[thirty-six]

Max's POV

I couldn't fall asleep, well more like I wasn't going to allow myself to fall asleep. I needed to know she was coming home, I needed to hear the door open and then shut. I looked over at the clock, 11:30 PM. She still had another two and a half hours of work and my eyes were working against me. I did everything I could, coffee, peanut butter, loud music. I found myself back on the couch, starring. With each blink of the eye, my eyelid was slowly becoming too heavy to pick up. The room went dark and I fell in to a deep sleep. The bright light reflecting off the mirror on the wall woke me up. I glanced over at the clock, 9:45 AM. I jumped up from the couch, and steadied myself as I looked around. I made my way in to the bedroom and saw Lillianah sprawled out over the bed, still in her clothes from the night before. I stepped back out and shut the door behind me. She came home, that's all I needed to know.

Lillianah's POV

I really didn't want to go to work, I wanted to stay with Max. I knew I was on the verge of being fired though if I missed anymore time. It wouldn't be hard for me to find another job, but there really wasn't anything as good as the job at Diesel. I walked down the street and made my way through the back door of the club. "How's Max doing?" one of the bus boys, who's name I do not know, asked. "He's fine, it's just a concussion," I answered before turning my back and heading up to my little area. I messed around on my laptop as people starting filing in to the club. It was still early, so I had plenty of time to pull the songs I wanted to play that night. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pulled it out to see a text message from none other than Kevin Rudolf. I want you to come to Miami and work with me. Hit me up tomorrow. He wants to work with me? Even after I ran out on him? I pushed the thought out of my mind and brought my attention back to my laptop. Clicking and dragging songs into files like a man woman, I looked down on the dance floor and noticed the floor was slowly disappearing, bodies filing in. I check my watch, 10 PM, it was go time. I noticed a few cowboy hats in the crowd and felt like experimenting, so I pulled a few country songs out as well. I push play on one playlist and headed down to the bar. As soon as I walked up to the counter one of the barkeeps handed me a bottle of tequila, they knew me so well. I smiled and headed back upstairs.

I couldn't tell if the people in the club were enjoying my country remixes, but I sure was, so I went with it. It was just something about Rascal Flatts with a Jay-Z beat behind it that was intriguing. I looked around and everyone was dancing, so I was doing my job. I glanced over at the VIP and a familiar pair of brown eyes were starring me down. I felt my face go flush and looked back down to my my laptop. What was he doing here? Alone it looks like too. "Do you need a drink Lil?" I turned around to face him. "No thanks Kris, I have my bottle," I smiled before grabbing it and taking a swig from it. "Tequila, really? I didn't think you were that kind of girl?" "What's that suppose to mean?" A smile came on to his face. "I don't know too many girls that drink tequila straight from the bottle." "Well the girls you know can't even handle cosmopolitans." I watched as he searched for some words, but nothing came out, so I turned back around, taking another swig. I watched as a message popped up on my laptop from my boss, 'turn this country crap off, I know people are enjoying it, but it's driving me crazy'. I laughed out loud and quickly mixed the tunes up, pulling up Santogold, I knew he liked her. I couldn't help myself but I glanced back over to the VIP where Kris had resumed his seat and was still watching me. This only prompted me to grab my bottle again. I almost felt like texting Max, but I was 100% sure he was sleeping.

After one too many shots of tequila, I started packing my stuff up. I looked at my watch and saw that it was about 1:50 in the morning. I grabbed the bottle and set it aside to see that I drank about half of it. No wonder I was having trouble standing up straight. Once the house lights turned on, I swung my bag over my shoulder and almost lost my balance. I felt a firm grip on my shoulder and I spun around to see it was Kris. A smile crept on to my face and I walked side-by-side with him out the club. "I'll see ya later Kris," I slurred as I started walking toward the apartment. "I'm not letting you walk home alone at this hour," he protested grabbing my arm once more. "I've done it dozens of times, I'll be fine." He shook his head no and continued to walk with me. I would occasionally bump in to him, but not on purpose, only because I was too drunk to walk straight. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and I didn't protest, it helped me from falling over. I looked up at him and for the first time I saw how truly beautiful he really was. He was unique looking, almost like a werewolf. I snapped my neck back and looked down at my feet. Stop thinking that! We reached the apartment building and I went to slide out of his grasp but he just followed me into the elevator. I kept starring at my feet as we rode up in silence. The doors opened and I finally got away from him and walked to the front door. I fumbled through my bag for my keys, but I felt his hand on my shoulder and he spun me around and my bag fell to he ground. He stepped forward, causing me to step back, right up against the door. "When are you going to open your eyes?" I looked at him confused but before I could say or do anything his hand was on the back of my neck and his lips were on mine. I froze, my hands landed on his chest, but I couldn't push him off of me. My hands just rested there. I inhaled sharply only to inhale the scent of his cologne, the perfect combination of fresh laundry and a musky scent. My hands ran up his chest to his hair and I eagerly kissed back. I heard him chuckle as his lips moved from my mouth to my neck, then my eyes flew open. I brought my hands back to his chest and pushed him off of me. Without saying a word I turned around and picked up my things, unlocked the door and walked in, shutting the door in Kris' smiling face. What the hell did I do? I looked around and noticed Max passed out on the couch, as much as I wanted to wake him up and bring him to bed with me, I had a feeling he would be able to smell Kris on me. I headed in to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, crying.

I woke up still in my clothes from the night before and as I sat up my head started pounding. Perfect, a hang over. Wait, where's Max? Did I walk home last night? I crawled out of bed and headed straight for the shower. After allowing the hot water to run over me, I got out, pulled on a pair of Max's basketball shorts and a bra and walked out into the living room to see him watching the news. "Hey baby," he smiled as I sat down next to him and he kissed my wet hair. I pinched the bridge of my nose and clenched my eyes shut. "Headache?" "I'm hung over, I think I drank too much last night. Last thing I remember is packing my stuff up. I don't remember getting home." His eyes grew wide and I looked at him funny. "Did you see Tanger last night?" I sat there and thought about it. "Yeah, actually I did, he wanted to buy me a drink, that's when I started drinking the tequila." Some details started coming back, why do I feel like that wasn't the only time I saw Kris? "Oh and Kevin Rudolf texted me last night, he wants me to go to Miami to work with him." Even though I said this to Max, my mind was still on Kris, something happened with him, did we get in a fight? "Kevin Rudolf? As amazing as that would be for you Lil, I can't let you do that. I'm sorry, you remember the last time." I nodded my head, what the hell happened with Kris? "I know, he wants me to call him today. I'll just tell him no." Max wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned my body against him. His smile, Kris' smile, that's the last thing I remember. Why was he smiling?

Max's POV

She looked like she shit when she walked out and joined me on the couch. Even though she had just showered, she had bags under her eyes and I could tell she had been drinking, a lot, the night before. And the fact that she saw Tanger made me feel uneasy. Especially since she doesn't remember coming home. "Hey, I need to head down to the arena, I'll be back later," I stated firmly getting up from the couch. "Do you need me to drive you?" "No, I should be fine, I won't be long. My parents should be over in like a hour, hopefully I will be back by then." I watched as she smiled lightly, "okay." "Love you Lil." "Love you too Max." I grabbed my coat and keys and quickly left the apartment. I needed to know how she got home last night, and I'm sure Tanger was the only one that knew. I wasn't scare to beat the crap out of him if needed either. I got to the arena and quickly jumped out of my car and headed straight for the locker room.

I flung the door open and the room fell silent. Flower stood up and looked at me like I was a ghost. "What are you doing here Max? You're suppose to be at home resting." I ignored his question and walked straight up to Tanger. "Can I have a word?" He nodded his head and got up and followed me into the equipment room. "What the hell was that about last night?" I snapped at him, shoving my finger in to his chest. "Back off Max, she was plastered last night, you think I was going to let her walk home alone?" "So you brought her home?" He nodded his head and I took my finger down from his chest. "She doesn't remember crap Tanger, and to be honest, I don't fully trust you. Who were you with last night?" "I was alone." "So you went to watch her?" I could tell he was searching for the right words, which meant he only went to watch her. He probably goes every night he has a chance to see if she's working. I was disgusted. "Did you try taking her back to your place?" "No, I took her straight to your place, but you better watch that girl. When she starts drinking tequila she'll kiss anyone." My fists clenched. She wasn't like that. She's not that kind of girl. As much as I wanted to punch Tanger, I couldn't do it, because I began to remember how she was before me. How I was before her. "You're telling me she kissed you?" "She was all over me, I had to push her off and open the god damn door for her." "You better watch your back, because I don't fucking believe you." I shoved him with my finger into the wall and stormed out, ignoring the looks from the guys in the locker room.

I could feel myself become lightheaded as I drove back to the apartment. I had to pull over to let the feeling pass before I could continue home. I rested my head against the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. Lillianah wouldn't kiss Kris, she doesn't see him like that. Kris has to be lying. What the hell? After a few more breaths I brought my head up and finished my ride home. I spun my car keys around my finger as I rode the elevator up. As I walked in to the apartment I saw Lillianah pacing around the kitchen moving her hands around frantically in front of her. "Lil, you okay?" I asked and she froze in her tracks and looked at me. Maybe Kris wasn't lying. "I remember what happened last night, he kissed me. Kris kissed me. I didn't even want him to walk me home but I was drunk, really drunk. I was leaning in to him on the walk home so I wouldn't fall over. He came up here with me and he kissed me. He said something but I can't remember. I just now remembered what happened. Details are still really blurry but I remember that much. I remember pushing him away and then closing the door in his face." As calmly as I could I pulled my jacket off and hung it up. "Where are my parents?" "I guess there was an accident by the hotel, they're stuck in traffic, but they called twenty minutes ago, so I'm sure they will be here soon." I walked up to her and held her in my arms. I wasn't going to tell her what Kris said, that would only piss her off. We didn't need two pissed off people here when my parents showed up. Why would Kris lie to me though? Did he honestly think Lillianah wouldn't tell me something like that. Maybe he was hoping because she was so drunk that she wouldn't remember. Boy, was he wrong. I kissed her forehead and brought her in to the bathroom and ran a wash rag under some cold water and wiped down her face. "It's okay, calm down," I whispered as her eyes were racing around, obviously her mind was running a mile a minute.

I opened the door for my parents and they came bearing food, once again. They should honestly just move here to Pittsburgh. We all crowded around in the living room eating our deli sandwiches. "So Lillianah, I hope you can make it to Montreal with Max this summer." I looked up at my mom with wide eyes, "actually mom, we haven't talked about our summer plans yet. Lillianah has to figure out what she can do with work so she doesn't have to take so much time off." I looked over at Lillianah, who suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'm sure we'll come up for a weekend or maybe even a week," I said as her expression softened. "You don't plan on staying the whole summer like always?" My dad asked and I looked up at him, then back at Lillianah. "No, not the whole summer, I have reason to stay in Pittsburgh now." A huge smile came on to Lillianah's face and she lunged forward and kissed me, and then did something I hadn't seen in a very long time. Blush. I put an act on for my parents, considering it was their last day in Pittsburgh before going home. I was still very much pissed off at a certain Kristopher Letang, and every bone in my body wanted to just crush him for just looking at Lillianah. You know what, it doesn't matter. She didn't kiss back, she pushed him off of her. "Max did you hear me?" I snapped my eyes up and saw both my mother and father laughing at me. "No, sorry, I was thinking." "We can see that, we were just wondering if you knew when you wanted us to come out again, when Lillianah's parents are here." I looked over at Lillianah and she looked distant too, like she was deep in thought. "Um, we actually haven't thought about it. I know we have a long home stand at the end of March, so probably then. I will let you guys know after we talk to Lil's family." My mom and dad both smiled and I squeezed Lillianah's hand, pulling her out of her trance. "You okay?" I asked her and she nodded her head. 

[thirty-five]

Lillianah's POV

Lucie, Serge and I were in the stands laughing just about random things, enjoying our time together. Lucie was in the middle of an embarrassing childhood story of Max's when we saw him race down the ice. The player behind him stuck out his stick, hooking it around Max's foot and yanked on it, resulting in Max falling face first on to the ice. I watched in horror as he went head first straight in to the boards to the side of the net. The player who took Max down took the puck and started skating the other way, but my eyes were glued on Max. "Get up Max. Get up Max. GET UP MAX!!" I jumped up in my seat and my eyes never left Max's motionless body. Lucie grabbed on to my hand and squeezed. Why wasn't he moving? "MAX GET UP!!" I screamed once more in the nearly silent arena. Tears formed in my eyes and I wiped them away quickly, I needed clear vision of Max. I needed him to get up. I watched the athletic trainer run to his side, with the help of Sidney. My heart was racing and my vision was tunneled to Max lying face down on the ice. The trainer knelt down next to Max and moments later I watched Max's legs start to move. He tried to get up but eventually fell back down. I bent over, grabbed my purse and bolted up the stairs making my way toward the locker room, Lucie and Serge close behind. My ankle was throbbing and I had to hop a few times on my good foot to keep pushing myself towards the locker room. I threw the door open and looked around the empty locker room, where could he be? I started opening doors until I finally saw him sitting on a table leaning against the wall behind him. "Hey, I'm okay, it's just a concussion," he stated wrapping me up in his arms. He was fine, he was going to be okay. He lifted me up in his arms and set me down on his lap, I cried into his shoulder. For what felt like hours, I thought I had lost him. I thought I had lost the best thing that has ever happened to me. I could hear Max and his mom talking but I wasn't registering any of their conversation. I felt Max's hands on my shoulders as he pushed me away and looked into my eyes. "I'm okay, I'm right here." He wiped away the last few tears on my cheeks and smiled. "I've never been that scared before in my life. You went down, and didn't come up. It felt like forever before you moved. I'm sorry I'm crying, I was just so scared." He leaned forward and kissed me, and that kiss guaranteed me that he was okay. He was alive and well and that he wasn't going anywhere.

We said goodbye to Max's parents and walked hand in hand out to the parking lot. "Will you drive?" he asked handing me his keys. I took them in my hand and tried to hide the fear building up in my eyes. I nodded my head and climbed in to the drivers seat. Sure I have my license, but I'm pretty sure I have only driven three or four times in seven years, on country roads, with no one within twenty miles. I took a deep breath before starting the car. My knuckles were turning white from my death grip on the steering wheel. Max already had a concussion, we didn't need to add to it from a car accident. I managed to safely make it to Max's apartment and we headed upstairs. "This was the best birthday ever," he said as I closed the front door behind him. I looked at him with an odd expression on my face. If I hit my head like that, it would ruin my day. "I woke up to you, and now I get to fall asleep with you, that's all I wanted for my birthday. The concussion I could have done without, but it'll be okay." He smiled and then slowly his eyelids were dropping and he began stumbling on his feet. "Max?" He went to grab on to the couch but missed and fell to the ground. "MAX!" I fell to my knees next to him and rolled him on to his back. "Max?!" I felt the tears falling from my eyes. This wasn't good. This wasn't good! "Max baby, wake up!" I shoved my hand in to his front pocket and pulled out his cell phone, quickly scrolling through his contacts. I couldn't help but notice a lot of female names, but this wasn't the time to really think about that. I landed on 'Flower' and quickly hit send. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He answered after a few rings. "Marc, it's Lil, Max just passed out, I don't know what to do. Do I call 911?" "Oh crap, stay there, I'll call Doc, don't move. I'll be right there." The line went dead and I set the phone down next to me as I sat down next to Max, holding his hand in mine. "Max baby, come on Max. Come on Max." I felt his hand squeeze mine and then slowly his eyes blinked open. "I'm sorry," he mumbled while trying to sit up but I pushed him back down. Too scared that any movement could some how harm him. "Why are you sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for." "I'm sure you never saw yourself taking care of an old beat up hockey player." I rolled my eyes while shaking my head. "No I never did see myself doing this, but now that I am, I don't want to be anywhere else." I smiled down at him when I heard a loud pounding on the door. "Don't move," I instructed Max as I jumped up and opened the door to find a panting Marc. "Doc is on his way, what happened?" We both stood over Max looking down at him and he started laughing. "Gese guys, I'm right here, stop looking at me like I'm dead. I got dizzy and passed out, that's it."

Another five minutes passed by when there was another knock on the door. I stayed on the ground with Max's head now in my lap as Marc opened the door and the team doctor walked in. "Hey doc," Max mumbled pinching his eyes shut, an obvious sign that his head was probably pounding. "Max, why didn't you go to the hospital after the game?" "No one told me to." The doctor sighed with frustration and knelt down next to Max pulling out a flash light. He did a few tests, checking Max's strength, reflexes and balance. He asked him a few simple questions such as what day it was, which Max happily answered, "my birthday". The doctor put his flash light back in his bag and looked at Max with certain concern washed over his face. "You need a CT scan, I just want to make sure there's no bruising. Does your neck hurt?" The doctor placed his hands over Max's ears and rolled his head around. "No, my neck doesn't hurt but my headache gets worse," Max answered and the doctor nodded his head. "Okay well get some good sleep tonight, try and stay off of your feet and I will call you in the morning with an appointment for the CT scan." I walked the doctor to the front door and thanked him for coming. When I turned back around I saw Max and Marc sitting on the couch with blank expressions on their faces. I sat down on the other side of Max, and he fell in to my lap. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pass out on you like that." I ran my hand through his hair and smiled. "Just warn me next time, if you can." Marc laughed and then got up from the couch. "Well I'm going to head out, make sure you take care of my friend." "Thank you Marc," I smiled and watched as he turned around and left the apartment.

I couldn't sleep at all. I stayed on my side with my eyes focused on Max. Occasionally I would place my hand under his nose just to make sure he was still breathing. I was overreacting, but it was still very scary for me. "I'll be fine, get some sleep," Max mumbled as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in tight to him. I felt him kiss the top of my head and I quickly fell asleep. After what felt like five minutes of sleeping, I woke up to see the sun peeking through the blinds. "Good morning love," Max mumbled placing another kiss on the top of my head. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in to him. "Other than the pounding headache, I feel wonderful. How are you?" I kissed him softly on his lips, that was the best answer I could come up with, I didn't want him to know I was worrying so bad about him. I didn't want him to know I just wanted to place my hands on his head and make his headache go away. I didn't want him hurting anymore. I pulled away when I heard his phone ringing. He only continued to kiss me on my neck. "Max, you need to answer that, it's probably about your CT scan." He groaned in to my neck before rolling over and picking up his phone.

Max's POV

"Hey mom, dad," I greeted my parents as they walked in to the apartment. I tried to hold back my laughter as Lillianah made a mad dash in to the bedroom to pull on some sweatpants. "How are you feeling?" My mom asked as we walked in to the kitchen for some coffee. "Still have a bad headache, but I'm heading in for a CT scan in about a hour. Cream?" "CT scan, I thought they said you wouldn't need one. And yes for the cream." I took a deep breath, I knew how dramatic my mom could be, it wasn't that big of a deal, it was just a normal side effect of concussions. "I passed out when we got home last night, Lil called Marc, Marc called Doc, Doc's making me get a CT scan." "YOU PASSED OUT?!" Yup, there it was. I flinched at how high pitched her voice was, and how with each word my temples would thump. I felt a hand run through my hair and begin to massage at the top of my neck, the movement of her fingers were actually relieving some of the pain. "It's a common side effect right after suffering a concussion. The doctor just wants him to get a CT scan to make sure there's no bruising. Max will be back to the smart ass he once was in no time," Lillianah explained to my mom as she continued to massage my skull. "Thank you baby," I mumbled as my eyes flickered shut. I felt her hands rest on my shoulders and she prompted me to sit down at the kitchen table. There she worked her hands over my head, rubbing out all the spots that were throbbing. I could hear her talking with my parents, but I wasn't registering anything being said. Her hands slid down to my cheeks and she whispered in my ear, "feeling better?" "Much, where did you learn that from?" "My mom use to do that for me when I got my migraines."

I hated the fact that Lillianah had to work that night, and I'm sure she hated that fact to. I knew I was going to be out of the lineup for a minimum of a week, but the way I was feeling, I can't see myself lacing up for at least two. It was going to be a waiting game, but that only meant I could spend all that time with her. It was a win/lose situation. I loved being with her, but I loved being on the ice as well. "You look exhausted, you can go home and take a nap," I said to her as we sat in the waiting room of the hospital. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay with you, CT scans don't take long, I can take a nap when we get back." I smiled at her and nodded my head. "Maxime?" I popped my head up and looked at the nurse calling my name. Immediately everyone else in the waiting room popped their heads up too. I was hoping to keep some privacy, hiding under my hat, but honestly how many people in the city of Pittsburgh are named Maxime? I gave Lillianah a quick kiss and followed the nurse down a hall and then into a large room with a CT machine. I laid down in the bed and it began to slide back until my whole head was encircled in a gigantic metal doughnut. It always amazed me how a machine can look through skin and bones and you don't feel a thing. "Okay Maxime, you need to stay completely still," I was instructed through an intercom. I heard the machine click and then the metal piece directly above my eyes began to rotate. The moment I closed my eyes to relax, the machine stopped and the table I was lying on slid out. "Alright, we're all done." When the table stopped moving, I hopped off and was told to wait in the waiting room. I headed back the way I came and all eyes were on me. I slithered my way in to the seat next to Lillianah and pulled my cap down as far as it would go. We waited what felt like hours before my name was called again and I dragged Lillianah with me into the examination room. I kicked my legs back and forth sitting on the table as Lillianah massaged her ankle. "Does your ankle hurt?" "A little bit, I kind of sprinted down to the locker room last night, it was probably a bad idea." I noticed she wasn't wearing her brace and I was about to say something when the doctor came in. "Well, there is some minor bruising of the brain, nothing alarming though. You just need to take it easy for a week or two. You'll be reevaluated after seven days, but until then you are not allowed to lace up." My head hung, seven full days without skating?

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I could call in to work?" As much as I wanted to say, 'yes, stay with me', I knew she needed to go to work. "You've already missed a lot of work thanks to me, go. I will be fine, my parents are coming over soon with food." A smile crept on to her face and she bent over and kissed me before disappearing into the bedroom to get dressed. She emerged ten minutes later with no jacket on and my mouth dropped. "That's not fair," I pouted as my eyes ran up and down her body, only covered by strategically placed fabric. "What's not fair?" She asked with a smirk. "You, prancing out here looking like that, only to leave." "I know, I'm sorry. Well I better get going, I love you." She once again bent over after pulling on her pea coat and placed a lingering kiss on my lips. "Love you too, have a good night." I watched as she walked out the apartment and I threw my head back on the couch, she drove me absolutely insane. If my head wasn't pounding so hard I'd go to the club just to watch her.

After watching two episodes of NCIS, there was a knock on my door. "It's open," I shouted and watched over my shoulder as my parents walked through the door with the wonderful smell of Chinese food. "Oh man, I'm going to get fat," I muttered as I got up and followed the food in to the kitchen. "What did the doctor say?" my dad asked as I pulled the food out of the bag. "My brain is bruised, but nothing alarming as he put it. I have to be reevaluated in seven days. Until then, I can't do jack squat." My mom gave me a sympathetic look, but I'm happy she kept her mouth shut, I wasn't in the mood to talk about it anymore. We ate in the living room chatting about everything but hockey, which I was happy about. My parents left around 11, and I focused my attention back on the television where the NCIS marathon was still in full swing. I heard my phone alert me of a text message and I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see it was from Tanger. What the hell does he want? I didn't know Lillianah liked tequila so much. Why the fuck would he send me that? Does that mean he's at the club? Watching her? I know she keeps a bottle with her, she'd be smarter than to leave with him right? A million thoughts were running through my mind and with each one my head would pound harder. I couldn't take it anymore, just the thought that he was watching her made me furious. I had to go. I stood up from the couch but instantly became dizzy and fell back down. I tried once more, which resulted in me throwing up on the hard wood floors. I was in no state to be leaving the apartment. I flipped my phone back open. If you lay a finger on her, I will fuck you up Tanger. 

eeehhh

Kings @ Pens... I think I'm going to have an anxiety attack.

Hopefully an update tonight or tomorrow, thanks everyone for the comments, it sure does help the motivation to get writing. =D

Go Kings-er-Pens! AHH I DON'T KNOW

[thirty-four]

Lillianah's POV

I couldn't wait to get to the doctor's office. I could only hope I did everything right and was healed up. The sooner I got the cast off, the happier I would be. "I wish I could go with you," Max said as he squeezed my hand. "I'll be fine, when you get home hopefully I'll be cast free." We rode the rest of the way to the doctors office in silence. When he parked he jumped out and ran over to my side of the car and helped me out. He handed me my crutches and then started walking to the entrance with me, I stopped him. "Max, you're going to be late for practice. I'll be fine, okay?" He smiled and leaned forward and kissed me. "Love you." "Love you too."

Having the cast cut off was a fantastic feeling, but my ankle was super sore. "Okay, so we're going to x-ray it and go from there," the doctor said with a smile before walking out. They took an x-ray of my ankle and I waited patiently on the table for the doctor to come back in and tell me the news. "I have to say Mr. Talbot did an excellent job of taking care of you, I wasn't expecting your ankle to look this good." A huge smile crept on to my face and it took a lot of will power to not jump off the table and throw my arms around the doc's neck. "So we're going to put you in a soft lace-up brace that you need to wear at all times if you're walking around. You still need to be very careful on it though, it's going to be tender for the next few weeks." I smiled and drained out the rest of his dismissal instructions for me. I was fitted with a soft brace and left the office. It felt so good to walk on my own, no big heavy cast, no crutches, just back to the way things were, well close to the way things were. I'm sure I won't be wearing stilettos any time soon. I wanted to be home when Max got home from practice but I also knew I needed to get him a birthday present, so I called a taxi and headed to the mall.

What in the world was I going to get Max? I had no idea. I walked around for a while and then my ankle became very sore so I stopped on a bench and sat down to rest. I pulled my phone out and called Alicia. "Hey, Max's birthday is on Wednesday, what should I get him?" All I could hear was laughter on the other end of the line. "You have no ideas? No ideas whatsoever?" "Sorry Lil, it's going to have to be something really original." I sat there and thought about it, nothing was really coming to mind. Then I got one idea, "hey do you work today?" "I will not tattoo his name on your ass. I don't tattoo names, you know that." "Not his name, chill out, meet you there in twenty." I quickly hung up the phone and slowly made my way outside to call a cab. On the ride over I sent a text message to Max letting him know I was cast free and that I would be home later, that I would be out with Alicia. I was excited as the cab pulled in front of the tattoo shop. I handed over some money and headed inside. "No names." "Nope, now come on," I smiled as I dragged Alicia to the back of the shop with me.

Max's POV

The moment I rolled over in bed I heard every bone in my body crack. Yes I was officially old, officially half way to thirty. I felt a hand run up my inner thigh and hot breath on my neck. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Maxime, happy birthday to you." I leaned down and kissed the top of her head while tangling my legs with hers. "Thank you," I whispered enjoying the new comfort found at the foot of our bed. No huge red cast scrapping against my ankles. I felt her roll away from me for a moment before she climbed on top of me, putting my glasses on me. "Such a beautiful sight to wake up to in the morning," I smiled kissing her all over her face. "Don't you feel so old?" Way to ruin the mood Lil! She laughed to herself before bending down and kissing me on my neck. "I've always loved beards, and it amazes me how fast your hair grows." "Other things grow fast too ya know?" She grinned and then pulled her tank top off, revealing her perfect upper body. "Ready for your birthday present?" I smiled, this was going to be the best birthday ever. I nodded my head and she began pushing down the top of her underwear. Sex for my birthday? That's perfect! I watched as she continued to push the underwear down, and then a brand new tattoo, dangerously low on her came in to view. I looked at it closer and saw that it was the roman numeral for number twenty-five. "That's pretty damn cool," I smiled as I ran my hand over it. "You'll always be with me now," she smiled before leaning back down and kissed me.

Making love to Lillianah all morning was completely throwing off my game day routine, but I didn't care. I was willing to create a whole new routine, and this would be it. "I have," kiss "to go to," kiss "the morning skate." She pushed on my chest and just started laughing. "Then stop kissing me and go to practice." "I don't ever want to leave this bed with you in it ever again." She continued to push on my chest until I eventually was all the way off of her. I watched as she climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. I collapsed back on to the bed, my life was perfect. Nothing could screw this up. 

"Happy birthday you old man!" I glared over at Flower as I walked in to the locker room. "So what did your girl get you for your birthday?" Crosby asked and a smile crept on to my face. "Well?" I looked up and laughed. "She tattooed my number in roman numerals on her body." "Where?" I looked over at Tanger, why does he want to know? I looked back over at Flower and Crosby. "It's right about here," I pointed down to my crotch. Their eyes grew wide. "Well good thing you're not number thirty, because I'm sure she wouldn't tattoo 'triple x' there," Crosby laughed before taking his attention back to his locker. "'Triple x' would describe my morning though. I was willing being benched tonight to skip the morning skate and continue," I smiled as I stripped out of my clothes and got ready to take the ice. "Hey!! We got Talbot back! You haven't talked about sex since you started dating this girl," Crosby shouted, grabbing the attention of the rest of the guys in the locker room. "Well when you're banging a ten, how can you not brag," I laughed which resulted in a glare from Flower. I knew the minute the words left my mouth I regretted it. Lillianah is more than just a locker room story, and I've told myself that before. I finished getting ready silently cursing myself out in French.

Lillianah's POV

I cursed to myself as I heard a knock on the door. I was hoping to rest and maybe regain feeling back in my legs and back before Max was back, but I dragged myself out of the bed to answer the door. "Allo Lillianah, I was hoping maybe we could spend the morning together while Serge and Max are at the rink," Lucie smiled while handing me a coffee. "I would like that," I smiled stepping aside allowing her to walk in. "I'm just going to grab a quick shower. Make yourself at home." Those words felt so weird to roll off of my tongue. I'm sure she has spent more time in this apartment than I have. 'Make yourself at home'. Really? Did I honestly just say that to Max's mom? I laughed to myself as I made my way back into the bedroom and grabbed some clothes. After taking a quick shower, and throwing some makeup on, I met Lucie back out in the living room. "So what did you have in mind?" I asked as I grabbed my purse and followed her to the front door. "I just thought we could grab some brunch, maybe a drink or two. I just want to get to know the girl that tamed my son a little bit better," she smiled and we left the apartment. 

We found ourselves in an upscale diner, sipping on mimosa's and enjoying a fantastic eggs benedict with fresh salmon. It truly was to die for. I knew we were drinking too much after Lucie ordered two more mimosa's bringing our total up to five each. "I can't tell you how happy Serge and I are to see Max so happy and so in love." "Your son is truly an amazing human being, and as his mother I thank you for raising such a person." Her smile grew as we finished off our mimosa's, another round quickly arrived. "Can you see yourself marrying him?" My eyes grew wide. "I don't know how I feel about marriage honestly, I'm still very new to this dating thing. One thing I know for sure is, is that I want him in my life as long as humanly possible." She sipped on her mimosa starring me down, all of a sudden I felt like I was being interrogated, but the alcohol in my system didn't raise any red flags. Was this a plan on her part? "What about children? Do you want kids?" I thought about it for a moment, thinking about how my last trip with my family went, how happy I was. I swirled the orange juice and champagne around in it's glass before setting it down and crossing my hands over the table. "I do. By the time I'm 30 I'd like to have one or two. It's somewhat exciting to think about how cute our kids will be." I bit down on my tongue, quickly grabbing my drink. "Our kids? So you plan on having kids with Maxime?" I laughed nervously, "well I guess I mean, if we did have kids, big 'if', they would be pretty good looking. Oh wow . . . " I trailed off looking down at my hands. I could feel Lucie starring at me with a smile on her face. 

We couldn't stop laughing as we rode the elevator up to the apartment. I couldn't remember what we were laughing about, but whatever it was both Lucie and I were in tears. We headed down to the apartment and I unlocked the door and walked in to see Max and his dad sitting around the living room. "Are you guys drunk?" Max asked in disbelief. I walked around the couch and crawled onto his lap. "You smell like orange juice and cheap champagne, mom what did you do?" Max laughed as his arms wrapped around my waist. I watched as Lucie walked over to Serge and sat down next to him on the couch, his arm quickly wrapping around her shoulders. I looked back into Max's eyes. There was no question about it, I want him in my life for as long as possible. I want to wake up to those eyes and fall asleep to those eyes. "We only had a few drinks, I swear," I whispered before giving him a kiss. "This might just turn out to be an okay day, I just wasn't expecting my mother and girlfriend to get trashed, and it's only 1 PM. Mom, dad, it's time for my nap and I kind of need my napping partner. You are more than welcome to hang out here, or do whatever." His grip around my waist tightened and I could feel my eyelids grow heavy as I could feel myself start to sober up. 

Max's POV

For the second time that day I found myself laughing with the guys in the locker room, but this time I was keeping my mouth shut. The only words that came out of my mouth were to Flower, "mom and Lil came home drunk off of mimosa's." Flower found it pretty funny, but for some reason it scared the crap out of me. I liked that they went out and had a good time, but knowing my mom, what kind of things did she ask Lillianah? I'm sure my mom loaded her up on mimosa's so when she fired off questions, Lillianah wouldn't hold back. I stretched my arms above my head and heard my back crack in a few places. I was definitely twenty-five years old. We started off the game to a good start, Crosby getting the first goal only forty seconds in to the game. The score stayed the same after the first period. As promised coach Therrien was throwing me on every line possible and with each game my time on the ice was increasing. With my new found old age, I wasn't too sure how long that would last. After the start of the second period I was chasing down the puck so that it wouldn't be icing, but I was taken down from behind and went in head first into the boards. "What the hell are you doing out here?" I shouted to Chris, our athletic trainer. "Calm down Max, you were out cold for about a minute. I need you to stay down for a second." My eyes grew wide, all I remember is being tripped. I went to stand up, only to become very dizzy and falling back on my ass. "Alright, come on Max," Chris encouraged as Geno and Hal helped me to my feet. 

"Happy birthday Max, it's a clear concussion. We're going to have to do tests tomorrow," Chris explained after nearly blinding me with a flashlight. The door swung open and a crying Lillianah ran to my side. "Hey, I'm okay, it's just a concussion," I smiled as I wrapped her up in my arms. She didn't say anything she just shook in my arms as my parents soon entered the room. I lifted Lillianah up in my arms and sat her down on my lap. She was still crying. I ran my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down. "Are you okay Maxime?" My mother asked frantically. "It's just a concussion, my head hurts pretty bed, but I will be fine. I have to do some tests in the morning. Hey," I stated pulling Lillianah away from me to look in her eyes. "I'm okay, I'm right here," I smiled wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "I've never been that scared before in my life. You went down, and didn't come up. It felt like forever before you moved. I'm sorry I'm crying, I was just so scared." I leaned forward and kissed her, just to show her that I was well and alive, and that I was going to be okay. 

Dinner plans for after the game were postponed as my head was pounding so hard, I though my skin was going to rip open at my temples. My parents headed back to the hotel and I had Lillianah drive us home. "You have driven before right?" I asked after she slammed on the brakes at a red light. "It's been a few years, but yes, I have my license," she laughed making the right hand turn. She managed to park the car safely and we headed up to the apartment. "What did you and my mom talk about today at lunch?" She shrugged her shoulders as she opened the door. "You for the most part, all good things I promise you. Come on, you need your sleep. I'm sorry you had to get hurt on your birthday." "This was the best birthday ever," I smiled and she looked at me funny. "I woke up to you, and now I get to fall asleep with you, that's all I wanted for my birthday. The concussion I could have done without, but it'll be okay." I suddenly felt myself get dizzy, "Max? MAX!" Then everything went black again.

[thirty-three]

Lillianah's POV

A girl, who I recognized from the club, joined us in our seats for the game. "You must be Lillianah, I have heard so much about you, it's nice to finally meet you," she smiled as she offered me her hand. "I'm going to take a leap and say you're Marc's girlfriend?" She smiled and nodded her head as we shook hands. "You know I couldn't believe Marc when he told me Max got a girlfriend, a steady girlfriend. You must really be something special to settle that boy down." "Honestly, I use to be a playgirl just like he use to be a playboy. We sort of settled each other down." We watched as the boys took to the ice and Marc and Max stopped in the middle of the ice and looked at us in horror. "They probably think we're sharing embarrassing stories about them," she laughed. "I'm sorry, I never got your name, it's Vero right?" "Oh yeah, Veronique, but I do go by Vero." We looked back down to the ice and they were both shaking their heads. At that moment, that's when I felt like an official hockey girlfriend. Whatever that meant. Then to break up the moment Kris skated by looking at us, I could only wonder what was his deal. "Oh, we're going to Diesel tonight if you and Max wanted to come with," Vero stated bringing my eyes away from Kris. I growled under my breath. Diesel of all places. "I'll have to ask him what he wants to do," I answered with a smile.

The Penguins went on to win the game three to two in overtime and we all made our way down to the locker room to wait for Max and Marc. "So does Max have an extravagant Valentine's day planned?" Vero asked as we sat in the family lounge. "I have no idea, we really haven't talked about it. I think we were both confused about what to do," I couldn't help but laugh, it was the truth. I watched as Max walked out of the locker room, "hey, where are my parents?" "They were tired and headed back to the hotel, they said good game and they will see you tomorrow," I smiled before giving him a kiss. I watched as Vero stood up and walked away as Marc came out, and Max took her seat. "So I really want to go out with everyone tonight, and I really want you to come with, so-" "I really don't want to go to Diesel though," I laughed cringing. "That's why I convinced the guys to go to the brewery instead. The one we went to after the first game you went to." A smile crept on to my face and I kissed him once again. "Thank you Max." He helped me up on to my crutches and we made our way out to his car.

"So at the brewery, they've been messing around with my jersey that hangs above the bar, so just ignore it okay?" I looked over at him in the car and couldn't control my laughter. "You know if you didn't say anything I probably would have never noticed?" "Damn, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut." Max parked the car and got out. When he opened my door I asked him for my crutches and he assured me I wasn't going to need them. I stood up on one leg outside of his car and he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. "MAX!! Oh my god, don't drop me! I'll kill you if you drop me!" I held on tightly to his shirt as he crossed the street and went straight in to the bar. I could tell the bar was packed and full of life with all of the noise, but the only view I had was of Max's ass. Which, well, is a pretty nice view, so I'm not complaining. He climbed some stairs and then finally set me down on an over sized black leather love seat. The first thing I did of course was look for Max's jersey. Two paper hearts and a whip were attached to his jersey. I laughed once again as he sat down next to me handing me a beer. "I like the whip," I laughed and he whipped his head around to look at the jersey. "That's so embarrassing." "I might have to go snatch the whip for later." "We can leave now if you'd like." I shook my head and just as he leaned in to kiss me I wrapped my lips around the rim of my glass taking a drink of my beer. "That's cruel." "Don't worry baby, you'll get some lovin' later, but right now my eyes are on this beer. It's been a long week."

"So Max said your covered in tattoos, but I don't see any," Vero laughed as she sat down next to me on the love seat. "I have a few, I wouldn't say covered though," I laughed back and I could tell she wanted to see some. "He said something about your rib cage, that it's pretty cool looking." I smiled at her and stood up only to find out that I was in fact drunk. I managed to keep my balance and pulled my long shit up to expose my rib cage to her. Her eyes lit up but I felt like someone else was looking at me too. I glanced around to see Max starring at me with a devilish grin and then right behind him was Kris who was also starring with a smirk. I pulled my shirt back down and plopped back down next to Vero. "Hey can I ask you something, and just keep it between us?" I asked her as I picked my beer up off the table. "Yeah of course." "What's the deal with Kris?" She started laughing and then pulled me close to her so we were touching shoulders. "It's only obvious to everyone that he has the hots for you. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to pull a move on you, he's known for that. The way you and Max are though, he doesn't have a chance in hell with you." I looked back over to the boys to see Max was in a laughing fit with Sidney, and just behind them Kris was watching me very closely. I felt a blush creep over my face and I quickly looked away.

I nearly felt stranded on the love seat without my crutches, but I always had someone next to me chatting me up. I held my glass up for Max to see I was ready for a refill and he walked over to me. "How many have you had?" He asked trying to keep a straight face. "I'd say about four," I answered counting my fingers. As my eyes were looking down on my fingers, Max's head was suddenly down by my waist and he once again picked me up over his shoulder. "MAXIME TALBOT IF-" "If I drop you, you're going to kill me, I know. I won't drop you." He took me over to the bar and sat me down on top of it. "Brad! Beers!" He yelled at the bartender as he stood between my legs. His hands stayed on my thighs and I could only smile looking in to his eyes. "What?" He asked laughing with a confused look on his face. "Nothing, I just like looking at you." "Good, I like looking at you too." All of a sudden I felt the urge to bring Kris up, to see if Max knew. I debated with myself if I should bring it up or not. "So I heard one of your teammates likes me." It just came out while I was still debating bringing it up in my mind. My eyes grew wide but I kept them on Max. He rolled his eyes and dug his head down on to my lap. "Kris, I know. If he ever bothers you or tries anything with you, you just let me know." "Max, even if he did try something he has no shot. I'm all yours. So what do you say? After this beer want to head home?" "Home. Our home. Of course, I want nothing more." He leaned forward and kissed me eagerly. I looked down at him after we pulled away, "why is your shirt almost off?" The top five buttons had been undone and you can almost see his belly button. "This tends to happen when I drink. Sorry."

Max's POV

"I don't like the looks of that. All of our dirty little secrets are probably being shared right now." "Yeah, that doesn't look good." Flower and I watched Lillianah and Vero chat it up in their seats and we were both equally scared. We both know how girls talk, they love sharing details. No one really needs to know how much of a softie I really am. "Alright, I know how she makes you go all crazy, so time to focus on the game here Maxie." I tapped his pads and went about the rest of my warmup. It's not easy getting her out of my mind to focus on the game. I somehow managed though. With every stoppage of play my eyes lingered up to where she was sitting and she was either laughing with my mom or Vero, and sometimes both. I wanted so badly to score a goal late in the third period to end the game, so I didn't have to wait any longer to have her in my arms. Yet I failed, we failed, the game headed to overtime. I pushed the hardest I could, luckily assisting Staalsy on the game winning goal only a minute into overtime. This only meant one thing; celebrating!

"You're coming to Diesel right?" I looked up to see Crosby standing over me. "Actually, no. I want to go out, but not to Diesel, that's the last place Lil wants to go to. Can't we go somewhere else? The brewery maybe?" "But I just want to dance," Staalsy complained in his best 'feminine' voice which resulted in various looks from around the room. He quickly ducked his head to tie his shoes before we all erupted into laughter. "What do you say? Brewery?" Crosby asked a few of the guys standing behind him. It took a minute but eventually everyone agreed. "Thanks guys, I'm not joking when I'm saying she lives there. She worked forty-two hours in three days." Just thinking about working those hours made me cringe. "Sounds like it's about time you knocked her up and force her to quit her job so you can take care of her," Gilly laughed from across the locker room forcing my eyes to nearly budge out of my head. "Pre-preg-" "Chill out Talbot, it was just a joke!" I took a deep breath before pulling my blazer on and walked out of the locker room. I didn't find Hal's joke very funny. I walked out to see Vero and Lillianah sitting together laughing. "Hey, where are my parents?" I already knew they were heading back to the hotel, I just needed to say something to make sure I could still talk. Just to make sure I wasn't still in shock, the thought of kids. I definitely need a drink now. 

Driving to the brewery I knew it was a topic we would have to discuss, just not any time soon. I don't want kids. I don't know if that's a deal breaker or not when it comes to women, but I'm not exactly the greatest with kids. Sure I can act like one, but to actually raise one? Not good. I had to bite my tongue from asking her on the drive. Was she the type of girl to want kids? I can't actually visualize her being pregnant. I shook my head and cleared my head of all thoughts of starting a family. It was frightening. I parked the car across the street from the brewery and walked around the car to the passenger side. "Can you hand me my crutches?" She asked after climbing out of the car, standing on one leg. "You won't need them," I smiled as I bent over and lifted her up over my shoulder. "MAX!! Oh my god, don't drop me! I'll kill you if you drop me!" I felt her clinch on to my shirt, but I knew the faster I got in the brewery the faster I could have a beer and the faster I could forget about the idea of having kids. I set her down on the love seat upstairs and headed straight to the bar. Brad quickly handed over two beers and I made my way back over to Lillianah handing her one. "I like the whip," she laughed and I quickly whipped my head around to see Crosby now added a whip to my jersey. "That's so embarrassing," I mumbled before taking a swig of my beer. "I might have to go snatch the whip for later." "We can leave now if you'd like." I smiled as I leaned in to kiss her but she quickly held up her beer and took a drink from it. "That's cruel," I whined starring at her lips.

"Max, you look like you just saw a ghost," Flower stated as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we stood at the bar. "I'm just thinking, I can't get my mind off of something." "You can tell your best friend, come on, do you need to cry on my shoulder?" I looked up at him and peeled his arm off of my shoulders. "Do you want kids?" I asked. "With you? No. With Vero? Yes." "Have you always wanted kids?" I quickly looked over to see Lillianah and Vero chatting yet again on the love seat. "I didn't want kids up until about a year ago. Remember when Vero had the miscarriage? That changed everything for me. I honestly believe now that a child is the greatest thing a woman can ever give a man. Having gone through a miscarriage, knowing there was a little baby in there, it changed my mind. I want kids, I want to be a dad." I took in what Flower was telling me and remembered how much of a mess he was when he found out Vero had miscarried. We were on a road trip in Alberta when she called to tell him. No one wants to see anyone go through emotional pain like that. That didn't change my mind though, I just can't see myself having kids. "Why are you thinking about kids Max? You're getting ahead of yourself." He knew I was freaking out for no reason, he knew I was far, far from starting a 'family'. "I know, it's just what Hal said earlier, it got me thinking." I looked back over to the girls to see Lillianah was standing up, pulling her shirt up. She was showing off her tattoo, which I didn't mind at all, I was enjoying the view. 

I lifted her back up over my shoulder and set her back down on top of the bar. I ran my hands up and down her thighs as Brad brought us two beers. She was starring at me with a smile on her face, but it was a mischievous smile, as if she had something planned, like she might attack me. "What?" "Nothing, I just like looking at you." I smiled, "I like looking at you too." We continued to stare at each other before her smile faded and a look of worry washed over her face. "So I heard one of your teammates likes me." Kris, that bastard. I rested my head on top of her lap and bit down on my lip. I pulled my head back up and looked into her eyes. "Kris, I know. If he ever bothers you or tries anything with you, you just let me know." Of course he was going to try something, I was just trying to convince myself he wouldn't. That's just how Kris is, sneaky and his brain is in his pants. He's a young version of me, I know how he works. "Max, even if he did try something he has no shot. I'm all yours. So what do you say? After this beer want to head home?" "Home. Our home. Of course, I want nothing more." We quickly finished our beers and I called for a taxi. When we got home I unlocked the door and tried to push it open, except right on the other side of the door was ninety-five pounds of sleeping bulldog. Lillianah started laughing. "He tends to do that a lot to me too, when he gets mad for leaving him. Hold on. King! Come on baby boy, move." I pushed a little bit more on the door and soon enough it opened, King sitting there starring at me like I was an asshole. I know King, I know, I don't want kids, stop judging me.