“You remember us?”Lexie gasped.
Maxie spread her arms and let her head drop.“I remember the idea of you.I remember wanting someone beside me as I jumped in puddles or a motel pool.You’ve got to believe me, I’m so happy and relieved that you finally found me.I feel like I’m starting to get myself back.”
“But?”Lexie said worriedly.
“But nothing.”Roxie leapt off the table and caught Maxie in a fierce hug.“I told you that you were ours.”
Lexie joined into their tight little circle, and it got hard to breathe.“We love you, Maxie.”
Maxie’s chest ached.“I love you too.It feels right.I know we’re three parts of a whole.”
“So, what’s the problem with Zac?”Lexie asked.“Is he afraid we’ll take you away from him?That you’ll want to move to Cobalt City?”
“I thought he liked us.”Roxie moaned.“I like him—unless he did something bad to hurt you.”
“He didn’t hurt me.I hurt him.”Maxie let out a shuddering breath, and this time a tear did sneak out.It trailed across her cheek.“He’s not afraid you’ll take me away, because I’m not with him.Not really.We lied.Or, Imadehim lie.”She closed her eyes, but more tears were falling.“That’s why we fought.Because we’re not really a couple.”
Chapter Twelve
“Bullshit,” Roxie said.“You two are a couple if I ever saw one.”
“No.We’d barely spoken before I fainted in his arms that morning.”
“Well, there was obviously something going on between you before that,” Lexie argued.“You should have seen the way he looked at you when you were unconscious in his lap.That man would slay dragons for you.”
“He almost cut us down, that’s for sure,” Roxie agreed.
Maxie shook her head jerkily.“He’s just a nice guy.I needed his help, and he went along with everything I said.”
“It’s called jumping at a chance.”Roxie laughed.“Sparks fly whenever you two get within twenty feet of each other.You can’t fake that.”
Maxie looked at her sister as if she were dense.“Have you seen him?”There was a relationship and then there were hormones.The two didn’t necessarily intersect.
“Of course, I’ve seen him!I’m not blind.I understand lust, but he’s not making moony eyes back at me—and we’re identical, baby cakes.”
“Oh, you two.”Lexie grabbed their shoulders.“What are we arguing about?”
“I’ve been lying,” Maxie insisted.“I made Zac lie, and now he can’t even look at me without that muscle in his jaw bulging.”
“That’s not all that’s bulging…”
“Roxie.”Lexie swatted at her.Pushing the air in a calming motion, she tried to settle things down.It was clear that of the three of them, she was the peacemaker.“I still don’t understand.What was the argument about?You might have told a fib or two, but it’s the truth now.Anyone looking at you can see you’re crazy about one another.”
But that was the problem.Maxie dashed back the wetness on her face.She was angry, upset and so frustrated they didn’t understand.They were making light of this.She’d lied to them, and she’d pulled Zac into her machinations.They didn’t know about his background in undercover work or how he was trying to get away from it.The truth was that everything was more screwed up now than ever.
“He asked me this morning if we were still role-playing or if we had a relationship growing.”
“See?”Lexie said.“He knew up from up.Isn’t that what matters?”
Roxie’s eyes narrowed.“But what was your answer?”
Maxie wrung her hands together.“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t?”Lexie gasped.“But why?”
She looked away.It all sounded so easy, but these two had probably never had a day when they were less than confident.They were both composed and self-assured.Roxie always spoke her mind, and Lexie had a quiet strength about her.They hadn’t gone through life uncertain and timid.
Because they’d forgotten about her?They hadn’t needed her pushing them along?
