25. The way that we belong

Playlist for this chapter

Helium - Sia,

Adore You - Miley Cyrus,

No Fear - Dej Loaf,

Heal - Westlife.

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Fear of rejection, keeps the love inside, and the lust outside.

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"STOP GLARING, will you?" I say to Max who clenches his jaw as he wipes the blood off his nose with a tissue, and at the same time, shooting daggers with his eyes at James.

"I can glare at whoever I want." Max snaps, frustrated and irritated, and still manages to roll his eyes at me.

Serves him right. I almost giggle.

I'm only helping Molly iron and fold some clothes the way she has taught me, Max and James are bickering behind me, inside the room.

At first, I left them in the living room hoping they'd catch up since the two didn't bother to hide their dislike towards each other. And Max came in first, muttering how James wasn't a toddler but was an old man reincarnated in a child's body. Then came James few seconds later, calling Max an asshole.

Max has meet his match. The kid, James, always has a comeback over everything Max said to him. And Max got beyond pissed that his blood pressure arise and he started bleeding through his nose.

It's a Saturday morning and Molly asked me to Babysit obnoxious little James, she took a sick Dylan to the hospital. All James's babysitters couldn't withstand him and left after a week or two. I even learnt that one babysitted him for just a day, and didn't return the next day, after he had made her cry.

I completely understand Molly can't take James to the hospital with her, because of his rowdiness. And poor baby Dy is ill.

I had texted Max over the phone and I left the house first before he did, so there wouldn't be any suspicion.

Returning my eyes over to James who seems to be having a very good time on the floor, quietly scribbling something with a crayon on a plain sheet, a tiny smile tilts at the corner of my mouth.

He's really lucky he's a kid, otherwise, he'd have been beaten swollen to pulp, by a very big anger issues Max.

And James, as if sensing being glared at, raises his head up and scowls at Max.

"I don't like you, sucker." He scrunches his face up in disgust and points his crayon over at Max.

"The feeling is mutual, Leprechaun." My eye brows shoots up in suprise at this.

"Max, That's an awful thing to say to a kid!" I groan, shooting him a glare, and at the same time biting back a snicker.

Dropping his crayon on the floor and folding his arms, James remains silent and narrows his eyes at Max.

"Do your parents ever tell you that you're a living proof that two wrongs doesn't make a right?" Max's response throws me off guard and I don't know what to say to him. It was too much to say to a kid.

"Really Max?" I set the iron up and fold my arms at Max, disappointed at him, going this far. "You're behaving worse than him, and he's just three."

"He's all shades of annoying." Max defends himself with his eyes still glowering at James who looks sad now.

"I'm sorry, I'm I s'pposed to be offded? Cause tha only thing I'm offded by is your face." James suprises me by firing back at Max, after staying silent for sometime with a sad facade on, trying to fool Max and I, that he wanted to cry.

And he can't fully pronounce 'Offended' so he settled at 'Offded'

"Bet your stew-ped is gonna sound like schewpid." James go as far as mocking Max's British accent, too.

And I scoff.

Color drains away from Max's face as he slowly looks over at me, bemused.

"What?"

"How old is this kid again?"

"Three years, eleven months and eight days."

"Just you wait asshole, you'vent seen N'thing yet." James gives Max the middle finger.

And Max mouth flaps open to say something, then shut close. He repeats the action twice.

I won't blame him though, James is too smart and exposed to be almost four.

"Hey, sucker," James calls out to Max, so his attention will be adverted away from me. "Too bad Ugly begins with 'U." He sticks his tongue out at Max, and waves his fingers mockingly behind his ears.

I can no longer control my laughter, I set the iron up and press my back against the wall, bubbling with laughter.

"At least I'm not Mr smelly."

"Hey, I don't smell dwat bad." James seems offended for the first time.

And Max smirks in victory.

Score Twenty-three for James, and one for Max.

James is quiet, trying to figure out what to say to Max. And then his eyes brightens with it's usual mischief. I would've sworn that his voice bursts into a loud "Aha!"

"You're shit."

"You're shit."

"Don't repeat after me."

"Don't repeat after me."

"Max is a sucker."

"Max is a-" Max shuts up and quickly stares at James incredulously. "This is one of the reasons I shouldn't be around kids with the likes of him. He will be a bad influence to his school mates, spluttering words he shouldn't."

"You mean words like 'Shit, sucker-" James starts to ask, eyes twinkling with mischief, and Max cuts him off.

"Hey Kate, you're the baby sitter here and not me, wanna try switching positions?" Max says, attempting to change the subject.

"Nah, thanks. I'm good." I reply putting another cloth untop of the pile of the boys neatly ironed bright colored clothes, into the cloth basket.

And Max curses so deeply, under his breath.

We hear the sound of door opening, footsteps walking in, and the shutting of door.

"Mummy! Daddy!" James abandons his stuff on the floor, and dashes towards Molly who has Dylan on the baby carrier, and a man at her side, who should be around her age.

"You two have no idea how much of a live saver you are, thank you so much. I wonder what I'd have done without you guys. Dylan was having a high temperature and was barfing and stooling non-stop." Molly informs, stroking on Dy's back.

"It wasn't a big deal, really." Max beats me to it when I intend to speak and keep his crossed leg down from where he's sitted on the couch. He's the polar opposite of how he was few minutes ago, when he was yelling his lungs out at James. And I shoot him a glare, because he spoke before I did. And him and James where practically at each other's throats before Molly and Hunter arrive.

I'm contemplating against not throwing a pillow against his head when I hear.

"Oh My God! Is that Steve Jones's daughter and step son?" The guy who I assume to be Molly's husband, Hunter, almost let out a shriek like a girl.

And Molly does the introductions, while Hunter still has his jaw touching the floor, wondering how his wife became close to his boss's daughter.

* * *

"Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God!" Molly almost exclaims, fanning herself with her fingers and I look up to her from where I'm feeding James his cereal and milk.

"What?" I ask, slightly dumbfounded, wiping away the mess of cereal and milk that fucking James just spit out on my face.

"I got carried away and hot, staring at Max's bare chest." She replies and my eyes widens as they shift across the room and trace themselves out the window, to a bare chested Max who has just his skinny black jeans that are streak with dirt on, that he had rolled up to his knees and is currently bare footed, as he shovels away the weeds at the little garden outside the backyard. Hunter had asked him to help him out the garden after we had lunch, and he's currently putting on a sweat shirt and has his yoga pants rolled up to his knees like Max. But Max is the one bare chested.

My eyes takes in his rip muscles, perfect abs, the veins that outstand on his arms, and his adam apple which seems to be working back and forth, as he drinks water straight from the water bottle.

I've never felt so jealous of something before, because I want to be the water going into him, to be with him, to stay.

I gulp as I feel warm inside.

"Molly, you're married." I state, trying to spoon feed James again, who just chews but refuses to swallow this time, and instead, he brings out the undigested cereal from his mouth and puts it back to the spoon.

That was gross. I wrinkle my nose in disgust and throw the rubbish into the trash bin. While James lets out evil chuckles and runs away from the kitchen and Molly warns after him not to go wake up a napping Dylan.

Molly returns her eyes to me, and shoves a piece of left over cheesebread into her mouth. She chews and her eyes widens at me when she sees I'm still watching her cautiously.

"What!? Oh cut me that crap, I'm married doesn't mean I can't admire a hot magazine-cover-worthy guy when I see one." She points out, waving her hand away into the air.

"Babes, I can hear you." Hunter yells from the garden and Molly's eyes widens in their sockets for a brief second. But she quickly recovers.

"Honey, we're talking about Dylan O'Brien. You know the skinny cute dude from Teen wolf, right?"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. Even a blind man knows that poor guy has a twelve year old body build." Hunter remarks, and I can hear Max chuckling as I feel for poor clueless Dylan O'Brien who has no idea he's being mocked.

Back to Max, he's bent over the rosebush, taking the branches away from the roses.

My heart is doing a dangerous somersault in my chest, because the idiot, Max lifts his weight up from where he's squarting, and is standing on all fours now with his pespiration nude chest, looking seriously dangerously hot, like pure sloppy séx.

It doesn't help that he's looking at me like that, too. Something painfully sweet wounds up in my chest, and settles on the pit of my stomach.

I swallow and look away, just in time to catch Molly, with her fingers supporting her chin, and her elbows on the kitchen counter, with a silent smile playing on her lips.

"What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing." I respond, looking away to filling the sink up with the warm water which I'll use in doing the dishes.

"Shut up, you two are probably having sex, or the hots for each other."

I know a ten shades of red blush creeps up my cheeks and I bite on my buttom lip.

So I reluctantly tell Molly everything in a very awkward way about Max and I, making it as brief as I can. And how our parents disapprove of us together. Something I haven't even tell my friends.

"You're still very young Kate. Open up your heart and let it just begin. Hunter and I were both highschool sweethearts, he dropped out of school after his dad died of Leukemia. His mum's job could barely put food on the table for him and his siblings. So he quitted school on our final year, and started doing minor jobs to take care of the bills at home and sponsor his brothers educations. He worked eighty hours a week at that time. We did fought a lot, broke a up a thousand times, hurt and betrayed each other countlessly. But we were still there for each other. He proposed to me on my graduation day at Yale, we got married at twenty one. And here we are today.

Life has it's twist, ups and downs and one thing I need you to know is that, to love is to take risks. So careful, Kay?" She reaches over and pulls my hand into hers, and I give her a firm nod, with my lips thining into a sinister line.

* * *

My phone vibrates next to me, and I pick it up to see a message from the person occupying my thoughts, erasing sleep of my eyes.

M: You up, Kate? Can't stop thinking about you.

K: This is one fifty two a.m in the morning, and I'm finding it extremely difficult to sleep a wink, because I can't stop thinking about you either.

M: Come meet me in the kitchen?

K: Why dah fuck are you there? Having a night snack?

M: The only night snack I want to have is you.

K: Ew, perv 😖.

I wait for the next few minutes and don't get any reply from him.

Shit, he wasn't kidding when he said I should come to the kitchen.

Everyone is asleep and the kitchen is currently the perfect spot for making out.

Taking my sheet covers off, I dash out of my room, the hallway, ascend the stairs and down to the kitchen.

The kitchen is dark and quiet, and I curse Max deeply, pondering if he's pulling silly pranks on me.

I put the lights on, and there, I see the jerk.

Looking twice as good as he did, when he was out with Molly's husband, gardening.

"There you are." Max gives me a lopsided smirk, when he sees me. He's naked on the chest, has only his pajamas pants on, and is barefooted like me.

I let him carry me up and hook my legs tightly around his waist.

Bringing his head down to mine, I kiss him wildy, suck on his tongue, and move to bite on his button lip.

He groans, cups the small swells of my butt and let me do as I please with his lips, before pressing me against the kitchen counter, and grinding so hard on me, that I feel his erection poking my front.

Just as things are about to get really heated, we hear a gasp, and Max stiffens. While I slowly turn to look at the person.

It's Doris.

Looking so disappointed and furious, that her eyes are red.

With fear and embarrassment surging through me, I get down from Max and stand behind him, hiding in a shame. Desiring to shield away from the sudden embarrassment I'm feeling.

"Mum, I can explain." Max pleads, fear laced in his voice.

And I hear the sound of a sharp slap.

My mouth part in suprise and fear, because Doris just slapped Max.

"Explain what! After promising not to get involved with her anymore, you still go behind my back. And this time, you both want to get into each other's pants, under the roof we all share, have you no any shame!?"

Her screams are deafeninig and can wake up a dead man, and I fight so hard not to block my ears.

"I forgave you after learning about the affair you two were having, but this is just unexpectable."

"Doris, this isn't completely Max's fault." I say calmly, trying to defend Max, who's quietly glaring at his Mum with her hand print on his cheek.

"Oh shut it." She snaps at me.

And I keep my mouth shut, wondering why I can't tell her she don't have any right to talk to me like that. Maybe it's because I did wrong.

"You can't talk to her like that, Mother." Max speaks up, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"What's wrong?" I hear Dad's voice, and I look ahead of me, and see him yanking sleep off his eyes with his palm, and stares at us in confusion.

Oh no. This is going to be all shades of awful.

"I caught them making out." She informs Dad.

"What?! In my house?" Dad's face twists in fury and quickly walks up to Max, and slams him against the hard brick wall.

"No!"

"Max!"

Max groans in pain at the impact, and is quick to dodge when Dad attempts punching him. The action makes Dad punch the wall. And we all hear the sound of fist cracking.

"It's all your fault, Steve. You can't talk to your daughter to keep her legs close!" Doris screams at Dad.

I would've spoken, yell back at her or something, if I know my voice will work.

She insulted me, practically called me a prostitute. Something she has no right to say because her son is the one I gave my virginity, the one I'm sleeping with, and the only one I want to sleep with.

"Don't talk to me, and about my daughter like that." Dad warns Doris, with anger flaring his nostrils from where he's squarting and gently messaging his fist, that is bleeding.

"Max, no!" Miranda yells after Max, as he lunges at my Dad, as if she knows what he's going to do.

Great. All the Mckenzie siblings just arrived, dressed in their pajamas, sleepy eyes and lanky staggering footsteps.

Doris screams as Max pulls Dad away from the floor.

Evans grabs hold of Max's waist as he tries to hold him back, but Max's fist still connects with my Dad's jaw.

I stand there, unable to move or think straight because the situation has taken a sullen direction.

Sam is already crying, and Sarah holds him close to herself, trying not to cry herself.

Doris is already sobbing at a corner, as she watches Max attempting to punch on Dad again.

And I know, I'm the only one that can put this to stop.

Darn, I love him, I love him so much. But he has no right to hurt my Dad.

"Fucking stop!" I bellow at the top of my lungs.

And Max halt through half a punch, leaves Dad's shirt, and punches on the glass cabinet behind Dad's head, where expensive wines are stacked up, from Dad's winery.

Glass shatters and pierce through his fist and makes him bleed. I rush to his side when I see him grimace in pain.

"Brothers and sisters aren't suppose to act this way, it's wrong." Doris yells at Max.

"She's not my sister, dammit!" Max yells back, accepting Evans shirt that he pulls off and hands to him. He wraps it around the deep cuts that blood is gushing out uninterruptedly from.

The floor is a mess, there is blood and broken pieces of glasses.

And a broken sob escapes my lips, too.

"We let you happy, why can't you all let us be?"

Someone with a shaky voice yells.

It's me.

"You always told me you can't help who you fall in love with, that's why you got married to her." I jerk my finger towards Doris.

Everyone's mouth parts in suprise at this and they all direct their gazes to me.

Even Max has unbelief in his eyes, that the fire has deflated, and are now replaced with sudden confusion.

"Yes, that's true Kate. But your step brother?"

"I love him Dad, maybe it took me a while to realize it, but I do. And I can never accept him as my step brother. Ever." Tears are spilling out of my eyes and I look away before Max's gaze shifts to mine the second time.

I just told everyone I love him.

I exhale deeply as silence feels the whole atmosphere.

"You're going to regret this because he's going to hurt you."

"I hate you so fucking much!" Yelling at Dad, Max runs away and starts ascending the stairs.

I run after him, and open his room door to see him packing his clothes and putting them in a bag.

I shut the door behind me, as dread twists my stomach.

"You.. you can't leave, you can't leave like this, you can't leave me." My voice cracks.

I'm already crying as my heart swells up with twinge, at the sight of watching him shove his clothes with his bloodied hand aggressively into the bag.

"I can't take this any more. Everyone is against us being together. And I can't stay here if I can't be with you." His voice contains so much pain, and the gaze on his face as he looks over at me, is like I'm killing him.

"You don't have to, let's run away." I say after a sigh, shutting all the voices in my head that screams WRONG. I reach for his bleeding hand, and he willingly gives it to me.

I press a soft urgent kiss to it, and I can feel the blood stain my lips.

Despite all the fights and screams that just happened down stairs, I feel hot inside and suck in my breath, when I look up to see him staring down at me with his green eyes that desire and anger currently during a wrestle. He looks disturbed. And I've never seen anything more beautiful like the way he is right now.

It's the only thing that feels right, being with him.

"What?" He pauses as confusion creases his hard facial features, because it seems he didn't hear me clearly.

"Let's run away, Max."