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and headed for the kitchen.
    Glancing at her watch, she gathered that it must be about time to make dinner.
    “Shit,” she swore, as she stopped and looked at her watch. It was six o’clock. She was supposed to have the dinner on the table by now.
    Hadley ran down the stairs and was about to turn the corner, to go to the kitchen, when she heard laughing from the dining room.
    Coming to a halt, she made her way inside, cautiously.
    After running, she felt a little light-headed again and hoped it wasn’t her headache coming back. She would need to take some painkillers before bed.
    “Hey, Had…have a nice sleep?” Micah asked as he spotted her, his voice quiet amidst the laughter.
    Hadley looked around the room and noticed that Maxx was staring at her. Self-consciously, she touched her hair and placed a strand behind her ear. Seeing her unease, Maxx smiled and turned to his dad, speaking quietly to him.
    Emerson looked up at her and struggled to hold back his laughter.
    “Did I step into the twilight zone or something?” she asked, as she sat on the seat closest to her. Feeling dazed and confused, she held a hand to her head, feeling a little nausea joining her headache. She was definitely getting a migraine.
    She groaned out loud, rubbing her temple as she fought the urge to be sick.
    Micah got up from his seat, only to be pushed back down by Maxx. “But…she doesn’t look so good,” he complained.
    Maxx got up, and shocked her by taking his place at her side. He crouched in front of her and gave her face a searching look. He frowned, apparently not liking what he saw there.
    Hadley didn’t even flinch. That was nothing new. He’d never liked what he saw, when he looked at her.
    Maxx held his hand to her forehead and tutted. “You’re burning up,” he commented, smiling faintly, as their eyes locked.
    Hadley’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the compassion and meaning behind his smile. Wow...her migraine must have been really intense, if it could make her hallucinate kindness from Maxx.
    “Come on, princess…back to bed with you,” he ordered, far too sweetly, as he helped her up. “Are you okay on your feet?” he asked, as he crossed to the door and opened it.
    Everything went black as Hadley fell to the floor.

Chapter 9
    The sun shone onto Hadley, waking her the next morning. She let out a soft moan as she tried to sit up, and her head began to spin.
    “Bugger,” she cursed, as she held her head and sat up against the headboard. She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, Maxx was sitting on the side of her bed, holding a damp cloth to her head. “Can’t you stop the room from spinning?” she begged.
    Maxx smiled as he pulled the cloth away. “Sorry, no can do,” he apologised.
    Hadley pulled his hand back to her head, enjoying the proximity and the coolness of the cloth. It was the only real, logical thing in the world, right now. Because, God knew, this sweet, gentle, loving Maxx couldn’t be real.
    Maybe it wasn’t a migraine. Maybe she’d had some sort of food poisoning or used the wrong kind of mushroom in this week’s soup. That might explain why everything was upside down.
    What if this entire week wasn’t even real?
    Hadley almost wanted it to be true. Emerson’s offer, Maxx acting how he was acting...Maxx even being home...none of it would be real. None of it would have happened yet, and she might be able to change it all.
    “Hadley…” Maxx said after a few minutes, pulling her back to the moment and the sad realisation that this was real. “Why do we always have to fight?” His voice was soft and calm as he looked in her eyes.
    What she wouldn’t have given for him to look at her like that just a few days ago, before everything got so complicated. But today? Today, she couldn’t even handle her own thoughts and emotions, never mind Maxx’s.
    “Please, Maxx,” she pleaded, leaning forward to touch his hand. “Not now. I can’t.” She let out