Chapter 41
Forty-one
Mabel
With McCoy’s parking lot filled to the brim with trucks, I descend around the corner towards Iris’s clothing store and park right outside.
I look up towards the lit-up sign and give her a nod through her security camera’s, letting her know it’s me in her parking spot.
I turn back towards the bar, speed walking in the direction of the music booming through the town as I get closer. Turning around the corner, I check the road before crossing the street and entering the lot.
I spy Maverick’s truck parked next to Luke’s, with my brothers a few spaces further down.
They’re all here.
Hurling myself towards the entrance, I hear the crowd inside as the door swings open and closed.
Jake’s regular spot never disappoints with the crowds, even after that shit show that happened last Saturday, one I don’t want nor need a repeat of tonight.
I’m hoping I can slip in and out again without too much attention from everyone else.
Suddenly, the crowd becomes silent, and I hear the typical tapping of the microphone. “How’s everyone doing tonight?” Cole asks through the microphone, but the crowd’s now almost out of the door.
“Before we start, with our very own Jake Bennett,” wolf whistles erupt through the crowd at Jake’s name, and I pull my hood up to disguise my hair; I don’t need the questions and bless your hearts.
I try to squeeze myself further into the building, attempting to locate my group as well as the man who’s asked me here tonight.
“If you could put your hands together, please welcome, once again, Maverick Bennett.” Cole says through the microphone as I freeze in my spot, turning towards the stage, abandoning my original plan.
Light applause echoes through the bar as I watch Maverick walk up onto the stage, shake Cole’s hand and stalks in front of the microphone, guitar in one hand, the other holding onto his chest for dear life.
Silence greets him as the small stage light creeps onto him, showing the beads of sweat falling down his face. I stop, frozen to my spot, hood still placed firmly on my head, hiding away from what’s potentially going to happen.
Maverick leans down onto the stool just in front of the microphone, then places his guitar on his leg.
“Thank you,” he says to those who applauded him, my eyes refusing to leave him.
“So, last weekend should have been the best day, however, due to no faults of no one other than my own, it wasn’t,” He pauses, shifting his stance to get himself more comfortable with his guitar; he’s going to sing.
“The past has horrible ways of biting you in the ass, so if you’ll let me, I want to try and make some of this right again.” He says into the microphone, before adjusting his baseball cap to cover his eyes, hiding away from the audience before him.
I stand, watching him strum the first cord on his guitar as he plays the instrumental to Tyler Bradon – Try losing one, and the crowd freezes, listening to the melody.
Maverick opens his mouth, eyes never leaving the ground hidden under his hat and the lyrics come out so smoothly, my eyes water up in an instant at the softness his voice is producing.
As he reaches the first chorus of the song, my feet start to move on impulse, listening to the words as if its them that’s guiding them through the still crowd, squeezing myself through to try and get closer to him.
I hold my hood steady, as my eyes never leave him as he bares his soul to the crowd of people Infront of him.
He’s singing this song for me yet has no idea whether I’m in the room or not. He’s still singing it to me, whether I’m here or not.
He’s singing it to the same audience where we broke apart, once again, over the same lie that took him away from me in the beginning.
He’s making his choice, and that choice is me.
Even after all this damage.
I make my way to the front of the stage, almost within touching distance of him as I hear the breath he sucks in, ready to make the almighty finish that Tyler Brayden does in his songs; it’s powerful and raw, exactly how Maverick Bennett was always supposed to be.
I stand tall, reaching my destination right in front of him.
I spot my friends and brother over to the side in our usual space up at the bar, Iris leaning her head on my brother, tears welling up in her eyes at the song.
Hope holding her hands to her face, trying not to let her emotions fly at the song.
Luke, Colter and Jake stand tall behind the woman who I adore and admire.
I turn my neck straight and in line with the man who’s heart I so desperately want to fix.
“Thank you.” Maverick says as the song finishes and he stops playing, his lip still touching the microphone, but his eyes haven’t looked up from the floor. The crowd erupts and I hear the sniffs from behind me, other girls wiping a tear away, but not me, my tears are well and truly finished with.
I keep clapping as the crowds applause dwindles down and upon hearing the solo claps, Maverick looks up from the floor.
I’m met with his broken emerald green eyes.
I take my hood down, letting my curls lose, and I cross my arms waiting for one of us to speak. A pin drop could be heard throughout the bar.
“Mabel,” Maverick breathes my name, a sigh of relief as I stand before him.
“Quite a song,” I smirk at him, still holding my arms crossed. He grabs hold of the nape of his neck before shrugging back at me with a sheepish grin.
“Cat got your tongue?” I ask, bringing my arms back down to my sides as I take a step towards him. Maverick notices my body language change and places his guitar on the stand behind him, leaving the stool behind him as he walks towards me, jumping his large frame off the small stage.
“You came,” he says, reaching where I’m stood. He stands so close to me, I don’t stop myself from breathing in his smoky cologne.
“I did,” I offer back, looking up to meet his eyes.
He holds back, looking down at me, trying hard to stop himself from touching me.
“Is that what you wanted to say to me?” I ask back up at him, eyes wide, almost begging him to touch me.
“Amongst other things,” he pauses, looks around him and then back down to me. He takes a breath.
“I’m so sorry, Mabel.” He chokes out, the emotion steaming from his skin, the regret and the heartache.
I reach for his hand, unable to see the pain in his face anymore, knowing that I’m the only one who can rid him out of his demons.
“I hope you are,” I say as his eyes open and look directly into mine. “Now, I have some conditions.” And that alone gives me his full undivided attention.
“My house,” I start, but his brows frown.
“Your house?” He questions.
“Yeah, it needs moving, can you do that?” I ask as serious as I can, receiving murmurs from the crowd who’ve stayed silent throughout our encounter.
“Uh, sure?” he replies, sheepishly.
“Good, because I think it needs moving out to the East, don’t you?” I ask, doing my best to hide my smile. “And maybe we’ll need those four bedrooms after all?” I add, trying to make him understand my hint.
Mavericks eyes shoot up to mine from the floor and I watch him hold himself back from me. “I can do that,” he relaxes and smiles back at me.
“Good, oh, and one other thing?” I say, my smirk firmly placed on my face as I uncross my arms. “Yeah, Firefly?”
I step forward, my body urging me to reach out and touch him. “You never leave us again.”
I hold my breath as I see him digest my words as the boyish grin returns.
“Baby, am I fuck going anywhere without you again,” and with that, his hands hurl towards my face, holding onto it with a fierce might, as his lip smash down onto mine and the bar erupts with cheers.
Maverick kisses me with such force, my whole body becomes alive at his touch as his tongue dances in perfect harmony with mine.
Once upon a time, I believed in fairy tales, I believed that one person was all you needed and that was that.
As I grew, and he left, I became resentful of the fairy tales, and I accepted that my happily ever after left and wasn’t coming home.
Now, stood in the place that so many memories reside, resentment left at the door to this bar, all the anger and hurt left behind.
Because I have Maverick back, no matter the reasons or what could have been; because he’s here now, mine once again, mine at last.
Maverick comes up for air, and I lean my head on his as we smile at each other.
“So, how much trouble am I in?” he asks and I throw my head back with laughter.
“You don’t want to know.” I shake my head at him.
“But that’s a tomorrow problem don’t you think?” I wink at him, his hands still caressing my face like it’s the last time he’s going to hold onto me. But it isn’t going to be, because this is only the beginning.
We finally have each other back, for good.
No more secrets, and no more lies between us.
“You want to get out of here?” I smirk once again at him and his face lights up. “Don’t have to ask me twice, Firefly.”
“Race you,” I say, before bolting in the direction of the door, Maverick laughing behind me, hot on my tail but I don’t stop running.
I’d run with him anywhere, anytime, any place.
I’ll run with the Herd and him, for as long as my body keeps me going, for as long as he’ll want me, but after all this, I don’t plan on ever letting him go again, not without a good fucking fight first.
Because he is my reason.
My happily ever after finally came back.
And this time, he’s not going anywhere.