Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
MAVERICK
Son of a bitch.
Today’s Nevaeh’s birthday and I didn’t know it.
Fuck.
Talk about making a man feel like a total douche for not knowing something so important.
When we rescued the girls, we asked them if they wanted us to reach out to their families and let them know, none of them wanted us to.
Nevaeh flat out refused saying she just wanted a fresh start.
So, we hadn’t done a background check on them.
Maybe we should have. Least then we’d have known something as simple as when their birthdays were.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I’m going to have to rectify the situation.
The moment I walked in here, seeing her in the arms of two men, fucking two beefy men, I’d nearly lost my mind.
Then they introduced themselves. Well, one of them did the introductions, dubbing themselves her honorary brothers.
I wanted to hit something. Didn’t matter to me if they were together or not.
The two of them had had their arms around Nevaeh.
I know I’m damn well jealous over this when that’s what I wanted to be doing.
I wanted to be the one who wrapped my arms around her.
Still, the fact they did, gives me some sort of ease that she’s got someone else besides the club looking out for her.
To my knowledge, none of the other girls have that.
Peyton had the guys at the garage, but they’re members of the club, so they’re not outsiders.
Ryann, well, she’s come out of her shell, and works hard at the restaurant.
We decided to make her manager because she’s so damn good with everyone there, but I don’t think she’s really made friends with anyone.
Staying close to Nevaeh, I watch her features as she opens gifts.
A pair of new boxing gloves. So, she does take boxing lessons.
A gift from some body lotion store in the mall.
I hope it’s the shit she uses now. I love that smell.
It’s a sweet smell that I don’t know how to describe, but to me it’s intoxicating anytime I’m near enough to smell it on her.
Nevaeh opens a few cards containing gift cards to random places and throughout the whole thing, she smiles and thanks everyone. Then Jasper gives her one last gift.
“I know you will protest, but I’m telling you now, Vaeh, I don’t want to hear it,” he says and holds out a large box with a bow on top.
The box moves slightly when Nevaeh takes it.
Oh fuck. I already know before she gets the lid off it. I know just as everyone else knows because we can all hear the meowing in it.
“Jasper, you didn’t,” Nevaeh gasps, dropping the lid, setting the box down, and pulling out a kitten.
“Of course, I did. You said you always wanted one.” Jasper waves a hand nonchalantly.
“You got her a cat?” I look at him appalled. If I knew she wanted a cat, I’d have gotten her one the first chance I could.
“It’s not just any type of cat, Maverick,” Jasper says, emphasizing my name, and nodding to the orange ball of fur in Nevaeh’s arms. “He’s a Maine coon cat and will get to be very, very, very big.”
“How big?” I don’t know shit about what he’s talking about, but I figure it can’t be that bad.
“Considering parents to the litter we got him from, you’re looking at him getting to roughly the same size as a medium size dog.
“What the fuck?” I gape and look at the small ball of fur cradled to Nevaeh’s chest. The way it’s got its paws on one of her tits, it’s like the damn thing has already claimed her.
Fuck me.
“So, Vaeh, what are you going to name him?” Milo asks.
Nevaeh looks at me and then at Milo with a bright smile on her face. One like I’ve never seen before, and that is like a sucker punch straight to the gut.
“I think I’ll name him Gizmo.”
My lip twitches at Nevaeh’s name for the cat, and Jasper and Milo laugh outright.
“Good name for him, Sweets,” I say, holding my hand out for the furball.
Nevaeh hands him to me gingerly. I take him and look him over.
He makes a small growling noise and sinks his claws in my hands.
“Look, Gizmo here is going to have to get used to having me around. He’s not too fond of me taking him from you. ” I look to Nevaeh and hand him back.
“You’ll be okay.” She rolls her eyes and glances around the room. “Thank you for everything.”
“It’s no biggie. Now why don’t we get all this stuff out to your car, and you take Gizmo home,” Jasper suggests.
Thank fuck.
“Oh, I’ve already got everything you need for him in our truck,” Milo adds in. “When we get outside, I’ll grab it and put it in the trunk of your car.”
“What about my workout?” Nevaeh asks, brows drawing up.
“It’s your birthday. There’s no way we’re about to let you work yourself to exhaustion,” Jasper informs her. “You go get your Gizmo settled at home. We’ll get back to it tomorrow.”
Oh no, they fucking won’t. But I’m not about to say that right now. I’ll talk to Nevaeh when we get to the house. Explain that I want her to go with me to the coast, then I’ll ask her why she didn’t tell anyone it was her birthday.
I also intend to fix her a birthday dinner. One that I know she’ll enjoy.
Pulling my phone out, I shoot a text to one of the prospects ordering him to go to the store and pick up a list of things, including cookies and cream ice cream, hot fudge, cookie dough, whipped cream, caramel, and cherries.
Oh and a pack of candles. I might not be making her a cake, but I’m doing the next best thing.
I help Jasper and Milo get all the gifts out to Nevaeh’s car while she stays close. Milo keeps looking between Nevaeh and me, which is starting to piss me off, but for the sake of Nevaeh, I keep my mouth shut. In a normal circumstance, I’d have demanded to know what he keeps looking at me for.
Damn, where this woman is concerned I’m going soft.
Milo walks over to Nevaeh, and the two of them make their way to the truck parked not far. It’s then Jasper opens his mouth.
“You know she’s in love with you, don’t you?”
I whirl around to face him, surprising the fuck out of me. “The fuck you just say.”
“You heard me. We don’t have a lot of time, so I’m just gonna go ahead and say it,” Jasper states, moving closer.
“Vaeh, you know she’s been through hell.
Milo and I know what you guys did for her.
She didn’t outright say it, we’re not stupid and put it together with what she did say.
She fears what she feels for you and thinks herself dirty.
From the way you look at her, I’m sure you’d disagree.
Now, what I’m going to say real quick is, if you don’t want to be with her, then find a way to tell her so she can find a way to finish healing. ”
“You want to explain that?” I demand tersely.
“No time.” Jasper shakes his head and steps back. “But just know that if you decide to go for it, you’re stuck with me and Milo. We ain’t going nowhere.”
Fan-fuckin-tastic.
“I’m heading to the house,” Nevaeh announces, coming up behind me.
I twist and look at her. “I’ll meet you there. Help you get everything inside.”
“Okay.” She nods, smiling, but not like the one she gave these two men when she thanked them for that damn cat cuddled between her tits.
I give both Jasper and Milo a two-finger salute and head to my bike, straddling the back of her while watching Nevaeh get in behind the wheel.
It’s going to be a short ride home, but it’s going to feel like an hour.
Mostly because I know Jasper’s right. I need to decide whether I should let her go completely, walk away, and let her move on.
Or do I want to be the one to help her finally finish healing and be the man she needs?
I know I’ve got a past of my own, only my brothers know about it, but it’s nothing compared to what she’s endured. Fuck, it’s not even on the same Spector scale.