Chapter 20
Maverick and I had been joined at the hip since our weekend getaway. It felt good doing nothing but connecting with her and giving her the space to relax. I wanted to be able to do that for us at least once a month. I felt it was important to have that quality time.
When we were both off from work, we spent time together. Either she would be at my house, or I would be at hers. She even started bringing Spencer with her, and he had become protective of Turquoise, just as he had been with Maverick.
Maverick turned her spare bedroom into a room for Turquoise so she would be comfortable whenever we stayed the night.
It was things like that that made me want to give her the world.
Turquoise loved having Maverick around just as much as I did.
My father and Sharon loved her too. Our families meshed well, but it was one person I needed to have a chat with about her.
So, while Maverick was at work and Turquoise was at school, I drove to Greenwood Cemetery, where Bria was buried.
It didn’t take long to reach her burial plot, because I knew the way like the back of my hand. In the beginning I went every other week to visit her, but I’d been slacking.
I removed the dead flowers and replaced them with fresh tulips. I wiped the dirt and dust off that had accumulated since the last time I was there.
I rested my hand on the top of it. “Hey, Bri. I know it’s been a minute, and I apologize for that.
I met someone, and she’s . . . perfect. I know there is no such thing as a perfect person, but she’s the closest thing to it.
She loves our baby girl as if she were her own.
Turquoise has gotten so big, Bri. I wish you could see her.
” I paused and put my hands in my pockets.
“No one could ever take your place, but I hope you are resting peacefully knowing our little girl is good. She’s smart like you and has such a great sense of humor.
” My eyes watered as I stared down at her name.
“Maverick. That’s her name. Maverick is taking care of our hearts.
I never imagined I would open it up to someone else, but I couldn’t help but fall for her.
It was love at first sight. I saved her from a house fire and immediately felt something I hadn’t felt since you.
” I shook my head and just stared at the space around me.
“I miss you, Bri. I’ll make sure to come and visit you soon.
” I kissed the tips of two of my fingers, then tapped the top of the headstone.
“I love you, and I’ll see you again one day. ”
As I stood there getting my emotions under control, I felt a slight breeze blow against the back of my neck. I smiled when the sun suddenly brightened. I knew it was Bri’s way of letting me know that I was good.
I headed back to the car feeling lighter than I had in a long time.
The next day
“I can’t believe you have me out here,” Maverick said as we entered a small festival that was being held in a nearby town.
“Well, it wasn’t easy.” I winked as she blushed.
I knew it would take some convincing, so I asked as I was buried deep inside of her. It was kind of hard for her to say no while she came on my dick.
“Don’t think you are going to trick me like that all of the time.”
“I won’t. You’re doing good, though.”
Since we started dating, she’d been slowly opening up to doing more things in different crowds. Sometimes I didn’t think she realized just how much she had changed. She even attended a couple of Turquoise’s school events.
Maverick stopped walking and turned to face me. “I have to thank you for that.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “You make me want to try new experiences with you and Turquoise.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad we could be of service.” I released her, then reached for her hand.
We continued walking around. There were a few vendors out, so we stopped at a few tables and purchased a few items. Maverick got her and Turquoise matching breaded bracelets, as well as some dog toys for Spencer.
After we shopped, we stopped at one of the food trucks to grab a bite to eat. Once we had our food, we found an unoccupied table to sit at and eat.
We both had gotten Polish sausages with peppers and onions with a side of roasted potatoes. The owners of the truck were from Poland, so I knew the sausages were authentic.
For a moment, we ate in silence as we both took in the sights around us. Maverick looked around a lot, but she seemed to be more comfortable than I expected. Once we were done eating, I decided to tell Maverick about my visit to see Bria the day prior.
“Yesterday, while you were at work, I went to the cemetery to visit Bria.”
Maverick’s eyes softened when she looked up. She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “Aww, how did that go? Are you okay?” She squeezed my hand, then rubbed the inside of my palm.
I loved and appreciated that it didn’t seem to bother her. Even though Bria was gone and would never come back, some women would be upset by me going to visit her. I never experienced it because I hadn’t taken anyone seriously, but I’d seen it happen before.
“Yes, I’m okay. I told her about you.” I smiled. “I feel like she would have liked you, but if she were here, I may not have gotten to know and love you the way I do.”
“From the way you talk about her, I’m sure she was someone special.” She smiled, and my heart warmed.
I never wanted to sugarcoat things with Maverick, because that wasn’t the type of guy I was. Also, I’d seen people’s relationships fail because one person tried to spare the feelings of the other. Granted, I wasn’t deliberately trying to hurt anyone’s feelings; I just wanted to always be honest.
“She was, and you are too. I feel better now that I got a chance to talk to her. In the beginning, whenever I was even slightly interested in another woman, it made me feel like I did something wrong. I believe that is another reason why I didn’t try to have another relationship with anyone.
Deep down, I knew that wasn’t the case, and Bria would want me to be happy.
When I met you, though, nothing else mattered.
I’m very happy with you, Miss Maverick.”
She blushed every time I added miss to the front of her name.
“I’m glad you got to talk to her, and I’m glad you made space in your heart for me because I’m happy with you and the little lady.”
I leaned over the table to kiss her.
“Are you ready to walk around a little more?” I asked after I threw out our trash.
“Yeah, I think so.”
I helped her up from the seat and grabbed our bags with my free hand. We did more window shopping than anything, so we only had three bags, and they were fairly small.
“Oh my God! A fire!” A woman screamed a few feet ahead of us.
My first thought was to run and help, but I knew I couldn’t leave Maverick alone, especially because a crowd had begun to form.
I looked back and forth between Maverick and the area where the fire had begun to spread.
Maverick let go of my hand and reached for the bags. “Go.” Her voice shook a little and made me not want to leave her.
“I can’t leave you alone,” I told her.
“Yes, you can. I’ll be fine.” She cupped the side of my face and looked into my eyes. I could see the slight fear in her eyes.
My eyes searched her face for something, I didn’t know what, but something that would keep me by her side.
“Go,” she said again, pushing me in the process.
I quickly kissed her cheek, then ran to help.
Since it was a public place, I was sure the fire department wouldn’t take too long, but there was no way I could stand around and not try to help. I knew that if there was a medical emergency, Maverick would have been there helping. We both took our oaths seriously.
The fire wasn’t as bad as it could have been, because the store owner had a fire extinguisher. I did help control the crowd that formed. Some people stood too close and potentially could have gotten injured.
When the fire department came, I ran back to where I had left Maverick.
She moved a little further away from the crowd, but I was still able to spot her. Her eyes darted around until they landed on me. I could see the nervousness on her face.
She met me halfway and threw herself in my arms.
I placed my hands on the sides of her face. “I’m so proud of you, baby.” I kissed her lips. “I know that might have been scary for you, but you are so brave.” I kissed her again. “I didn’t want to leave you,” I told her.
“I know, but I also know you had to. I told you I would be okay.” Her eyes were wet with unshed tears.
“You will always be my top priority, though. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” she responded, then started suddenly laughing.
I grabbed her hand so we could leave. I had had enough for the day, so I was sure Maverick did too.
“What are you laughing for?”
“I just realized how much you remind me of Spencer.”
I stopped and glared at her, but that didn’t do anything but make her laugh more.
“And just how do I remind you of a dog?” I crossed my arms over my chest and squinted down at her.
She wrapped her arms around my torso and looked up at me.
“Because you are muscular like him.” She smirked as she ran her hands over my biceps.
“More importantly, you are loyal and protective. I don’t even see you look at other women.
Even though it’s natural to, as humans, but you don’t let me see it.
You also don’t fool with too many people, just like Spencer.
You’re also gentle with me, and you don’t like being away from me for too long, just like he doesn’t.
” She beamed, and I couldn’t help but smile down at her.
I’d never been compared to a dog before, but her reasoning made sense. She was right about me looking at other women. I’d come across plenty of beautiful women, but none of them could hold a candle to Maverick.
“I guess I can see that. Let’s get out of here so I can show you just how much of a dog I can be.” I bit the side of her neck and picked her up, gaining me a loud shriek from her.
I carried her all the way back to my car, then we drove to her house.
When we arrived at her house, I rewarded her for being so brave at the festival. Maverick had my heart, and I had no plans of ever leaving her.