TAMING MAX (Completed)

CHAPTER 20 - CONFIDENTIAL

CHAPTER 20 - SWEET SLEEP

Max gained his composure after a few minutes. I noticed that he was diverting his eyes from the wall displaying the details of his mother's death. I couldn't blame him, seeing those images had to be traumatizing.

He focused his eyes everywhere but that wall. We noticed a small door on the wall. Max opened it and found a single business card with a phone number on it. He shoved into his pocket and we continued trying to put all of the pieces together.

There were so many files that it would take weeks to go through them. Several boxes also adorned the shelves. One, in particular, was solid black with white letters on the front that read, confidential.

Just before I opened it, Max put his hand over mine and stopped me.

"Don't open that, I don't think you should see anymore," he instructed me.

"Max, we've come this far, why stop me now?"

"You just have to trust me, please." he pleaded.

"You know what's in there don't you?"

"Yes, and that's why I cannot let you open that box."

I was a bit frustrated but I was also exhausted. I decided that I would have to trust Max. He had been a changed man since the day his father summoned him to his office. Whatever was going on, maybe I wasn't ready to be completely involved.

"Okay, we have been at this for a long time and we are both exhausted. Let's get some rest and try to figure all of this out in the morning," I finally said.

He took my hands in his and whispered, "thank you for trusting me."

Before we left the room of secrets, he took one final look around. I think he was scared there was something he might have missed. We made our way back through the house and Max was careful to secure every door that we had opened.

When we reached the dining room, Max stopped to pour himself a drink and I proceeded on to the living room. Chase was still sleeping on the sofa so I walked over and sat on the edge next to him. I nudged him a few times and he finally opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked in a raspy voice.

"It's really late, why don't you go up to your room? You can't be comfortable here," I insisted.

He slowly sat up and tried to get his bearings.

"How long was I out?" He asked.

"Hours."

"Thanks for waking me up."

"No problem," I said as he stood up and headed for his room.

Max walked in just as Chase was leaving and sat down next to me.

"You're really good to him," he said.

"How could I not be? He is a sweetheart."

"Yeah," he said as he stood up and started to head upstairs. Just before he reached them he stopped and turned around.

"Are you going to be okay sleeping alone tonight?"

I had been so lost in everything that was going on that I hadn't even thought about sleeping alone in the creepy old mansion.

"I'm not sure," I honestly replied.

He turned around and walked back over to me, extending his hand.

"Well come on, I will lay with you until you fall asleep."

I let him lead me the stairs with him and when we reached my room, the bed looked like a little piece of heaven on earth. I walked toward it like a zombie and pulled back the covers climbing in.

Max climbed in on the other side and turned to face me.

"Thank you, Lillie," he said just before he closed his eyes.

"For what?" I asked while fighting back a yawn.

"For not leaving me alone in this."

"I'm not going anywhere Max,' I reassured him.

The last thing I remember was him brushing my hair back behind my ear. I drifted off to sleep quickly and when I woke he was still right there next to me.

He looked so peaceful laying there. Like his entire world wasn't just blown apart. It made me sad to think that when he woke up, it would all be right there waiting for him.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and checked my messages being careful not to wake him. I thought it was odd that I had a voicemail. No-one ever left me voicemails.

Being careful not to disturb the bed, I gently peeled the covers back and slid out of bed. I tiptoed to the hallway so that I could listen to the message.

It was from Piper. She was crying and kept saying over and over again how she needed to talk to me. I was worried out of my mind and couldn't call her back fast enough.

When she finally answered her voice was hoarse and she sounded off. I needed to see her so I could find out what was going on so I insisted that we meet at the coffee shop.

Before I jumped in the shower, I decided to head downstairs to get something to drink. I grabbed a bottle of water and smiled when I saw Chase sitting at the table eating. What was it about him? Being around him always made me so happy.

"What are you doing today?" He asked.

"I'm going to get ready and meet Piper at the coffee shop."

"Can I come with you?"

I thought that was curious. Why would he want to go with me to meet Piper? He must have read the expression on my face.

"With all of the chaos of last night I wanted to apologize for rushing her out of here. Besides, I didn't even get a chance to find out if she had a good time."

"She did," I assured him.

"How do you know that?" He questioned.

"Because she told me."

A smile filled his face and I was trying to figure out if he cared as a friend or if there was something more.

We both got dressed and I wrote a note to Max and placed it on my pillow. I didn't want him to wake up all alone and wonder what happened.

With the driver speeding like a maniac, we made it to the coffee shop a few minutes early. We both ordered coffee and found a seat where we could wait on Piper.

After about ten minutes, she finally walked in. When I saw her my mouth fell open and I could hear Chase gasp next to me. 

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A/N

Thanks for following Max and Lillie's journey. I hope you are enjoying it and would love to hear your thoughts. What do you think is in the box he wouldn't let Lillie open?