Chapter 5
Five
Mabel
Ripping into my closet, I’m seriously stumped on what to wear. I can’t see a damn thing in here.
My hair’s placed in rollers, courtesy of my overattentive mother, so tight against my scalp they’re killing me. But as Mama always says, no pain no gain.
“Fuck it-” I say, pulling out my trusty floral dress. About the only half decent dress I own that could even fit me now. I really need to update my wardrobe.
It purely consists of jeans, flannel shirts, denim shorts and maybe the odd dress that I outgrew years ago. They, being my friends are all right. I really don’t go out much.
I feel my shoulders slump in defeat.
Pulling my dress over my head, I eye myself up in the mirror.
Not bad, Mabel.
Could be worse.
I really need to go shopping. Maybe Ellie and I can go during the summer, that girl is always growing far too fast for my liking.
Ellie is already over at the big house for the night, bunked down in her second bedroom. Likely stirring up all sorts of trouble with mom and daddy.
We all think she’s the apple of Mama’s eye, but I’ve never seen my old man so smitten. Since the day she was born, and even more now.
I’ll never forget that look on his face when she was placed in his arms for the first time as I lay in the hospital bed, still drugged up on God knows what.
I don’t remember much from that day, but I will never forget the look on my dad’s face, it was like he’d been reborn again, given another purpose in life other than the ranch.
With every day that passes since then, my little girl has been that stubborn old man’s beating heart and soul. I smile at the thought, a tear trying to escape at the memory of it all.
Pulling me from my thoughts, I hear my phone ringing from down the hall. Running towards the sound, I grab it just in time from the coffee table in my lounge area.
“Hey, girl!” I hear screeching down the other line. I wince at the high pitch noise.
“Yes, Hope, how can I help?” I answer back to my other bestie.
“Just reminding you that you have an hour to sort yourself out.” I can hear the smile in her voice. I laugh loudly back to her.
They all know me well.
Unless it’s to do with work, I’m almost never on time. I’ve always been the same, they should know this by now.
“Yes, I’ve just pulled a dress over my head and now I’m going to put some make up on,” I reply as I pour myself a glass from the bottle of wine sitting on the kitchen island.
“Good, making sure you ain’t chickening out,” she says as I take a sip.
“Y’all are impossible. Leave me be!” I snort out. These people, honestly.
“See ya soon-” I hang up the phone before she can even finish her reply.
I shake my head as I place my phone back onto the island next to the wine I just set down.
My friends need to get a life, instead of worrying if I’m going to be my fashionably late self.
Lord, please help me tonight.
Looking at the clock, I see its dead on six.
I’ve got plenty of time.
Making myself comfortable at the kitchen island, I grab the bottle of wine and pour myself another.
I look down towards my phone, and shuffle my fingers through my music, deciding on an upper beat country playlist. Luke Bryan fills the room and as I sway my shoulders, I relax into the song. Even though I have absolutely no energy to head out tonight, I admit I’m looking forward to it.
But I’ll only admit that to myself.
A smirk escapes me as I recall some of the great memories in McCoy’s.
Sure, we shouldn’t have been in there at seventeen-years-old, but Cole would turn a blind eye as long as we kept quiet in the corner.
We did as we were told and would enjoy the live bands constant stream of country music before descending into the night, usually making moves towards my ranch.
Mom and Dad were once cool like that; still are in some ways I suppose.
Hell, with Colter and I as their kids they didn’t get much choice. As well as their best friend’s kids that were part of our group.
We worked hard and certainly partied harder. In their words; “We would rather keep an eye on y’all.”
Now I’m a parent I completely understand their fear, and also their reasoning.
The day will certainly come with Ellie, and even though I don’t agree with teenagers sneaking any cheap liquor they can get their hands on, I prefer to supervise the activity because no matter what I say, she’s gonna do it anyway.
I smirk at the memories and the shit we used to get up to.
Taking another gulp of my wine, I check the time and see its six-twenty.
“Better get a move on,” I sigh to myself.
Readying myself to move from the island, I hear a light tapping coming from outside, sounding like my front door.
“What the hell?” I say out loud, feeling the discomfort in my face.
Whoever is at my door, I’m certainly not expecting as my family would just come steaming through.
The cowboy’s will be on the other side of the ranch by now.
Not that I expect to be needed by them. That’s always been my dad’s and now Colter’s department.
I just handle the paperwork and am a fair amount of brains behind the operation.
Placing down my wine on the kitchen side, I quickly pause the music on my phone and then walk towards my front door with caution. Reaching the front door, I open the curtain covering the large transparent window on my wooden door to get to the latch.
“Sorry, takes a sec to come to the-” I look up as I swing the door open.
I pause.
Staring back at me is the last person I expected to ever see again.
Him.
Maverick Bennett.
Fifteen years ago….
Laying in the dry grass, I hear the bugs cricketing around me. Opening my eyes, I watch Storm and Dusty grazing away next to each other, linked up to the hitching post that we had installed a few years ago. I breathe in deeply and smile.
“Mav? You awake?” I ask, nudging Maverick on his side with my elbow.
“Hmm?” He doesn’t move; hat hung over this forehead covering his eyes and face away from the burning sun.
“Mav?” I whisper in his ear, shoving him harder as I turn onto my side. He moves this time, bringing his arm up to lift his hat just enough that I see his left eye open and look at me. He smirks.
“I’m trying to nap woman, what’s up?” He says, sitting himself up into a hunched over position, as if admitting defeat on his task of trying to nap.
He places his hat firmly back on his head and faces me.
“I just wanted a kiss.” I wink at him, sitting up alongside him.
The chuckle that leaves him almost sounds like a growl.
Lifting his hand to my neck, like he does so many times a day, I feel his thumb stroke my jawline. He smirks at me with a devilish grin.
“Well, no matter how tired I am, I’ll never deny you that, Firefly,” he replies, holding the grin firmly in place.
Pulling my face closer to him, our mouths within touching distance, his hot breath mixing with mine against my chin.
Me and Mav' have been together forever. With our parents being best friends, and our birthdays only two months apart, we’ve been joined at the hip our whole lives.
Mav’s older, his birthday being July twentieth, mine being October first. Mav’s in my brother’s grade at school, just missing the cut for my grade. I really wish he was in my grade; I hate only seeing him during our lunch break there.
I also hate that he’ll be leaving before me.
We learned how to roll over, sit up, crawl and walk together.
One always encouraging the other.
At five-years-old, we would run around always holding hands, always together.
He would wipe my tears away when I scraped my knee and would threaten anyone who dared to touch me even when we were small.
At seven-years-old, he told me that I was his to keep and I never argued, even then I was besotted.
At twelve-years-old, he finally took the plunge and kissed me for the first time, right in the field we are currently sitting in. Not on the cheek either like he always had done, but an actual kiss.
We decided to go for a ride, ended up here and he sealed the deal. Even then, I had butterflies.
A first long-lasting, loving kiss.
Right here, in this spot. In this field that we now lay claim to.
I am Maverick Bennett’s girl. Always have been, always would be.
Now we’re sixteen, it feels like the world is ours for the taking. The fire in our bellies and the dreams of forever so close within our reach.
Feeling his lips graze mine, I open my mouth to let his tongue in. I’d do anything for this man. If he said jump, I’d say how high.
Matching his rhythm, I settle into our kiss, until suddenly he’s pulling me onto his lap, now straddling him in the field, each one of my legs around his thighs.
Our field, our own private hideaway.
Pulling away, I place my hands on his face. “Thank you,” I whisper, nuzzling my nose against his.
I feel him laugh into me as he pulls me closer.
“You never have to thank me for giving you a kiss, baby.” His lips graze against mine again.
Cupping his face once more, I bring my lips closer to his until they connect with the fierceness that they always meet with.
We’ve been doing this song and dance for years now, that rur tongues move in harmony together. I know all of him, and he knows every piece of me. Inside and out. And we love each part of each other.
“So, tell me again, Firefly, where are we building?” He asks, leaning back onto his hands. He asks me this all the time when we sit here.
Planning our future.
“Right in this spot,” I point my fingers to the floor.
He laughs, moving his legs into a more comfortable position as I continue to straddle him.
“Alright, and what are we building?” He asks, lifting his right brow, never taking his eyes off mine.
“I want a wooden house, all on one floor,” I start, looking around envisioning our dream home. “A white porch, with a swing, that I can read on,” I continue.
He’s looking at me, hanging on every word I say, placing his left hand around my hips, holding himself up with his right.
“I want three bedrooms… no… make that four!” I squeal.
“Four?! How many kids are we having, baby?” He gasps, pretending to be in shock like this is the first time we’ve had this conversation.
It isn’t. He humours me every time.
“Loads! I want an army of mini-Mavericks running around!” I laugh.
“Or mini-Mabel’s?” He adds.
“Aww, shit, we don’t need any mini-me’s,” I scoff.
“I mean,” he starts. “I want as many mini you’s as you’ll allow me to have,” he breathes, pulling me closer to him.
This man means everything he says to me.
He looks at me like I hung the moon in his world and Mav' has never let me down.
“We’ll need those four bedrooms then,” I snort, raising an eyebrow.
Next thing I know, he pull’s me onto the hard ground in one swift move and is hovering above me. Keeping his weight held up on his hands. Six-foot-one Maverick is heavy, but he would never hurt me on purpose. Or squash me. I have so much faith in him.
“Four bedrooms it is then, Firefly.” He smirks, lowering his body to grind mine.
I open my legs and let him lay in between them, my hands still cupping onto his face, I lift my eyes to meet his before smashing his face to mine. I welcome the passionate kiss that always starts when were in this position.
I move my hips, grinding my centre along his already thick growing shaft beneath his jeans. I feel how hard he is through the denim; I feel the slickness grow in-between my thighs.
This man does something to me.
It’s becoming harder to wait every time he grinds back at me.
He lets out my new favourite sound, a rough growl and flares his nostrils.
Fuck, it’s so hot.
We’ve agreed to wait until we were both seventeen before we lose our V card. Something proving incredible difficult as the days wear on.
Damn stupid teenage hormones and an absolute God of a soulmate.
Thank our sweet lord, our birthdays are not far off.