“Thanks, man,” I said quietly, clasping his shoulder. “I appreciate you.”
Xander glanced at Max, who was glaring at him, now planted in the same spot he’d been. He flicked his middle finger at my twin, cackling as his frown deepened before swanning out the door.
“Sorry about that,” I said, closing it after him. “And I’m sorry he hit you last night. I gave him a bollocking about it.”
Max shrugged jerkily. “Gave as good as I got.”
“I’m sure you did,” I said wryly. “Listen, I want to hear whatever you have to say, but can you make it quick? I’ve got places I need to be.”
Max’s eyes found my suit, still hanging on the door. “So you’re going through with it, then.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what I’d decided, but I caught myself. I might’ve forgiven Max for what had happened, but that didn’t mean I trusted him. “What’s it to you?”
“A lot, if it means you’re about to shatter Dom’s heart again.”
The old bitterness filled my mouth. “Should’ve known you’re just here for him.”
Max grunted. “Not just for him.”
“What do you mean?”
He tapped his fingers on his biceps. “I’m not good at this.”
“Good at what?”
“Saying how I feel.” He huffed. “It was all right the other week. I’d been practicing what I was going to say for years. But this conversation? Didn’t think we’d get here, to be honest. Not with how confident Dominic was about winning you back. Should’ve known you’d give him a run for his money. It’s what he deserves, I guess.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can you get to the point, please?”
“Right.” He shook his head. “Sorry. Dom’s always giving me shit about my inability to say what I mean. One of the reasons I’m called Lock-up.”
My lips twitched as I recalled the story Dom had told me. “I thought that was because you propositioned someone who turned out to be a sex worker in Morocco and landed in a cell overnight.”
Max gave a small grin. “That too. But you know Dom.Why have a nickname with one meaning when it can have multiple?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah.”
“What I’m trying to say is…” Max started pacing as he trailed off.
I glanced at the clock, wincing at the minutes ticking by. “I don’t want to rush you, but?—”
“I care about you,” Max said, the words coming out in a rush. “I care if you’re happy. Every time I contacted Mum, it was to ask about you. I knew how badly I’d fucked things up before we even made it to basic, but I didn’t know how much I’d miss you.”
I blinked, reeling from the information Max had just revealed. “You missed me?”
He jerked his head in an approximation of a nod. “Every day. I gave you a lot of shit growing up, but suddenly not having you there? Not knowing what was going on in your life? Yeah, I missed it. You. I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I said, surprising even myself. “I miss what we had before Dom showed up. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man. More than is healthy, truth be told. But I hate that he became between us.”
“Me too. Maybe we could find a way to be friends again?”
My lips curved. “I think I’d like that.”
Our expressions weren’t often identical, but I knew the smile on my face was the mirror of the one Max was giving me.
“I’m sorry, but I really do need to go,” I said. “Can we talk later?”
“Actually, all of that isn’t even why I came here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pile of envelopes held together with a rubber band. “Before you do anything, I think you should read these.”