My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

[Sometime later]

"What are you thinking about, sweetheart?" Maximus asked as he approached Laura.

"Nothing, Dad. Why?"

"Come on, Laura. I'm older than you-I can tell when something's weighing on you," he said, watching how she tried to avoid his gaze.

"Dad... did you ever doubt the love you had for Mom?"

That caught Maximus off guard. And if he was honest with himself, it hadn't just been once-there were many times he'd questioned his feelings for Alexia.

"Yeah... I think I did. Why do you ask?"

"Okay... I'll tell you, but promise you won't judge me," Laura said, glancing at him nervously.

"When have I ever done that?"

"Never..." she admitted quietly.noveldrama

"Then? I'm your dad, Laura. I'm here no matter what-whether I agree with your choices or not."

"It's about Adrian..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I figured," Maximus replied calmly.

"What?" Laura asked, surprised.

"He's the only guy I've seen who can leave you like this-so deep in thought."

"Dad..."

"So, what's going on?" he asked gently, encouraging her to open up.

"Adrian's a great dad. You just have to watch how he is with Adele-how much he protects her. We've talked a lot. At first, I thought giving him a second chance would be easy, but... sometimes I'm not sure. I don't want him waiting around forever, not knowing if he's got a real shot. That's why I've been thinking through all the pros and cons of letting him into my life again," she said, her voice full of guilt.

"Laura, that's not something you figure out in your head. It's something you feel. What's your heart telling you?" Maximus asked, his eyes soft but intent.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what do you feel when you see him? When you're near him? I mean, the guy's not exactly hard on the eyes. And Adele? She's the perfect mix of you both. But all of that's surface-level. What really matters is how you feel inside when he's around. Do you want him around?"

"I... I think I do..."

"No, honey. Don't think this isn't a maybe. It's a yes or a no."

"When we're together with Adele, I feel calm. And when he takes my hand... I don't know, I feel weird, like... like nothing could go wrong while he's next to me." "Okay, keep going."

"I don't know what else to say. When we go out, we do things I haven't done in ages. We go to the movies-kids' movies, of course-but seeing that side of him still throws me off. The tough guy I used to date is nothing like the man he is now."

"Well, of course not. He wasn't going to stay the same forever. Trust me, when I think about who I was at your age... I'm not exactly proud of it."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. We all change, Laura. Some faster than others. And Adrian-though it might leave a bitter taste in my mouth to say this-Sa good man. I've seen how hard he works, and honestly 'm proud he's the father of your daughter. It means you made a good choice back then. Sure, he's made mistakes-so have I. So has

everyone. But you gave him a

chance to be in Adele's life, and that means something."

"Whether or not you want him to be your partner again—that's something only time will show. If he truly loves you, he'll wait. If he doesn't... then life will handle it. You won't need to do anything but let time give you the answers."

"Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. I'll always be here when you need me. Take advantage of that. I won't always have the right answers, but I'll always try to give you the best guidance I can."

"For that—and everything else—thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"Don't say that, Laura. One day, you'll have your own life. You'll get

married, have more children, a loving

husband whether it's Adrian or someone else. Your focus will be your family, and when that time comes, I'll slowly fade into the background. I won't be here forever, mi cielo..."

"Well, I wish you would be... because I don't know what I'd do if you weren't,"

Laura whispered, pulling her father into a tight, heartfelt hug.