It was preposterous the way Max had been reacting.

His jealous fits were cute, truly. But his tendency to blow some perfectly normal situations way out of proportions was what ticked Sofia off at times.

Joe's recent promised visit to Mary's was one of those times, when one fine morning he arrived with a grin so broad and a grocery bag spilling with vegetables, fruits, shrimp, meat and what not.

Sofia was ecstatic as he quickly put on an apron and got down to work, teaching her several unique recipes. He was also very generous about sharing stories of his father Jason Ramsey's private cooking experiences, some of which were quite hilarious fails by the way. Sofia had really a good laugh with Joe as he told those stories so animatedly, even her staff were quite entranced by the guy.

However, Max had to crash in right then.

His unannounced visits to her workplace were not new to Sofia, but what made her frown in exasperation was that he stayed for two freaking hours after seeing Joe there. Each moment of those two hours were then passed with Max breathing down Joe's neck and delivering him highly offended looks consistently, until Joe finally became utterly uncomfortable to the bones and scurried off.

"I don't like him," Max had complained after coming back home deciding he was going to bunk office for the rest of the day.

"You sound like a kid, Max, get over it," Sofia had scoffed and he was scowling ever since. She had to literally seduce the bad mood out of her man and let's just say they had a round of sweltering session of activities in bed afterwards.

It was befuddling the idea that this one man, otherwise seeming so unyielding, could get so sensitive when it came to her. Good thing was that she was quickly becoming an expert in taming his ruffled feathers. She was highly suspicious though, that even he himself enjoyed being tamed by her.

Max could be a savage lion to the rest of the world but was a purring cat with a ball of wool around her.

What an endearing inner animal disorder!

In the midst of this domestic bliss they'd been relishing after going through all the difficult tests life had put them through, another alleviating news turned up soon.

The news of Mevil finally getting caught by the police.

He now rested behind the bars awaiting the date he would be presented to the court. Max was confident about toasting Mevil alive in the courtroom and so was she confident on her husband's efficiency as a bad-ass lawyer.

"For some reason, there's still this uncomfortable itch at the back of my mind. Things have ended easily... way too easily." Max had a few lines appearing on his forehead as he voiced out his concern about Mevil's swift downfall.

They were on the terrace, sitting on the swing leisurely one evening and enjoying some coffee. Days when they both returned from work earlier, it became their routine passing some quality time there sharing about their individual days at work; chattering about everything and nothing; arguing over silly topics and then just staring at the vast sky above while holding each other close.

Sofia reached out to smooth those lines with her palm. "Maybe some monsters are just meant to be defeated without any humongous battle scene."

Max brought her hand down to his lap from his forehead, there he clasped it tightly and sighed. "Maybe," he nodded in the end.

--

A sacred truth about life is that it is full of surprises, and the biggest one is to learn what it takes to handle them.

Sofia had found this quote a long time ago while scrolling down her Facebook newsfeed in the midst of a lazy, boring afternoon. But it was only now that she could truly understand the meaning of it after going through countless of surprises during the past months and relentlessly.

It was in the middle of night when Sofia's phone rang from right beneath her pillow making her jerk awake. There wasn't any scope for her to move a lot though, Max's large arms were surrounding almost all of her upper body quite securely as he spooned her from behind.

Somehow, Sofia managed to slid out her hand from the blanket, the movement had Max tsk in annoyance. His parted lips grazed across her ear.

"Stop moving, Sof," he mumbled half asleep and proceeded on securing her again firmly into his body.

Sofia couldn't help but tremble as her naked back rubbed and then settled snug against his equally naked front.

One would think that she would get considerably used to after getting acquainted so much to each other's nakedness and the most intimate of touches each day over the span of last week. But the truth was – she did not.

Each moment with him and everything about him -no matter how familiar- never failed to fill her with awe every time. And, in consequence, she was finding herself falling in love with him to a whole new level.

Their carnal activities here had a guilty hand in it, she guessed.

Eat sandals for breakfast all of you who say love has no connection to lust.

Sofia grumbled, squirming pathetically as the phone kept ringing.

"Honey, if you don't cease doing whatever you're doing," Max hissed in her ear. "My pride down here will definitely fall off."

Sofia froze, suddenly detecting the feel of his pride -as he called it- against her butt which had apparently grown quite stiff in record time. "You're insatiable, you monster."

"And you love the fact, don't deny it now. Ah... what were you screaming earlier?" Max's voice seemed more awake now, and playful. "Don't stop, Max. Yes, yes... right there. Oh... Max please..."

"As if you were quiet yourself!" Sofia flamed red. Forget human tomato, she was a human fireball now.

With the purpose of revenge as she rubbed her behind more viciously against him now, he moved one large hand to cup her breast and gave it a firm squeeze. "Careful there, wife, or it will surely fall off from your abuse."

"Phone...," she croaked and gasped as he recklessly began fondling her assets, his hands beginning to roam everywhere, awakening that desire in her again that had been sated not more than an hour ago.

"Hmm...," Heedlessly, he sucked onto that sweet spot at the side of her neck – a vein that throbbed vulnerably under his ministrations.

And the phone just kept ringing throughout.

With the greed for more, as Max was shifting to maneuver himself over her, she regained her senses and found the perfect chance. Within a flash of a second she placed her palms on his chest that was quickly on its way to place itself on top of her. She pushed him away and rolled aside while the poor husband rolled out of the bed gasping in shock.

"I'm going to kill this person," Max huffed, pulling himself up into a sitting position on the floor, his scowl set on the phone that she brought out from under the pillow. He looked incredibly pissed off now that his nasty advances had been discontinued.

Men!

Sofia rolled her eyes but then frowned noticing it was Skyler calling her.

Why would Skyler call her at such an ungodly hour? It was unlikely of her cousin, and Sofia's heart thumped in alarm, dreading the possibility that something bad had transpired in Hayden household.

"Skyler..."

Skyler's broken sobs cut Sofia off abruptly.

"Sofi..."

"Skyler? What is it? Why are you crying?! Is everyone alright?" Sofia clutched the blanket tight on her chest rising to a sitting position, her body taut. She felt Max shuffling up on the bed next to her, wearing a frown himself. He had a pair of trousers on now, she noticed from the peripheral.

"Everyone's fine, they're sleeping. But... Sofi, it's..., can you..." Skyler mumbled in between sobs, her words hardly making any sense. "Can you come over please? I didn't know who to call... I..."

After promising Skyler that she would be there at Haydens' as soon as humanly possible, Sofia found herself sprinting across the closet. Max was a lifesaver as he helped her dress speedily while she tangled herself in her own jeans twice.

She did the mistake of suggesting that she could go there all by herself. Max had given her a deeply offended look then and she had immediately fallen quiet.

"All by yourself, in the middle of night, in a car that decides to swoon every other hour," Max indignantly dissented while starting his favorite black car with her riding shotgun. "Over my dead body, Sof, over my freaking dead body."

They flew down the road and soon he was parking the car reaching their destination.

"Are you sure you don't need me to stay?" Max asked her the third time while Sofia hurriedly got out of the car.

She leaned down to peek inside as he sat behind the wheels. "I guess, this way Skyler will be comfortable talking about whatever trouble she's in. I could very well sense from her voice that she needs to talk to her sister only, Max, alone."

Max nodded. "But you will call me if the need arise?"

"You're on my speed dial," she confirmed and was about to run off towards the main door when Max called her.

"Sofia?"

She turned around with an impatient look.

He didn't smile but his eyes did. "I love you."

Another thing she guessed she would never get too used to.

Throughout the last week, whenever he had said her that he loved her, she had found her heart doing these crazy back flips that literally had her hold her very breath. The reaction probably had more to do with the look on his face and the intensity in his eyes. The emotions displayed gave meaning to words, making the assertion almost overwhelming.

--

"I'm pregnant."

Sofia gaped at a hysterically sobbing Skyler, frozen, horrified and refusing to believe what came out of her younger cousin's trembling lips.

Feeling light in the head Sofia let herself drop down on the bench beside Skyler.

They were on the terrace, after searching through the entire house Sofia had found Skyler crouched vulnerably up here. And after much coaxing, even swearing that she would make it alright whatever it was, Skyler finally told her about the trouble she was in. But the thing was, Skyler's confession had Sofia figure out that it was not a trouble after all.

It was a freaking baby!

And that was unsolvable.

"Do I even need to ask the father's name?" Sofia's tone was as cold as ice.

When nothing but sniffling could be heard, Sofia sighed, dropping her head down into her hands in frustration. "Skyler! You guys should have been careful at least!"

"It all happened so suddenly, Sofi, none of us were prepared for where our intimacy took us this one evening," Skyler gulped, looking away into the darkness of night. "My monthly time was due more or less just a week, I didn't bother about the morning after pills thinking that pregnancy was out of the question. How wrong was I!"

Skyler broke down into another round of sobs.

Sofia's head shot up, eyes flew open at the irony. Skyler's story suspiciously seemed similar to her own. And the scary thing was that she just realized she had yet to get her crappy days this month. Despite being protected every time, except that one first time, she wondered if the irreversible had already been done.

She shook her head, clearing her mind off the suspicion. She needed to concentrate on Skyler right now and not on herself. Her sister needed her, more than ever at this moment.

So, Sofia shifted her body sideways to face Skyler. She held both of her shoulders comfortingly but firmly and tried to channel some strength into her.

"Skyler, please calm down now. Stressing and crying like this will take us nowhere instead of just causing a bad affect on your health," she breathed before adding, "I'm not saying that it's going to be easy, because from all freaking angles you're going to face all sorts of difficulties now and scrutiny of almost everyone around you – in the family and in the society. But know that I'll be here for you and for your baby, throughout every damn thing. You need to be strong – for yourself and for the little life you've inside you."

When Skyler's tear stained face slowly looked up, Sofia asked softly, "Have you told Neil yet? He needs to know, Skyler." Sofia advised encouragingly but was taken aback when Skyler paled.

"That's the thing, Sofi," Skyler cried. "He doesn't want it!"

It's preposterous how when in love people are so fearless, but not so much when it's time to be responsible about the consequences.

As Skyler's body shook in her embrace, Sofia's eyes widened before narrowing to slits. She gritted her teeth in quickly escalating fury.

Someone messed with the wrong person's little sister.

Sofia's eyes zeroed in on the hammer resting next to a flower tub a few feet away, she often used it to fix things around the house. At the moment, that hammer seemed no less than a fatal weapon that could nicely be smashed inside one certain moronic head.

Just a little wait ahead for the sunrise, and then...

Neil is oh so dead.