Maverick

by Juliana Stone

  “Thanks for being here, Maverick. She needed you. We both did.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  Jack kissed his wife and crossed the room to speak with his brother and sister.

  “Jack got to hold her,” Donovan said softly, fresh tears seeping from her eyes. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She glanced up at Maverick. “I can’t wait for you to be right here where I am.”

  Maverick’s gaze slid from hers in an attempt to get his shit together before she noticed anything was wrong. But when had he ever been able to hide anything from Donovan James? She tugged on his arm, a frown on her face as she gazed up at him.

  “What the hell is going on, Rick?”

  “Donnie, we’re not going there. Not now.”

  But his friend was stubborn as hell, and he guessed her baby came by it honestly.

  “Oh yes we are. This friend thing goes both ways. You’ve been here for me for days now and I haven’t even asked about your mechanic.”

  “We were a little preoccupied with other things, so don’t worry about it.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “So what is going on with your mechanic?”

  Maverick could have lied but what was the point. Donovan would have called bullshit before he even finished speaking.

  “She broke it off.”

  “What? When?”

  “She left a voicemail sometime last night.”

  “A voicemail? Are you kidding me?”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Okay. But you haven’t talked to her?”

  “I’ve only had one conversation with her since I’ve been here.”

  “When was that?”

  “Tuesday.”

  Donovan punched him in the chest. “You haven’t talked to your mechanic since Tuesday? What the hell, Rick? No wonder she broke it off. She probably thinks you don’t give a rat’s ass about her.”

  “I’ve tried.”

  “Well obviously not hard enough.” Donovan studied him for a few seconds and Maverick didn’t much care for the smile that played around the edge of her mouth. “You’re in love with this woman.”

  He didn’t miss a beat and answered straight away. “Yeah, Donnie. I am.”

  It had been a long time since he’d seen Donovan James speechless. And it made Maverick feel pretty damn good to be the one to do it.

  “Okay, smart ass,” Donovan said with a wink. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “I don’t know. I’m pissed at her. At how she thinks I’m just going to throw her and Connor away without another thought.”

  “You want my opinion?”

  “Like I have a choice.”

  “No.” Donovan shook her head. “You don’t. Sounds to me like this could be a preemptive strike.”

  “A what?”

  “She’s afraid of getting hurt. She’s cutting you out of her life because you’re the thing that can hurt her. So I’m going to ask you again, Rick. What are you going to do about it?”

  Maverick glanced across the room to where Jack was huddled with Tucker, Abby, and Grace.

  “Are we good?” he asked. “Are you going to be okay? You’ve told me everything?”

  Donovan reached up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you, you knucklehead, but if you don’t hop on the next plane out and tell this woman exactly how you feel, I will kick you square in the gonads the next time I see you.”

  Maverick hesitated for all of two seconds. Hell, the thought of laying his heart on the line when he wasn’t sure of the outcome was enough to give him the cold sweats.

  “Rick,” Donovan warned.

  Though a swift kick from Donnie might do the same thing.

  Maverick looked up at his cousins once more, but Donavan was pushing him toward the door. “I’ll pass along your goodbyes. You’ve got this,” she said with a wink. “Now go get her.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  The only reason Charlie was at the fish fry was because Ava had gone and pulled the ‘ you owe me and I’m your friend card’. Or rather, she’d gotten Davis to do it for her. So now she was stuck dishing out haddock and cod and perch to nearly two hundred and fifty people and not only did she look like a grease ball, she smelled like one too. Ugh.

  “I hate you,” she said, poking Davis in the arm.

  “No you don’t,” he answered with a smile as he handed Mrs. McTeer her plate of perch, sidestepping a bit when the old lady attempted to give him a hug.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled, turning to the next customer.

  “Charlie.” Jeremy Martin offered a sheepish smile.

  “What can I get for you?” she asked sharply, not in the mood for drama.

  “Uh, a platter of perch and a couple orders of fries should do it.”

  Charlie spied Emily hovering a few feet away, with two children in tow. The kids were running in circles around the woman and it was obvious that they were out of control. It was also obvious that Emily was about to either cry or lose it.

  There might have been a time in the not so distant past when Charlie would have taken pleasure in knowing that. But now—she glanced up at Jeremy—she couldn’t care less.

  She busied herself preparing the order and when his box of food was ready, she handed it over.

  “Charlie, I—“

  She shook her head. “Jeremy. It’s fine.”

  She could tell it was far from fine. In fact, Jeremy looked miserable as hell.

  “You look good,” he said slowly.

  “Thank you.” She said, looking past him. “Who’s next?”

  He looked a little shocked at her abrupt dismissal and after a few seconds, turned around and made room for the next customer.

  “The grass ain’t always greener,” Davis said into her ear.

  “Nope.”

  The two of them worked side by side for at least another hour before the lines started to dwindle. The DJ, Harry Leedale was deep in conversation with Ava and Charlie laughed at the expression on her friend’s face.

  “I can’t wait to hear his playlist.”

  Davis nodded. “You and me both.” He looked down at her. “It’s good to hear you laugh. How you holding up?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not.”

  She shrugged. “Okay, so I’m not. Davis it is what it is, and I’ve just got to to move on.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “And what is it exactly?”

  Charlie couldn’t lie to Davis. “You were right.”

  “I’m always right.”

  She smiled, but it was a sad attempt to cover the pain in her heart. “I love him.”

  Davis folded his arms across his chest. “And have you told him?”

  “Not gonna happen. I broke it off.”

  “Charlie—“

  “Don’t Charlie me, Davis. Give me credit for knowing what I need to do to fix this.”

  “Who says it needs to be fixed?”

  Surprised, she scowled. “What the hell, Davis? Last week you were telling me to break it off because you were afraid I’d get hurt.”

  “I didn’t tell you to break it off. I just wanted you to be aware that you could get hurt. But it looks like the hurting has already happened.”

  “I don’t understand you.” She shook her head and tossed the takeout box in her hand onto the table.

  “You love him and that means you have to do something about it. There’s no fixing the current situation. There’s only facing the consequences and moving the hell on.”

  “Okay, Dr. Phil, and what exactly are the consequences?”

  “Don’t be a smart ass, Charlie. I’m doing my best here.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “The way I see it, you’ve got two choices. You can tell Rick how you feel and see where that leads. Either he’s all in or he’s not. Or you can ignore him, just like you’ve been ignoring him all week.”

  “I have not…”

  “How
many times have you ignored his phone calls? And text messages?”

  Stubborn, Charlie didn’t answer.

  “If you blow him off without giving him the chance to tell you how he feels, well, I think you might be making the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “But that’s the point Davis. It’s not just my life. It’s Connor’s too. He bonded with Rick in a way that I didn’t expect. For whatever reason, my brother fell in love with Rick and at first I was over the moon about it. To see Connor happy and engaged again? You know how long I’ve waited for that.”

  Dammit, were those tears again? Angrily, she scrubbed at her face.

  “You know how hard it’s been with Connor. You know what he went through when my dad died. When Rick leaves again, which he will because he has this great big life to live on the other side of the country.” She blew out a hot breath before she could continue. “Connor will be devastated and I won’t let that happen.”

  “I get that,” Davis said softly. “I understand your need to protect Connor. But Charlie, how will you ever know if Rick’s the guy for you if you don’t give him the chance to be that guy? Don’t you at least owe him the choice to either step up or step off?”

  “Excuse me, but we’re waiting for the cod?”

  Exasperated Charlie moved back, nodding to the couple waiting for their food. “Davis will help you.”

  She pushed her way through the crowd and didn’t stop pushing until she was outside, leaning against the building. It was cold, but she didn’t feel it.

  Charlie stared up at the clear night sky and sniffled, fishing out her cell phone when it vibrated in her pocket.

  “Everything okay with Connor?” Mrs. Kratz was babysitting her brother for the night or at least until Charlie could get away from her duties.

  “It’s not Mrs. Kratz. It’s me.”

  He spoke clearly and if she wasn’t mistaken, Rick was more than a little pissed.

  Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Shit.

  Shit.

  Heart in her mouth, she felt faint and bent over, exhaling and focusing on the snow at her feet. “Rick?”

  “Where are you?” he growled into the phone. Oh yeah. He was thoroughly pissed off.

  “I’m…why?”

  “Where the hell are you?” he asked again.

  “Where are you?” she shot back, wincing because she knew how childish she sounded.

  “We’re not going to play that game, Charlie. I’m here and I’m not leaving until I see you.”

  Mouth dry, she straightened and took a few steps before stopping. A shiver rolled over her and then another.

  “You’re in Fisherman’s Landing?”

  There was a pause and it sounded as if his phone was muffled. She heard him talking to someone and thought she heard other voices but then there was silence.

  “Rick?”

  “Yes.” His answer was curt.

  “Where are you?”

  Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest. It was so loud that she could hear it inside her head, and she shook herself, feeling faint, confused and scared as hell.

  “Rick?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Where are you?”

  There was a pause. “Turn around.”

  Charlie’s hand fell away and she stared at her cell phone. She pocketed it. Counted to five. And then turned around.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rick had to stop himself from physically walking over to her and pulling her into his arms. With her long red hair moving around her face in the breeze, her slender body dressed in only jeans and a sweater, she looked fragile. Breakable.

  And those eyes.

  With just the stars to light the night, her eyes shone as brightly as ever.

  She stared at him, shivering and silent, and he didn’t know if she was going to bolt or stay. Maverick wasn’t taking any chances.

  He started forward and didn’t stop until he was standing in front of her. She was shivering so badly that her teeth were knocking together and Maverick took off his North Face jacket and slipped it around her shoulders.

  “Is everything okay with Donovan’s baby?”

  He nodded. “Lily is going to be okay. Yes.”

  Her eyes slid from his and he reached for her, taking her chin firmly into his hands He needed to see her.

  “I’m not here to talk about Donovan or the baby.”

  “Why are you here?” she asked, the words so soft that he barely heard them.

  He inched closer, so close that there was nowhere for her to look but into his eyes. He was still angry with her and he wasn’t about to play nice.

  “I’m here, Charlie, because I love you and that voicemail you sent me really pissed me the fuck off.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said that I love you. Plain and simple. I don’t know when it happened. I don’t care really. All I know is that I’ve never met a woman like you, and I can’t think of a future without you and Connor in it.”

  “But—“

  “Let me finish.” His emotions were getting the better of him and Maverick took a moment. “I need for you to understand this so that if you decide that I’m not what you want, at least you know…”

  “Know what?” she whispered.

  “There is no one else for me.” He glanced up at the sky and then shrugged. “When I think about waking up tomorrow morning, it’s your face that I see. It’s your heart that I want to hear and it’s your touch that I want.” He dropped his hands and took a step back, suddenly unsure but filled with the need to get it all out.

  “I love you and I want to make this work.”

  “But what is this?” Her voice broke. “Rick, I…Connor’s been through so much. There are things that you don’t know.”

  “Then tell me. I can’t make you believe in what we have until you give me the ammunition that I need.”

  Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes and Maverick reached for her, wiping them away gently.

  “Tell me,” he prodded.

  She shuddered and, damn, but his heart turned over when she leaned into his palm.

  “My dad died. You know that.” She blew out a long breath and shook her head. “This is hard.”

  “I know, babe. I’m here for you.”

  “What you don’t know and what a lot people don’t know is the circumstance. My father…he was depressed. Really depressed. I was at school and he was here with Connor and he just kind of lost himself. I knew he was drinking more than he should be and that he was having trouble sleeping. But I didn’t want to deal with it. I had a heavy course load and…”

  She paused for a few moments and he said nothing. “I told myself that he’d be fine. I mean, he was my dad. He’d always been as strong as rock.”

  She shuddered violently, and Rick wrapped his arms around her.

  “He asked me to come home that last semester, but I told him that I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I was so focused on my studies and doing whatever it took to get out of this town.”

  “One Sunday he went out to the shed. He’d been drinking and he grabbed his shotgun and…”

  “Jesus,” Maverick murmured, pulling her in tighter as she began to cry. “Charlie, I’m so sorry.” He thought back to that conversation he’d had with Connor and his gut clenched at the thought.

  “Connor found him. He was so young and small. The thought of him all by himself with my dad…it haunts me. He t thought that Dad was hurt, that he was sleeping. So he pulled a blanket over him and he stayed with Dad all night in that shed. It wasn’t until Dad didn’t show up to the garage and Davis swung by the house that he was discovered. But by then it was too late.”

  Maverick closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to say.

  “Connor was in that shed with his dead father for over twelve hours. He just shut down after it happened. I mean, who wouldn’t?”

  “My little brother is everything t
o me, Rick.” She squirmed until she was able to look up at him. “I love you. I knew I loved you before you left, but Rick, if you’re not one hundred percent sure about the both of us, then we need to shut this down. Right now. I can’t let Connor get hurt again. I can’t let him love you if there’s the slightest possibility that you might leave us.”

  Maverick cradled her face and he bent forward, his mouth near her ear.

  “Charlie, I’m one hundred and fifty percent sure about you. About us. I’m not going anywhere. I love you and Connor. That’s all I got. I hope it’s enough.”

  She picked at the collar of his shirt and damn, but it was a beautiful thing to see the smile that slowly spread across her face.

  “I think I can work with that.”

  His mouth settled onto hers and he kissed her, long and thoroughly, until they both had to come up for air.

  “That’s good to hear,” he said. “Now how about we go home?”

  She glanced toward the community center and he saw the hesitation. “Davis inside?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “He’s a smart man. He’ll figure it out.”

  Maverick’s hand slipped over hers and he led her toward his truck. They had some stuff to navigate, but as she settled in beside him, her body meant to be there, he felt like a freaking king.

  They were home in less time than it had taken him to profess his love to this woman. And if his heart didn’t nearly squeeze out of his chest when Connor hurled his little body into his arms, well, it was a miracle.

  “You’re back,” Connor said, his young voice high and excited. “I knew you’d be back.”

  “I am,” he said, his large hand at Connor’s back. “And I’m not going anywhere, bud.”

  “I know that,” Connor said, indignantly.

  Charlie raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

  “Oh? Why’s that?” he asked, grinning when Connor took his coat from Charlie and tossed it onto the floor.

  “Because we have all the Lord movies to watch still.”

  “Ah,” Maverick said, scooping the little guy up into his arms. “I guess we better get started then.”

  The three of them settled down in front of the TV. They cuddled and watched the movie and when Connor fell asleep, Maverick carried him upstairs and he and Charlie got him settled.