False Start (Mavericks #1)

by Julianna Marley

  “Thank you for always putting up with me even when I’m not very loveable,” she whispered into Chelsea’s shoulder, allowing herself to find comfort, if only for a moment. Dabbing the corner of her stinging eye, she swallowed the lump in her throat, shooing Chelsea away. “Now go get that dress on,” her voice cracked, “I want to be the first to see the hottest mama in all of Carolina.” She leaned back letting Mandy apply more lipstick.

  “The car will be here in half an hour,” Ross declared, checking his watch and she couldn’t help but laugh, apologizing for interrupting Mandy’s application again. The girls had done a number on him, as per usual. Pieces of brown hair clipped in barrettes and bows covering his entire head.

  “I’m off,” he said completely unfazed, grabbing his suit and heading towards the hall bathroom.

  “All finished,” Mandy said, moving out of the way of the mirror. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever seen her eyes so blue or wide, her lips so red, but they went well together. Really well.

  “It’s perfect,” she assured, hoping that the glamorous makeup also had the capacity to hide all the emotions she knew would splash across her face the second she saw Jax in a little over an hour. Walking into the bedroom, she stopped to help Charlotte and Chelsea get the deep purple gown comfortably over Whitney’s big belly, providing them many laughs at poor Whitney’s expense.

  “Can you zip this for me real quick?” Chelsea asked, holding her orange beaded gown against her chest.

  “You look incredible, Chels,” she grinned at her through the mirror, smoothing out the back of her heavily beaded gown. The thought of Chelsea’s mama helping her get into her wedding gown in a few short weeks, had her smiling. But that was her little secret. At least for now.

  “Holy smokes Charlotte!”

  Turning around, she and Chelsea followed Whitney’s eyes glued to Charlotte in the most chic gown she had ever seen. The black gown stuck to Charlotte like a second skin, the neckline starting at the base of her neck, wrapping itself down her arms and around to her lower back. The only other skin offered by the long slit on the right side of her body running all the way up to her hip bone, revealing exquisite silver heels.

  “You’re going to bring poor Myles down to his knees!” she laughed, studying the beautiful gown closer.

  “Good.” Charlotte winked moving past her into the closet. “That was my intention.”

  Holding a garment bag with her name on it, Charlotte smiled.

  “Now this is the gown I have been waiting to see,” she gushed, unzipping the bag. Canary yellow silk hung flawlessly off the hanger, as she held up the belt of crystals adding incredible detail to the otherwise basic gown. It was even more gorgeous than she remembered from the sketches as she hopped up and down in excitement. Taking the gown gently from Charlotte she couldn’t wait to put it on. She hadn’t been in love with a dress like this since, well, her wedding gown, the thought of her wedding pinching the corner of her heart.

  Slipping into her closet, she carefully stepped into the delicate fabric, the cool satin running up her body, she slid her arms into the straps. Turning in front of the floor length mirror, she couldn’t help but gush. It was magnificent. Shaking out her clammy hands, she focused on her dress and the night ahead of her. She wanted to feel powerful and strong like she could conquer the world. A stunning dress and a great pair of shoes could do that to a woman, but she didn’t feel any of those things. She was anxious and broken and confused. Looking more put together than she felt, she walked out of the closet as everyone inside the room stilled.

  “Oh my,” Charlotte gasped, staring at her from head to toe as Whitney covered her mouth with her hands. Alright, maybe she didn’t looked as put together as she thought? Oh gosh, did she look like Big Bird?

  “Oh my what?” she asked quickly. What was wrong?

  “Oh my gosh you look like a million bucks!” Chelsea beamed. “Liv, its perfection.”

  “Oh.” She relaxed letting out a small breath. “Thank you.”

  “Damn, I did good.” Charlotte whistled, quickly readjusting the belt in the back.

  Grabbing her phone off the end table, she checked for the time before shoving it into her purse.

  “Shoot. Y’all look stunning, but we have really got to get going.” Alivia pointed to the door, rounding up her beautiful power squad. “Now.”

  She only had one hour to get back to the hotel and tweak some final details before the guests would start to arrive as she double checked all her necessities. Meeting her at the top of the steps, Ross strolled out of the bathroom.

  “Well, well, well,” she said, shaking her head, taking in his fitted suit and fedora. “Don’t you look handsome.”

  Adjusting the cuffs around his wrists, he smirked.

  “Guapo,” he corrected in Spanish before turning her around to take in the back of her dress. “And may I say, you look guapa, boss lady,” he smirked, holding out his arm to help her down the stairs.

  “Mama.” Hailey and Hannah ran towards her, hugging her legs. “You look like a princess.”

  Kneeling down, she brought them in close for a hug, relishing in their tiny arms around her neck.

  “Now, I want you to be on your best behavior,” she said, getting ready to read off the riot act.

  “You listen to Magda,” the girls said in unison.

  “And when it’s time for bed,” Hannah mimicked her.

  “It’s time for bed,” Hailey finished before they were in a fit of giggles.

  Laughing for the first time all week, she ran her hands through their blonde curls, Magda belly laughing behind her.

  “I will be home tonight my munchkins. And don’t forget, we have a breakfast date tomorrow morning, okay?” she winked, placing a kiss on each of their cheeks, leaving behind a small red lipstick print. “I love you both to the moon and back,” she smiled gently, wiping the lipstick off their tiny cheeks.

  “Cars are here!” Ross yelled, as everyone moved towards the door.

  “Wait!” Hannah jumped up quickly. “We have something for you!”

  Taking off, the girls ran towards the dining room as she waited for them. She really needed to leave if she had any chance of doing a final run through of the last minute details, but they ran back just as quickly, both of their tiny hands holding a large square velvet box with a silver bow. Stopping just short of her, almost toppling over her, she steadied them taking the large box from their little hands carefully.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s from us,” Hannah smiled proudly out of breath.

  “And Daddy,” Hailey beamed.

  “And Mr. Beans too!” Hannah giggled.

  Jax?

  Opening the box slowly, Alivia gasped as Magda sighed quietly over her shoulder at the most exquisite piece of jewelry she had ever laid eyes on. Tracing her fingers along the chain of diamonds, she looked up into the girls’ excited faces.

  “It’s a princess necklace,” Hailey grinned, the dimples she inherited from her daddy nearly covering her face.

  “And Daddy said you’re a princess,” Hannah smiled, hugging her tightly.

  Drawing her lip between her teeth, she buried her face inside the girls’ mops of blonde curls. Magda’s hand found her shoulder as she fought against the lump that seemed lodged inside her throat. Despite everything that was going on between her and Jax, he had somehow managed to do just that; make her feel like a princess. But why?

  “Liv,” Ross insisted coming through the door again. “We need to go.”

  Reluctantly kissing both girls goodbye and promising to put the necklace on as soon as she got into the car, she gave Magda a small hug before rushing out the door. Clenching the velvet box against her chest, any hopes she had about keeping her emotions concerning Jax completely under control and out of her head, and more importantly, out of her heart, had just become a whole lot more difficult.

  22

  “Cubano sandwich?”

  Jax turned a
round to a waiter holding a silver hors d'oeuvres tray, miniature sandwiches lined in perfect unison. Taking a small sandwich off the long palm leaf placed on the length of the tray, he popped one in his mouth.

  “Thank you.”

  Devouring it in one bite, he washed it down with his Corona, immediately wanting another one. He was starving.

  “Dude, these mojito’s are sick,” Shay said, taking a sip of his drink reaching for a sandwich off the tray. “And so are these women.” He shook his head, his eyes following a small group of overblown women that couldn’t be any older than twenty-one.

  “I just want to see my woman,” Myles insisted, clapping his hands together getting excited. The man was in the zone making it his sole mission to get everyone around him as pumped up and ready to party as he was. “I haven’t talked to Charlotte all day.”

  “Chelsea texted me about thirty minutes ago. They will meet us around the bar,” Trevor confirmed, reaching for an empanada from another server wearing a fedora and guayabera shirt. Taking another draw of his beer, Jax studied the room. Liv had done another phenomenal job. Attending parties that she produced since the first charity event she had planned for him years ago, he thought he had seen it all. But nope. Not even close. She never failed to raise the bar, topping every single one of her own events, remaining in a league all of her own. For amazing as every event she had ever planned had been, and there had been a lot, tonight was different. It wasn’t just trendy or sophisticated, it was spectacular. What he assumed was only an empty lobby earlier that morning, she had transformed into a Latin paradise. Every corner of the room held palm trees and white lights. Sounds of Mavericks members arriving competed against the authentic four person Cuban band banging on bongos, shaking maracas, and playing guitar inside the room. By far the coolest thing he had seen since arriving had been the cigar rolling station. The wooden wagon covered in more palm tree leaves and wooden boxes as the roller sat on an old crate donning a fedora with his own Cuban hanging from his mouth.

  Gripping his bottle restlessly, he had envisioned this night going differently. Had pictured being by his beautiful wife’s side as she received all the praise that she deserved for every detail she had ever perfected and every hour she had ever spent creating superior parties and events, providing the people who had attended them with a lifetime of memories. He imagined dancing close to her when she was finally able to let loose a bit when the party was in full swing, never missing an opportunity to kiss her while whispering how much he loved her. Yeah. He had envisioned this night quite differently.

  “Monaghan!” a man bellowed across the room as he watched Bill Mathis approach him with his wife.

  “Mr. Mathis,” he nodded, shaking his hand.

  “Looks like your wonderful wife outdid herself once again,” he said, looking around the room appreciating the same ambiance.

  “Always does, sir,” he smiled, looking around again for any sign of Liv. After some chit chat with Mathis and a few of the rookies, he spotted Chelsea and Charlotte making their way towards the bar, the white lights lighting up their faces looking as beautiful as ever. The shit eating grin on Trevor’s face at Chelsea in a tight as hell orange dress made him chuckle. Myles on the other hand looked like he was going to fall to his damn knees and pray to Jesus. And with good reason. Charlotte looked like a supermodel in some black dress covering her entire body.

  “God, this is my favorite party of the year,” Myles declared, not taking his eyes off the petite blonde approaching him.

  Glancing at the entrance again, there was no sign of Liv and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional. He just needed a few minutes with her, to talk to her.

  “She’s handling a lighting issue,” Chelsea assured giving him a hug. “She will be down shortly.”

  Am I that obvious?

  “Thanks,” he said quietly, hoping that Liv would actually hear him out instead of intentionally avoiding him all evening wrapping herself in work with nothing but a sideways glance at him.

  Nudging his arm, Charlotte grinned sipping a mojito. “Fantastic job on that bling, Cap.”

  Assuming she was referring to the necklace he had left for the girls to give to Liv before she left for the night, he hoped she hadn’t been stubborn enough to leave it at home just because it was from him. But if Charlotte had seen it, then that meant she was wearing it, right? With Liv, he could never be too sure.

  Appearing beside him, Whitney grasped onto a water bottle, slightly out of breath. She looked pretty in a purple dress, one that only adding more attention to her growing belly.

  “I got kicked out,” she said, her thick accent deepening. “A girl tries to help and gets told to induce labor on her own time,” she giggled shaking her head.

  “Have you seen Adam?” she asked, her smile slipping. Tipping his bottle to the corner of the room, he felt like an ass for drawing attention to her fiancé chatting up the disinterested blonde that Shay had just abandoned.

  Douche bag.

  Scanning over the growing crowd, one of the advantages of being six foot five, he saw the ballroom door open out of the corner of his eye. Watching Ross talk into his ear piece, he excused himself. He really needed to talk to Liv before the night got started. She had to hear him out.

  “Hello, Jax.”

  Cursing to himself, he grinded his jaw. He didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind him. The familiar voice that belonged to the woman responsible for too many nights spent without his wife. Nights like tonight. Standing up straighter, he turned around feeling his protective instincts kick in. He needed this woman to stay away from him and most importantly, his wife.

  “Vanessa,” he said curtly, his eyes cutting through her. He didn’t have the time nor the patience for her bullshit, especially not tonight.

  “Jax, I really need to talk to you.”

  Continuing towards the large oak staircase on the far side of the room, he put his hand up, cutting her off.

  “Don’t push your luck, Flynn.”

  Chelsea had mentioned Liv handling a lighting issue and he had seen Davie a few minutes ago moving around upstairs. Hoping like hell he could find Liv up there he threaded through the crowd. He was done waiting. He needed to get to her before the madness began.

  “Jax, wait,” Vanessa called after him but he heard nothing after that. Looking at the top of the staircase, he swore his heart stopped. Everything inside of him standing still, he watched Liv carefully walk down the staircase in a yellow gown that hugged every soft curve. Dangerous curves that called for immediate attention as he fought for a steady breath.

  “You are breathtaking,” he exhaled before he had a chance to think, continuing to take in the sight of her. She was so beautiful, it hurt.

  Her hair out of her face exposing her smooth neck, he fought his natural instinct to touch his lips to it. A slight blush crossing her face, she looked up at him a moment, her blue eyes blazing before shifting her gaze to the large crowd. He could feel the tension rolling off her body, so skittish he was almost afraid to breathe. He wanted to hold her and tell her not to worry. That she already did an amazing job with the party and it was only the beginning of the evening. Tell her that she misunderstood those papers and that he loved her more than anything.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, not looking up at him.

  “Liv, can we-“

  “Liv,” Ross yelled over the crowd, interrupting him nodding towards the ballroom. “It’s time.”

  Shit.

  “Excuse me,” she said quickly not meeting his eyes. Grabbing her hand instinctively, he stopped her. He just needed one minute. Just one chance to fix this. All of this.

  “Liv, give me one minute,” he said watching her stare down at their hands knotted. “Please.”

  Closing her eyes a moment, she slipped her hand out of his.

  “Enjoy yourself tonight, Jax.”

  Running his hand over his mouth, he rubbed his cheek in frustration. He wanted to screa
m. Why was she being so stubborn? Why wouldn’t she just let him take care of one more mess Vanessa had made? Maybe she didn’t want him to fix it? Maybe she had already moved on? No, he didn’t want to believe that, he just needed to get her alone. Seeing her slip through the large wooden doors to the main room, he noticed her bare back for the first time, two thin pieces of diamonds trailing beneath her neck. The necklace. A pang of hope kicking his gut. Maybe after everyone made their way into the ballroom he would have an opportunity to get her to himself. Just for a moment because the only thing he knew for certain was that before the night was over, his wife would be in his arms again.

  * * *

  Closing her eyes, Alivia secured the headset that Ross had given her inside her ear. She hadn’t expected to walk down the stairs and come face to face with Jax. She had been concentrating so hard on not tumbling down the steps, she somehow missed the man at the bottom of them. The one that still had her heart stored in one of the pockets of his suit jacket. She also hadn’t expected him to look so handsome, but she should have known better. His fitted midnight blue suit looked even better on him than she had imagined when she had handpicked it out weeks ago. The dark color a perfect contrast against his moderately untamed hair; only drawing more attention to the bronze tone of his firm skin. The way it embraced every taut inch of his arms and long legs, had her entire body tightening. She hated how her body still reacted to him.

  Slipping into the ballroom after Ross, she took a final assessment of the room. The dark purple lights shining through the space illuminated the masses of orchids and palm trees filling the open space exactly how she had envisioned it. Moving a white leather seat and a clear end table over an inch off the giant manmade dance floor, she was pleased that they had finally been able to secure the orange lights to hit the floral centerpieces and the bar top at the right angle giving off the steamy, sultry vibe she wanted floating around the room. Waving down from the second level of the ballroom overlooking the entire dance floor, Davie tested a few sounds.