You + Me = a Perfect Match

chapter 7-Max

"This lunch is taking a little longer than I planned." I heard Becca say as Rae and I snuck into the kitchen and April walked through the living room picking up the lego's we had left laying around the house "I promise I will make it faster."

"Seriously Becca, take your time." she said setting the phone down on the couch and closing the boxes "Rae is the sweetest little I've ever met, you know I love watching her."

"Where is she now?" Becca asked with a sigh "Can I say hi?"

"No can do." April said "They both fell asleep about 30 minutes ago."

"Seriously? I can never get Rae to take a nap." Becca said "How on earth did you do that?"

"I'm magic." April said with a laugh. "I can never get Max to take one either, they fell asleep on their own. Turns out if you leave two littles up to their own devices they exhausts themselves."

Becca had to drop Rae off at our house this morning so we were spending the whole day together. So far we were having lots and lots of fun. We fell asleep watching Toy Story, but now we're hungry. April said I don't have to make my meals anymore but I have to make sure Rae gets food too.

"What do you want Rae?" I whispered as we snuck into the kitchen.

"I don't care." She said "Whatever you have."

"How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" I asked "I don't know where most of the stuff is here. April doesn't want me to try and cook." I said as I started to look for stuff to make the sandwich. I eventually pulled out the bread, peanut butter, and jelly but when I tried to pull out a knife I couldn't open the drawer.

"Grrrr." I said pulling on the drawer "Why won't this open." I said in frustration.

"Because I knew you would try and make yourself something." April said walking up behind me. I gasped and turned around with big eyes looking at April as she looked at me with a smile.

"I'm sorry." I said as she brushed her fingers through my hair.

"You don't have to be sorry sweetheart, I'm not mad." She said "You don't have to make yourself food anymore Max, when you're hungry I want you to come to me. I don't want you to get sick like you did when you tried to make chicken or hurt yourself using a knife."

"I know." I said looking at my hands "I wasn't making food for me, I was making food for Rae." I said.

"You don't have to make food for her either sweetheart." she said "I will always make food for both of you. It's my job to take care of you" she said poking me on the nose.

"Okay." I said with a giggle.

"Why don't you guys go outside and play and I'll make some lunch." She said gently pushing us towards the door.

I followed Rae outside and raced her to the playset jumping on the swing next to her. "Are you happy here Rae-beam?" I asked looking over at her as we started to swing.

"Yeah I am." she said with a smile "I miss my Mom sometimes, but I really like Becca."

"I miss your mom too." I said "But I really like April, I think we're going to be happy here."

"Me too." She said before she got off the swing and climbed to the top of the slide. "Catch me!" She said sliding down with a shriek. She bumped into me at the bottom and we both fell to the ground laughing. We got up and ran to the sandbox to play with the dumptrucks before April walked out to us.

"It's time to eat lunch my little sand monsters." She said reaching into the sand box and pulling us out "Lets try to get this sand off before we go inside." She said. Rae and I let her brush the sand off before we followed her inside and sat at the table to eat our lunches.

"Yum! Pasta salad!" I said when April set our plates in front of us "My favorite." I never knew how to cook much, so now that April cooks for me I have been trying lots of new foods. Spaghetti and pot roast and mashed potatoes, it's all so good!

"What's this?" Rae asked opening her sandwich and poking at what was inside.

"That's chicken salad." April said sitting next to Rae and putting her sandwich back together "I think you guys are going to like it." She said with a smile.

I watched as Rae picked up her sandwich and took a bite, she slowly chewed before she looked up at April with a big a smile "That is really good." She said taking another bite.

"Good." She said with a smile running her hand over Rae's head "What do you think Max?" She said as I took a bite.

"It's good." I said with a shrug, setting my sandwich down and picking up my fork.

"You don't have to like it baby." April said with a laugh "I can make you something else."

"No it's okay." I said picking it up and taking a small bite "it's good."

"Okay." April said watching me as I set my sandwich down and kept eating my pasta. "Well I'm going to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich." She said standing up and walking towards the stove "Does anybody else want one?"

"No thank you." Rae said "I like this sandwich."

"Okay." She said slowly walking away

"Can I have a grilled cheese?" I asked after a second.

"Of course you can." she said walking into the kitchen "You eat your pasta and I'll be right back." As I finished my pasta salad April walked back into the kitchen with two grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Thank you." I said when she handed me a new plate. We were almost done with lunch when Becca walked into the kitchen with a smile.

"Becca!" Rae said with a laugh as she climbed off her chair and ran for a hug.

"Hi my sweet girl!" She said bending down and picking her up for a hug "Did you have fun with Max and April today?"

"Mmhmm." Rae said resting her head on Becca's shoulder.

"Good." She said kissing her temple as she walking over to me "Hi buddy, how are you?" she said running her fingers through my hair.

"I'm good." I said with a smile as she kissed my forehead.

"Thanks again April." Becca said as she set Rae down and we started tiptoeing out of the kitchen "I don't know how I would have done this without you."

"We made it!" I whispered as we ran into the hallway and dumped out the box of lego's "What do you want to build now?" I asked looking at Rae with a smile. I could definitely get used to this life.