“Yes, Gabe.”
“How do you like it over at Hank’s?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested, so I found myself sharing.
“It’s good. The regulars are pretty awesome, and the tips are nothing to sneeze at.”
“So… that new cop has been sniffing around?”
“Again with this?” I asked him, tired of talking about a guy I wasn’t interested in at all.
“He has?” Both Gabe and I turned to look at Maverick, who was standing at the doorway.
“He has, and that is all I have to say about that,” I said, standing up. “I have to get going.”
“Work this early?” Gabe asked, and I shook my head.
“I have grocery shopping and then work,” I enlightened them.
“We might see you later,” Gabe added. “What do you think, Bridges? Want to go to Hank’s?” Please say no.
“Sounds good. Count me in. I kinda miss having you around, kid,” Mav added. I smiled tightly toward him. Mav calling me ‘kid’ felt like the final blow.
I looked at him, my body standing still, and he gave me nothing. Like what we had never existed. For a moment, I wondered to myself if I had imagined all of it. He’d said he loved me. A man in love wouldn’t act like the one in front of me.
“See you guys later, then.” I shrugged it off, the mask of indifference my best friend as I waved and walked out.
Chapter Seventeen
Maverick
He was completely gone for her.
His princess.
Mine.
He wasn’t sure how the hell he had let it happen, but now that shit was said and done, he knew it in the marrow of his bones.
She was it for him.
There was no other reason there could possibly be why he would be sitting like some kind of creep in the dark parking lot of Hank’s bar, parked next to her Jeep.
His eye caught the back door of the bar open and close, and there she was. Like his fallen angel who drove him and his body crazy with need. The mere sight of her built up an anticipation that coursed through his veins. It wasn’t just for sexual reasons either.
Sure, he wanted to sink himself balls deep into her sweet body, but it was more than just sex and getting off. He missed her.
Her laugh.
Her smile.
Everything about her. He missed the good and the bad.
His eyes were on her when she caught sight of him, and he didn’t miss the hesitation as she stepped forward. Her shoulders squared as she walked right up to him and his truck instead of her Jeep.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as he stepped out of the truck. He couldn’t believe the way his hands physically ached from having her the closest he had since she had left him standing in the locker room and not be able to touch her freely.
“I came to talk to you.”
“We don’t have anything to talk ab—“
“We do,” he bit, closing what space was left between them. He couldn’t stop himself if he wanted to. He held her face with both his hands.
“You shouldn’t do this.”
“Do what?” he asked, leaning in closer, feeling her body soften beneath his touch.
“Keep showing up.”
“I’ll always show up,” he vowed, but he saw that she didn’t believe him. Not that he could blame her.
“But you won’t.” She shook her head, pulling away from him. “I’m in love with you,” she shared as if she was announcing the sky was blue instead of rocking the very foundation of his world.
“What?” Maverick’s heart raced.
“See?” She laughed before crossing her arms over her chest. “You want to be here, but the idea of anything real—“
“We are real!” he argued, but he could see the flames in her eyes. She wasn’t going to stand down.
“We aren’t!” she shouted. “We are nothing, because the moment things feel too solid or steady or safe for the untamable Maverick Bridges, you are out.”
“That’s not true, Princess, I—“
“It is. You can’t even get yourself to admit what we have to anyone.”
“We drank in front of Wally.”
“Yeah, we did. But you know better than anyone what, or better yet, who I’m talking about,” she pointed out.
“Gabe’s been through a lot.”
“Bullshit,” she whispered. The tone of her voice was so broken it made something in his chest tighten. “Bullshit,“ she repeated. “We both know it, Mav.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“Don’t do me any favors.” The resignation clear in her voice had him taking a step forward, but her hands in the air stopped him. “At the end of the day, we both know that isn’t the problem.”
“What is?” he asked cautiously.
“I’m not the one for you.”
“You can’t believe—“
“If I were, you wouldn’t care who knew.”
“He’s my best friend, Sofi.”
“I know. Look, I gotta get going. I’m exhausted.”
“Baby,” he started to say, but she surprised him. Taking a step toward him, she moved her lips to touch his cheek, wordlessly kissing him. A knot formed in the middle of his throat.
“Good-bye, Maverick Bridges,” she whispered, but he reached for her wrist.
“Don’t do this,” he found himself pleading with her.
“There’s no point in prolonging the inevitable. I’m just in your way.”
“You’re not,“ he hissed.
“I am. You need to get back to your man-whoring, and I need to—“
“To what?” he asked brusquely, holding the side of her face with his free hand. “To go out with Rocco? Find a new man?”
“You were never mine, Maverick.”
“So, you can walk away from me just like that?”
“It’s better for me to do it now than wait around for you to walk away from me.” She pulled away. Her words ran rampant in his head as he silently watched her walk to her Jeep and drive away.
All without one glance back.
Chapter Eighteen
Sofia
Walking away from Mav the night before had sucked balls. But being in the firehouse, watching him laugh and act like nothing had happened, hurt even more. I hated that I loved him. That if he looked my way twice, I would no doubt run to him like a lost puppy.
“So, my pretty girl, what’s going on with you?” my mom asked, snapping me out of my pathetic thoughts. I shook my head.
“Nothing, Mom.”
“Hmmm…” she murmured, her gaze following where mine had just been. “You know I’ve known you since, well, you were born?”
“I know.”
“So, I’m going to ask you one more time, but please don’t lie to me again. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I sighed, my eyes meeting hers head on. “At least not anymore,” I hinted, and her eyes softened, making my nose start to sting.
“You know, when I first met Maverick, I thought about you.”
“You did?” I asked her, frowning slightly. Wondering where she was going with this.
“I did. I thought about how I prayed you wouldn’t meet someone like him in Europe,” she shared. I was so surprised by her words, I laughed.
“You did?”
“Yeah. That boy”—she smiled—“looks like that, and women can’t help but fall at his feet.”
“I’ve seen him in action,” I muttered, trying to forget that first night I met him.
“But then, as time passed, I started to think something else,” she continued, and I pressed my lips together. Something told me I wouldn’t like what she had to say.
“What?” I broke and asked.
“I prayed that he would meet a girl like you.”
“Mom.”
“You would be a game changer for him,” she gently added. Oh, a mother’s love.
“Well, he’s met me.”
“He has,” she agreed.
“It didn’t change anything. I think your gut instinct was spot on about him,” I mumbled as a tall blonde started to talk to him. All I could focus on was how close she was standing next to him. How her hands touched his shoulder.
“And I think I know when to admit to myself that I’m wrong.” I rolled my eyes. Couldn’t my mom see what I was seeing? “I was wrong back then.”
“Yeah? Then how do you explain the blonde?” I argued.
“It’s her, baby. Look at him.” Mom pointed out, and I was finally able to really see what was going on.
How stiffly he was holding his body. The tightness of his smile. A second later, our eyes met across the room, and my heart ached. How was I supposed to stay away from him when everything inside of me wanted to be in his arms?
“It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t work.” I shrugged, finding the courage to break our stare and look at my mom.
“Why on earth not?” She looked perplexed. I almost wanted to laugh.
“Gabe,” I pointed out.
“Oh God, please, you really can’t believe that.” She laughed, and I looked back at Mav just as the blonde got closer to him. All but rubbing herself all over him like a cat. Who could blame her, though? It was exactly what I wanted to do.
“I worked late last night. Tell Gabe I had to go catch up on some sleep, okay?”
“Sofia—“
“Please, Mom?”
“He loves you.” My poor delusional mother. I rolled my eyes.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. You would, too, if you paid attention to the way he looks at you.”
“I’ll see you later, Mom.” I hugged her, choosing to ignore her comment, and started to walk out, going through the garage. But luck wasn’t on my side when it came to my escape plan.
“Hey, Little Sofi!” Roy, one of the firefighter’s I’d gone to school with, stopped me. A couple of the other guys stood behind him.
“Roy.” I smiled, hugging him back when he stepped in.
“I heard you were back home! Your brother was excited to have you back.”
“I bet.” I rolled my eyes.
“He was. He’s super proud of you, Sofia. Brags about his world traveler sister all the time,” he shared enthusiastically, his hand on my shoulder as I looked up at him.
“Thanks a lot, man.” Gabe laughed as he stepped into the garage with a couple more of the guys, and I smiled. “Mom said you were leaving, you okay?” he asked, brotherly concern reflected in his eyes.
“Yeah, just tired.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Roy?” a deep voice growled, and we all turned toward it.
“Just talking, man,” Roy answered with a confused look on his face. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. What was his problem?
“Get your hands off her, asshole,” he demanded. I opened my eyes, taking in the way Maverick stood with his hands in fists at his sides.
“Maverick!” I gasped.
“Why do you even care, man?” Roy asked, but even so, he wisely took his arm off my shoulder.
“Yeah, man, what the fuck is going on?” Gabe asked, the surprise of his best friend going mental obvious on my brother’s face.
I looked up at the ceiling of the garage, wishing there were a black hole that would swallow me up.
Maverick
“She’s mine, that’s why. So, step back, Roy,” he demanded, ready to rip Roy’s arm right out of its fucking socket.
“Whoa,” Roy whispered.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Gabe asked, and Maverick realized what he had just done. Standing straighter, he squared his shoulders and looked toward his best friend. The man he respected. The man he was closer to than his own blood. He swallowed hard as he met his dark eyes head on.
“I’m in love with her,” Mav announced and felt everyone around them stop in their tracks.
Countless pairs of eyes were pinned to the back of his head, and he felt the air turn electric and tense, but he didn’t look away. His eyes were trained on Gabe’s stony face.
“What did you just say?” Gabe’s voice asked in what Mav knew was his intimidating tone, but he ignored him.
He would get over it.
He would have to.
Maverick needed his beautiful, somewhat crazy princess by his side, and he was done acting otherwise. He had tried to push down everything he felt for her. But just being in the same space as her made it easier to breathe. Everything was better with her around.
“You do?” Her beautiful cheeks tinged a bright pink. He nodded.
“I do,” his voice rasped. He took slow steps toward her. “I love you,” he repeated, not looking anywhere other than at her. If Gabe couldn’t get over it, that would be his problem to deal with. Maverick was a lot of things, and a selfish bastard was one of them. He needed Sofi in his life. “I love you, and I don’t care who knows.”
“Maverick.”
“I love you.” He swallowed, finally standing in front of her. “I’m not ashamed of you. Or embarrassed. No way possible could you ever be in the way. Don’t you see how lost I am without you, Princess?”
“Maverick.” She whispered his name before taking the last step, finally closing the space between them. Her fingers covered his mouth, and he simply kissed the tips before pulling them down.
“You’re not in the way. Not in mine and not your family’s.” He needed her to get it through her thick skull. She was amazing, and with that she was also amazingly stubborn. But he would work himself to the bone from that moment on to show her how much they all needed her, especially him.
“What?” he heard Jill ask and watched Sofia’s face wince.
“What is he talking about, Sof?” Gabe asked, but they both kept ignoring everyone around them.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said, and he shrugged.
“I wanted to. I needed you to know, without a doubt, how much I care.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “I don’t want you to ever question how much I love you.”
“What the hell is going on?” Gabe asked again. Maverick stole one last kiss before turning around, standing in front of Sofi.
The expression on Gabe’s face said it all. He felt confused and betrayed. Not that Mav blamed him. He should have manned up that first night when he had met Sofia. But at the time, he didn’t know who she was. His.
“Gabe, I—“ That was all he was able to say before Gabe’s fist hit the edge of Maverick’s mouth with enough force to make him take a step back.
“Gabe!” Sofia cried out.
“Oh, my God!” Jill said along with the other brothers’ deep curses.
Maverick opened and closed his eyes, feeling the spot Gabe had hit. It was wet and warm with blood. He looked around, his brothers in the firehouse cautiously closing in.
“I love her,” Maverick said, standing tall, ready to take another hit. When it happened, this time on the other side, Mav wasn’t caught off guard.
“Shit.”
“Fuck,” his brothers chimed.
“Gabe!” Jill Blanco admonished.
“Mom! Tell him to stop!” Sofi shouted. Maverick looked at his princess and shook his head, mouthing he was okay before turning back to look at Gabe.
“I love her.”
“And that makes it okay?” Gabe asked, his eyes narrowed as he rubbed his hand.
“Gabe—“
“You’re my best friend, man,” Gabe reminded him. Mav touched his lip and winced.
“I know.”
“You think you can make her happy?” His best friend asked, a deep scowl on his face, his hands still clenched into fists at his sides. Mav squared his shoulders and stood straight, ready to take whatever shit Gabe was going to throw at him.
“Yes,” he promised. ”I will. Man, I’ll do anything in my power to make her happy, every day she will have me. For as long as I breathe, brother,” he shared honestly.
“You better.” Gabe straightened with a
smile, putting his hands out in front of him like he was surrendering. Maverick blinked, not understanding what the hell was going on.
“You knew,” Maverick found himself deducing, leaving him speechless.
“Yeah. I did.” Gabe grinned with a shrug.
“You didn’t say anything,” Mav pointed out.
“You didn’t either,” Gabe pointed out the obvious, just as Sofia handed him a bag of ice. “I’m actually relieved it’s you and not some little dipshit rookie cop like Rocco,” he joked, and Maverick laughed. Sofi scoffed behind him.
“Sof,” Gabe called out, and Maverick turned to look at her.
“You guys are insane, you know that, right?” she asked with an attitude that made Maverick hotter than hell.
Now that everything was all out in the open, Maverick threw caution to the wind. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Hard. Devouring. Punishing. He hadn’t had her mouth in too fucking long, her body longer, and he was a starving man. He kept kissing her while he ignored the pain at his jaw.
“Well, that’s going to take some time to get used to,” Gabe muttered as the other brothers hollered catcalls.
Chapter Nineteen
Sofia
The men in my life were going to drive me insane.
Once Gabe and Mav cleared things up, I made sure that Mav’s jaw was okay.
Gabe came over and asked for us to go on a walk just the two of us, so we could talk, but we just walked in familiar silence. The whole thing reminded me of a moment in the past I had somehow forgotten. A different walk, a different talk. One a lot tougher.
Mom had been a mess right after our dad’s untimely death, and Gabe had made it a point for us to go on walks while Mom sobbed in her room. Looking back, I could see he didn’t want me to see our mother like that. So heartbroken she could hardly lift her head up from bed. But at the time, I had felt in the way. Like a bull in a china shop.
“You and Mav are good together.” Gabe broke the silence, snapping me out of my memories.
“We are,” I told him before looking away. “I didn’t mean to hide anything. He was just—“
“Nervous I’d kick his ass,” Gabe answered, and I nodded my agreement. “I can see how he could have thought that. But…“
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