Words You Wouldn't Say

For the first time in years, Max was actually excited for Christmas.

He'd asserted immediately that he and Mike would host the Christmas party, and Talinda had let him with an amused smile on her face. Elisa and Linsey treated him almost timidly, but Talinda had told him just to ignore it - they'd open up to him soon.

He and Talinda had become almost attached at the hip, going everywhere together. Mike had jokingly suggested that Talinda just move in, and she gave him a straight face and said, "Don't tempt me. I'll steal him away." His amused expression dropped and Max had burst into laughter, pressing a kiss to the corner of Mike's mouth before walking out of the door to go shopping for decorations with Talinda.

Max's excitement for the party didn't diminish as the date drew closer. The whole band, their families and Max's mother and sister had been invited, and they'd all confirmed that they were going, some bringing food and others - Joe and his sister, mainly - bringing dates.

Max was so used to spending his Christmas alone that it was slightly overwhelming to know he'd be surrounded by people who loved him for the first time in years.

The party was set for Christmas Eve, and Max spent the better part of the day agonizing over every detail. Eventually Mike pulled him away from the sweets, laughing softly at his expression, and forced him into the room to get ready before everyone arrived.

"No, don't look at me like that," he said with a laugh when Max tried to kiss him and was denied. "We had plenty of time for shenanigans and you spent all of it on the placement of the napkins." He closed the door on Max and went to change Otis' diaper. Max pouted and moved into the closet to pick out his outfit.

As he was sifting through his things, a letter fell to the floor. He looked down at it, surprised, and picked it up, staring down at his own name written in careful scrawl over the front. He faintly remembered receiving it from his professor - Ryan's uncle.

He swallowed and stepped out of the closet, sitting on the bed as he stared at the letter in his hands. After a few seconds, he carefully opened it and pulled the letter out, unfolding it carefully. A picture went with it, of Ryan holding a young boy.

Maxwell,
Words cannot express how grateful my husband and I are for what you did in that court. We understand that it could not have been easy. For our sanity, we have chosen not to listen to the details of your experience; we cannot imagine such a thing being done to our boy.

This is one of our most recent pictures of Ryan, with his younger brother Dewey. Dewey keeps asking for his Teddy, and it breaks our heart to tell him that his Teddy will not be coming home. When he asks why, we tell him that he had to go, but that you made sure he was safe and happy. He accepts that.

We wish you the best. Please stay safe. If you ever need anything, please contact us.
Signed,
The Coyne Family

Max swallowed and looked down at the picture, which was trembling between his fingertips. It fluttered out of his grasp and he noticed handwriting on the back, so he picked it up to see that it said, Ryan Theodore "Teddy" and Dewey Nathaniel Coyne. He swallowed again and jumped when there was a knock on the door.

"Max?" Mike called. "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost," Max called back, putting the letter and picture back into the envelope and tucking it into the bedside drawer before moving back into the closet to pull on his clothes.

"Hurry up," he heard Mike call. "The others are gonna start arriving soon!"

"You can't rush perfection!" Mike chuckled and Max smiled as he bustled about, getting ready for the party. Once satisfied, he walked out into the hall, smiling at Otis as he rushed up to him. "Hey big guy," he said, picking him up. "You ready?" Otis nodded excitedly and Max smiled, carrying him into the living room where Mike stood, admiring their work.

"Have I told you I like the way you decorate?" he said as he took Max by the waist and pulled him close. Max smiled.

"No, but it's a nice compliment." He pecked Mike on the lips before handing him Otis and moving to get the door as the bell went off. Chester and company grinned at him.

"Merry Christmas Eve?" he said in almost a question. Talinda kissed Max on the cheek as they walked in and the kids rushed the sweets table. Max could see Phoenix and Brad pulling into the driveway. The others steadily began to arrive, smiling and greeting Max as they walked in. He spied Anna's car pulling into the driveway and watched her get out on the passengers' side, belly swollen. The driver stepped out, a tall man with a serious face. He laughed at something Anna said and his face lit up, and Max couldn't help his smile, completely thrown by the way his face changed.

She stepped up to the door and smiled at Max. "Hey," she said in a gentle tone. "This is Adam." Max shook his hand and they walked further inside. Max saw Rob pause outside of his car and saw his sister walking up the driveway with a man on her arm. He couldn't help his snicker and glanced up as Mike stepped up to him, a question in his eyes.

"Rob's been betrayed," he explained, nodding toward his sister's date. She smiled at him as she stepped up to them and her date excused himself to use the restroom. "Who's that?" he asked her.

"My date," she said with a defensive tone. "His name is Elias." Max glanced back at him, then at his sister, who gave him a withering look and stepped inside. He couldn't help the chuckle as Rob stepped inside, smiling at Mike and Max as he went to mingle with his bandmates.

His mom was the last to arrive, and she smiled gently and kissed Max on the cheek, then Mike. Chester called to her as soon as she stepped in and a blush spread on her cheeks. Max chuckled softly and closed the door, smiling at his friends and family. Content spread through him as he watched Tyler trailing after Otis, who was running around and giggling.

He noticed Anna eating a cookie and talking to Linsey, who was talking and laughing animatedly with her. He bit his lip and turned to look when someone bumped against him, finding Talinda standing there with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"They know Anna," she said gently. "When they get to know you, they'll love you too." Max offered a reassuring smile.

"Shouldn't you be keeping your husband out of my mother's grasp?" he joked. Talinda's eyes zeroed in on where Chester was laughing with Max's mom, and her following smile was full of endearment.

"I'll let her have him for tonight. It's Christmas, after all." Max laughed and she excused herself to get a drink.

Mike brushed his fingers against Max's hand as he passed to talk to Phoenix, who was attempting to beat Joe at an eggnog drinking contest. Max smiled and walked over to where Anna was standing, now alone as Linsey excused herself to check on her daughters. Anna gave Max a bright smile.

"Any day now," she said, rubbing her belly. Max smiled and patted her hand. "Have you decided on a name?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "Theodore."

She smiled. "It's a nice name." He offered a small smile and leaned against the wall. "You did a good job, Max. This place looks livelier than ever."

"Thank you," he said in a soft voice, watching everyone bustle around him. Mike passed by again, hand brushing over Max's shoulder as if to reassure him of his presence. Max ducked his head and Anna smiled fondly at him.

"It's kind of weird to say that I'm glad my marriage didn't work out," she said. Max chuckled softly, looking up at her. "Although Adam has been really good for me, I think." She leaned in and whispered, "He thinks I'm only carrying the baby because you guys asked me to. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was just because Mike and I had sex."

Max laughed, an obnoxious snort that garnered a few stares. Anna shushed him, bumping their shoulders together, but her wide smile diluted the harshness of her tone. Max managed to lower it to a few giggles, keeping his gaze down.

"They all think we're laughing about them," Anna said in a quiet tone. Max looked up at her. "Mike probably thinks I'm telling you about the whipped cream story." His eyebrows jumped and he stared at her in question, but she pretended to zip her lips and throw away they key before smiling at Adam and taking off before he could say anything.

Max huffed and jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Mike. Mike smiled slightly and nodded upwards, and Max followed his gaze to see mistletoe hanging directly above them.

He pouted. "When did you get that?" He hadn't been able to find any. Mike just grinned at him.

"I went and picked it up while you were sleeping, and I hung it while you were taking so long to get dressed." Max huffed and Mike smiled slightly. "What, you're not going to give me a kiss?"

"No," Max said curtly. He fought a smile as Mike laughed before standing up on his tiptoes and pressing a kiss to Mike's forehead and turning. Mike's arms wrapped around his shoulders and he let out a short sound of surprise when Mike pulled him close, his back pressed to Mike's chest. "Mike," he whined. "I'm thirsty."

"Draven," Mike called. Draven appeared around Rob. "Get Max a glass of eggnog, please?" Draven nodded dutifully and disappeared.

"Kids are handy," Max commented. Mike chuckled in his ear, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Draven reappeared with a glass of eggnog, and Max took it, thanking him quietly.

Max watched the party bustle around him and Mike, a constant smile on his face as every so often, Mike would nuzzle below Max's ear and whisper a soft "I love you," in his ear.

"I'd forgotten how affectionate you get when you've been drinking," he commented as he sipped at his eggnog. Mike hummed, finger catching on the collar of Max's shirt.

"Just wait til everyone leaves." Max couldn't help his soft laugh.

"Keep it PG, Mike." He felt Mike's laugh against his back and smiled as Mike pressed a soft kiss to his neck.

As he watched, Amalia and her date stepped over to his mother, chatting quietly. Rob stepped up to talk to Mike, and Max smiled mischievously, disentangling himself and walking carefully around the room until he was perfectly angled. He picked up his pace and hurried forward, bumping past his sister and pushing her into Rob, directly under the mistletoe.

He slipped back into spot at Mike's side and watched his sister flounder as Rob caught her in his arms, holding her steady. "Kiss!" Mike called, and both Rob and Amalia's faces flamed. Max's lips thinned as he struggled to hold back laughter, snickering slightly at the expressions on their faces. He glanced at Elias to see him scowling and he paused, elbowing Mike slightly. Mike followed his gaze and brushed his hand over Max's side, pressing his lips to Max's temple before walking right over to him. After a few low-spoken words, Elias scowled and left the party.

Max watched them and turned back to Rob and Amalia in time to see him press a kiss to her cheek, turn and stalk off down the hall. He smiled slightly and pulled an innocent face when Amalia turned to glare at him.

"You did that on purpose," she said through gritted teeth, stepping closer to hiss at him under her breath.

"Come on, you and I both know you've got the hots for Rob," he argued. "You've had a crush on him since you were in the first grade."

"I was a kid!" she protested.

"And your taste hasn't changed," Max said with a sniff. "You only brought a date to make Rob jealous." He cut her off when she tried to protest again, saying, "It's a Meza thing, sis, I've been there. Besides, Elias wasn't your type. He was pretentious, and he couldn't take a joke."

"Listen to your brother," Max's mom said, stepping up to them. He beamed at her and she ruffled his hair. "He's gotten wise before his time." Amalia's lip thinned and she sighed.

"Now I'm going to need a ride home."

"I'm sure Rob won't have a problem with taking you," their mother said with a smile.

"Not you too." She rubbed her temples and disappeared among the people. Their mother laughed softly and turned to him.

"I didn't like her date at all," she said. He shook his head.

"Me either." She patted her shoulder and looked at Mike as he talked to his band mates.

"Him, I like," she said. Max smiled fondly, watching Mike pick up Otis, who yawned and curled up on his chest. "He's grown a lot since you were kids."

"Yeah," Max said softly, watching Mike carry Otis down the hall toward his room. He came back soon after, stepping over to Max and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Otis is asleep?"

"Out like a light," Mike said with a smile. Max's mom watched with a fond smile.

"Max?" He glanced over to see Heidi, Joe's girlfriend. She smiled tentatively as everyone's gaze turned to her. "Your dad's here."