Chapter 10
Sydney
“Is Maverick mad at me?” Danny mutters under his breath as we grab his gear and pack up his bag. He keeps his gaze downcast, refusing to meet my eyes. Every so often, I catch his bottom lip quivering the smallest amount. He’s barely holding himself together.
“No, sweetie. He’s hurting, but I don’t think he’s mad.” I rub a hand up and down his back. He’s so upset over injuring Maverick and it breaks my heart to see him like this.
“I don’t want him to hate me.” A single tear slips down his cheek and he quickly wipes it away before anyone else can see it.
“He doesn’t hate you. It was an accident. Do you understand that?” I drop down to my knees and take his hands in mine. He doesn’t want to meet my eyes, but he knows I'm not leaving here until he does.
He nods his head, but I can tell he doesn’t believe me. I don’t know what else to do. I could tell him Mav isn't mad until I'm blue in the face and it’s still not going to convince him.
“Hey, Danny!” Mav hurries over as quickly as he can, but he’s limping pretty badly. It takes him a second to get down to his knee, but then he places his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “That was a crazy hit! We should start calling you Slugger. I'm so proud of you.”
“You’re proud of me?” He lifts his head the smallest amount. His little brows knit together and he looks so confused.
I want to throw myself into Maverick’s arms and hug him as tightly as I can. I want to kiss him and beg him to marry me. I know he’s in pain, but he’s making sure my son is ok over everything else.
“Of course! You did amazing!”
“But I hurt you,” he whispers, shaking his head. This isn't making sense to him. Like I told Mav, Rob would’ve flipped out.
“Yeah, well, things happen.” He shrugs. “It’s not like you tried to hit me… Right? Wait! Did you try to hit me?” Mav scowls at Danny, making him giggle.
“No! I’d never try to hit you!” He laughs even harder.
“So, then it was an accident. Why would I get upset about an accident? Even if you had hit me in the balls, I wouldn’t be mad at you.
Though I’d probably limp for a lot longer.
” He tugs his shorts up and grimaces at the bruise.
It’s getting darker and darker. “Plus, this is a pretty cool battle wound. It’s definitely going to be all different colors and look gross by morning. ”
“Thank you, Mav.” Danny throws himself into Maverick’s unexpecting arms. Mav gets knocked back slightly, but he doesn’t say a word. He wraps his arms around my son and hugs him back with just as much ferocity.
“Why don’t you go get in the car? You can start the engine and get it warm for me while I talk to Mav.” I hold out my keys and Danny takes them. He slings his bag over his shoulder and rushes towards the door.
“Bye, Mav! Thank you for your help today!” He waves before disappearing outside.
I stand to my full height and watch in amusement while Maverick tries to stand. He winces, but tries to hide it. He’s in a lot of pain and I feel bad.
“Do you need help?” I hold out a hand with a smirk.
“I want to say no and act like a man, but this hurts so bad.” He takes my hand and slowly rises until he’s towering over me again.
“I'm sorry-”
“Stop apologizing, Syd. This is temporary. He didn’t damage me for good. In a few weeks there will be no proof I got beat up by a ten-year-old.”
“Stop it!” I giggle and swat at his chest, causing a slow grin to spread across his face.
He grabs my wrists in a gentle hold and tugs me towards him. Because I have the grace of a newborn giraffe, I stumble and crash into his chest. He grabs my waist to keep me from falling and when I glance up at him, his attention is already intently focused on me.
“He’s a great kid, Syd. I’d like to continue working with him. I think if we work one-on-one for a while, he could be unstoppable on the mound or up at bat.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to. You want him to have a good role model in his life, let me be that.” His fingers flex, and he rubs his thumbs back and forth on my waist. It’s the most attention I’ve gotten in months and it’s making me much too agreeable.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
I wish he’d tilt my chin up and claim my lips. I wouldn’t even try to stop it. I’d kiss him back, then beg him to date me. Anything to keep the smile on my son’s face… And maybe the smile on my face too.
Instead, I snake my arms around his neck and plaster my body against him. A hug is the next best thing to kissing him, right?
“If you’re not doing anything tonight, you should come over for dinner,” I say as I take a step back and let my arms fall to my side. My bottom lip slips between my teeth and I nibble on the flesh as I wait for him to reply.
“I’d love to come over for dinner.” He reaches up and uses his thumb to tug my lip from my teeth and grins. “Let me grab my bag, then I’ll walk you out to your car.”
He comes back a few moments later with jeans on and a heavy sweatshirt. I don’t know where he got changed, but it would’ve been freezing for him outside in shorts and a t-shirt.
We walk slowly to accommodate Maverick’s limp. When we get to the door, I gasp at how much snow there is. It was flurrying when we got here, but this is a lot worse.
“Is your car going to drive ok in this?” Mav glances at the unplowed roads with a scowl.
“I… I’m not sure. I hate driving in the snow.”
“How about you guys get in my truck? I’ll take you home and I can come back later with Peck to get your car.”
“You don’t need-” My words die on my tongue with the look he’s giving me.
“Let me take care of you, Syd.”
“I'm not used to anyone taking care of me. Rob wouldn’t have done this.”
“That sounds like even more of a reason to let me. You deserve to be taken care of. I'm not Rob and I never will be. Let me be there for you and the kids. Let me be what he wasn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be.”
“Yeah, but why?”
He stares at me for several long seconds before he reaches up and cups my cheek. He brushes his thumb over my jaw and I lean into his touch.
“Let’s talk about it later. I’d rather get you home safely before the snow gets any worse.”
Maverick’s truck is parked right next to my car.
He opens the passenger’s door and helps me inside, then he rushes around to the driver’s side and cranks the engine.
As soon as it’s running, he knocks on my car’s window and tells Danny what’s going on.
Soon, my son is climbing into the back of the cab with a big grin on his face.
“Mom, why can't you have an awesome truck like this?”
“Because I have to deliver things for the bakery with my car.” I chuckle. “It would be a little hard without a flat place to put all of the boxes.”
“That’s what the bed of the truck is for.” He rolls his eyes.
“No, they need to be covered. I'm not getting a truck, Danny. It’s way too big for me to drive.”
“It’s alright, Danny. You can ride with me wherever you want.” Maverick glances behind him and winks at my son before spinning around to face the front.
He takes his time backing up and drives slowly. I'm not sure if this is how he would normally drive in the snow, or if he’s doing it because we’re in the car with him.
He holds the steering wheel with his left hand and rests his right arm on the center console. His fingers hang over, almost brushing my thigh. I want to encourage him to touch me, but that’s stupid. Maverick isn't interested in me.
Not only is he older than me, but no one wants to date a single mom of two.
He could have any of the women that show up in his bar.
He’s attractive with his long, wavy brown hair.
His piercing blue eyes and sinful smile.
He has tattoos that cover most of his arms and disappear behind his sleeves, making you wonder how many tattoos you can't see.
We hit a patch of ice and I shriek, reaching for anything to hold on to. Maverick stays calm and regains control without any effort.
“We’re ok, sweetheart. Sometimes the truck will fishtail, but it’s alright.” He reaches a little further and takes my hand in his, giving it a little squeeze.
My heart is pounding against my ribs and I'm not sure if it’s because he’s still holding my hand, or from my near-death experience. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to calm myself down. This is stupid. I’ve driven in snow hundreds of times. I should expect us to slide a little.
“She hates the snow,” Danny pipes up from the backseat.
“It can be scary sometimes. And if you don’t know how to drive in snow, it can get dangerous really quickly.” Mav’s voice is deep and soothing. I swear I could listen to him talk for hours.
“Do you know how to drive in snow, Mom?” Danny pops his head between our seats and stares at me.
“Probably not as well as Maverick does. Please sit back, Danny. I don’t want you to get hurt if we hit another patch of ice.”
“You worry too much.” He rolls his eyes, making my heart sink. Rob used to tell me that all the time and it drove me crazy. I don’t want him to start saying it to me too.
“No, she doesn’t. She’s your mother. It’s her job to worry about you.
God put her in your life to protect you and worry about you.
No one else is going to do it, so you should appreciate what she does for you.
” Maverick’s tone leaves no room for argument.
He’s not rude or mean, but he’s firm in what he’s saying and he’s not backing down.
“You’re right,” Danny says softly. “I'm sorry, Mom.”
I glance over at Maverick as tears gather in my eyes. He’s amazing. Absolutely perfect. Rob would’ve teased me for hours if Danny spoke to me like that in front of him. He’d never correct him or put him in his place.
The rest of the drive is silent. As soon as we pull in the driveway, Danny takes my keys and hops out of the truck. He hurries up the walkway and into the house.
I climb out and keep my gaze down as I walk around the truck. I'm an emotional mess right now and I really don’t want Maverick to see it.