Max and Hailey: A second chance

A new day

Max's P.O.V

I woke up to the sound of my mother's voice. I looked around expecting to see her, but the room was empty. With a yawn, I stretched myself out then got up and followed my mother's voice till I found her in the kitchen with uncle Bradley making some coffee while she flipped some pancakes on the stove. "Mother?" I asked in confusion. "what are you doing here?" I asked her as I walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"Oh, I just came over to see how you were doing and to make you some breakfast. Your uncle here never really ate breakfast. He just relies on coffee." She answered. "So how did you sleep? I know yesterday was a lot and the dinner didn't end so well..." She said trailing off.

"Oh, don't worry about skip toeing around the subject around me." Uncle Bradley said to my mother. "Max told me enough. Henry is really going to end up driving that girl to leave this town and never come back or cause her to have a breakdown." He continued with a shake of his head as he took a sip of his coffee. Mother looked at me with a surprised look, but it soon turned into a huge smile. She gave me a plate full of pancakes and I sat down at the table to eat.

"Hailey is a very sweet girl. She takes after her mother. I'm sure she will be okay. Last night was difficult for everyone really." Mother replied to him.

"Yet there have been multiple times where she has come all the way to my office but at the last second changes her mind and doesn't come in. It's not as perfect in that house as Henry would like everyone to believe." Bradley said as he sat down next to me. "Max when you eventually go to meet up with Hailey try to keep her out of the house as long as you can." He told me.

"Why do you want me to keep her out of her house?" I asked confused. "she is just giving me a tour of the town. I don't think this town is going to take all day to see." I mentioned.

"after the rough night, you described it is just healthy to get out of the house and relax and to focus on something else that's all." He replied.

"Just make sure you are back for dinner," Mother added in.

"where are we having dinner?" I asked confused.

"Here. It will just be me, you, your uncle, and David of course." Mother answered.

"Right, I figured he would be coming too," I said awkwardly and looked away in deep thought. This would be the second time that it will just be us and I am not sure how or what to do with David. I know DNA doesn't lie but it's still a big shock. I have no idea what he knows or what mother has told him about me. For all, I know he could think that I am like the monsters I was raised with or something even worse. Mother seems so happy and I don't want to ruin this for her. Hearing my mother's sigh brought me back to reality.

"Max honey, eat your breakfast ok? We can talk about dinner later, don't worry about it. Your pancakes will get cold if you leave them there too long." Mother told me as she placed her hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head and sat down at the table. Mother placed some syrup on the table for me and I picked it up pouring some onto my pancakes. As I ate, I couldn't help but think about everything that they told me. I want to give David a fair chance, and I would like to think it couldn't be worse than what I have already been through. I also couldn't help but think back to what my uncle was trying to say about Hailey and her relationship with her dad. Was last night just a small glimpse of what actually goes on? Before I knew it, I had absent-mindedly eaten all my food and didn't get to fully enjoy it. I sighed and put my plate in the sink. I was about to wash my plate, but my mother stopped me. "don't worry about the dishes, I got it. Go brush your teeth. You have a tour to go on." She said and smiled at me.

"Thank you, Mother," I replied with a small smile and left to go brush my teeth. After that, I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I look presentable. I couldn't help but feel lucky to be free, I looked so much better than I ever have when growing up. There is a lot to learn, plenty of drama to work through but this is my fresh start, and I won't take it for granted. I'm hoping that what Hailey said is true. Though at the time she didn't know I was talking about her uncle, I hope that everything is better and that I can actually have a good relationship with David. I was so deep in thought until I heard my mother calling for me. I walked out to the hallway and walked to the stairs, "Is something wrong Mother?" I asked. Mother looked up at me and smiled.

"Hailey is here honey. She is waiting for you in the living room." She answered.

"Is she waiting there alone?" I asked her.

"No, she is sitting down with your uncle. Now you better get finish whatever you need to do before your uncle starts trying to give her a free therapy session." She said with a small laugh at the end.

"Oh no," I said with a sigh. I definitely could not let that happen. I get the feeling uncle Bradley doesn't like her dad very much. "I'm coming," I told her and closed the door before coming down the stairs and headed to the living room.