Chapter 43 #2
He truly was a jack of all trades. Always giving and giving and giving. He was my safe space, my soft place to land when the weight of the world got too heavy, the haven from the worries of life and pregnancy, and I was so grateful for him.
I reluctantly dragged my gaze from Maverick who hovered over the stove making something that smelled absolutely delicious, and plucked a hot roll off the baking sheet as well. “I don’t know, because it’s been so hard for you and so opposite for me,” I replied with a shrug.
Charlie laughed, not a single hint of bitterness or annoyance lingering there. “So? That isn’t your fault. I’m just glad one of us is having an easy time.”
Cason appeared from out of nowhere—I swear, the kid had the sneaking skills of a ghost—and snatched a roll off the plate. By the time Charlie noticed, he was already darting back toward the front door where Dutch and Brandy waited patiently for him. “Hey, only one. Save room for dinner!”
He waved her off, disappearing outside as quickly as he came.
I offered her a sympathetic smile. She was always so positive through this whole thing, so flexible and fluid. When life gave her lemons, she made lemonade. “So,” I asked, changing the subject, “any more headway on baby names?”
Charlie tried and failed to bite back a smile, tucking her long bangs behind an ear. “We may have come up with one.”
Maverick’s voice nearly startled me out of my seat. “Ryder didn’t mention anythin’ about y’all settlin on one.”
“We’ve been goin back and forth on whether to keep it a secret ‘til he’s born or not.”
“How come?” I asked.
She took a bite full of roll before chewing and swallowing. With an eyeroll, she answered, “Mostly because of my mom. She’s been so fucking fussy this whole pregnancy, and I just know that if we tell her the name we’re intending she’ll throw a fit.”
“So, y’all are keepin’ up with the Wright family tradition then?” Maverick asked, a hint of a smirk curving his lips upward.
Charlie’s smile held the same mischief that danced in her eyes. “How could we break that?”
I grinned. “Ah, come on! I wanna know what name y’all chose! Please, tell us.”
She stuffed the rest of the roll into her mouth, a distraction no doubt, conflict swirling in her gaze. “I want to,” she finally said, “but Ryder will throw a fit if I go back on the deal I enforced. Not to mention, if Cash finds out, then the whole town might as well know too.”
“That’s fair,” Maverick said, pausing in his cooking to stand before me where I sat on the countertop.
He situated himself between my legs, one of his hands brushing my thigh in a soft, reassuring gesture.
I don’t know how it was possible to relax with such a simple touch, but I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in.
That’s what him coming around felt like, the impact he had on my anxiety and worries. The calm to my storm.
Mav might be okay with not knowing, but I wanted to know what epic name Charlie and Ryder came up with. It had to be if they were keeping up with the innuendos. “What if we guess?” I asked.
Charlie laughed and reached for another roll. Mav batted her hand away, shaking his head. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
She rolled her eyes but sighed, a grin on her lips. “I highly doubt you’ll guess it, but sure. I’m interested to see what names you guys come up with.”
A trill of excitement shot through me as I racked my brain for potential names. By the downward tilt of Maverick's lips and the line furrowed between his brows, he was thinking too.
“Okay, I’ve got one,” I finally said after a few moments. “Striker. Like Strike her right. It’s also a mix of both his and his daddy’s names.”
Charlie’s grin pulled wider but she shook her head. “Clever, but no.”
Maverick’s voice drew our attention. “What about Slater?”
I bit back a laugh. Slayed her right.
“Another excellent one, but still no.”
I blew out a breath, tapping a finger to my lips. “What about…” even the thought of the name had me grinning. “Wrecker. Wrecker Wright.”
Charlie’s stunned silence sent fireworks of excitement exploding in my chest.
“It’s that, isn’t it? No fuckin’ way. I can just see it now, Cash having some little onesie made that says somethin’ like get wrecked on it.”
Laughter bubbled out of Charlie. “That was my exact thought, but it’s still not it. We almost went with Wrecker, though.”
“What? It isn’t that?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But I’m loving hearing your ideas, so keep them coming.”
After a few more minutes of guessing, Maverick and I both gave up. Dinner was ready, and I was out of innuendos.
Charlie sat down in a chair opposite me. Cason sat diagonal to us both, his hair mussed up and streaked with sweat from playing outside. Brandy and Dutch panted from the dog bed in the corner of the living room.
“What about y’all?” Charlie asked. “Any contenders for little miss?” It was funny, she didn’t have an accent really, despite growing up here, but now that she was back, every now and then a ‘y’all’ or ‘bless your heart’ would escape her with the barest hint of a twang.
Looked like you could take the girl out of the country, but couldn’t take the country out of the girl.
I glanced at Maverick, who sat diagonal to me. His gaze flicked to my swollen belly, his hand reaching out to brush it in reassurance. “Apparently naming babies is far harder than naming animals.” I glanced back at Charlie.
She laughed before taking a sip of her sweet tea. “How so?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… What if we pick the wrong name? What if we fall in love with one and she comes out and the name just doesn’t fit her?”
“Well, what names were you thinkin’?” Charlie asked.
I looked at Maverick once more. “Might as well tell her. Maybe she’s got some ideas.”
“We liked Kinleigh at first, but it’s kinda popular. I liked Winter, but Chey ain’t a fan. We both like Oakley…like Annie Oakley, but spelled with a l-e-i-g-h at the end,” Maverick replied.
She smiled. “Ooh, Oakleigh is super cute. What about a middle name?”
Maverick huffed before muttering, “We barely got the first name down, now you want a second?”
I chimed in, “I was thinkin’, actually the other day about middle names. What about Mae?”
A muscle in Maverick’s hand flexed, his grip on my belly tightening almost imperceptibly, and when I looked at him, his jade eyes swam with a current of emotions I couldn’t quite place. I frowned. “Do you not like that?”
“N-no, I…” I didn’t miss the way his voice dipped and cracked. “My…uh…my sister’s name was Ellie Mae.”
My breath hitched, tightening in my chest. “I’m sorry.
I…I didn’t know.” Cash had mentioned his sister’s name before, once or twice, but I didn’t recall that her middle name was Mae.
It had been so long since we’d talked about Maverick’s past though that I could have maybe just forgotten.
I wouldn’t forget something like that though. Not something as important as that.
Families were still a soft subject for Mav and I—well, mostly him. Dredging up those dark memories, reliving the past was hard…on both of us really. And as long as he didn’t force me to bring them up, I wouldn’t do that to him either.
Blowing out a breath, I pressed a reassuring hand over his. “I’m sorry. I get if that’s too hard for you. We can think of somethin’ else. We got ti—”
“No.” Maverick’s tone held a desperate, yet final note to it that made my heart crack. He met my stare. “Ain’t much good came out of my family, but I’d be honored to have this little girl share the same name as my sister.”
My heart shattered entirely at the fierce love written so plainly on his face.
I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, trying to assure him with my touch when words seemed to fail me.
I didn’t know what to say to that, but I’d be damned if I didn’t give him this after he’d given me so much.
Maverick remained quiet throughout dinner and excused himself as quickly as he could to retreat to the barn with Cason for a lesson while Charlie and I offered to stay and clean up.
I’d noted the shift in him immediately, but hadn’t wanted to say anything until it was just the two of us.
He did this from time to time—withdrew into himself and got really quiet.
Well, okay, quieter than usual. He was always quiet, sometimes almost painfully so, but then there were times like this where the silence was so cold and hollow that I feared he might slip into one of his silent episodes again.
I wondered if it was the mention of his sister that did it this time, or if there was more to it than that.
Worry niggled at me, but I pushed it down.
One thing I’d learned about Mav was that he’d talk when he was ready.
Push him too much and it would only take longer.
He’d dig his heels in and get really stubborn.
I understood that all too well.
By the time Charlie and I finished and made our way to the barn to get Maverick and Cason, it was late.
Cold had finally won out against the relentless Texas heat, the evening air bringing a sharp, chill crispness to it that I appreciated.
But too much colder and I’d be an unhappy camper.
I liked the warmth—like a little cactus, I thrived in heat. Not cold, harsh temperatures.
I pulled my jacket around me tighter and glanced at Charlie. “Ryder comes home this weekend, right?”
Her smile lit up the dark, the excitement written in every inch of her.
“Yes, thank God.” My brows knit together in question and a sheepish look replaced the excitement on her face.
“Sorry, I know that sounded bad. I’ve just missed him, and with being so far along I haven’t wanted to travel that far.
I mean, I know we still have about a month left, but…
I don’t know. I still get so sick and I don’t want him to have to worry about that as well as competing. ”
I met her gaze, offering her a soft, reassuring smile. “That makes sense. He’s home from here on out till the baby comes, right?”
She nodded, running a hand through her hair as a broad smile lit up her face once more. “Yes. I’m excited for him to be home for more than just a few days here and there. There’s so much to do and so little time. I can’t believe they’re almost here.”
I blew out a breath, mist forming in the air. A mixture of unease and excitement sprung to life in my chest. “I know. It’s crazy.”
“You ready?”
I barked out a laugh. “Fuck, no. Are you?”
She let out a chuckle. “Not at all. Some days I just want this pregnancy to be over and I’m like, okay, I’m ready, but then I think of things like feeding schedules and diaper changes and percentiles and I start freaking out. Not to mention the actual labor.”
The uneasy feeling in my chest roiled, before settling a bit at the realization that Charlie, for as put together as she seemed, also felt the same. At least I wasn’t alone in this. I couldn’t imagine being in this position by myself.
“Same, girl. Same.”