Page 13

Maverick

W e walk into the big house after a long day of shitstorms. Everything that could go wrong did: the fence was down, the cattle decided it was a free-for-all and roamed two miles down the road, and my truck got a flat tire.

Even if the day was total shit, it was still nice to be home and with my people.

I don’t have to have the perfect persona here; in this house, I can just be Maverick.

“Hello boys, how was your day?” Mabel asks as she turns her head, looking away from whatever she is whipping up on the stove. It smells so good, it makes my stomach rumble.

“And that’s different, how?” Rhett pipes in as he pulls his boots off his feet.

“Fuck off. I’ve settled down in my old age.” Weston glares, and he has, compared to high school and college Weston, this one is practically a golden child.

“If you boys start talking about thirty being old, I’m going to have to whoop your asses,” Jack says. His mostly hidden lips turn up in a smile.

“What do you boys say about staying over for dinner tonight? I’m whipping up a big pot of chili, and I’ve got enough cornbread to feed an army,” Mabel says as she walks out from the kitchen, around the large island, and into the living room.

She dusts her hands before looking at all of us, knowing good and well that we don’t ever turn down her homemade meals.

“You don’t have to tell us twice, Mom,” Weston says as he walks into the kitchen to give Mabel a peck on the cheek. He is a giant mama’s boy, even if he doesn't have the balls to admit it.

“Mav, I’ve got cookies in the oven for you right now.” I knew I smelled chocolate chip cookies when I walked in here.

“You sure know the way to a man’s heart.”

“Speaking of, why don’t you call your little lady friend and have her join us? I’d love to get to know her better.” Mabel leans into the counter, brushing her long braid behind her.

“Oooh, me too!” Weston’s sister, Aspen, walks in. Her brown hair is pulled back into her usual bun. Her oversized hoodie covers up the majority of her long legs. While Weston took after Jack, Mabel and Aspen are carbon copies of each other. Aspen did inherit her dad’s sarcastic attitude, though.

“Us too. He never lets us come over anymore.” Weston looks to Rhett, who has a shit-eating grin on his face.

These assholes live to make me uncomfortable.

I know without a doubt they will be grilling me about her the second they turn their ears.

There is nothing to tell…or nothing I am willing to share with the group.

“I can see if she wants to swing by. I know for sure she likes your cooking.” I’m still not over her swiping my dinner plate.

The little thief may not have known meatloaf is my favorite, but I’m still salty over it.

Pulling out my phone, I shoot her a text asking if she wants to come by.

Can’t blame her if she doesn’t want to join.

This is quite the crowd to throw yourself into .

I go to sit at the island in the center of the kitchen and my phone dings from my back pocket. My eyebrows shoot to my forehead when I read the message.

“Uhm, she said she will come.”

“Oh yay! We need another girl around here. All this testosterone is suffocating.” Aspen waves her hand around in the air to add to her dramatics. She has always had a personality that was bigger than life.

I look around the room. “Listen here, none of you better make her uncomfortable. She’s new around town, and I’ve already put her in a shitty spot. I will whip all your asses if you make this weird.”

“Do I sense some protectiveness coming off you, Mav?” Aspen leans her forearms on the marble counter and wags her eyebrows at me. Off to a real good start of not making shit weird.

“No. I just know y’all can be a lot.”

Everyone in the room looks at each other and has a silent conversation like I'm not sitting here. Getting off the stool, I make my way to the fridge. I’m going to need a beer for this.

Within a few minutes, there is a knock at the front door, and my heart races with nervous energy.

These are all my people, and I want her to like them.

I want them to like her. Why do I need that though?

I’ve never worried about that with any other girls before.

My palms suddenly feel sweaty, so I rub them against my jeans while walking to the front door. I swing it open, and she shyly smiles.

“Come on in. I will formally introduce you to the group.” She steps inside and slides off her tennis shoes.

“Here, let me take your coat.” I pull the coat off her shoulders and see she’s dressed up a little.

Her long-sleeved shirt forms perfectly against her curves, and if all eyes weren’t on us right now, I’d be taking my time to look.

Her jeans sit high on her hips and flare out toward the bottom .

Placing my hand on her lower back, I guide her forward. “Everyone, this is Ava. I’m sure you have all kind of met or talked to her.”

“Hi, sweetheart. It’s great to see you again.” Weston’s mom comes up and gives her a big hug. I watch some of the tension in her body melt. Her hugs have the tendency to do that. She naturally becomes everyone’s mom, I don’t know how she does it.

“This giant is Rhett.” He dips his head as a hello; he’s almost 6’5 and towers over everyone, so if she needs an identifying factor for him, giant will do it.

“And this is Weston. This is his parent’s house.

” Which I am pretty sure I have already told her, but my nerves are making me feel a little frayed.

“And this is Aspen, Weston’s sister.” Aspen comes running over.

“I am so happy you are here!” Aspen says, and Ava’s eyes light up in surprise to her warm welcome, almost as if she was startled. I shake my head, chuckling under my breath. Ava’s eyes find me, and I smile in encouragement.

“Well, since we are all here, let's get to the table and dig in!” Mabel says.

“Ain't gotta tell me twice,” Weston remarks, rubbing his hands together excitedly as he moves to the table.

Ava sticks close to my side as we walk to the table, and I pull out a chair for her.

“Thanks.” She takes a seat and looks around the table. “Does she need help?”

“Oh no, if you try to help her, she will swat you out of the kitchen. This is her thing,” Aspen says as she brings her glass of wine to her lips.

Within a few minutes, our bowls are filled up and piled high with chili, onions, cheese, and crackers. Ava stays quiet, but the smile on her face eases my anxiety about whether or not she’s uncomfortable. She watches everyone around her and all the conversations.

“So, Ava, what do you do?” Mabel asks, looking up from her bowl of chili.

She sets down her spoon and clears her throat. “I am in the process of getting hired at Windy Peaks Community Hospital. I just graduated from nursing school a few months ago.”

Aspen audibly gasps, slapping her brother on the arm; he winces and rubs the spot. “Shut the front door. Maverick, why didn’t you tell me she was working at my hospital?” She looks at me, eyes bright with excitement, “I work as a nurse there, too!”

“Uh?” I look around, mostly because I didn’t think about it, and they had never met.

“Men usually leave out the important details or ignore them entirely,” Ava says, looking at me—well, it’s more of a glare. I know there is little truth behind the glare Ava shoots me. We wouldn’t be here if I had listened to her important details.

“So, when do you start?” Aspen leans on her elbows, resting her hand on her fist.

Ava lets out a heavy sigh, shaking her head while bringing a shoulder up to her ear. “Your guess is as good as mine. They are taking their sweet time getting my paperwork processed.”

“Oh my god, I remember when I got hired there and it took over two months for them to hire me.” Aspen rolls her eyes before shoving a spoonful of chili into her mouth.

Pure panic showers over Ava’s eyes. “Well, I hope they’ve learned to be a little more efficient than that. How long have you worked there?”

“Since right after I graduated college, so about three years, I think? I was twenty-two when I got started, and I will be twenty-five in a couple of weeks.” Aspen is the baby of the group.

She always hated that. She tried to run with us our entire high school career, but bringing an eighth grader to corn field keggers was frowned upon, so she got left at home most of it.

“Oh, that’s great. Well, I am glad there will be a familiar face.”

Dinner goes on like usual. Everyone’s talking over everyone. Aspen decides she wants my chair so she can talk more to her new bestie; her words, not mine. Much to my surprise, everyone behaves, and I don’t have to whoop anyone's ass.

I look around the table and see how perfectly Ava fits in. A little too perfect because I am realizing I like having her around a little too much. This whole thing is temporary, and I would be smart to remind myself of that.

Only I’m not smart, and I want her alone. “Alright, well, I am ready to crash. You about ready to head home?” I ask Ava, unsure if she would want to stay here alone.

Aspen’s palms hit the table with a thud . “Hey, you can’t take my new friend away that fast!”

“Why don’t you exchange numbers? You can come over and visit anytime,” I say, sliding my chair back, ready to make our exit.

“You’re going to regret that.” Rhett pipes out. And he is one hundred percent right, but if it means we get out of here sooner, it’s a risk I am willing to take.

The girls exchange numbers, and we say our goodbyes and head back to the house.

We drive the short distance separately; I wait to get out of my truck until she pulls up beside it. Swinging my door open, I step out and rush over to open Ava’s door. We walk up to the cabin together, and I might be imagining things but it feels like there’s a little electric charge between us.

She pulls her coat around herself a little tighter before looking up at me. “Thanks for inviting me, that was really nice.”

“They’re a lot. But I am glad you had a good time.”

I open the door, gesturing for her to go first as she says, “You’ve got some good people in your circle.”

“I do. Did you want to watch a movie before bed?” My voice sounds a little more eager than I had intended. In fact, it's edging on desperate.

“I thought you were tired?” She raises her eyebrow.

“A little TV before bed always helps me sleep.” That might be a bit of a stretch, but telling her how much I’ve liked our nightly routine of watching a movie together would blur boundaries I’m not sure she is willing to cross.

“Well, alright, but I get to pick tonight. I am going to stab my eyeballs out if you make me watch another western.”

“Those are classics, and you should respect them,” I say in mock offense.

“Well, tonight, we will watch a classic of mine.” The thought of what could be a classic of hers has me worried.

“Okay.” We change into comfier clothes and climb into my bed, which is small enough that our legs touch when we spread out and I crave contact with her. I will find any excuse to get my fix, even if it means sitting through an hour and a half long chick flick.

Ava grabs the remote and presses play. She watches the movie and I watch her eyes get heavy.

It doesn’t take long before her head flops onto my shoulder.

I gently wrap my arm around her, and in her half-sleep, she scoots closer.

Fuck, I like this too much. My eyes grow heavy in seconds, calmness filling me at her touch as I hold her.

My blinks get shorter and shorter apart before I find them drifting closed, the sweet smell of Ava the last thing I remember before sleep finds me.