Easter's Lilly Page 43

Max came with me, of course. We entered the hospital room where Diego was under heavy guard. Max sat on the chair by the window and I walked over to his bedside. “Where’s the baby?” he asked.

  “Christian is with his uncle,” I answered. “What do you want, Diego?” I was sure my tone was unsettling.

  “You look well,” he said.

  “Thanks.” I smiled. “Why did you want to see me?”

  “I’m sorry, Lilly.” He reached for my hand. I looked at Max first, almost for permission. Max gave me an approving nod and I took his hand. “I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for how I hurt you. I’m sorry for keeping you from Max. I’m just sorry.”

  His face was very sincere. Max held up a Bible he found on the table. “Yours?” he asked Diego.

  “Mine,” he answered. “And now she’s yours. I won’t mess with that.”

  “Took you long enough,” Max replied, in his usual humorous way trying to lighten the mood.

  “I am especially sorry for those two nights,” he said, looking into my eyes for a memory.

  “Which two?” I asked. “Really Diego, I have more than just two bad nights tucked away in my memory.”

  “Of course,” he agreed. “The night you discovered John was alive…” He stopped and took a breath like he was in pain. “And the night in the hotel.”

  My body shuddered when I thought about the last one. “The hotel,” I repeated.

  “I was using that night. I know, no excuses, but I was. I was just so mad that you didn’t love me. I just wanted you to stop seeing him in your head when you were with me.”

  “I know.” I wasn’t really sure what to say.

  “Remember when we first started making love?” Max shivered a little when he said that. “You seemed to really like it at first. You would lay your head on my chest and I thought it might happen. You might fall in love with me. But the more we were together…” he looked up at Max, “the more you wanted me to be him. I should have let you go then.”

  “I’m sorry Diego. I spent the whole first two years depending on Max for everything. It was easy to love him.”

  “Are you happy, Lilly?” He looked up into my eyes.

  “Yes, Diego. I’ve never been happier.”

  “Good,” he said. “Finally, right?”

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Alive,” he said. “A little sore but alive.”

  “I have to ask,” Max started. “Why all the sex questions? Didn’t you torture me enough while it was going on?”

  “It was just one last dig,” he said, trying not to laugh. “I just wanted to try to prove that there were moments of joy for her. Even if they were just fleeting.”

  “I’ll give you fleeting,” Max said, still entertaining himself.

  “What about Olivia?” I asked Diego. “Were you having an affair?”

  He looked disgusted with himself when I asked him that. “You have the right to ask,” he said. “No, no affair. She was afraid of me and one night, while I was feeling sorry for myself, I took advantage of that.” He took another breath. I wasn’t sure if it was pain or shame. “I took her and she let me. It gave me a sense of… I don’t know, getting one up on Hector and Jorge at the same time.”

  “Yuck,” Max responded. “So, you were number three then, weren’t you,” he said it in a statement, not as a question.

  “Yeah, I guess,” he answered. “She didn’t really want me, but she didn’t complain either.” He smiled, almost proud of himself. “I think she was really too scared to say no.”

  “Did she plant the cameras?” Max asked.

  “Sure did,” he told him. “Between Leticia, Olivia and Mick, you were covered.”

  “The TV?” Max asked.

  “My little secret,” Diego added, smiling.

  “Last question,” Max went on. “Why did Olivia tell you she was coming with us?”

  “I only heard the part about her and Hector. I was unaware that you were taking my wife at the time.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” he said with a wink in my direction.

  “Where’s Johnny?” he asked. “Living with him has got to be fun.”

  “Nothing like an old boyfriend hitting on your wife,” Max said. “Go ahead and say it… karma.”

  Diego laughed again. It was weird. They were getting along just like the old days. “You’re married now?”

  “Yes, finally.” Max said it with a huge amount of relief.

  “Okay, then,” he continued. “Time to move on. What are we going to do about the house?”

  “I guess keep it,” Max suggested. “It’s the only tie we still have to papi.” He paused. “I guess you can stay in it, if you want to.”

  “Yeah, I think I might just do that.” He smiled. “If I quit selling, how can I afford a new house?”

  “You better quit selling,” Max reminded him. “Are you planning on going into witness protection after you testify? Jorge will have you dead in five minutes, if you don’t, you know.”

  “You know better than anyone how easy it is to find someone you want to find,” he reminded him.

  “Consider it, Diego. I’ll hide you somewhere. I did a great job with Johnny, didn’t I?”

  “I’ll give it some thought,” he said. His eyes were starting to look sleepy.

  “What are you going to do, I mean for work?” Max asked him.

  “Maybe I’ll become a cop,” he said. They both laughed. “I really don’t know. I’ll be honest with you… it’s gonna be hard to walk away.”

  “I know,” he answered. “But you will.”

  “Lilly, do you forgive me?” he asked. “Please forgive me.”

  “I don’t know Diego,” I said. “That’s a lot of forgiving.”

  “I will pray that you change your mind,” he said as he squeezed my hand.

  “I’ll forgive you,” I answered. “Just give me a little time.” I reached down and gently hugged him.

  “Max,” he said. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute, before you go?”

  “It’s okay, Diego, I’ll probably tell her anyway.” Then he looked at me. “We have no secrets.”

  “I think you have one,” Diego said. I started to panic a little.

  “Lilly,” Max said. “Can we have a minute?”

  “I am so not leaving,” I said. “This is obviously about me.”

  “As you wish,” Diego agreed.

  His eyes locked with Max’s and they started communicating in Spanish. I hated when they did that. I simply must learn that language. They talked for a while and Max was visibly upset. He threw his hands in the air at one point and walked around the room. Then they finally stopped and Max said, “Maybe you will change, after all. Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

  “She loves you, Max.” For some reason, he wanted to make that clear. “Don’t blow it. You know between the two of us…” He looked over at me. “She’s been emotionally battered. Keep that in mind.”

  He hugged him. “I won’t let her go so easily,” he said. “It took me this long to get her.”

  “Goodbye Lilly,” Diego managed.

  I walked over to his bedside. I searched his eyes for the story he told Max. “What did you tell him?” I whispered. “Should I hug you or did you just rat me out for something.”

  “Whatever I told him was for your own good.” He reached out his arms and I hugged him. Then we left.

  “Wow,” he said. “I’m very proud of you.”

  “Proud? Why?” I asked.

  “That’s a whole lot of forgiving.”

  “That’s why I said to give me some time.” I thought about what he said for a moment. “Do you think he has found God or it’s another ploy?”

  “I’m not sure. The years ahead will reveal his true thoughts.” He stopped walking and took my face in his hands. “But until that time… no touching.” I laughed. Like I’d go anywhere near him.

  “Max?” I asked. “What did he say
to you?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it here,” he said. “We’ll talk when we get home.” That scared me. It must have been bad for him to want to wait until we were in private.

  We drove home in silence. I ran through my head all the different things Diego could have told him. Was it about sex? Was it something I did or said when I was married to him? What could Diego know that Max didn’t? We walked in the door and Max sat me down on the couch in the living room. He put his hand on my face and kissed me. But he stopped. Then he picked me up out of the couch and picked up my arms and wrapped them around his neck. I knew I was in trouble. “So it was something like this,” he suggested. My stomach started feeling sick. Clearly John had been to see Diego and spilled his guts. Unbelievable. I could see Hector out of the corner of my eye at the top of the stairs watching. Max took my face in his hands and started kissing me. I wasn’t sure if I should respond or not. Was this a test? “At first you fought it but he lifted you up out of the couch and pulled your body up against his and ….” He paused. “You felt warm inside and did something like this.” He kissed me again, harder this time. I couldn’t breathe. I saw Hector running down the stairs. “You kissed him back, didn’t you?” He pushed me away. “You let him touch you.” He started pacing back and forth. “You touched him?” He was undeniably upset and disappointed.

  “You’re the one who said she shouldn’t tell you,” Hector reminded him. “Don’t go all postal on her now.”

  “Stay out of this Hector.” He was angrier than I had ever seen him. “Did you feel something for John? Are you…?” He turned away from me. “Oh my God, I can’t even say it out loud.”

  “No, no, no… Max!” I panicked. I ran to him and pulled him to look at me. “I didn’t kiss him. I swear to you, I didn’t kiss him!” He was still pacing. “I love you and only you!”

  “What did we walk in on yesterday? What if I was later would you have kissed him again?”

  “No, Max, no!” I tried to grab him but he kept pushing me away. “Max!” I grabbed his shirt and pulled him. “Please it was over in a few seconds and I slapped him!”

  “I blame myself,” he said. “Diego and I… we changed something in you.”

  “No, nothing has changed!” I started to feel sick and my legs began to give out. I sat back down on the couch and started to cry.

  “Max, let it go. It was just a kiss. She’s only been with the three of you. Let it go,” Hector pleaded.

  “It was seven months!” I yelled. “Seven months of playing house with him. He helped me deliver Christian. It’s your fault he fell back in love with me. This is your fault!”

  “You are going to ruin everything,” Hector reminded him. “It was just a kiss.”

  “Was it?” he asked me. “Was that all it was?”

  I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Nothing happened.” He pushed me aside and I sat back on the couch.

  “I promise, Max it was just one time. He kissed me and I slapped him. That’s all.”

  “Max walked over to where I was sitting and got on one knee. He put the back of his fingers against my cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m getting all Diego on you.”

  “Kind of,” I said, through my ever-growing tears.

  “I just love you so much. The thought of another man putting his hands on you…” He stopped for a minute and started drying my tears with his fingers. “It’s just unbearable.” John walked into the room and Max shot him a look of which I would not want to be on the receiving end.

  “I am so sorry you are so upset.” I grabbed his hands. “I never wanted to hurt you. I never expected Johnny to go blabbing his fantasies all over town either.” I shot John the same kind of look.

  “He was trying to drive a wedge between you and it seems to be working pretty well for him,” Hector added.

  Max laughed. “When you’re right, you’re right.” He got up and pulled me up next to him. Then he kissed me. “I’ll let it go. But if he wants to see Dieguito when we move to Arizona… follow the rules.” I laughed. I was glad he snapped out of it so quickly. I had never seen his anger directed at me before. I didn’t like it. I was so looking forward to the close of the trial so that we could go to Arizona, buy a house and be in love forever. “You!” Max said as he turned and looked in Johnny’s direction.

  “Don’t have a cow, Max.” John said. “It’s not like I took her to bed.”

  “No more talk like that. Keep your hands to yourself from now on.”

  “I would have slept with her. But she wouldn’t even let me sleep on her floor.”

  “Oh my God, he asked you that?” Max asked.

  “You know,” Hector said. “Let’s put this behind us before it gets any worse.”

  Max took my hand and walked me out of the room. We walked upstairs into his bedroom. The one I only visited a few times before. “Please…” he said. “Tell me you love me.”

  I reached up and kissed him. He kissed me back. “You are the only one for me,” I told him.