Max blinked, just staring at her a moment. He'd always been effusive with his love for her, never holding back and always letting her know how he felt. But she'd never said those words before, not to him. He'd never really been sure that she did love him. Maybe she'd just needed someone to comfort her after what she'd been through, and he was okay with that. He'd always be there for her, in whatever capacity she needed him.
But when she said the words, he found himself at a loss for them. He just stared, the love in his heart growing and growing in intensity until tears came to his eyes and, almost in unison, the light in the streetlamp next to them exploded in a shower of sparks.