’s, or even feeling that it was his fault Neil had made his way to Ellery. This was Finn thinking that Max didn’t respect him.
Max opened his front door and stood to one side. “We need to talk,” he said firmly.
Finn was staring at him wild-eyed and for a second Max actually imagined Finn was going to get in his truck and just leave. Finally Finn came to some kind of silent conclusion and walked past Max into the house, taking obvious care not to brush by him.
Max’s heart twisted. What the hell did he say now? What did he do? Finn was his and Max was lost without him. He was in love, something he had never imagined happening, and he wanted a hell of a lot more than just a couple of hot memories and a month of hospital visits and drama. He wanted years more where they were together.
Finn rounded on him as soon as he stepped inside. He looked angry. “Do you see now?” he demanded. “Did I not make it really clear to you?”
“No. But you just did. But I don’t get it. Do you really think that you are less of a man in my eyes because I helped you out of a truck, or wrestled a madman to the ground? What about Mike? What about me dragging your ass out of the fire? You forgot that one.”
“All of it.”
“You stubborn fucker,” Max snapped.
“And that is gonna win me over?” Finn snapped back.
They stood there in a kind of furious face off until suddenly Max knew exactly what to say.
“When I was a probie, God, I was like twenty-three, green as hell. We had this fire, an office had gone up in flames,
“I don’t need help.”
“You push Daniel and Kieran away, even Josh texted me to ask if you’d lost your phone.”
There was a pause—a silence so complete Max could hear the sound of his own breathing. Then Finn turned his back on Max and rested his palms on the counter. He leaned over and bowed his head.
“I’m a grown man—”
“Not this again.”
“Yes, this again. I’m a grown man who can handle his own problems. I nearly got Daniel killed, I nearly got you killed. God knows where he would have stopped…my mom? Josh? Don’t you get it? Neil was my fault. I should have followed up on him—hell, just checked on the police database for what he was doing. I knew there was something about him that wasn’t right.”
“Okay.” Max said suddenly. Finn tensed and Max carried on. He placed the keys to the truck at his end of the counter. “Your new truck is out front. Daniel, Kieran and I managed to get enough money together so you have a pretty good replacement.” Finn cast a surprised glance at Max. “I’m home the rest of today. If you can get your head out of your ass long enough to see I don’t want you so I can look after you, but maybe that you could look after me. After all, the man I love was nearly beaten to death.”
He left before Finn could say anything. He wasn’t sure if he’d played the right cards. Doc had told him he should try to make Finn see that what had happened wasn’t all his fault. The only way he could do that was to show Finn that he had been scared too, maybe force Finn’s protective side to push past the fears.
He walked home, past the Chinese restaurant, past the school until finally he was in his small front yard. The sound of the truck drawing up next to him was a welcome relief. Now he just had to see if Finn was in a fighting mood or whether he was still in self-isolation mode.
“What did you say back there?” Finn said as he climbed out of his truck.
“What part exactly?” Max could play at this game all day if it meant getting Finn back in his life.
“The man you love.” Finn gestured at Max.
“Oh, that.”
“How can you even respect me, let alone love me, when you had to pull me out of chaos three times like some idiot?” Finn snapped. Then he seemed to realise what he’d said and he stopped talking and paled.
Max stumbled back a step. Finally it all made sense. This wasn’t Finn in fear for Max’s life, or Daniel’s, or even feeling that it was his fault Neil had made his way to Ellery. This was Finn thinking that Max didn’t respect him.
Max opened his front door and stood to one side. “We need to talk,” he said firmly.
Finn was staring at him wild-eyed and for a second Max actually imagined Finn was going to get in his truck and just leave. Finally Finn came to some kind of silent conclusion and walked past Max into the house, taking obvious care not to brush by him.
Max’s heart twisted. What the hell did he say now? What did he do? Finn was his and Max was lost without him. He was in love, something he had never imagined happening, and he wanted a hell of a lot more than just a couple of hot memories and a month of hospital visits and drama. He wanted years more where they were together.
Finn rounded on him as soon as he stepped inside. He looked angry. “Do you see now?” he demanded. “Did I not make it really clear to you?”
“No. But you just did. But I don’t get it. Do you really think that you are less of a man in my eyes because I helped you out of a truck, or wrestled a madman to the ground? What about Mike? What about me dragging your ass out of the fire? You forgot that one.”
“All of it.”
“You stubborn fucker,” Max snapped.
“And that is gonna win me over?” Finn snapped back.
They stood there in a kind of furious face off until suddenly Max knew exactly what to say.
“When I was a probie, God, I was like twenty-three, green as hell. We had this fire, an office had gone up in flames,
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