REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 90: MOVING OUT

"You’ve never said this to me before."

Ava pouted. He was right. She’d never really thanked him for anything he’d done for her up to this point. And she knew it made her look like an ingrate, but while he did those things for her, she never appreciated any of them because she thought there was a hidden agenda to it.

With everything she’d gone through, thanking someone with an evil agenda was equivalent to being killed again.

Now she was sure that Maximus didn’t have any bad intention towards her, she felt embarrassed for not showing gratitude for those things. "I’m sorry for being such an ingrate."

Maximus pinched the bridge of her nose, not enough to hurt. "I already got used to being engaged to one."

She laughed. "Honestly, I am not."

"Hmm..." He teased, but when he noticed the small frown on her face, "Sure, you’re not," he corrected, making Ava laugh once more.

The elevator door opened to Ethan, and on seeing him, Maximus hesitantly let Ava go even if he placed his hand on her lower back as he led her out.

"Miss Ava..." Ethan’s eyes traveled to her injured hand. "You look better than yesterday. That’s a relief."

"Thanks for your concern, Ethan," Ava said with a small smile before turning to Maximus who led her to her grandfather’s room door. Ethan followed behind them.

"Wesley has been waiting for you. You just missed him," he informed Maximus.

"Why?"

"Something about getting your legal team ready in case the Whitlock’s decides to sue the hospital."

"That can be easily discussed over the phone or email. Tell Wesley not to waste his time worrying about things that don’t concern him. I told him I was going to take care of it, didn’t I?"

Ethan nodded curtly. "I can understand his concern. Gaulin looked really mad when he was thrown out of the hospital. The last time he was this mad, well, we both know what happened."

Maximus chuckled dryly, and he released Ava’s waist when they got to the door. All while they were having a conversation, Ava was lost in her little world, thinking about her grandfather. They both watched as she took in a deep breath before pushing open the door.

When she entered the room, "Let him be mad. It’s about time he’s reminded that he can’t mess with someone who’s dear to me," Maximus said dryly as he watched his little wife.

Both men stood at the door, giving Ava a moment with her grandfather.

Ava quickly rushed to her grandfather lying on the bed. Her heart tightened as she watched his unconscious face but she held herself from breaking into tears. "Grandfather, I’m here." She sat beside him and held his hand. "I’m so sorry for not fighting enough to come sooner."

Instead of entering the room, Maximus signalled for Ethan to close the door behind him. "Have your men guard the room. I may as well have a little chat with Wesley."

"Consider it done," Ethan murmured before disappearing down the hall.

Maximus took one last glance at the closed door before he walked away.

~~~~~~

The steady beep from the holster machine was the only sound inside the room. Ava still sat frozen beside her grandfather, holding his frail hand as she watched him. It’d been over three hours she’d spent with him, but she’d done nothing other than this.

It broke her heart to see him in this condition, but she was scared that letting go even for one bit would have this disastrous effect.

Her shoulder tensed when she felt a hand on her arm, but when she looked up and saw Maximus, she smiled faintly.

"He’d be fine."

"I know." Ava turned back to him. "It’s just...the wait is killing me. He should’ve woken up by now, Maximus. Why is it taking so long?"

Maximus gently stroked her arms. "He’s not as young as he used to be, and the accident wasn’t a mild one. He’ll soon wake up, little one. Now, I know the wait is hard, but you should give him a little more time."

Ava nodded softly.

"In the meantime, you should have dinner. I had some chefs prepare something for you." Ava followed his line of sight to the dishes on the table.

"When did you prepare all of that?"

"Some servers dropped by earlier, but that’s not important. The important thing is for you to eat before it gets cold."

"I’m not hungry," she said honestly.

Maximus sighed as he crouched beside her chair so they were at eye level. "You don’t have to be hungry to eat, little one. You have to eat to stay alive." His eyes flickered to William. "I know you’re worried about him, but starving yourself won’t help."

She pouted as she stared at the dishes arranged on the table, and her stomach let out a soft growl coincidentally. "See? Even the little guy agrees with me."

After a little hesitation, she eventually followed Maximus to the table. At first, she simply tried to fill her stomach to some extent, but with time, she regained her appetite and ended up eating quite an amount to her fill.

When she was done, she stayed beside Maximus on the couch, watching her grandfather. "Did you find them?"

"Find who?"

Ava looked at Maximus. "The men who... kidnapped me. Did you find them?"

"I did."

"But?"

Maximus sighed softly as he looked into her eyes. "They were dead when we found them."

Ava held her mouth. "Dead? How—? Who...?" Did Matilda kill them?

"They tried to escape but things clearly went out of hand."

Ava shivered unconsciously. She knew Matilda was many things, but to think that she was a murderer brought a certain kind of scare. "No... That can’t be." Ava shook her head in denial. Matilda was not a murderer.

Unaware of the thoughts that ran through his little wife’s head, Maximus pulled Ava into his embrace.

.

Warmth came with the morning, and it eveloped Ava who stirred slightly in Maximus’s arms. She blinked slowly and her hazy vision cleared on his face.

"Good morning." His deep voice resounded in her ears.

"Good morning," she said with a small smile, but she never would’ve prepared herself for the kiss that came next.

Maximus tucked away the strands of hair on her face behind her ears to deepen the kiss. She froze, but the feel of the softness of his lips against hers drove away her shock.

The tenderness of how his tongue danced on hers made her breath hitch, and her fingers instinctively curled into the fabric of his shirt.

Maximus was slow, deliberate, like he was savoring every second, every tiny gasp she made. His hand slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer, and warmth bloomed in her chest.

She felt like she was melting into him, and her heartbeat drummed in sync with his. When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested lightly against hers, and his breath was warm against her lips.

"That’s a good way to wake up," he murmured while his lips ghosted over hers again.

Ava swallowed. "I—I wasn’t expecting that." Her face burned, and his thumb that traced lazy circles on her back made her stomach churn in the most pleasant way.

"You should get used to it." The knuckles of his free hand brushed her warm cheeks. "Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes traveled down. She was lying directly on top of him on the couch. She couldn’t recall how she got to this position, but she didn’t hate it either.

"I’d have loved a softer mattress, but this..." She traced a fingertip on his bare chest that was exposed from the two buttons left undone on his shirt. "... isn’t so bad."

Maximus smiled, and his fingers tightened slightly on her waist. "So I’m guessing you won’t have a problem with me being your personal mattress."

Ava laughed outright to that. "Why would you want to take up this position?" She tried to play it off even if her stomach fluttered.

"I’ll do anything to keep you in my arms, little one." His lips brushed her forehead, and her breath hitched.

Ava felt her heart stutter. The way he was looking at her, like she was something precious, and the way he said things so casually, yet with so much intensity, made her feel lightheaded. It took everything within her to fight the urge to bury her steamed face in his chest.

"I suppose I could get used to this..." she traced small patterns on his chest with her fingertip, but she got distracted when her phone buzzed.

As she shifted slightly to check her phone on the table, she felt his firm muscles beneath her, including his hardened member. Ava bit her lips, and her face flushed a deeper shade of red, but she didn’t move away. Instead, she stared quietly at his face.

Maximus stilled for a moment, and his grip on her tightened before he exhaled deeply, like he was restraining himself. "Are you going to take it?"