Trey doesn't speak for a second, clearly not happy with the rejection of his offer because he grumbles some unpleasant words before speaking again. "I hear ya, Maverick. I respect that, and even though I wish I had your skills by my side, I'm happy that you're not still drownin' in your own mind's bullshit anymore. I know my brother would be feelin' the same way."
My big, strong man bends, pressing his forehead to mine. "Nah, I might have been lost for a little while, but I had a good guide to bring me back. I've got some shit I'm startin' here that I have a feelin' you're gonna want to chat about. I'll give you a call next week. See if you can make some time to come out and meet my girl."
The rest of their conversation is brief, but by the time he stops talking I have tears rolling down my face. Not sad ones, but pure happiness is leaking from my eyes. The magnitude of his decision is something that can't be ignored. Two months ago, when he rolled back into town, I never would have believed that he would stick around Pine Oak. I would have been crippled the second he even mentioned the call and the offer that came with it. However, that was before I felt how powerful our love really was. Before I knew the truth that pulled him from my life to begin with. And long before I accepted that it was the right move, no matter how much it hurt. Even being torn apart for a decade, I know that it really was our destiny taking a driver's seat, making sure that we were ready when our time finally came.
That time is now.
I believe in our love, the future he's building for us, and most important, him. There is no place for doubts or fears when you have a connection as deep as ours. We didn't know it then, but these bonds were always unbreakable. It was just a matter of time before they snapped us back where we belonged.
Together.
27
LEIGHTON
"Yeah Boy" by Kelsea Ballerini
After Maverick's call, we left the office to find that Quinn had already left to head back to her shop. When he shut the door on her eavesdropping, she must have gotten bored. Or maybe she remembered that she runs a business and actually went back to it.
Jana didn't ask any questions, just gave me a knowing smile before leaving the kitchen to get everything ready to open at noon. She doesn't ever cross those boundaries she couldn't care less about if there isn't sex involved in the gossip anyway. Silly woman.
The day went by too quickly after I was left alone in my kitchen. I spent the vast majority of my time before Maverick was due back to getting ahead on my prep for the week, meaning I would have some extra time to spend with him. It's been so long--if ever--that I went out of my way to make so much overage that I had almost ran out of refrigerator space, but it's important to me that I find a balance between work and my new love life. By the time Maverick had come back to get me, I had enough done that I could have taken the rest of the week off if I wanted to. As tempting as that sounds, I can't just abandon the PieHole because my heart has found its reason to race again.
I felt like I was in a daze during the whole meeting with the Davis boys and their family lawyer. Maverick, though, hadn't stopped smiling, not once since leaving the PieHole hours before. Of course, I didn't know that for a fact, since we weren't together the whole time, but that smile was still on his face when he walked back through the kitchen doorway, and it hadn't left once during our lunch meeting. I had my head so far in the clouds that I almost signed my name on a bunch of documents with no clue as to what I was actually signing. It took me longer than the men would have liked, but I read through each and every page. Every noise I made had Maverick's hand rubbing soothing circles on the inside of my thigh, a place he had placed his hand the second we sat down.
Jana has given me my space since I got back from the diner earlier, and thankfully Quinn hasn't been back yet. She will be. It's our thing for her to join me at some point before closing. For the first time, I'm not full of my normal excitement at anticipating spending time with my best friend. I love her, but I also know that her normal quirky self won't stop until she is satisfied that she knows more details about my relationship with her brother than anyone else. Including myself.
I'm sure she already knows everything that went down at the diner earlier. Even without him confirming it, I know Maverick picked that spot with care. He could have, and probably should have, had that meeting back at the ranch. By moving it to the one place in Pine Oak that would guarantee the quickest flash of gossip to spread, my man was making it a point for us to be seen--together, as a couple. They might not know what his plans are as far as the big picture, but then none of the specifics matter. Not when the fact that both Maverick and I were purchasing land--together--and to anyone watching, he was making the biggest public display to prove our commitment. I could have told him it was pointless, I know where his heart is, but a small part of me is giddy with happiness that he purposely wanted people to know how serious we are.
I thought Marleen Day, best friend of Marybeth Perkins, was going to swallow her tongue when Clay mentioned his jealousy over his brother getting pie whenever he wanted it now that he was living with "the best damn baker in Texas." And of course, Jimmy Lane, one of the diner regulars, looked like he was about to have a heart attack when Maverick joked that he was going to have fun eating that pie off said baker. Then there was Jimmy's best friend, another regular, Terry Long, who couldn't help but mention that it was about damn time Maverick had his pie and ate it too. I would have been embarrassed, but when I saw the looks on the faces of Joellen Heely and Tracey Hawthorn, two of the biggest sluts in town, when they heard all that--it was worth it. In the end, once everyone inside the diner realized what was going on, it started a domino effect that went on and on until I was finally able to get back to the PieHole.
Once I'm back in the solitude of my kitchen, though, my mind just won't shut off. Good thoughts, but still, I'm ready for the novelty of us to wear off so the town will stop acting like we're the most incredible thing since sliced bread. I can't help but wonder whether the overexuberance and near-frantic excitement we're encountering are helping my mind still the anxiousness I've felt over of us moving so quickly. Not doubt, just stress because of how much things are changing. I've never done well with change. There have been so many huge changes in my life in this short time, I should be a mess, but I'm far from that. If it were anyone other than Maverick, I would be a mess with things moving as rapidly as they are, changing so dramatically. Any other man--or any other relationship, rather--it would be too soon.
With him, though, I feel like it's about time.
We just decided to give us a try, but even though it's been only days, it feels like years. You don't spend your whole life wanting something you know you're meant to have, living without it for ten years, and not grab hold with everything you are when you finally have it. Knowing that Maverick has always felt the same way, I imagine that even the lightning speed in which we are moving is too slow for him.
Even though we wasted so much time, I know without any doubts that time was needed. My heart breaks for Maverick, knowing the pain he felt--the pain he lived--that pushed him to leave. I don't hold that against him, not now. The time that we lost built him into the man he is today. We had time to discover ourselves. We both had other relationships--a term I use loosely for him--but it's because of all that I know we're finally ready for us. I believe with everything in my heart that had I been given him when we were so young, me full of naivete and him full of pain, we might not have been strong enough to last. It's a sobering thought, especially since I know we were made for each other. I could choose to dwell on what we lost, but instead I prefer to focus on what we will have.
I know Maverick feels the same; his warp speed is a testament to that. He, like me, is very aware that in a different life, we would be married with kids by now. Hell, if he had his way, I bet he would have me barefoot and pregnant tomorrow in an effort to start making up for that lost time.
I step away from the fridge after placing the last pie I had just finished inside,
fanning myself with my hand at the thought, and look around to see if anyone had witnessed my hot flash.
Alone, thank God.
With the heat still high on my cheeks from just the thought of being pregnant with Maverick's children, I plop down on the tall stool next to my prep station and stare off into space. Now, that's something that I know is too soon to be hoping for, but now that the vision is in my mind, I can't clear it. God, our children will be beautiful.
"What are you daydreamin' about?"
Startled, I look up, glancing at Quinn before looking at the clock. "You're done early?"
"I was missing some parts for the lift on Tucker Hillstorm's son's truck. I figured, I can't get the rest of my shit done without those parts, so I might as well come bug you some more."
"Uh-ha," I smart, feeling my brow arch. "And did these parts go missing before or after all the gossip firing through this town hit your shop? I have to admit, I expected you earlier than this."
"I may have put it behind some stuff I know won't be moved so that I could claim they were missing if Tucker asked someone else while I was gone. And that may or may not have been right after some juicy whispers started to hang in the shop's air."
I toss my head back and laugh.
"You would have done the same thing," she says defensively.
"If what? You stopped avoiding relationships long enough to be the center of those whispers?"
"Hey," she laughs. "I'm not avoiding relationships. I'm just picky."
"Quinn, seriously? The only person that is more afraid of a relationship than you are is Clay. He's so phobic about it he's still driving three towns over to hook up with chicks. Look at you! All I have to do is say the word and you're cringing."
She narrows her eyes.
"Relationship," I throw her way, enunciating the word slowly.
"Shut up!"
"Re-lay-shun-ship!" I yell.
"Whatever. I'm not afraid of them. I just haven't met someone worth my time."
"What about Travis? Or Michael? Or Brett? Or--" I start laughing even harder when she holds her hand up and throws daggers my way with her eyes. "You haven't met anyone worth your time because all you're willing to give them is a sliver of you. You can't know what they're worth when you aren't willing to try. Mark my words, one of these days you're going to fall on your ass over a guy, and I, for one, can't wait to see that happen."
"Well, until then I'm going to just enjoy falling on my ass with guys for a whole different reason."
I roll my eyes. "I swear you have a man's mind. All you think about is sex."
"Speaking of--" she starts, and I hold my hands up immediately.
"Don't you finish that thought unless you really want to know. You're my best friend and I've never kept anything from you, but you're also his sister. Awkward doesn't even begin to touch that one."
She huffs impatiently and lifts off where she had been leaning to walk toward the fridge. Luckily, she picked the fridge that I keep stocked just for her and Clay's random drop-bys to raid my stuff. "You're the only one making it awkward. Just because he's my brother doesn't mean I can't high-five my girl for getting some much-needed dusting on her meat curtains. Plus, aside from the fact he's my brother, there isn't anything awkward about it. I've known you just as long as I have him."
"Did you . . . I . . . meat curtains?"
She shrugs.
"I've been neglecting you. Is that it? Are the guys down at the shop corrupting your mind again? We need to have a girls' night of pampering so you remember what it's like to think like a girl."
"What's wrong with meat curtains? Is vagina better, Leigh? Pussy. Love tunnel. They're all the same thing, just a little more pizzazz."
"Hooha!" Jana yells through the open doorway leading into the main floor. I hear snickers following her bellow.
"Right, and hooha," Quinn adds with a nod.
"Don't encourage her," I yell toward the doorway. "Okay, I get it. You are apparently a wealth of knowledge for vagina terminology. Should we talk about your brother's big huge cock now?"
She shrugs again, bravely. "You aren't going to shock me."
That felt a whole lot like a challenge. Quinn and I have never had boundaries when it came to dating, men, or sex, but I know her, and she might think she wants to know, but doesn't.
Well, Quinny, challenge accepted.
"Oh, Q, let me tell you, that man has a monster in his pants. I'm not even sure how I'm able to walk. Don't even get me started on the things he can do with his tongue, though. They should be illegal. Just this morning, he took me so hard in the shower that I feel like my insides are permanently branded." I finish and bite down on my tongue to keep from laughing at her expression.
Her face, the normal tan glow, is pale, and she is frozen still. Fork in hand halfway to her mouth with cherry filling falling onto the floor.
"Perhaps"--she starts on a gulp--"I can be shocked after all."
I wink, turning to finish cleaning up the mess I had made with the last pies of the day. I should have known better than to think she would have been mortified into complete silence, though.
"You should probably be more careful if his big giant monster cock permanently branded you," she mumbles through a full mouth. "That can't be safe for your lady parts, and Leigh, I need you to protect those parts better until I get my niece."
I turn, woodenly, and look at her like she's lost her mind. "I'm not even sure which part of that to touch first."
"Probably the big giant monster cock," she snickers.
My eyes widen. "You are something else."
She beams.
"I'm not sure that's a positive thing." I laugh.
"Whatever. Don't keep things from me. I don't like it."
"Okay, okay. All joking aside, though, things are amazing, Q. I feel like I should pinch myself and make sure I'm not dreaming. All of those fantasies I've had all these years of being his--they pale in comparison to what the reality of being loved by him feels like."
She abandons her pie on the counter, grabbing a napkin to wipe off her hands and face before walking over and enveloping me in a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys. I really am." And then she pinches me so hard on my side that I scream. "There, not dreaming," she adds with a laugh.
I join her, laughing at her crazy antics. I love her special type of crazy. She goes back to her pie, content in the silence, while I finish cleaning and closing down the kitchen. The only chatter coming from our back and forth trying to decide where to go when we close tonight.
"What about heading to the Coop?" Quinn asks when the dishwasher noise finally settles to a dull hum.
"That sounds good. Let me text your brother and see if he wants to meet us there. Last time I talked to him, he said he was going to have dinner with Clay."
"I passed them on the way here. I think they were going to that new pizza place just outside of town."
I fire off a text to Maverick before going about my business. Quinn is so used to my routine at closing that she silently starts to help. When Jana locks the door behind the last customer, we're able to knock out the rest of closing in ten minutes. By the time we were done I still hadn't heard from Maverick. I wasn't worried, though, knowing that he was spending some much-needed time with his brother.
"Let me send Mav another message and just let him know to meet us at the Coop, then we can head out," I tell Quinn, my face in my phone.
"Are you comin'?" Quinn asks Jana.
"Honey, I wouldn't miss this for the world. You better let that handsome cowboy know he's on designated driver duty," she adds with a hoot.
Let it be known, you should never trust Jana when she mentions needing a designated driver.
In the two hours since we got to the Coop, she's been making sure my drinks are never empty, between her bouts of line dancing and loud belly laughs. I lost count a long while ago.
"Why issshhhhhh everyone looking at me?" I slur, leaning into Quinn. At least, I think I'm
leaning. Everything's been spinning for the past hour. We just got back from another dance-off in the middle of the crowded dance area.
"Because you're drank?" she hoots.
"Did you just say I'm drank?" I giggle, picking up my Corona. I'm a little too eager, though, and end up missing my mouth by a mile, spilling my intended mouthful all over my chest, causing Quinn and Jana to erupt in laughter.
"Are you trying to start a wet T-shirt contest?" Quinn wheezes through her chuckles.
I look down, and sure enough, my black bra is showing through the wet front of my white shirt. Shrugging, I decide that taking another hardy swallow is more important than worrying about it, the whole point of the black bra under the white shirt is a fashion statement, right? I'm totally covered in alcohol and loving it. After placing my glass down, I pick up one of the pigs in a blanket off the plate in the middle of our table. I love how the Coop has the best finger foods and apps. Technically, these aren't even on the menu, but when you grow up with the owner, you get what you ask for. I think it helps that Quinn and I have spent the past five plus years getting drunk and rowdy so they know it's best to give us food throughout the night, to soak up all the alcohol.
When I take a bite of the little wiener covered in buttery dough, my mind starts thinking about other "wieners"--bigger wieners--and every other thought vanishes.
"Hey Jana, can a monster penis break my hooha?" I ask, suddenly completely serious.
Quinn chokes, a spray of her beer flying from her mouth. "You!" she screams. "You can't just say that. Give a girl some warning."
"Well? Can it?" I continue as if Quinn didn't just cover everything--and me--in sticky beer.
"You could probably bruise your uterus," Jana muses, giving it an actual moment's thought.
Quinn screams in outrage and looks at me like I've just committed the gravest sin. "Don't you dare fuck things up and keep my niece from me!" Of course, she picks the one time that the bar noise and music aren't at their loudest to scream that, gaining wide-eyed shock from the surrounding people. "What?" she snaps at them with a slight slur. "You've never heard of big dicks breaking things? My brother is too busy breaking her shit to give me that baby!"