12. Maverick Carter
Chapter twelve
Maverick Carter
Evie is asleep on my shoulder. She fed Beckham as we were taking off, and once he was settled, she dozed off. Shortly after she fell asleep, her head tipped over onto my shoulder.
I didn’t expect her to fall asleep on such a short flight, so I wasn’t prepared for this possibility. I should have guessed that after the stress of the past few days, she’d be exhausted.
I glance down at her and smile. Her lips are slightly parted, not unlike Beckham’s in the seat next to us. She has one hand resting on his legs, the other tucked into the pocket of her hoodie where I saw her stow a pacifier before we boarded the plane. Her hair has fallen in her face, so I reach over and gently tuck it behind her ear, exposing the pale brown beauty mark near her hairline. It’s about the size of my thumb, and vaguely shaped like a heart. The urge to trace it comes over me and I quickly put my hand back in my lap .
Where did that thought come from? I shake my head as if I can dislodge it from my brain. It doesn’t work. Instead, I close my eyes and lean my head back. Maybe I need some rest too. We’ve got a little less than two hours of the flight left, that’s plenty of time to take a nap.
Movement quickly makes me open my eyes. Evie is now nuzzling my arm in her sleep. She makes a soft humming noise that sends warmth flooding through me. It shouldn’t make me this happy that she’s so comfortable with me after all this time. A little happy? Sure. But the feeling coursing through my veins is nothing short of incandescent.
I can’t help it though. She’s so stubborn that any win with her makes me feel like an Olympian. And it’s nice to be the one who gets through her walls. Maybe Drew was right about her having a soft spot for me. I wouldn’t mind that. I close my eyes again, a smile on my face, and relax into the seat.
I wake with a start to the sound of the flight attendant informing us that we’re about to land. Evie jumps with me, her head jerking away from my arm. She blinks awake, her brows scrunched in confusion for a moment. I watch as realization dawns. Her eyes are a dark indigo when they meet mine.
“Did I fall asleep on you?” she asks, her voice hesitant.
“No,” I say and relief washes over her. “You fell asleep, and then you sort of fell over onto me. ”
Her mouth drops, forming a small 'o'. She hits my chest and I chuckle.
“Is that any way to thank the man who’s been your pillow for the last two hours?”
“I slept on you the whole time?” I can hear the guilt in her voice. “I’m sorry if you were uncomfortable. You could have made me move.”
She knows I wouldn’t have made her move even if I was uncomfortable, which is why she’s looking at me apologetically. But in reality, that was the most comfortable I’ve ever been on an airplane.
“I dozed off not long after you, so it’s okay,” I try to reassure her.
She nods, then turns her attention to Beckham, who’s still sound asleep.
“I’m glad he slept through the flight. I was worried the change in air pressure would bother him.” She brushes a knuckle over his cheek, a soft smile on her face.
“I’m glad you both got some rest,” I say with a smile of my own.
The plane descends, and after it lands we begin to gather our things so that when it’s time to go out we’ll be ready.
“I hope getting off the plane with all this stuff isn’t too difficult,” Evie says.
I’m about to respond when the flight attendant stops at our row.
“Excuse me sir,” she begins with a wide smile. “I think you or your wife must have dropped this.” She holds up a pacifier
It takes me a moment to register her statement, because she referred to Evie as my wife. I suppose to everyone else that’s what we look like. A traveling husband, wife, and baby.
“Oh, thank you,” I say without correcting her .
“I can’t believe she thought we were married,” Evie says quietly as she takes the pacifier from me.
“Why wouldn’t she? You snuggled my arm like it was some kind of stuffed animal the whole flight.”
She gapes at me. “I did not.”
I laugh and take the diaper bag out of her hands to prepare to exit. “You weren’t awake, how do you know?”
She works on getting Beckham’s carrier off the seat. Once she does, she picks it up and turns to me with a flushed face.
“Are you blushing , Wilder?” I ask her with a smirk. Her embarrassment is palpable.
She rolls her eyes and pushes me with the edge of the carrier. “Let’s get off this plane.”
We walk down the aisle, then off the plane. I glance down at her.
“Don’t say a word,” she warns, making me chuckle.
“Yes ma’am.”
I see her twist her mouth to the side to hold back a smile. The sight makes me grin all the more. We walk through the airport to baggage claim. Beckham starts to fuss, so I help Evie find a place not teeming with people to get him out of the seat. She pulls him up into her arms and starts to sway, shushing him softly. Her features are soft as she regards him, not the hard exterior she often wears around. I have to force myself not to stare at how beautiful she looks.
“Grayson should be over here somewhere. Let me find him, and he can help us carry things,” I tell her. She nods in acknowledgement.
With her confirmation, I walk back into the bustling crowd. Soon enough I spot my brother carrying a large cutout photo of my face instead of a sign. I groan as I walk toward him .
“Why do you have that?” I ask him as he yanks me to him for a signature Grayson hug. The kind that realigns your spine and makes you wonder if you cracked a rib.
“So you could find me, of course,” he says with a giant grin.
“You didn’t even know until yesterday that you were picking me up. How did you get this so fast?”
It’s not just a large print out. No, it’s a cardboard cutout the size of my torso. It was definitely professionally made.
“I know a guy,” he answers with a shrug. As if it’s common to have professional printing companies at your beck and call. That’s the thing about Grayson, though: he has the best connections. He can make a friend out of anyone.
“Where’s Evie? I didn’t make a cutout of her face because Drew said this wasn’t necessarily a happy move.”
I cringe. “Yeah, that was a good call. She’s standing away from the crowd with Beckham. I’ll lead you to her.” We start to head in Evie’s direction, making our way through the throngs of people. “Did y’all get the furniture set up okay?” I ask him and he nods.
“Yeah, it didn’t take too long with all of us helping.”
Unbeknownst to Evie, I got all my brothers to go help Drew move in some furniture I bought for her. She’d kill me if she found out I furnished the place for her, so I fibbed a little. Maybe one day I’ll tell her. But that day will not be today, when she has a fit over me buying her a coffee.
“Good. Remember, she doesn’t know that any of it’s new. So don’t mention setting it up.”
“My lips are sealed, brother dearest.”
I shake my head at his odd wording and continue the short trek to Evie .
She spots us from a few feet away. I watch the trepidation in her expression fade as she lays eyes on the giant head in Grayson’s hand. She lets out a laugh.
“That is amazing,” she says through her laughter.
I don’t even care that it’s at my expense. She can laugh at me all day if she wants. It chases away the shadows in her eyes and makes her look more like the Evie I used to know. The one who smiled often without restraint.
“Thank you, thank you. I do my best to bring entertainment to all occasions.” He tips an invisible hat.
“You never fail to,” Evie tells him. He throws an arm around her shoulders. I watch her tense for a blip of a moment, before letting him pull her into his side.
“It’s good to see you, Sylveon,” he says and Evie rolls her eyes while pushing away from him. I laugh along with Grayson.
“Will you ever give up that bit?” she asks in an exasperated tone.
When we were kids, we played Pokémon all the time. When we weren’t playing outside, or wrestling on the living room floor, we were glued to our Gameboys. This obsession turned into calling Evie, Eevee. It’s a common mistake that people make anyway, so it annoyed her because we’d confuse those around us even more. It eventually escalated to calling her different kinds–also called evolutions–of Eevees. One of which was Sylveon. Most of us quit calling her that as we got older, but since Grayson has a fondness for both nicknames and mischief, he never let it go.
“Sure, when it stops being funny,” Grayson says with a cheeky grin .
Evie shakes her head in admonishment. Grayson’s attention shifts to the bundle in her arms. Beckham blinks up at him. Pure joy washes over my brother’s face.
“Hey little Beckham,” he coos. “I’m your uncle Grayson. I’m going to be your favorite.”
Evie lets out a little laugh, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. I know she’s recalling our conversation about favorite Carter brothers. Sure, Grayson might be her proclaimed favorite, but she didn’t fall asleep on his shoulder. And I’m willing to bet she wouldn’t have even come if he had gone with Drew instead of me.
“I’m okay with being number two. It has its perks,” I say and her cheeks tint pink. She’s likely worried I’ll tell Grayson about our plane nap. If this were a few years ago, I would have. We’d all joke about it together and tease her incessantly. But this time, something in me wants to keep it a secret. Our little secret.
“Can I take a photo of him?” Grayson asks, pulling out his phone.
“Oh, um sure.” Evie gives him a confused look.
Grayson holds the phone over Beckham’s face and snaps the photo, then busies himself with something on the screen. I can’t see, but he’s tapping a lot and zooming too. My answer comes soon enough though when my phone buzzes.
I pull it out and laugh. There’s been an update to the Carter family pyramid Grayson makes every week–when he doesn’t forget, that is. Lately he’s been so busy with his new fiancée that he hasn’t been sending them as much.
Today though, in the middle of a busy airport, he took the time to place a tiny photo of Beckham at the top of the pyramid. I let out a laugh and show Evie, who smiles when she reads it .
“What about Sloane? Where does she land on the pyramid?” I ask him, because I’m just now realizing she’s never been on one.
“My Rose surpasses any and all ranking systems. She’s so perfect no one else would ever have a chance to win.”
I look to Evie. “His nickname for her is Rose–well, one of the nicknames. The man is insufferably in love with her so he’s given her hundreds of them.”
“Sounds like Grayson,” she says. It’s strange to think how well she knows all of us, but also how much has changed since she left. All of my siblings except me are either married or engaged. MJ is having a baby. We’re a lot different.
“What happens when MJ’s baby is born?” Evie asks. “Does she beat Beckham on the pyramid?”
Grayson makes a face that lets me know he didn’t think this through. I’m not shocked at all.
“On second thought, no nieces or nephews on the pyramid. They’re all too perfect as well.”
“And MJ would kill you if you put her child lower than number one,” I say.
“So would I,” Evie adds in a cheerful voice that makes me laugh.
“All right, all right. No children included in the rankings. Now, are you ready to get out of this place? I love being around people, but I’m tempted to turn into Adrian with how many are here right now.”
I snort at the idea of my extroverted brother turning into his introverted twin. That would be a switch for the ages.
“Yeah, we should get going. It’s been a long couple of days. You grab the baby carrier and diaper bag,” I tell Grayson. “I’ll go get our luggage off the conveyor belt. ”
Evie speaks up. “I can car–”
“Nope,” Grayson says in an exuberant tone before picking up her things with a dramatic flourish.
I chuckle and walk off toward the baggage claim. Between me, Drew, and the rest of my family, she’s going to get used to accepting help. Whether she likes it or not. I glance over my shoulder, noting the frustrated look on her face. It’s looking like not .