Chapter Thirty-four
Thirty-four
Mabel
Walking out of the marquee tent filled to the brim with picnic benches and rows of every food truck known to man.
Belly ridiculously full thanks to Maverick’s inability to decide what food stand he wanted to buy from, me and Ellie are certainly full; and I’ve sobered up.
“Reckon we got time for another drink before we head out to the stage?” I ask my group of friends who are graciously following us through the crowds, Ellie in hand with Maverick as they walk just in front of us.
“I reckon so, girly,” Iris steps in line with me, giving me a nudge with her hip before moving her eyeline towards my daughter and Maverick.
“How’s that going?” she asks, almost too giddy for my liking. I follow suit, looking over towards them. “Too good to be fucking true,” I sigh out.
The feeling of unease still hasn’t left me, even though I’ve tried so damn hard all day to ignore it.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” my best friend asks, sliding her arm into mine.
I shrug. “I don’t know, Iris, just seems to quick, to sudden, too perfect?” I say as I look up to her.
She gives me a reassuring smile. “Listen honey, you haven’t had the easiest ride-” she starts, and I scoff at her notion.
“But look how it worked out. Maverick’s back and looking at him with you and Ellie just proves how much he still loves you, even after all this time.” She squeezes her arm closer in mine.
“I don’t know, girl-” I pause, and Iris looks at me, concern sweeping across her face. “I’ve just had this really shitty feeling all day and I can’t shake it?”
“Beer anyone?!” I hear my brother shout as we reach the bar set up in the field, just off to the right of the main stage where Jake will be closing the night out, just before the fireworks display.
“I’ll have a spicy Marg, Cowboy,” Iris winks at him which causes him to roll his eyes but smirk under his collar.
“Anything for you, Sugar.” He rolls his eyes back with her. “Sis?” his eyes are now on me.
“Whiskey-” I start.
“Neat, I know, sis’,” he winks at me, and it causes my smile to break out as I mouth a thank you back at him.
“Hopefully it’s just your anxiety playing up, Honey,” she looks back to me from my brother.
“Hopefully,” I sigh. “So, should I ask?” tilting my head in my brothers direction.
“Nope,” she says bluntly.
And that’s my queue to ask no more, as usual.
Changing the direction of my eyeline, I look for my daughter and Maverick across the green field now filled with camping chairs and picnic blankets.
Taking my drink alongside two more beers from my brother, I move my feet in the direction where my mom and dad are already setting up.
“Need help, Mama?” I ask, as I hand my daddy one of the beers in my hands.
“No thanks, Angel, all done.” Mama says as she takes her perch in one of the many camping chairs spread around in a circle around our large picnic blanket. I follow her lead and take a seat alongside her. Once sat, I turn my attention back to Maverick.
Watching him be the man I always knew he would have turned into is mesmerising.
The softness he offers when it comes to Ellie and I’s unimaginable.
Here he was, taking us on without effort, loving both of us.
I never had to ask him to do it, he just accepted Ellie and done it with no second thought.
He turned up at my door and didn’t give up.
Because even though he left, and I’m still none the wiser as to why, I see that he loves me.
I can see that he wants this.
I know in my heart, that he wants me.
Us; this family, this life, together.
Coming back into the land of the living and out of my own head, Maverick comes into view, eyes already locked onto me, concern sweeping across his face.
“You okay, baby?” he asks, brows frowning down on his face.
I shake my head, bringing my thoughts back down into the here and now. “Yeah, sorry, spaced out,” I smile up to him and he leans down, plating a kiss on my forehead which makes my smile return.
“What time does the music start?” I hear Aunt Kay shout as her and Rhett are speeding towards us with a cooler full to the brim with my guess being beers amongst other alcohol.
Maverick checks his watch as she reaches us, placing a kiss on her cheek. “About fifteen or so minutes.”
I stand up and give her a hug before she takes the seat next to mine and winks at me.
Taking a small sip from my drink, my eyes flickers back to Maverick, who catches me watching him and produces the cheesiest grin he can muster, and a small laugh escapes me at his goofy face.
He looks content. Happy.
He looks like he’s finally home.
I catch him checking his watch and a frown sweep across his face, which makes mine look at him with concern.
Maverick nudges Jake, who looks at the time on his watch and throws him a wink as he moves away from him and over to Luke. Maverick looks up and once again catches me staring at him, this time with suspicion written clear as day over my face.
I’ve never been any good at hiding my emotions through my face.
Maverick throws me a nervous smile before walking over to me. “I have to go for a little bit, baby, you gonna’ be okay on your own?” He says, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Where y’all going?” I ask, signalling over to my brother and the boys.
“Do you trust me?” he asks with that famous boyish grin.
I rear back slightly at his choice of words.
Trust.
Do I trust him?
I look into his emerald, green eyes and see the light in them.
“Of course,” I smile up at him, as he leans down and plants a hard kiss on my lips.
“Back soon, Firefly.” He says as he lets go of me and walks towards the boys who’re waiting for him to put me down before they can leave to do what ever it is that they sneakily have planned.
Sitting back down in my seat, Aunt Kay leans over to me and places her head on my shoulder.
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to have my babies back together,” she says, and I smile down at her.
Still waiting for the music to begin, I keep looking around for the boys to reappear before it does start.
Ellie firmly on my daddy’s lap, where she spends the majority of her time if he’s around, I’m handed another drink from the cooler as my girls take their seats firmly next to me.
“Where have those idiots got to? Music’s about to start.” Hope scoffs as she takes a gulp from her beer.
“Probably gotten into trouble again,” Iris laughs and I smirk at her; it wouldn’t surprise me.
The sound booming from tapping on a microphone snaps our heads in the direction of the stage and Mrs Hamilton comes onto the huge stage alongside her husband both with microphones in their hands.
“How y’all doing tonight?” Mr Hamilton shouts through the speakers across the field and the audience lets out a huge cheer.
“Hasn’t my beautiful wife done an amazing job?” another louder cheer rips through the fair and Mrs Hamilton’s cheeks burn red as she is shown on the screen. Iris’s whistle being heard throughout the cheering crowd.
“Now, unfortunately, Little Creek had to cancel rather last minute for the warmup act to our very own Jake Bennett,” Mrs Hamilton starts through the speaker, leading to a few moans and cheers at the mention of Jake’s upcoming performance.
“But fear not, I found a last-minute replacement,” she says as I look towards my mom, confusion etched onto our faces at the thought of who it could be.
“This one’s going to be more of a welcome home to him, so please without anymore waiting, lets welcome to the stage-” she pauses as she looks at her husband.
“Mr Maverick Bennett!” They both shout together, as I watch in disbelief as Mav’ and the boys walk onto the stage, instruments firmly in their grasp as they take their places.
“I- uhm, found them,” Hope says, and I throw my head back in a fit of laughter.
“Those cheeky little shits,” Kay shouts as my eyes stay firmly locked on Maverick. I rise to my feet as if on impulse, hands clapped over my mouth in disbelief that we’re about to relive some history.
“Howdy, y’all!” Maverick shouts down the microphone and the crowd erupts. “Well, it’s been a while,” he lets his boyish grin show once again.
“Hope y’all don’t mind, but we’re going to play you a few songs, before my brother really kicks off this Fourth of July celebrations.” Maverick looks back at his brother, who’s to his left on the stage, my brother on his right.
I haven’t seen my brother pick his guitar up since Maverick left. I feel a tear forming and my smile wide at the man I’ve called my rock on many occasions.
“Who knew they could keep a secret?” Rhett laughs to himself, taking hold of his wife’s hand, both of them beaming with pride at both of their boys being back on one stage once again.
I keep my eyes locked forward.
The breath I sucked in as soon as my man walked onto the stage, still holding strong.
The stage lights hit the boys and as if done on purpose, the boys fire their instruments up and the introduction to Dawson Anderson’s – At the end of the day fills the speakers and across the fair. Maverick takes a breath and sings the song like he belongs on that stage.
His eyes meet mine, even from as far away from the stage as we are; I still see them.
I see him.
He changes the lyrics only so slightly, wishing that he would have stayed.
My cheeks burn, as he sings directly to me and the whole town knows it. Just like he did in McCoy’s not that long ago.
This time, my heart burns for more.
In this moment, I feel seventeen again, like I’ve gone back in time.
I feel alive again.
Finishing the song, the boys look proudly at each other as the crowd erupts, but I stand still, scared to move a muscle in case I awake from this dream.
I hear Ellie screaming and cheering at her uncles and the man who has always had my heart.
“Thank you, everyone,” Maverick says as he leans back into the microphone.
“This song is dedicated to someone who I’m lucky enough to call mine,” his cheeks flush pink, as I watch as the crowds of town people turn their heads and look at me with smiles on their faces.
“Well, I guess that’s if she’ll have me?” Maverick laughs, following the crowds heads and finds my eyes. I look straight at him, cheeks burning from the heat returning inside me whenever I look at him and his grand gesture.
The instruments start to play and Maverick leans back into the microphone as he strums heavily on his guitar.
Chris Bandi – Man enough now blares through the huge speakers Mrs Hamilton hires every year, and he sings directly to me.
With this song in particular, the realisation hits of what he’s doing up there on that stage. Aside from entertaining the few thousand people here, he’s apologising to me.
The songs chosen so far are releasing his true feelings and deepest thoughts in relation to me, and now to my daughter.
The song tells the crowd how our story began, silly kids chasing a dream, and how he’s grown up and ready for it all.
The house.
Children.
A second chance, for us.
The song finishes and the crowd erupts once again. My tears falling freely as I clap and cheer as hard as I can. Doing my best to wrap my head around the fact the man I always adored is finally taking a leap of faith and using this moment to clarify us.
“Thank you!” Maverick bows to the crowd once more, shit eating grin on each of their faces.
I clap harder and as loud as my hands will allow me, each of us on our feet around the blankets and chairs.
Maverick and the boys play two more songs and watching them back up on this small towns stage has been a dream come true and a privilege.
We’re all so proud of them.
My brother especially for finally picking back up his guitar. It’s been long overdue.
“Now for our last song-” Maverick says as he leans into the microphone, sounding breathless from the performance he’s giving.
“I want to introduce someone special to the stage...” the crowd looks over to the right as Maverick introduces his final song.
“Please welcome to the stage...” He pauses before shouting. “Lacey Cooper, everybody!”
Lacey Cooper walks onto the stage in a denim dress and white Cowboy boots, waving towards the crowd.
I struggle to believe that girl is so grown up. The Bennett’s took a chance on her and she’s becoming a wonderful horse trainer at their ranch and from the last time I saw her on a stage, the girl can hit a note.
“Howdy, y’all!” Lacey says into her microphone, grinning ear to ear.
She reaches the boys and takes her stance next to Maverick in the middle of the stage and offers him a small smile. Maverick nods back at her and then to the boys before firing back up their instruments for the last song.
I’m mesmerised at the sight of them all up there once again, something I truly believed would never happen.
Lady A – I run to you starts to play and the tears well up in my eyes once again.
“He’s a clever fucker, isn’t he!” Iris shouts over the music at me and Hope, but I just laugh.
He surely is a clever fucker.
He’s playing our song.
No. Scratch that.
He’s singing our song, to me.
As Lacey starts to sing, I feel someone’s fingertips touch the back of my arm and I whip my head around to come face to face with Jimmy and I jump back at the sight of him.
“Hi, Mabel,” he slurs as I smell the whiskey straight on his breath.
“Jimmy.” I acknowledge politely, as I take a step back away from him and how close he is to me.
What is he doing here?
He’s supposed to be watching the herd.
Reaching into my pocket, I go to pull my phone out to check the security cameras, but Jimmy’s hand joins mine.
“Enjoying the show?” He asks swaying, barely keeping himself up.
I look back towards Maverick who’s still none the wiser about the situation I’ve found myself in. I try my best to take my hand out of his, except the death grip he’s got on me is making it incredibly difficult.
I try and catch anyone from my groups eyes, but none of them are looking at me, they’re enjoying Maverick and the boys.
“I- uhm, yes, really enjoying it,” I stutter out, still trying to take my hand away from his.
“He left-” hiccup.
“Because, of me,” another hiccup.
“You know.” My head snaps up from my hand and back to being face to face with him.
“What did you just say?” I ask, trying to hide the shock behind the admission.
I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t hear him correctly, or I’m confirming what he’s just said.
“I love you,” hiccup, “Mabel,” hiccup, “So, I made him go away.” The sinister laugh that comes from within him sends a shiver down my spine.
The realisation hits, that Maverick walked away from me, because of the pathetic excuse of a man who I’ve tolerated all this time, because my daddy asked me too.
And then, his lips are on mine.
Everything around me goes muffled.
All I hear is static.
Rearing myself back, pulling away from this awful man’s lips, with all my strength, I pull my hand out from his and before I can even think about stopping myself.
My hand meets his face and all I hear is the rendering sound of the slap when my hand meets his cheek.