As Taylor glanced at her cell phone, she had called at 11:30. It now was 12 o’clock; it has been a little over 30 minutes. “Blue…red…” That’s all Taylor can make out of what max says as she sees ‘blue and red’ too. She sees the cop cars race around the corner. One, two, three, four, five, six; a total of six cops that came to the scene. As all the rest of the officers attend to the lifeless body of the poor woman, Taylor hears a voice: “Ma’am, I am Detective Smith. “Smith introduced himself. “Hello, I am Taylor Muller. And this appears to be Max.” Detective Smith’s eyes look Taylor up and down. He was a very skinny guy, with little facial hair that looks like he had missed shaving this morning. “We will need to talk to you both separately.” He said with a very cold sound to his voice. He looked at the boy like he was going to rip him right from her fingers. “Sir, that’s fine.” Taylor said extremely stern. She held Max’s hand so tight. She was very afraid to let someone talk to this boy that had been with his mom when she was murdered but she had no choice. He could help with this investigation. Taylor felt an almost motherly affection towards max. “Please come with me son” another officer had said to Max. Max had a dead grip on Taylor’s tiny hand. “Max, you can take Buddy with you. I’ll be right here waiting for you to be done. I’m not going anywhere sweetheart.” Taylor pleaded with Max to listen to her. She truly wasn’t going anywhere…She wants to help max. She wants to keep him safe and protect him from everything, everything that has happened tonight and also for the rest of his life. “Otay. I go, Bud too.” Max complies. Honestly, it was just as hard if not harder for Taylor to let go of his hand as it was for him to let go of hers. She watches him very closely as he walks hand in hand with the officer. Even though the unnamed officer was very amazing with Max, Taylor couldn’t help but long to be the one holding his hand. “Now then Miss. Muller, May I ask do you know this little boy, Max or Emily?” Detective Smith had spoken but Taylor’s attention was too preoccupied with being extremely worried about Max. All Taylor could think of was how he was doing? Was the officer scaring him? “Miss Muller, Excuse me?” Smith had interrupted Taylor’s lack of paying attention also hoping she would put some effort into assisting him in this, of course, ongoing investigation and answer his pending question still hanging in the air. “I’m sorry, no. May I ask who Emily is?” asked Taylor pretty certain she already knew the answer. “Emily Anderson is the deceased woman that is his mother. She was only twenty-four. His name is Max Anderson. He is three years old.” Smith said with the deep emotionless voice. “I see.” Taylor answers truly not knowing what to say at this point in time. “What were you doing out here so late ma’am?” He had said it as though he thought she was up to something, like he was making a decision whether or not I did this vicious murder of this young lady. “I was walking my dog, Buddy, for the fact that I would forget to do it in the morning before work.” Taylor said as she watched his facial expressions, wondering if he believed her or not. She really didn’t know what was going through his head, he was extremely emotionless. Detective Smith excused Taylor so she could be by Max’s side. She was scared that Max wouldn’t want her, but as soon as she started walking towards him, he ran right into her arms. “Is he done?” The officer nodded. Taylor was worried her next question would be completely denied but she was willing to ask for herself and Max. “Is there any way Max can stay with me tonight? I have a weird feeling she’s all he had from the way he’s clinging to me.” She explained to the unnamed officer. For some unknown reason she needed him to come home with her. ‘What’s this weird feeling I have…love, I don’t know why but I believe I love this child.’ The officer needs a minute to talk it over with more officers to come up with an answer and also find out if his father was in the picture. “Well ma’am, his father was found to be dead a year after he was born. On that note we have decided to let him go home in your care. Honestly we just don’t want to see a three year old in a home for the night. I will need your cell phone number and address please then you are free to leave.” He made very intense eye contact with Taylor as she gave him her address. Taylor didn’t say another word as she picked up Max and started off in the very bizarre night. The depth of the darkness seemed to eat them alive which had sealed her fate.

The next morning Taylor informs work what had happen last night as she filled the entire apartment with the smell of pancakes. Max closed his eye excited to be smelling pancakes after the traumatizing night he had. As his stomach growled; he arose from bed and walked out from Taylor’s bathroom to find Taylor in the kitchen cooking some chocolate chip pancakes. “Are you hungry sweetie?” Taylor smiled a full smile that covered her whole face. She was nothing but ecstatic to see the sparkle in his eyes, then she knows that God had brought her him. ‘He will make my little family complete. Me, Max and Jay.’ Oddly enough at that very moment that she was extremely hypnotized by her own thoughts Jay’s names popped on her IPhone. “Hey baby” Jay said almost screaming into the phone. Taylor hadn’t told Jay anything about last night. Max didn’t even exist in Jay’s world at this point, but Max had already found his way into Taylor’s heart. She was terrified Jay wouldn’t stay with her if Max was in the picture, Max was more important. This is the tell all moment. Will he stay or go? Here goes nothing Taylor thought. “Jay, can you come over. We need to talk.” She exclaimed which was most likely the worst way to go about this. “Babe, I’m on my way. Be there in 20 minutes tops.” Jay said praying everything was okay. Just like Jay had said he would be, a knock came at the door and there stood a desperate man with his heart on his sleeve just for her. “Babe, you sounded upset on the phone. What’s wrong?” Jay asked as he walked towards the couch but something catches his glance. “Wait, who’s this?” He asked catch off guarded by a small child sitting at the table eating some of, what appears to be pancakes. “Yeah, Jay that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. This boy is Max. When I was walking in the park last night, he found me. And I found his mother’s dead body. Her name was Emily Anderson. Someone murdered last night right in front of this little boy’s eyes.” She blurted out as she didn’t even stop to breathe! “Okay…… and he’s here why?” Not trying to be rude but couldn’t help but not quite understand what exactly was going on, he knows that she wouldn’t lie to him. This is pretty far-fetched even for her. “He has nobody. They can’t find any living relatives. I wanted to talk to you about adopting him. What are your thoughts on it baby?” Taylor poured her heart out. Almost tearing up not knowing what the love of her life was going to say next. She pulls him on the couch right next her. There was silence which in her mind seemed like a life time. Only 3 minutes had past. “I don’t know, I mean, I will only because it for you Taylor. And of course because he has nobody left in this world, I want to start a family with you baby. Let’s do.” Jay said almost jumping out of his shoes for joy even though he had some concerns he was ready for life with his new family. Out of the excitement of everything and his love for Taylor he got on one knee, and popped the question. “Taylor, will you marry me?” shocked Taylor freezes, started crying and screams yes, ‘A million times yes!’ Three months later Max was their adopted son and they were married.

The next morning Taylor informs work what had happen last night as she filled the entire apartment with the smell of pancakes. Max closed his eye excited to be smelling pancakes after the traumatizing night he had. As his stomach growled; he arose from bed and walked out from Taylor’s bathroom to find Taylor in the kitchen cooking some chocolate chip pancakes. “Are you hungry sweetie?” Taylor smiled a full smile that covered her whole face. She was nothing but ecstatic to see the sparkle in his eyes, then she knows that God had brought her him. ‘He will make my little family complete. Me, Max and Jay.’ Oddly enough at that very moment that she was extremely hypnotized by her own thoughts Jay’s names popped on her IPhone. “Hey baby” Jay said almost screaming into the phone. Taylor hadn’t told Jay anything about last night. Max didn’t even exist in Jay’s world at this point, but Max had already found his way into Taylor’s heart. She was terrified Jay wouldn’t stay with her if Max was in the picture, Max was more important. This is the tell all moment. Will he stay or go? Here goes nothing Taylor thought. “Jay, can you come over. We need to talk.” She exclaimed which was most likely the worst way to go about this. “Babe, I’m on my way. Be there in 20 minutes tops.” Jay said praying everything was okay. Just like Jay had said he would be, a knock came at the door and there stood a desperate man with his heart on his sleeve just for her. “Babe, you sounded upset on the phone. What’s wrong?” Jay asked as he walked towards the couch but something catches his glance. “Wait, who’s this?” He asked catch off guarded by a small child sitting at the table eating some of, what appears to be pancakes. “Yeah, Jay that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. This boy is Max. When I was walking in the park last night, he found me. And I found his mother’s dead body. Her name was Emily Anderson. Someone murdered last night right in front of this little boy’s eyes.” She blurted out as she didn’t even stop to breathe! “Okay…… and he’s here why?” Not trying to be rude but couldn’t help but not quite understand what exactly was going on, he knows that she wouldn’t lie to him. This is pretty far-fetched even for her. “He has nobody. They can’t find any living relatives. I wanted to talk to you about adopting him. What are your thoughts on it baby?” Taylor poured her heart out. Almost tearing up not knowing what the love of her life was going to say next. She pulls him on the couch right next her. There was silence which in her mind seemed like a life time. Only 3 minutes had past. “I don’t know, I mean, I will only because it for you Taylor. And of course because he has nobody left in this world, I want to start a family with you baby. Let’s do.” Jay said almost jumping out of his shoes for joy even though he had some concerns he was ready for life with his new family. Out of the excitement of everything and his love for Taylor he got on one knee, and popped the question. “Taylor, will you marry me?” shocked Taylor freezes, started crying and screams yes, ‘A million times yes!’ Three months later Max was their adopted son and they were married.

Blue paint covered the room. As the room smelled of cleanliness Max’s father shares the chilling truth of why and how he killed Emily Anderson. “Alex Anderson, why did you kill your ex-wife?” an officer questioned why he would kill someone he once loved. Alex stays quite for some time. After some coxing from the officers Alex speaks. “I love Emily very much; I also love my son very much. I am doing this for him, so he can have an amazing life with these people who love him…probably more than me. Emily and I had a plan for financial fraud; I was to “die” in a boating accident. We were going to split the money, you see. But I got greedy and wanted all the money for myself. In the end I killed my amazing ex-wife for her half. You see, we were both so poor. She was a twenty-four year old nurse. And I was a twenty-six old janitor with a baby. Our family was starving. My family broke apart because of money. If I could go back I would have done so much different. So, there you have it, the truth.” Alex had rambled for two hours about what had happen. Jay and his family finally got to go home after Jay’s two month jail time. Life was never the same; Max would never be the same. Jay and Taylor have a surprise arise, Taylor is now seven months pregnant with a little baby girl that they are naming after Max’s mom, Emily. A lesson was learned… with greed comes nothing but pain.