SHE'S MY WIFE

Chapter 8: A spy?

Max let himself back in the house quietly so he wouldn't wake Emilia or Gaby up. He'd gone for a morning run, something he'd been doing for the past two weeks. Emilia had put him on a strict diet and exercise telling him that he needed to go back to the person she'd married. Funny, because she'd married a young man who was dumb enough to let her go because his pride wouldn't let him go after her. He had told her that but she'd said that wasn't the point. She wanted him to go back to being the strong and healthy man she knew.

He hadn't realized how he'd let himself go until she pointed it out to him. Now that he could actually think straight, he understood why Preston and Mel were worried. He was consumed with so much pain and loneliness that he couldn't see anything else. But that was over now, wasn't it? He had his wife back. Well, not really. There hadn't been any intimacy between them. They didn't talk about the signed divorced papers back at home or anything related to their relationship. He couldn't bring any of it up because he was scared she would say she meant it when she left him.

It would be an understatement to say he was walking on eggshells around her. She had asked him to stay, they even slept on the same bed, but Max didn't dare do anything he thought might upset her. He loved her, that was never going to change. But he wanted her to go to him when she was ready. The thought of her telling him to go back home scared him. So he didn't press her buttons, he avoided topics that would make her angry or anything that could upset her. Even then, he was the happiest he'd ever been.

He liked seeing her the first thing in the morning and the last thing before closing his eyes. He like the way Gaby crawled to him and lifted her hands up every time she saw him. He liked having a family again, something he could live for. It was easier to admit now that he had given up on himself. He hadn't wanted to continue living without his son or wife. Having Emilia alone would have been enough. He could have held on if she'd gone back to him alone. But together with Gaby, he couldn't ask for anything more.

After downing a glass of water, he tiptoed upstairs heading to the master bedroom. Emilia was still asleep, lying on her back with her hair spread out on the pillow, snoring softly. Not being able to resist, he walked closer to the bed and stared down at her. She was right when she told him she would always be beautiful. If Gaby was going to end up taking after her mother then he'd have to guard her at all times. Smiling, he bent down to push a strand of hair back just as she opened her eyes.

"Hey" she said turning her face into his hand and kissing his palm. Her actions confused the hell out of him sometimes. What was he supposed to do after that? Was it okay to bend down and kiss her good morning? Because he was dying to do that. Would she push him away if he tried? Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he bent down further until he was inches away from her face. He was just asking himself why he'd stopped when they heard Gaby's cry through the baby monitor.

"I'll go. Sleep some more if you want to" he caressed her face for a few seconds before leaving. Gaby was rubbing her eyes when he entered her room "Hey princess. Daddy's here, tell him what you want and he'll get it for you" he said lifting her up. It was scary how much he'd come to love her after such a small amount of time. She'd made him a parent again and he'd vowed to protect her, something he had failed to do with Zander.

As he changed Gaby's diapers, Max imagined how it would have been if Zander was still alive. He was so protective of his mother so he would definitely be the same way with his sister. Emilia had raised him to be a gentleman and he couldn't be prouder.

"Oh, you're here" a voice said from the doorway. Max gritted his teeth, his mood changing suddenly. He didn't like how freely 'Doug' roamed around the house. He couldn't ask him to leave because this wasn't his house and he didn't want her to see him as the same jealous person he'd always been. That's not to say he was going to like Doug any time soon.