Free His End Game (MMG #1) by R B Hilliard Page B

door.
    “Come in,” I said.
    Aunt Elizabeth poked her head in and asked, “You okay?”
    “No.”
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    “Not really,” I said and then spewed my Max issues all over her…minus the sex of course.
    She patiently listened to me rant for a while and then proceeded to talk. “I know I am a poor example for you because I am not your mom or dad, but I do love you like you are my own child. Lord knows I don’t tell you this hardly ever, but… I do and I want you to lean on me if you need to.”
    It was hard to tell her what I was feeling when I didn’t know or understand it myself. I was shocked that we were even having this discussion.
    Yes, there’s a first for everything
.
    “Have we ever had the talk about the birds and the bees?” she asked.
    Physically cringing at the thought of this, I said, “I found out about the birds and the bees from Piper when we were in second grade, Aunt Elizabeth.”
    “Well, hell, I should have known that,” she mumbled and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Some people are lucky in love, Ellison. They find it once and know that’s it for them. If you find yourself to be one of these people then grab it tight and don’t everlet it slip through your fingers. Remember not to let life get in the way. I wasn’t lucky in love but I sure have been lucky in life. After all, I got to raise you.” This made me cry all over again because it was the first time in my whole life I truly felt her love for me. She stayed with me for a while and then headed down to bed. It took a long time for me to fall asleep. I was confused by how Max had acted and ashamed by my reaction.
    What a mess
.

    I jerked awake when I felt a hand on my mouth.
    “Ells, it’s just me,” Max whispered. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I shook my head at him. “I’ve been trying to call you for the past four hours. I’m going crazy here. Talk to me.”
    My eyes instantly filled. I nodded my head and he took his hand off of my mouth. “How in the world did you get in here?” I whispered.
    “You have a huge Magnolia tree right outside your window. It’s perfect for sneaking in and out.”
    “Oh,” I thoughtfully replied.
    He chuckled at this. “I see you never thought of sneaking out before, huh?”
    I didn’t answer him because I wasn’t over my hurt and anger.
    “Is your aunt’s room close by?”
    I narrowed my eyes at him. “Downstairs on the opposite end of the house, why?”
    “Just wanted to know how loud we could be,” he said with a grin.
    “There will be
none
of that,” I stressed.
    Picking me up off of the bed, he sat back down with me in his lap. After he had us positioned to his liking, he started talking. “Don’t be mad at me, Ellison. I couldn’t talk to you aboutmy dad in front of my sister. I let my temper take over and I said a bunch of shit I didn’t mean. There are so many messed up things in my life right now that it’s hard to know where to start. I am trying to keep Sarah from seeing how bad it really is. The hell if I’m subjecting you to it.”
    Sweet Max is hard to stay mad at
.
    Pulling us back against the headboard, he relaxed and talked to me about his dad. He explained that his dad wasn’t the best father or husband to begin with but after his mother’s death, he was practically nonexistent. When he was sixteen, he overheard his dad talking on the phone to someone about how he was cheating on Max’s mom. The guilt from cheating made his dad unbearable to be around, therefore killing any love that Max had for him. He also told me that he hated his dad because now, whenever he was at the house, all he did was drink. This only led to fits of rage and abuse toward Max and Sarah.
    Just thinking about someone hurting Max or Sarah made me sick to my stomach. Shifting, so I could see his eyes, I asked, “He doesn’t… hurt you, does he?”
    “No, Ellison, he doesn’t. I am stronger, which pisses him off, but also keeps him in check. He