Page 14

Chapter Thirteen

I walked into Maverick’s Bar and Grill just after ten in the morning.

The place was still half-asleep, which was perfect. The kitchen was banging around behind the closed service window, and the scent of grilled onions was starting to mix with stale beer and coffee. Bon Jovi hummed low through the speakers and only three other tables were occupied. Just as I’d hoped, Kai and I would have plenty of privacy.

When I spotted Kai, he was tucked into a back corner booth, and of course, the bastard had taken the seat that faced the bar.

Asshole.

I raised my eyebrow as I slid into the booth.

He smirked. “You’re late. First one here picks their seat.”

“I’m not late. You’re early.”

“That makes me the smart brother.”

I grunted and flagged the waitress down with a nod. When she arrived, I ordered strong coffee, black.

Kai lifted his glass of water. “You look like shit.”

“Didn’t get much sleep,” I admitted.

“Maddie keep you up all night with one of her TED Talks on social justice.”

“Fuck off.”

He chuckled. “Kidding. Kind of. Besides the bags under your eyes, you’re looking good. I even saw you smile at the waitress… when you were through grunting out your order.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Not just good, it’s almost like you’re… I don’t know. Settled?”

The waitress dropped off my coffee. I took a long sip before speaking. “Do you miss it? The teams, I mean.”

Kai didn’t answer for a moment. “I knew what you meant.” He looked off in the distance for a while, before looking back at me. “I miss Clay. You’d like him. I miss the action. The adrenaline.”

“What about the brotherhood? The purpose. The fact that you always knew somebody had your back?” I asked.

“I have those things with Onyx.”

“Really?”

“Maybe not totally, but that’s just because we haven’t worked together that long. But Roan and Simon? They are worthy men. I would go into battle with them in a heartbeat.”

“Well, I should hope so. After all, Roan was a Marine Raider.” I grinned.

“I had my doubts about Simon being a SEAL and Roan being a Raider, but despite their bad decisions, they’ve proved themselves.”

I laughed.

“Seriously, Kai, how does it feel? Living here, I mean. Doing what you’re doing now?”

“I’d been away from my team for a year working on my recovery. I think that makes a difference. Because of that, it was easier for me to transition.”

“What about moving from North Carolina to Jasper Creek? Was that tough?”

“Nope, Marlowe’s here. That changed everything. She’s my home now. Jasper Creek? It’s where my feet landed because she’s here.”

I nodded slowly. “I get that. I liked what I heard about Onyx the other night. It sounded like actual work.”

“That was just one case. Trust me, there are others that are like our missions. Action-packed, purpose-driven, only without the red tape and orders from men who’ve never worn a uniform.”

Kai paused and looked me in the eye.

“So, are you thinking about it?”

I sighed and took another sip of my now lukewarm coffee.

“I would be, under different circumstances. I want to get my twenty years. I want the retirement benefits. What’s more, I can’t leave my team now. We’ve been through hell together. We all promised one another we would do our twenty together. You know how it is.”

Kai nodded. “I do. But sometimes you have to give up that sense of obligation when there is something more important.”

Now it was my turn to look off into the distance. “I’m in love with her. I mean, down to my bones, in love with her. I can’t stop myself from thinking what it would feel like to build a life with her.”

“Then do it.”

“I don’t know how to walk away.”

“You don’t have to. Not yet. But think about what it would be like if you walked toward her. Toward a life with her.”

I leaned back in the booth, this time staring up at the crooked ceiling fan above us. I leaned back to look at my brother. My twin. “You think I’d like working for Onyx?”

Kai gave me a knowing grin. “Yeah, you’ll like it. We don’t do boring. We do good work. We protect the people who matter. It’s not so different from what we did before, just a different battlefield.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, but my thoughts were already back with Maddie. With her smile. Her strength. Her kindness. Her bossiness.

“You okay?”

“No, but I’m closer than I have been in years.”

“One more thing.”

I raised my eyebrow.

“If she’s everything you say she is, she’ll support you one hundred percent on working through your next five years. But what if she insists on you quitting the teams?”

Now that was something to think about.

* * *

That afternoon, Maddie texted me to call her. When I did, she said she was taking a mental health break.

“What does that mean?”

“I left work at four o’clock”

“So, you left work on time is what you’re telling me?” I knew I sounded exasperated, but I didn’t care.

“Stop it Mr. Judgy Pants. I was calling you to see if you wanted to come over. But if you’re going to be like that, I’m changing my mind.”

“No, don’t change your mind. How soon?”

“Now.”

“Done.” I grinned.

I was at her place in twenty minutes. With her favorite root beer in hand.

I knocked on her door, but there was no answer. I tried again. When I tried the knob, it was unlocked.

“Goddammit.”

I let myself inside and called out for her. No answer. I put the root beer in the fridge and went to the sliding glass door to her backyard. Yep. That’s where she was. Ass up, probably weeding. I took just a moment to admire her ass in cute-as-fuck cut-off jeans. They were so short I got to see a little bit of butt cheek.

She better not wear those out in public.

I slid open the door and before I could call out her name, she turned around.

“Hey, Beau.” She smiled at me.

“What in the hell are you doing leaving your door unlocked?” I demanded to know.

She shrugged. “You were coming over and I knew I wouldn’t hear you if you knocked or rang the doorbell. It seemed expedient.”

“If you didn’t answer, I would have texted you.”

“Why did you turn the knob?”

“Habit.” I answered. “It was a damn foolish thing to do, Maddie.”

“Quit sounding like my brother,” she huffed.

Well, I sure as hell didn’t want to remind her of her brother. “Cute shorts,” I smiled.

“They’re my gardening shorts.”

“Why did you call me?” I asked.

“Free labor.” Her eyes were twinkling.

“Why don’t you take a break, then we can get back to it,” I suggested.

She wiped her brow with her wrist. Then took off her gardening gloves. “Sounds good.” She got off her mat and stood up. When she turned around, I noted the Wonder Woman t-shirt that said, Busy Saving the World . I thought it was pretty damned appropriate.

“You gonna keep staring, or are you going to open the door?”

“Depends. What do you have to eat inside?”

“What about the words free labor did you not understand?” she teased.

“All of it.” I opened the sliding glass door and motioned for her to enter in front of me.

She beelined for the kitchen and opened a cookie jar in the shape of a koala bear. The smell of oatmeal wafted out. My favorite. Unless she’d made them with raisins. Then we had a problem.

She must have been able to read my mind, because she immediately pursed her lips. “Of course I made them with chocolate chips and pecans.”

Thank God.

She grabbed two plates. She put three cookies on one and she put eight on the other. The perfect amount. She pulled down two glasses and set them on the counter, then went to the fridge. She looked over her shoulder at me.

“Thanks for the root beer.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But milk to go with the cookies, right?”

“Damn straight,” I replied.

She took out the milk and proceeded to pour two full glasses and put them in front of our plates. She sat beside me at her kitchen island. I knew I should say something, but the lure of fresh-baked cookies won. After three, I could finally get my head around talking.

“Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Well, I didn’t bake your favorite cookies for them to go stale.”

I shook my head at her sass. “I wanted to talk to you about something,” I said.

“Shoot.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. Opened my mouth. Then stopped. Shit, what was I thinking? Was I really going to ask if she would be okay, pulling up stakes? When we hadn’t even established we were in a relationship?

God, I was stupid.

I turned around in my seat and spun her bar chair around. This way I could get a good look at her whole face, not just her profile.

Maddie frowned. “What’s going on?”

I looked straight into her eyes. “I’m trying to think of the right words.”

“Just say what’s in your heart.”

“It might seem like it’s been only nine days, but really it’s been all my life. You know? How does it feel to you?”

She bit her lower lip, then lowered her head.

“Baby?”

She looked up. “Same,” she said softly.

It felt like a boulder was lifted off my shoulders. “I’m crazy about you, Maddie. I want to spend the rest of the time I have here in Jasper Creek with you. I want to take the time to see where this will go.”

Suddenly, she looked like she was going to cry. “But you’re only going to be here for eleven more days.”

“That’s true. But let’s savor this time together and then figure out where we go when the eleven days are over. Okay?”

“Are you saying there might be a future for us? A real lasting future?”

“I’m not sure, but what I do know is, if we don’t grab hold of this time together, we’ll never know, now will we?”

Her eyes were bright with tears. “No, we won’t.”

“Trust me?” I asked.

Outside, a wind chime danced in the breeze. Inside, there was nothing but the smell of cookies, the faint tick of the clock, and the quiet hum of something real beginning to settle between us.

She reached out and placed her hand over my heart. “I trust you with every beat of my heart.”