"Yeah. I know." His mind knows. He's still convincing his heart that it's okay to want things that are best for him first.

"Then stay." Max leans in to give her a gentle sideways hug. "We'll be a family here. Neither of us will have to be alone ever again. You'll always have someone who loves you. You'll just have to put up with me making you a birthday cake every year from now on. That's all."