Chapter 33
Mav forced his eyes open when he heard the door, and when Sierra and Benji walked in, the first thing he asked was, ‘My girls?’
‘All accounted for,’ Benji replied. But he held up a plastic bag that contained Mav’s wallet and the ring box he’d had at the barbecue. ‘Thought I’d give you this before you see Nina.’
Mav smiled even though it took effort. ‘Thanks.’
‘I’m best man, right?’
‘Who else?’ Mav replied, but his heart settled knowing that Benji had come. ‘Can you stay awhile?’ he rasped. ‘I’m going to be out of commission for a bit …’
Benji’s voice was raw when he replied, ‘Christ, Mav. As long as you need. You know that.’
Mav’s gaze tracked to his sister. Sierra’s characteristic neatness was gone. Her hair was a mess, her clothes crumpled, her makeup smudged. ‘You look like shit,’ he said, knowing that the casual ribbing would settle her more than any assurances that he was fine.
‘You look like death warmed up,’ she returned instantly, making him smile. She came to him, and she hugged him awkwardly over the hospital bed. ‘Don’t ever do that to me again,’ she warned, her voice hitching with emotion. Lowering her voice just for him, she added, ‘I won’t survive any more, Mav.’
Because he understood some of her grief, the loss of their parents, he said, ‘I won’t.
’ And because he knew that he could never understand the rest of her grief, the loss of a child, he added, ‘I’m here for you, Si.
Always.’ It was a promise, even though they both knew life always had her own plans.
Sierra squeezed his arm one last time and then stepped back from the bed. ‘I’ll go get Nina and Poppy.’
Benji lingered as Sierra walked out. ‘You scared the shit out of us, Mav.’ He cleared his throat. ‘But I’m sure as shit glad to see you awake.’
Mav’s mouth was dry, his lips cracked and sore. But he had to ask, ‘Have you heard anything – about Cane?’
‘No. Don’t worry about that now. He’s not walking away from this.’
‘But you’ll keep an eye out? Just in case?’
‘Of course.’
‘Sierra—’
‘I know. I’ve got her – always. Don’t worry.’
Mav sighed tiredly.
‘You ready?’
‘Fuck yes.’
If last night had taught him anything, it was that waiting was a waste of time.
He wanted to look at Nina and call her his wife, and in the early light of a new day he couldn’t quite remember why it had seemed so important to wait for the right moment.
He loved her. He needed her. All he could do was hope that she was done waiting too.
Because time was a fickle bitch. He knew that more than anyone else. But his own fears, his insecurities, had made him cautious when, really, he should know to be greedy against the clock, to hoard moments and memories as if each one might be his last, their last.
In his haste, and still drowsy, he fumbled, trying to open the Ziplock bag.
Benji took it from him. He removed the ring box and closed it in Mav’s hand. ‘Okay.’ He turned to go, paused in the doorway. ‘I’m happy for you, Mav.’ And because he was still a best friend, he added, ‘But I still don’t know what she sees in you, you ugly fuck.’
Mav braced against his own chuckle. ‘Don’t make me laugh.’
Benji tapped the doorframe on his way out.
Maverick didn’t even have time to get himself together before Nina and Poppy walked in, their hands linked together, their eyes heavy with equal concern.
His heart settled. ‘There they are.’
Unlike Nina’s, Poppy’s eyes brightened immediately. ‘Daddy!’
She ran to the side of his bed and tried to scramble up by swinging one leg onto the mattress. She gave a few hops before Nina came to her and with a quick reminder to be careful not to jostle him, gave her a boost onto the bed.
Poppy crawled up the bed. Even though she was careful, she tugged on his IV, pulling it painfully in the back of his hand, and when she curled up by his side, both of her knees jabbed his side, sending fire down his entire body.
Mav didn’t care. He gently rearranged her before placing a kiss on Poppy’s forehead.
‘Daddy, we were really scared,’ she said solemnly. ‘Everyone was crying.’
He knew that she probably didn’t quite understand the gravity of what had happened, and instead of explaining, he thanked God that she still had enough childish innocence left in her to think him infallible, to think he would always be around to love and shelter her.
But he met Nina’s eyes, noted that they instantly filled. ‘We were really scared,’ she reiterated.
Because he could feel that little distance between them, and because he understood Nina, and knew that she was protecting herself with it, he said, ‘Nina, I would fight to stay with you every time.’
She didn’t argue. ‘I know that. I do. Absolutely.’
‘I want a lifetime with you.’
Tears streamed down her face. ‘Me too.’
‘Come here,’ he said, and held out his free hand for her.
‘Yeah, Neens! Come here!’ Poppy emphasized, breaking through the tension and making them both laugh.
The moment his hand closed around hers, he closed his eyes. It didn’t matter that he knew she was safe and had seen her with his own two eyes. Touch, tactile confirmation, was what he had needed.
‘I was so scared, Mav.’ She ran her free hand through his hair, soothing him. ‘Nothing … Nothing has ever terrified me more.’
He knew she was comparing his near death with her assault, and he hated that she had felt that fear again. But he didn’t give her false comfort. He said, ‘I know. I felt the exact same way watching him turn on you. Why do you think I did it? Why do you think I jumped in front of you?’
She tried to smile, but she couldn’t quite manage a reply through her tears.
It was Mav who said, ‘You – both of you – are my life, my entire reason for existing. I didn’t jump in front of that bullet to only save your life, Nina. I jumped in front of it to save mine too.’
A warbled sob left her lips.
‘Nina, why are you sad?’ Poppy asked, her little voice confused. ‘Daddy’s fine!’
Nina nodded, but it took her a long moment to find her voice. ‘I know, Poppy. I’m just happy.’
Mav took a deep breath. His hand, holding Nina’s, began to sweat. ‘There’s actually something really important I was going to ask you last night, before …’
Nina frowned. ‘I remember. What is it?’ she asked. ‘I’ll sort it for you.’
He laughed even though it was excruciating. ‘I really hope so.’ He briefly unlinked their hands to fish the ring out from beneath the blue hospital sheet. Once he had it, he held the box in his open palm, giving her the choice to take it or not.
Nina’s eyes rounded with shock. ‘Is that …’
‘Yes.’
Poppy asked, ‘What is it?’
‘A promise,’ Mav replied. ‘A promise to love and cherish Nina for my entire life – just like I love and cherish you.’ He briefly touched his nose to Poppy’s, making her giggle.
And then they both turned to Nina, waiting.
She just nodded.
‘Give me the words, Nina.’
‘Yes. Of course. Yes.’
Mav’s heart soared. Shifting Poppy’s weight, he used both hands to pop the top of the box because of course Nina would say yes without even looking at the ring.
‘It’s small,’ he warned. ‘But it was my grandma’s, and I want you to know …
’ He sorted the words in his head, sensitive to Poppy and Shannon.
‘Nobody but my grandma ever wore it.’ He hadn’t ever even considered giving it to Shannon because he had known she would have been disappointed by it. ‘If you want something different—’
‘Don’t.’ Leaning over the bed, Nina kissed him, ending the discussion. ‘I love it.’ She spread her left hand in front of him. ‘Make me that promise, Mav.’
He slipped the ring on her finger and then collapsed onto the bed with equal parts relief and exhaustion.
It was Nina who reached out and brushed her hand over Poppy’s head. ‘How do you feel about me being your stepmom?’ she asked.
‘Can’t you just be my real mom?’ Poppy countered.
Nina looked at him, clearly unsure of how to answer.
‘I think,’ he said cautiously, ‘that anybody would be lucky to have two moms.’
‘Maybe we can come up with a special name instead of “mom”?’ Nina suggested, always kind, always considerate. ‘Like Neens. Or Bonus Mamma?’
Although Shannon hadn’t done much to deserve it in the past, over the last six months she had surprised Mav by calling to speak to Poppy every few days.
She had even visited once every month, had paid to stay at the resort so that she could spend a few days close to Poppy.
Mav wasn’t sure what had brought about the change, but he appreciated that Shannon was finally trying.
‘I like “Bonus Mamma”,’ Poppy said without hesitation.
Nina grinned. ‘Then you can be my Bonus Baby.’
Poppy sighed happily. ‘This is the bestest day.’
And even as his entire torso throbbed with pain, Mav said, ‘Yeah. Yeah, it is the bestest.’
He patted the side of the bed because he needed to touch Nina, needed to hold her.
Nina eyed the bed sceptically even as she gently climbed up. ‘Do you think it’ll hold us all?’
‘We’ll find out,’ he said in reply.
The bed didn’t so much as creak as Nina’s slight weight settled at his other side.
Unlike Poppy, whose elbows and knees were a hazard, Nina was painstakingly careful not to jostle anything. She curled up on her side next to him and placed her head on his shoulder. ‘Am I hurting you?’
‘No. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.’
Whether it was because it was three in the morning or because of the stress of the night, Poppy was asleep within minutes. Nina lifted her head to look at the five-year-old, and when she saw her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, she said, ‘She’s out.’
‘Understandably.’
Nina watched as Mav closed his eyes, but because she knew that he was fighting his body’s need to go under, she whispered, ‘Sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.’
‘I don’t want this moment to end yet,’ he argued tiredly.
‘It won’t end,’ she said. ‘We’ll spin it out over a lifetime, Mav.’
His arm briefly tightened around her. ‘I’m surprisingly happy for a guy who just got shot.’
Nina chuckled quietly, but because she wanted him to know that she had dreamed of this future with him, she said, ‘Hey, Mav?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Do you remember on my birthday when Poppy told me to make a wish as I blew out my candles?’
‘Yeah,’ he whispered.
‘I didn’t have time to think it through, and I wished the words that were in my heart at that moment, words that my mind hadn’t had time to process yet.’
He managed to crack his eyes open to meet hers. ‘Give them to me.’
Nina rolled slightly so that she could place a kiss gently on his lips. And she whispered, ‘Ask me to stay.’
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