Chapter 12
twelve
CADE
Hand in hand, Maverick and I walk through the park a few blocks from his home. It’s nice and low stress, since I don’t have to figure out any technology.
It’s been hard these past few days, trying to understand the world around me, but I refuse to give up. What’s the alternative? Maverick doing everything for me and I sit as a recliner for the rest of my life because I’m overwhelmed? Absolutely not.
I want to take care of Maverick. He can do that on his own—he’s been doing it for years—but as his mate, I need to make sure I meet all of his needs.
“Do you know a way I can get replacement documents?” I ask. I’m not sure what happened to any of my belongings. I had my wallet in my pocket when Blossom cursed me, so maybe she still has that, but I still need a birth certificate and social security card.
He shakes his head. “No, unfortunately not. I’ve been thinking about that as well. I’ll do some research on it and see what we can do.”
I nod and pull him closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’d like to make my own money. I don’t want your friends to think I’m using you.”
Though Sawyer apologized for how he reacted to me and seems like a really nice guy, what he said stung.
Yes, I was homeless since I was stuck as a recliner for decades and it was one hundred percent my fault.
Had I not crossed Blossom, I wouldn’t have met Maverick, yes, but I also wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now.
Maverick told me not to worry about it, but Sawyer’s words have been pinging around my head for the past twenty-four hours.
Maverick pulls us to a stop, threading our fingers together.
“You were trapped as a recliner for fifty years. It’s natural for you to need some help now.
I’m not rushing you. Besides, you cook and clean every day, so I don’t have to when I get off.
That’s not using me; that’s being helpful how you can. ”
I sigh and plant a gentle kiss on his lips. “You’re perfect.”
He blushes, the most beautiful pink creeping up his cheeks. “I don’t know about all that. I just don’t want you to be sad about something you can’t help.”
Almost as if my past wants to taunt me, a large barred owl flies overhead, landing on a tree branch nearby, its large yellow eyes landing on me before it takes flight again.
It’s not uncommon to see barred owls in the daylight—something I learned while I was Blossom’s captive, and she schooled me on pretty much every species of owl and why they’re so special.
After Blossom cursed me, I thought long and hard about the trick I played on her and her pets.
It was beyond cruel, but I didn’t know the owl had a mate or the implications of if the animal had died because of me.
My friends and I just thought we’d get a good laugh at seeing how frantic Blossom would get when she discovered her owl was missing.
It wasn’t smart, and it wasn’t right. Blossom isn’t a bad person—in fact, she’d never done anything to me, personally. But one of my friends, Denim, was always picking with her and brought us guys in to help him with his tricks.
Like Maverick said, peer pressure. But it’ll never happen again. Not only because it’s fucking wrong, but because I can’t be trapped as a fucking recliner again.
Maverick squeals and points at the owl’s retreating form. “Wow, I’ve never seen an owl in the daytime. Is that, like, an omen or something?”
Smiling shakily, I tell him all about barred owls, their sleep patterns, and mating activities. I’m surprised I remember it all, seeing as Blossom told me those facts when I was a freshly cursed recliner, but they all come tumbling out.
Maverick looks up at me, shocked, but with a cute smile tipping up his lips.
When I’m done, he says, “Wow, I didn’t think anyone knew that much about owls.”
I cough an almost distressed laugh. “Yeah, well, Blossom made sure I did.”
He frowns and snakes an arm around my waist. “Cade, I believe you when you say that you won’t do anything like that again, and you’ll apologize to Blossom, but I need you to know that I can’t be with someone cruel again.
Walt was, in his little dipshit ways, and I only noticed after our breakup.
I told myself I wouldn’t put up with that kind of behavior again. If you think—”
For the second time, I stop our meandering and turn him to face me.
“Maverick, I would never do anything like that again. I’m not a cruel person, though what I did says differently.
But it’s not something I made a habit of.
I promise I won’t do anything close to what your ex did.
I plan to apologize to Blossom soon, I promise. ”
Maverick is silent, his solemn eyes searching my face. I let him look his fill, not interrupting whatever he’s looking for.
Finally, he lets out a long breath and nods. “Good. Because I like you and want to keep you around.”
“I’d like to stay around,” I say, leading us down the path once more.
We walk in silence, enjoying the warm weather and the wonderful scenery.
When we come upon a bed of flowers, I skip over and pluck a pretty purple one with a yellow interior. Walking back over to Maverick, I tuck it behind his ear, my chest warming as a blush blooms across his cheeks.
“You’re breathtaking, Maverick.”
“God, you’re so sweet. Walt never—” He cuts himself off with a growl. “I’m sorry to keep bringing him up. He’s my only long-term boyfriend. I have nothing to compare to.”
“Can you tell me about him? Like the terrible shit he did?”
Maverick sighs and wraps his arms around his middle as we start walking again.
“He wasn’t always so bad. In the beginning, he was really sweet—taking me on dates, listening to me when I talked, bringing me flowers.
He was ideal. But after I moved in with him, all that stopped.
And he started to get mean and jealous. Like he told me I was gaining weight working as a chef and I should join a gym.
If I wasn’t already running three miles every morning to stay in shape, I would have believed him.
I told Sawyer about it, and he said it was a thing some men did to get their partner’s self-esteem in the crapper so they wouldn’t leave them. ”
A growl percolates up my throat, and I wish I could see this Walt motherfucker and deck him for trying to make someone as amazing as Maverick think lowly of himself.
Maverick’s lips tip up in a small smile.
“Yeah, I called him out on it and he stopped. After that, it was little things—complaining about my work hours, how long I hung out with Sawyer, not paying him any attention, even if we were sitting on the couch together. Then I found him cheating on me, on the couch that I bought with money I saved.” His voice takes on a hard edge, his cheeks red with anger.
“That’s why I wonder…” He flicks his gaze up to me and shakes his head.
“Never mind. Anyway, after that, I left. I should have left way before the cheating, but I don’t know.
I guess I was waiting for that push. Wish that push left my damn couch out of it. ”
I let silence settle between us for a moment, giving Maverick time to calm down. He dropped a lot on me, and I know that kind of betrayal hurts, even if he already had one foot out of the relationship.
That kind of heartbreak is hard to get over. I should know.
Maverick shakes his head and scoffs. “No more talk about Walt. I’m over that asshole.” He looks over at me. “What about you? Did you have someone before Blossom cursed you?”
I nod, then shake my head. “I thought I did. In the seventies, it wasn’t very common for men to be together like it is now, but I thought I had something solid. But it turns out, Barry was the one that sold me out to Blossom. It hurt when she told me, but I can’t really blame him, I don’t think.”
Maverick takes my hand, holding it tight. “I understand why he said something, but also, he maybe should have told you to tell Blossom?”
“That would have been nice, but I was an arrogant prick. I never would have told her what I did. I think it hurt worse because Barry, Denim, and the rest told her that they knew nothing about my plan, and I only told them after I did it.”
“Those motherfuckers!” Maverick seethes, making a startled laugh burst from my throat. He’s cursed around me, sure, but never with that much passion, and on my behalf.
I wave him off, still chuckling. “It’s okay. If they didn’t tell her, I don’t think I would have changed who I was. I’d be a seventy-five-year-old dick head.”
After my parents died, I was on a tear, trying to raise as much hell as I could since no one was around to hold me accountable. I had a few cousins here and there, but they wanted nothing to do with me after they saw the shit I was getting into. Not that I blame them.
Falling in with Denim was probably the worst thing I’ve ever done and I paid the price.
For the first few years of my curse, I thought about what I would say to my ‘friends’ when I finally got free. I thought about finding them and beating their asses, punishing them for not standing beside me.
But as the years dragged on, I had to sit with the knowledge that I was the one that did something wrong.
I could have said no. It’s not like I was a child in middle or high school; I was a grown ass man with a fuck-it attitude who really fucked up.
Now, I just wish them well and hope that they learned from my mistake.
Besides, I have years of youth to enjoy while their best years are behind them. I might have been cursed, but a win is a win.
“Enough of the heavy stuff,” I say, not wanting our beautiful day to be marred with bad memories. “Tell me how you got involved in baking. Have you always wanted to be a pastry chef?”