Life of Max ✔️

Epilogue

HALEY

Maxwell Johnson. Parent, lover & friend.

The words makes my eyes hurt with even more tears, but at least he's done suffering now.

The service was beautiful. Aiden talked about their close friendship over the years, even tearing up a little when he recalled the turbulent semester when our lives changed.

His smile was dazzling, though, and our daughter held my hand as she cried for one of her dads.

Max loved her as his own, even though he had us test her to make sure she was Aidens. I think he was just afraid to let her go through the same shit he went through with this thing, even though she was a spitting image of Aiden when she was born.

It's really unfair that he's gone, but we all knew it was coming.

I cradle my swollen stomach and sniffle as I look at the gray, shiny stone on the ground. I just wish he could have waited a few more months, so he could have met our second child.

My daughter squeezes my hand and wipes away my stray tears as she smiles at me.

"He is okay, mommy, he's in there," she says, pointing to my heart, and then at her own. "And in here."

I smile at her, and put my arm around her.

"How do you know that?" I ask, knowing that I didn't say that to her.

"He said so," she says, matter-of-factly. "He also promised me he would haunt any boy who broke my heart."

I laugh at her words, and it sounds exactly like something Max would say.

I look up as Aiden walks up to us, and he holds his hand out to me. He is smiling, too, but I can see he's not okay. He picks up our daughter with his free arm, and we all take a step back from the grave. Honestly, I didn't think he'd stick with us for so long. I thought he would leave for Paris or Milan, live with drugs, alcohol and pussy, like his dad did, but he never left my side after that summer. When we found out I was pregnant, he bought us all a house with his inheritance-money, and the rest he put away. He wrote in his will that all his money would go to Aiden and I's kids, first and foremost to pay for tuition for college, and then it would be divided equally between them all, if there was anything left.

"Maxwell Johnson," Aiden says, his voice hoarse and almost shaky.

I lean into his embrace, and he hugs our daughter closer, too, while putting an arm around my shoulders.

"I never thought he'd be one for commitment or life-long, loyal friendships, but fuck," Aiden says, sighing a bit. "I'll miss him."

"Me too," our daughter says, looking back towards the newly covered grave.

"I will too," I say, choking back a sob.

I've cried so much already, but I can't help but do so again. Aiden tightens his arm around me, and our daughters hand reaches out to stroke my hair lovingly.

When did I deserve such a loving family?

I know that if Max could be here, he would, but he can't. And I can only hope I'll make him proud as he watches us from above from now on.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, as if to prepare myself for what I'm about to say. I look up at Aiden, and smile a little.

"I'll have to tell the doctors right away that Max had this disease," I tell Aiden, and put my hands protectively around my belly.

"Are you sure it's his?" he asks, kissing the top of my head.

I nod.

"I did the math. He was in the hospital already when it happened, and you two spent some time with Alex and your parents while I helped him settle in," I whisper.

"Okay," he says, and kisses my head again. "We'll figure it out, H. We always do. And you know he'd love the hell out of that kid, no matter what happens. There's still a chance the baby will be fine."

I nod again, and I smile at him and our little princess, before I take one last look at Max's grave for today. He would love the baby. His baby.. And his baby will know what an amazing dad he was, and would have been.

...

The end.

Thank you for reading, commenting and voting on Life of Max, and for sticking with the story for so long!

This emotional goodbye has made me cry more than once. But I love Max, and I am really glad he got his happy ending before his life ended!

❤️