Page 101 of Maxwell

His eyes shifted away for a moment. “Your father warned me once that if I hurt you, I’d have to leave.”

“My dad?”

He nodded. “Rightly so. Plus, I can find another practice to work for. I didn’t want to delay my departure and make you feel uncomfortable or unhappy. I decided to leave right away.”

“You did that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you. If you told me to take off my left arm right now, I’d do it.”

“Max...” Her throat closed around the rest of her thoughts.

“It’s true.” He looked toward the exit and then back at her. “Can we go outside and talk? Only if you want to. If you don’t, I understand.” He waited, looking slightly anxious.

“Sure.”

Maxwell placed his basket in her cart, and they walked outside. The sun had gone down, but the sky wasn’t completely dark yet. They stood off to the side, in front of an unoccupied bench.

“I’ve thought long and hard about what I would say to you if I ever got the chance. I had a whole speech planned, but now I can’t remember a word of it.”

“Then come up with a new speech,” Jasmine said.

He exhaled and looked deeply into her eyes. “Jasmine, I’m a better man because of you. When we were together, seeing you was my favorite part of the day. Every day. You’re my favorite person, and I can’t count how many times I wished I’d met you sooner so we could have had more time together. But the truth is, no matter when we met, it wouldn’t have been enough. I don’t think a lifetime is enough.”

As the sting of tears built behind her eyes, Jasmine looked down at her hands.

“I know you’re scared,” Maxwell said gently. “I understand how seeing a woman in my bed caused you to lose trust in me, especially since you know my history. I can’t change that day, but I can tell you the truth. I didn’t invite her over and nothing happened. I love you. I’m never gonna stop loving you. You can keep me at a distance if you want to, but I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here, waiting, until the day you give us another chance.”

She lifted her eyes. “Maxwell...” Words failed her.

“I don’t want to live without you, Jasmine. That would be hell. Torture. I’m too selfish to torture myself,” he said with a faint smile. “So at some point, you have to take me back.”

“You think you can just sweet-talk your way back into my life?”

“No.” Maxwell stepped closer. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win you back.”

Jasmine shook her head. “I want to hate you. Why can’t I hate you?”

“Because we belong together,” Maxwell said simply. He reached up—slow enough that she could stop him if she wanted to—and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You know I’m right. We’ve known since the first night we met, though neither of us was in the right mind to admit it.”

Jasmine closed her eyes. “There was a woman in your bed, Max. On a day you didn’t expect to see me.”

“I know.”

She opened her eyes. “I was so hurt. Humiliated.”

“I know, babe.”

“You want me to trust that what you said is the truth.”

“I know I’m asking a lot.”

The overhead lights flickered, and an elderly man pushed a rattling cart full of groceries through the parking lot.

“Jayson came and talked to me. Have you talked to him?” Jasmine asked.

Maxwell rubbed the back of his neck. “We had a fight. Haven’t talked to him since. What did he say?”

“He told me he’s the one who invited Jenny over, and he let her into your place.”