Chapter 25
DOVE
“Itook pictures of what my uncle has done, so you can see…” I share the photos with Dr. Smithfield’s device, sorrow pulsing in my chest. “They’re working so hard, but it’s not enough.”
My heart has been so heavy since we returned from the wedding. It was so beautiful and perfect, like it used to be, for a brief moment in time.
The orchard was on full display, in the height of its beauty, flowers on the trees, so full of promise. I could close my eyes and pretend like nothing was wrong…
Being with Mav was the icing on the cake. All of it was a beautiful dream. We were in heaven, walking in the clouds.
But it wasn’t just a dream. I was complete, and so happy, so fulfilled.
I’ve never had sex like that. I probably never will… but how?
Our lives are a thousand miles apart, and I can’t waste time crying over dreams. I have an ugly reality to face. We’re losing this fight.
“Time is the fire in which we burn.” Dr. Smithfield quotes, smiling at me, but I’m too miserable.
“Money is the fire in which we burn,” I retort.
My professor understands my mood and thankfully softens his tone. “Have they requested government assistance? There are grants available…”
“My uncle Leon has maxed out all of them.” I shake my head. “He’s borrowed money from the bank. He’s even taken loans from my dad, until my uncle Sawyer put a stop to it.”
“Why…”
“He doesn’t want my dad spending all their retirement on what he considers a lost cause.”
Dr. Smithfield nods gravely. “It’s a sad truth many farmers ultimately accept.”
My jaw clenches, and I want to scream, I don’t accept it!
Instead, I scrub my fingers over my forehead, exhaling a bitter laugh. “We actually have a buyer just waiting in the wings.”
“Is it a friend? Or an opportunistic exploiter.”
I’m not sure how to answer that.
“The owner of a neighboring farm wants the land. They’ll recoup their money from this year’s peach harvest, then cut all the trees down, replace the soil, and plant soybeans.”
A grim silence falls. The second hand on the lab clock overhead ticks loudly.
Dr. Smithfield’s tone is measured. “How does your family feel about that?”
“I think it might be their only option.” My chest hurts. “It’ll completely change the culture of the town. I don’t know how many visitors will show up for the Harristown Soybean Festival.”
“Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?” He puts his hand gently on my shoulder, then gives me a brief pat. “I’m so sorry, Dove. I wish there was more I could do.”
“You’ve done so much. I appreciate you sharing all your knowledge with me and taking me to the conference. You’ve truly gone above and beyond.”
“It’s times like these I wish I had one of those billionaires in my back pocket like the tech guys over in engineering.”
“A fairy god-billionaire?”
“Or a real one.” He shrugs. “Although a fairy would be more fun.”
“A fairy with healing powers.”
“You never know what the future holds.”
“I liked you with Maverick.” Gina sits on the edge of my bed holding Kelani and pouting. “Couldn’t you go on being horny for six more weeks?”
“Then what?” I sigh, walking over to sit beside her, putting my hand on the puppy’s head. “We always knew when I came here it was just for the semester. Maverick has his whole career here, and I’ve got my whole life there.”
“Long distance?” Her eyebrows rise.
I press my lips into a sad smile, shaking my head. “I don’t think either of us is strong enough for that.”
I’m not so sure we’re strong enough to be just friends for six more weeks, but we’ve got to try. It’s going to be hard enough as it is.
“But you’re so cute together, and I want you to be my cousin-in-law.”
We hear the door open and close downstairs, and Mav’s voice rings out. “Honeys, I’m home!”
Kelani’s little head jerks, and she wiggles in Gina’s arms so hard, we both start to laugh. Gina leans down to put her on the floor, and we watch her hightail it out of my bedroom.
“She knows she’s one of those honeys.” My friend arches an eyebrow at me. “And the other one is not me.”
I shake my head slowly. Maverick isn’t giving up. He gives me space, and he respects my wishes. Still, I see it in his eyes. He’s working on a plan.
If only I didn’t feel so defeated.
“Who knows,” I sigh. “If my uncles ultimately sell the place, maybe I won’t even go back. Maybe there will be a way for us to be together.”
Gina’s lip curls into a frown, and she shakes her head. “Not like that. You’d never be happy, and if I know Maverick, he won’t be happy if you’re not.”
“So there it is.” I put my hands beside me pushing off the bed. “We don’t have a choice.”
The two of us walk downstairs, but I skid to a stop at the sight of her cousin standing in the foyer, holding the dog. He’s wearing a pair of jeans, loose around his narrow waist and his gray tee stretches across his chest, insanely attractive as always.
But what has me skidding to a stop is the pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His long hair is pulled back in a samurai style, and there he is, square-jaw smiling, looking like a model for men’s eyewear.
A warm tingle fills my stomach, and dirty thoughts fill my mind. I think about all the ways we could forget the problems hanging over my head.
Muscle memory kicks in, and my body remembers his very, very well. What was the number? Twenty-five percent faster?
“Professor Murphy, I presume,” Gina teases, going straight to him and tapping on his shoulder. “Did you get an endorsement deal with Ray-Ban or are you trying to look smart?”
“Har har.” He bats her hand away. “I had to meet with another doctor after practice today. He wanted to check my vision, and apparently I need glasses now.”
My jaw drops along with my stomach. “Because of the concussion? Mav, that sounds serious.”
I go straight to his side, and without even thinking, I put my hand in his.
This is when I realize how far I’ve fallen. The very hint of him being injured has me on high alert.
His fingers close around mine, and he gives me that reassuring grin I rely on so much. “I’m fine. He said at my age, I’ve probably been needing them for a while, but the change was so subtle, I didn’t even notice.”
“I’ve heard this.” Gina nods, going to the door. “Vision loss just sneaks up on you, then all of a sudden, Boom. You’re forty, and you’re blind.”
“Another fun thing to add to the list,” I tease.
“I aim to please.” She steps through the door, giving us a wave. “I’m heading home to my guy. Bye, lovebirds.”
The door closes, and we’re left facing each other, hand in hand. It’s a situation that’s actually become pretty rare since we got back from Louisiana.
Maverick hasn’t been cleared to return to full-time game play, but it’s getting closer with every passing week. In the meantime, he doesn’t miss a practice, and he’s back to training like he’s playing. He travels to every game, which means he’s rarely home.
I’m not complaining. I’m doing my best to focus on my studies. Even if it feels hopeless, I am going to finish the semester, and the less time we have like this, the better.
It only makes it harder to stay away.
“Movie night?” He releases my hand, adjusting those glasses. Funny how such a small change can be so… interesting. “I was thinking comfort foods—mashed potatoes, peach ice cream.”
“What makes you think I need comfort?”
“Just a vibe I got when you were coming down the stairs.” He lifts his finger, gently touching between my brows. “You get a little line right there…”
Reaching up, I wrap my hand around that finger, lowering it. “You notice everything.”
He turns his finger so his large hand envelops mine. “Only the things that matter.” Lifting my hand, he kisses the back of it, and my silly insides warm. “Also, I’ve got these new glasses.”
He releases me, going to the kitchen, and I exhale a laugh, shaking my head. “Does Kelani need to go for a walk?”
She hops around his feet, following him into the kitchen.
“Gina and I took her before you got home.”
He turns on the streaming music then takes the ingredients for our dinner out of the refrigerator. Standing back, it feels so much like home here, with him.
Maverick moves around the room the same way my parents always did, taking out ingredients and expertly putting them all together before transferring them to the stove.
Music plays, and he sings along softly, occasionally pointing at me to fill in a line. Potatoes boiled, he quickly cubes then mashes them, mixing in butter, garlic, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
A cast-iron skillet holds two steaks he gives a quick sear on the stovetop before sliding them into the oven to finish cooking.
“Five minutes,” he says, tapping on his phone screen and holding out a hand to me. “Enough time for one dance.”
A real smile lifts my lips, and I put my hand in his as the same country song from when we were at Boo’s wedding starts to play. It’s about missing all the things about a loved one… cold feet, the sound of his voice, sharing a meal.
Our bodies are flush, Mav’s arm around me, and his head is lowered, lips at my ear as he sings along softly. It ends, and he steps back, lifting my hand to his lips for a kiss.
“I really like dancing with you,” he says.
“Me, too,” I whisper, reluctantly letting him go.
In this small kitchen, dancing in the twilight, I can pretend we’re back home surrounded by twinkle lights and family, love and safety. It’s what I always have in Maverick’s arms. If he’s not the one…
He leans back against the counter facing me, holding both of my hands in his like he’s only waiting for me to say the word.
I place my hand on his chest, drawing him down to me. Our mouths unite, lips seal. We sway as we kiss, as our mouths open and our tongues curl together. His hand cups the side of my face, strong fingers holding my head, tilting it so he can kiss me deeper.
Heat surges in my belly, and of all the problems I’m facing, being with him doesn’t feel like one. It feels like a no-brainer.