Just Eternity | ✓ |

Thirty three.

A/N: incoming - last two Chapters and Epilogue. Very important authors note at the end of the epilogue I hope you guys take the time to read.

Much love and thank you for everything <33

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After getting in the car with Max, the guilt sank in. He was completely and utterly right when he said I ran from my problems. Then knowing he had a tough day between a patient and Olivia, I couldn't help but feel even more like a fool at how I added to that stress.

"Why do you even deal with me?" I sighed, knowing it was mostly the raging hormones in my body that was making me feel like a complete wreck of emotions.

Max gave me a soft smile and reached over to hold my hand. "I love the way you are. I told you I love the chase when we first met and you definitely love the fight."

My sighed knowing he was absolutely right.

"You like to challenge me and my feelings for you and I love to show you and tell you them. It works but, Ellie, it's one thing to do that at home versus running out on me." Max's smile faded. "Do you know how worried I was about you and the baby?"

I looked to him with glossy eyes, the shame overtaking my body.

"No, don't get upset. I'm not mad. You should be upset I missed your unveiling. Just talk things out with me next time and I promise to tell you how much I love you. Okay?"

I nodded and reached over to kiss his cheek. "I'm sorry you had a rough day." I whispered, clinging to his arm.

"It happens. More often than not. Maybe I should have warned you how much work affects my life. I'm still trying to adjust everything so I have time for you too. I don't want you to feel like I'm neglecting you or your feelings but my profession expects a lot from me and it's difficult to find that happy medium where it's 50/50 between home and work. I just hope you could understand that and it doesn't drive a wedge between us one day." Max huffed, gripping the steering wheel tighter with one hand and holding mine gently still.

"No, I get it. It'll be like that for me soon. Hopefully. If business takes off but I'm worried I'm going to have to leave Chris to doing most of it after the baby comes." I admitted, finally getting my worries off of my chest.

It felt like we barely spoke about the baby coming and what we planned to do. And seeing how much personal time his job took up, I couldn't help but feel like I'd be doing it alone for a while.

"I already spoke with the office manager on taking some vacation time off for when the baby comes. I haven't used any time in years so it's not a problem. You will just have to worry about putting your feet up while I hold the two of you until you're both asleep." Max hummed happily.

"You've just thought of everything, haven't you?"

Max smiled and bobbed his head back and forth. "Almost everything."

He pulled the car over in front of the tattoo shop. His hands rubbed the steering wheel anxiously as he watched me slowly get out. His eyes didn't leave my body until he was sure I was safely on the sidewalk, waiting for him to look up.

"Max," I laughed at him, recognizing the fire in his eyes. "Can you please stop looking at me for just a second?" I pointed upwards.

He followed my hand and finally examined my sign, a smile stretching his lips ear to ear. "Inked Rose." He murmured under his breath, grasping my body in his hold and pulling me to his chest. "You know I want our baby to be named Rose if it's a girl."

I smiled back to him and rested a hand to my belly.

"We haven't even talked about boy names."

"That's because I'm positive you're having our little girl. Plus, you're absolutely against Maddox Junior for some reason."

"Okay, his name would be Maddox James Bouchard Junior. MJBJ. It's horrible, Max. Our poor child would be made fun of for his life." I argued again.

"Right. Yeah, Michael Jackson and Blowjob don't really fit into the same sentence." Max frowned then looked back to my sign with a puzzling look. "Is that a sixth finger on the hand?"

I quickly turned my body and looked to my sign. I examined it quickly, trying to find the mistake Maddox was talking about hoping it was fixable.

"Max, I don't see-" I stopped mid-sentence when I turned back to him.

His lips thinned into a straight line as he knelt on one knee in front of me on the streets of New York City.

My heart pounded from my chest. I couldn't move.

"Ellie, I wanted to do this some place special, maybe an exotic place like Paris or New Zealand. But then, I really thought about what makes you happy." Max reached out for my hand and held it softly. "And, this, the tattoo shop and us is all I could come up with. It just made me realize how much time we've lost and I couldn't wait any longer to get on my knee for you to apologize and tell you how much I love you."

"Max, are you proposing?" I asked, not able to wait any longer.

"No, I'm asking for your forgiveness." Max's eyes widened before he shot back up to his feet. "Fuck, I didn't realize that it would look like a proposal, oh god. I'm sorry, L."

"Oh my god, you're unbelievable. I knew you wouldn't do that." I laughed with a shake of my head, trying to rid myself of the small amount of disappointment. "Come inside. I ordered a few things and I want to unbox them with you."

I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the door. As soon as I stepped in Max pulled at my body. He switched the lights on for me, lighting up the room with small fairy lights and an array of furniture that I had ordered - all set up and decorated.

Photos of my artwork hung on the walls mixed with famous artwork I had picked out. The fairy lights ran around the edges of the skylight. I walked closer and stood underneath it, looking up into the night sky.

"How did you manage this? You were at work all day." I asked, not able to look at him yet, afraid tears would fall from the happiness I felt.

"I had a little help." Max shrugged and wrapped his arms tighter around me. His finger curled under my chin until I looked into his green eyes. "Marry me, Ellie Taylor."

My heart stopped for a moment at his words. So sincere, so demanding like that's all he wanted in life. I got lost in his eyes as time stood still around us.

"But you just said you weren't proposing."

Max smiled as he knelt down on one knee again. "Right at that moment I wasn't. But now.." he trailed off, pulling a velvet box from his pocket. "Ellie Taylor, I have loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you and haven't stopped ever since. You are the woman of my dreams, the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with no matter what that entails. You make my heart ache with so much love, this feels like a dream that I never want to wake from. I promise to always be yours. Will you always be mine, Ellie?"

A small tear left my right eye and fell down my cheek. "Ask me again." I demanded with a smile and small laugh.

Max's lips mimicked mine, "Will you marry me?" He opened the box, exposing a beautifully made princess cut diamond ring.

But I could care less about the ring. All I saw was the man I had fallen for, kneeling in front of me while promising his whole life to me.

I dropped to my knees in front of him and grasped his face in my hands. I pressed my lips to his feverishly, pouring all of my love into our kiss. Max held me back just as tightly, pushing his body against mine until I was laying on the floor with him on top of me.