Chapter 4
MAVERICK
Dove fits into our family so easily. It helps that we’ve known each other since we were ten years old. It helps that her personality is still the same. She’s still quick to laugh, quick to put me in my place, and quick with a Dolly Parton quote.
At the moment, she’s sitting on our living room floor with Lucy on one hip and Maddie facing her from the couch, hanging on her every word.
“Then what happened?” Maddie is obsessed with her stories from our childhood.
“Then your aunt Haddy walked right out and sang ‘The Heart Wants What it Wants’ by Selena Gomez, and the entire room melted like putty in her hand.”
Maddie’s brown eyes widen, and she looks over at Haddy, who is sitting on Gavin’s lap in our oversized arm chair.
“It’s important to remember your new friend Dove likes to exaggerate,” Haddy says. “A lot.”
“That doesn’t sound like an exaggeration.” Gavin’s voice is low, and he slides his hand along the side of her thigh. “You did it to me.”
“Flattery is my love language.” Haddy leans forward to kiss him on the lips, and I look down at my hands.
“Get a room!” Gina yells, walking over and taking Lucy from Dove’s arms. “We already have one baby. Are y’all going for a second?”
Maddie’s lips twist, and she studies Haddy sitting on Gavin’s lap. “Mama G needs to sit on Daddy’s lap. I’d like a new baby!”
Leaning forward, I hold the beer bottle in front of my mouth, hiding my laugh with a cough.
“What?” Maddie frowns at me.
Dove catches both her hands. “Guess what your uncle Maverick used to do when he was your age.”
Maddie shakes her head excitedly, and my brow furrows. I can’t imagine what she’s about to say.
“A long time ago, there was a movie called Grease, and your uncle Mav used to act just like the hero… down to a certain move he did in front of the mirror.”
Embarrassment heats my chest, and warning is in my tone. “Dove…”
She blinks round eyes up at me, but it’s too late. Haddy snortles, and Gavin leans forward. “Now you have to tell us.”
Gina drops onto the couch, bouncing the baby on her lap, her eyes flashing at me. “I forgot about that! Mav’s little ‘Greased Lightning’ move.”
“What did I miss?” Owen drifts into the room from the kitchen, stopping to rest a hand on Gina’s shoulder.
“Dove is taking us on a walk down memory lane.” She drops her head back to look up at him. “To a time when Maverick was obsessed with John Travolta.”
“John Travolta?” Owen’s face crinkles in confusion.
“I wasn’t obsessed with him,” I groan.
“Who’s John Travolta?” Maddie is on her knees. “I want to know!”
“I’m sorry.” Dove’s voice is quiet. “Are you really embarrassed?”
“Yeah, but I mean, I did it.” I rub the back of my neck, ready to face the music.
“Well, we all had our signature songs because of the pageants.” Dove explains. “And we all had choreography… Maverick decided he’d do ‘Greased Lightning,’ and he’d stand in front of the mirror and twirl his fingers in the front of his hair like this.”
She does an exaggerated version with her hand, flourishing all of her fingers before twisting them down in the middle of her forehead.
“Nice.” Gavin grins, nodding.
“I’d like to see that.” Owen laughs.
“You were so cute,” Haddy coos. “Do it for us now, Mav. Just one more time. Stand up and give us the ole Danny.”
Maddie’s nose wrinkles, and she looks from them to me to Dove. “I thought it was John?”
“Owen, how could you neglect your child’s education in this way?” I call to him. “Maddie needs to see Grease.”
“Yeah, Daddy!” Maddie climbs onto her knees beside Gina on the couch, holding his hand. “I need to see Grease!”
Gina puts a hand over her mouth, doing her best to hide her laugh.
“She’s not old enough to watch it.” His tone is quietly scolding, and he gives me one of his cut it out looks. “It’s got adult content.”
“I need to see it, Daddy, and I want to see Uncle Maverick do the ole Danny!”
“You don’t even know what that means, Shortcake.” Owen tweaks her chin. “It’s bedtime. We need to let these guys rest.”
“Sorry.” Dove makes a sad panda face. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”
“You didn’t.” Gina hops up, giving her a hug. “If it makes you feel better, Owen, I saw it at her age, and all the dirty parts sailed right over my head.”
“Even with all that stuff in the backseat of the car?” Haddy is on her feet, taking the baby from her cousin.
“I think Mom skipped over that part.” Gina walks with her to the door.
They hug and kiss goodnight. Haddy says she’ll be over in the morning, and surprisingly fast, it’s just the two of us.
Haddy said it took a week to get used to us all living together.
I wonder how long it’ll take for me to get used to Dove in my house.
I wonder if my imagination will ever stop drifting to her naked and wet when I hear the shower upstairs.
If my ears will ever not tingle at the sound of her voice.
If I’ll ever not perk up when she enters the room.
Dove turns to me, putting her hands behind her back. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realize how tempting that position makes her. Her shirt stretches across her chest in a way that has me turning away.
Her personality hasn’t changed, but damn, her gorgeous body sure has. She’s still petite and tiny, but her breasts are round and full. Her skin is soft and dewy. She’s like a fucking peach. She literally makes my mouth water.
Her light-blonde hair is in a low ponytail at the side of her neck, and the ends hang in a curl that draws my eyes to the soft swells rising and falling with her breath.
Stop fucking staring at her breasts, Maverick.
“You might need a haircut to do your signature move now.” Her voice breaks the spell.
Light laughter is in her tone, and I register what she said. Reaching up, I catch my forefinger in the top of my hair, right in the center of my forehead and try to give it a twist.
“That’s it,” she teases. “Really twirl it around.”
I try to comply, but she’s right. My hair is too long, and it just pulls it all into my face.
“Oh no!” She steps forward, reaching up to help me push it away again.
The gesture puts her body flush against mine, and I clear my throat. “You’ll have to wait until we win the Cup for that encore performance.”
“When does that happen?” She’s still smiling, still looking up at me with wide-eyed innocence, like she has no idea how she affects me.
“June, if we’re lucky.”
“But that’s months away!” She takes a step back, and I’m able to breathe again. “You’re not going to cut your hair until June?”
“If we make it that far.”
“But your hair will be down to your waist by then.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “My hair doesn’t grow that fast, and it’s superstition, like game day rituals. We can’t cut our hair until we win it.”
“Wow.” She slowly starts for the stairs, and I take a step toward my room.
“How do you remember all that stuff from when we were kids?” I look up at her, wondering if it means she’s thought about me the way I’ve thought about her through the years.
“I don’t know.” Her voice is quiet, and she shrugs. “I have a good memory?”
“I notice you didn’t mention ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and you as Dorothy.”
Her cute nose wrinkles, and she shakes her head. “Nobody cares about that old routine.”
“I care.” I thought she was the cutest blonde Dorothy I’d ever seen. “Your voice is really nice, and everybody laughed when Toto walked out as a large Siberian Husky. Mrs. Gulch would’ve had a hard time fitting Akela in her basket.”
“Yeah.” A warm light is in her eyes. “That was probably the best part of being in that pageant.”
We hesitate a moment longer, facing each other in silence. I consider her pretty hair, her pretty smile, her easy manner. For the first time in several weeks, this house feels like home again.
“I guess I’d better get to bed.” Her voice is quiet. “Have to meet Dr. Smithfield tomorrow with Haddy.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
She nods, and I remain, watching her go. The hall upstairs goes dark, and I walk slowly to my room.
“Coffee…” Dove enters the kitchen with her eyes closed, holding her arms straight out in front of her like a cartoon zombie. “Coffeeeeee…”
A grin splits my cheeks, and I catch her forearm before she walks into me. “Hold up.” Then I reach into the narrow cabinet beside the sink, take down a mug, fill it with the hot brown liquid, and put it in her hand. “Coffee.”
She takes a sip and sets the mug down then curls her hands into creepy witch-claws. “Now braaaains…”
“Back, zombie!” I laugh more, grabbing her wrists and pulling them down behind her back. “Don’t make me double-tap you!”
Her eyes are closed, and her chin is lifted as her lips part with a laugh. I’m holding her wrists in both my hands, putting her body flush against mine. Again.
My body heats, and I release her quickly, stepping away, to the refrigerator to try and cool off. “Did you sleep okay last night?”
“Mmm-hm.” She nods, taking a longer drink of the hot beverage. “You’re not having coffee?”
I shake my head. “I don’t like hot drinks.”
Dove squeezes her eyes, running them up and down my body. “But you made this… really good coffee, by the way… and you don’t even drink it?”
I grab a Mountain Dew and close the refrigerator again. “Haddy likes coffee in the morning, and so does Gina. I guess I figured you would, too.”
Her head tilts to the side, and she gives me that warm smile that makes my insides light up. “Thank you, Maverick.”
A tone is in her voice I don’t remember from before. It’s warm and womanly, appreciative in a way that gives me very inappropriate thoughts. Like what else she might thank me for with trembling thighs and sweat on her skin.
I gotta stop doing that or I’ll be back in the refrigerator.
“I guess if we’re going to be sharing a space and meals, we should lay some ground rules.” I lean against the ceramic tile counter, facing her.
“Ground rules?” Her brows rise. “Like what, for instance?”
“Well, for starters, like what do you eat for breakfast?”
Her expression relaxes, and she points to the mug. “Coffee… Then, I usually just grab a cup of yogurt or a banana. I’m not much of a breakfast eater.”
I hold up the sausage, egg, and cheese burrito I nuked this morning. “These are in the freezer if you change your mind. What about dinner?”
“I’m not much of a cook.” She makes a cringe face, looking up at the cabinets. “I guess if I need to make dinner one night, I can figure something out? Let’s see… What do you have?”
She opens the cabinet door, but her head only reaches the first shelf. Leaning back, she stretches her body like she’s trying to get taller before quickly stepping forward and attempting to jump onto the counter.
“Oh… whooah!” She totally misses and almost falls, but I dive forward to catch her by the waist, steadying her to her feet.
“What are you doing?”
“Demonstrating my balancing skills. Call me Grace.”
“Here’s another rule, no climbing on the counters.”
“Since you’re as tall as a peach tree now…” She points overhead. “Stretch those branches and hand me down that box of mac and cheese.”
My branches, I chuckle. “You love those peach trees.”
“I’m the Lorax.” Her eyes sparkle, and my stomach tightens. She remembered. “And I saw you on a billboard driving in. You’re a star!”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far…”
“It makes total sense. You were always the center of attention.” Her eyes drift down my body. “Do you get up every morning, look in the mirror and go, ‘Nailed it!’?”
“No.” Prickly heat itches up my neck again. Again! How does she do this to me?
“Are you blushing, Maverick Murphy?” Her teasing tone only makes it worse. “Aunt Dolly said, ‘Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!’”
My eyes narrow. “Did Aunt Dolly say that?”
“I’m not sure. Either way, it’s a good motto, especially for someone like you.”
“Keep reaching for myself?”
She ducks forward, snorting. “I guess if you’re going through a dry spell?” Her eyes roll as she taps a slim finger on her chin. “Maybe it’s a better motto for me?”
“I wouldn’t mind that.” I grin at the thought of her reaching for me.
“I’ll workshop it.” She shifts gears, moving us away from the potential awkwardness. “Remember that time we stood on the hill and looked out over the orchard?”
“How could I forget? Your grandfather’s spirit lives there.”
“Then you knocked me down with the peach basket.”
Embarrassment flashes in my chest. “No, I didn’t!”
“I’ve got the scar to prove it.” She turns her arm over, revealing a silver line running from her elbow to her tricep.
“It was an accident. I stepped on a peach…”
Her nose wrinkles, and she pokes my chest. “Calm down. I know.”
“Dang, Dove. I felt like shit after that.”
“It’s okay, I’m just teasing you.” She puts a slim hand on my arm, giving it a little rub. “You’re the only person who understood how much it all meant to me.”
My mind travels to that afternoon, that moment on the hill looking over it all with her. I’ve thought about it several times through the years, wondering what she was doing, if she remembered.
Now she’s standing in my kitchen telling me she does.
“New rule.” I hold up a finger. “You never have to worry about making dinner. I actually enjoy doing it, and from what I’ve heard, I’m a pretty good cook.”
“It’s true. Dinner last night was delicious. I love buffalo chicken.”
“When Maddie comes over, I try to make stuff she’ll like.”
“Sounds like Maddie and I have similar tastes.”
I smile down at her. “I’ve got you covered.”
“Sweet!” She gives me a little wink before transferring her coffee to a travel mug. “I guess I’d better get across the street and pick up Haddy. Do you have my number?”
I tap on my phone, pulling up her contact information. “Got it.”
“Text me if you need anything or… I don’t know. If you want to.” She pulls the bag onto her shoulder. “I’ll be on campus all day.”
I polish off my burrito. “I’ll be at the stadium for practice. Do you have any food allergies or anything like that?”
“Not that I know of.” She starts for the door, and I can’t resist. I adopt a sappy, 1950s-style voice. “Have a nice day, honey!”
She snorts, answering in the exact same voice, but adding an awkwardly staged wave. “You too, hon! Don’t forget to take Spot out for a walk.”
“You betcha!” I give her an equally dorky thumbs up.
She steps out the door, heading across the street, and I pause at the window, watching her jog up to Haddy’s door, thinking about someone you’d marry on the spot.