Page 45 of Falling Stars (Wild at Heart #2)

BAYLEE

When I get a break in clients, I head to my small office and pop open my laptop to look at our sales this month. The salon has been slammed, but my stomach sinks when I see how little we’re making after I pay the rent and utilities.

“Whatcha doing?” Vera reads over my shoulder as she munches on some chips.

“Trying to figure out how to make more money. Do you think anyone would be interested in early morning appointments? If I can squeeze in five more clients a week, that would really help.”

Her eyes bulge. “When exactly do you plan to sleep? I’m exhausted after work, and I’m not nursing a baby.”

My shoulders slump. “I’m never going to be able to repay Maverick or save any money at this rate.”

“Do you need to repay your boyfriend?”

“He’s not a bank, Vera.”

She holds up her hands. “No need to be snippy.”

“Sorry.” I rub the bridge of my nose. “I just don’t know how I’m ever going to get out of this financial situation if something doesn’t change.

” As much as I’d love to accept Maverick’s generosity, I have to learn to stand on my own.

If my parents’ divorce taught me anything, it’s that a woman can’t become overly dependent on anyone else.

Pushing my laptop over, she parks her ass on my desk and turns to me. “We need to think outside the box.”

“Have any suggestions? Because I’m pretty sure Leo is sucking out all of the nutrients from my brain every time I feed him.”

She laughs and bends over his stroller, which is facing us. “But he’s so dang cute! And look at all the baby weight you lost thanks to breastfeeding.”

I glance down. My boobs are still huge, but the rest of me looks more like my pre-pregnancy body. Curvy but healthy. I suppose it’s also because I work on my feet all day.

Vera points to my spreadsheet. “I have two suggestions. One, we raise our prices. I suggested that to your mom last spring before she left for Amarillo, but I think she was too overwhelmed with family stuff to really take it seriously.”

“I’ve been considering that for a while, but I feel bad for our customers.”

“Baylee, look at our economy. The prices of our supplies have gone up. Our rent. Our grocery bills. Everything. We have to do it to stay afloat. People will understand. After all, you and I are the best hairstylists in town. Everyone knows it.”

I smile. “I love how humble you are.”

She buffs her nails. “It’s the truth.”

“I should get us some tiaras.”

“You really should.”

We both laugh.

Okay. I need to raise prices. I pull out our price list and make some notations. “You said you had two suggestions. What’s the second one?”

“We need a bigger presence online. We could post challenges, like which customer had the biggest glow-up. ”

“That’s really cute.” But even as I say it, my stomach flips at the thought of doing another social media challenge.

The last one I did didn’t go so well.

Guilt settles in my stomach. I’ve known for a while that this is a marketing direction we should be doing.

Vera nudges me. “Don’t be a wuss. You used to post shit all the time when you were in high school. Don’t grow up, Peter Pan.”

I snort. “All right. Yes, I’m being a big, fat chicken, and I suppose it’s time to get back on the saddle.” I pull out my phone. “Which accounts should I follow for ideas?”

For the rest of the afternoon, in between clients, we brainstorm posts we can make. Once I’m done with my last customer, I’m wiped out. But staying busy has helped keep my mind off last night’s conversation with Maverick.

A little voice in my head whispers, He promised to make better boundaries with other women, but he never mentioned being transparent about those interactions.

I should just ask him if he’s talked to Nicole.

But what if he admits he has? If I ask him now, and he says he’s been chatting up Nicole at the high school, we’ll end up arguing. And that will be terrible because he’s leaving on Sunday.

Do I really want to be angry at him before his flight back to New York?

My heart is heavy as I flip the sign on the door to ‘closed.’ I wish I could pause time and stay in this bubble with Maverick where we don’t have to worry about his injuries or his football contract.

He’s leaving the day after tomorrow. Will the last month feel like a dream after he’s gone?

“Is Sean still coming over tonight?” Rory asks as she sweeps the floor, jarring me out of my thoughts .

“Yes.” That’s another poorly timed plan, but it’s weird having him meet me in the salon after hours or at a local restaurant where all the looky-loos can watch us.

At least at the condo, we’ll have some privacy. After all, Maverick said it’s fine.

Still, it’s going to be uncomfortable. They’ve never met each other.

When I get to the condo, to my horror, Sean’s already there. He and Maverick are staring at each other over the bar.

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

Maverick slaps his beer bottle on the counter, popping off the top. “Sean here was just telling me how he got an apartment in town so he can be near you and Leo.”

I turn to my ex. “Really?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner. I really should’ve moved closer when we were dating, but I was a dumbass. Long distance never works, does it?”

Maverick’s eyes bore into me, and I laugh awkwardly. “I’d say everything worked out for the best.”

Sean tips his beer to Mav. “Did you know he has a really nice place in New York? It’s in a great location.”

I shrug because my boyfriend hasn’t mentioned that to me either.

Wanting to get this over as quickly as possible, I pull Leo out of his stroller. “I just need to change his diaper. Give me five minutes.”

Sean puts his hand on my arm. “Can I try it? Then you can tell me if I do something wrong?”

“Sure. That’s a great idea.” I glance at Maverick. Jaw tight, body rigid, he’s staring down at the island. He looks pissed. I’m not sure why he’s upset, since he’s the one who suggested meeting here. “We’ll be right back.”

He doesn’t say anything .

When Sean and I get to the nursery, he blows out a breath. “Can I just admit now that I’m jealous you’re dating a first-round draft pick?”

I put Leo on the changing table. “Mav and I grew up together. I don’t see him that way. I mean, I know he’s an incredible player, but he means more to me than that.”

He unsnaps Leo’s onesie, and his voice softens. “It’s easier on my ego this way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re turning me down to date Maverick Walker. Kinda hard to beat that.”

“You’re an idiot.” I laugh and he smiles.

When he finishes changing Leo’s diaper, I pat his shoulder. “Good job.”

We head back to the living room where Maverick is sitting at the bar, still looking butthurt. I’m not sure why, though.

I lean over him and kiss his cheek. “Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah. I had PT this morning, took an ice bath, ran some errands. Stopped by the high school to talk to Coach one more time.” I wait for him to mention Nicole. He doesn’t.

“Great.”

Sean, who’s cradling Leo, clears his throat. “So Mav, when do you head back to New York?”

“Sunday morning.”

At the reminder, my stomach drops. It feels like the world is ending in two days.

“No shit. That’s soon.”

I get a glass of water before I freak out. After I take a few sips, I turn back to the guys. “But first, he’s helping his brothers at the ranch rodeo this weekend.” And I’m taking another day off work so I can hang out with them.

I realize I still need to feed the baby and warm up a bottle, so I do that as the stilted conversation continues. Finally, the milk is warm enough to feed Leo, and I hand Sean the bottle.

He shakes it at me. “This is breast milk, right? Can I taste it?”

“Sean.”

“What? If we were still dating?—”

“Don’t fucking finish that sentence,” Maverick growls.

I jolt at the anger in his voice. “Okay, guys, let’s not do this.” I maneuver Sean over to the couch. “Can you sit here to feed Leo? I need a minute.”

“He’s kinda sensitive, huh?”

I scowl at him. “You’re being rude.”

He has the nerve to look surprised, but I walk away before he can respond. I march back to Maverick. “Can we talk for a sec? Maybe in the nursery?”

Maverick doesn’t say a word as we walk down the hall, but at the last minute, he turns to the left instead of to the right. I’m expecting to see the empty master bedroom.

Instead, there’s a room full of furniture. “When did this happen?” There’s a beautiful bed with crisp white linen. Bedside tables. Lamps. A dresser.

He wraps his arms around me from behind. “This afternoon. Beau and Rhett helped me set everything up.”

“I’m sorry you’ll only get to sleep on it twice before you leave.” My voice cracks, and I cough to play it off.

Mav kisses my neck. “Sorry about being a dick to Sean. Just… I don’t want him getting too comfortable around you.”

Questions about Nicole are on the tip of my tongue, but do I really want to spend one of my last nights with Maverick talking about his ex? “You don’t have anything to worry about.” I turn in his arms and kiss him. “I’m yours, Mav. I promise.”

He brushes his nose with mine. “Guess we should get out there. Make sure Sean hasn’t run off with Leo.”

I smack his hand. “Don’t joke like that. ”

“I’m teasing. I’m just saying Leo’s amazing, and everyone wants him. I know I do.”

Oh. My eyes sting, and I press my head to his chest and hug him. “Thanks for loving my son.”

He kisses the top of my head. “He’s easy to love. So are you.”

I shake my head. “Don’t make me cry.”

“Hey, Baylee!” Sean shouts. “I think Leo pooped! It sounds like a big one!”

Mav smirks. “Novice.”

I roll my eyes. As we head out of the bedroom, Mav’s phone rings. He frowns as he stares at the screen. “I’ll be out in a sec. I need to take this.”

“Sure.”

He returns to the bedroom. I help Sean get Leo situated again on the changing table in the nursery, but we’re out of wipes. “There are more in the diaper bag. One sec.”

When I step into the hallway, I see Mav pacing through the cracked open door. “I know, Coach. I told you I’ll be there on Monday.”

“I sent you home to rehab, not to go viral singing to your little girlfriend.”

Shit. It’s the Viper coach, not Taggert.

“I understand, Coach, and I’m sorry if it looks like I’m just on vacation down here. I’ve been doing daily PT. I’m not dizzy anymore, and my arm is feeling better. I’m ready to go.”

The hope in his voice is bittersweet. While I’m thrilled he’s doing better, his lifelong dream will carry him far away from me and Wild Heart.

“I’m relieved to hear you’ve seen improvement. A word of advice, though? Leave all of those distractions at home. You need to be one hundred percent focused on the game when you get back.”

“My girlfriend’s not a distraction. We grew up together. In fact, she’s staying in Texas, so I’ll have all the time in the world to focus on football.”

I can hear his coach’s sigh across the room. “Not to be an asshole, Maverick, but having a girlfriend back home is even worse than if she was to tag along. The last thing you need is a woman over a thousand miles away making demands on your time.”

My stomach drops as I process his words. Mav starts to respond, but his coach cuts him off. “I’m not going to argue with you. Just be ready to go when you get back. I’ll see you Monday.”

I quickly run to the kitchen to grab the wipes and hustle back to the nursery. I’m surprised I don’t bump into Mav on the way back, but maybe he went to the en suite bathroom.

The whole time I help Sean with the diaper, I’m working like hell to tamp down my emotions.

And when we return to the living room, I paste a smile on my face and pretend like I didn’t just overhear an NFL coach advise my boyfriend to break up with me.