Page 32 of The Maverick’s Forever Home (Montana Mavericks: Behind Closed Doors #2)

F or the next week, Maggie worked part-time for JenniLynn and spent every spare minute with Cody.

They’d talked about her job and Cody’s fears a lot.

There was no easy fix for this. All she could do was keep talking to him and reassuring him that she loved him best. She didn’t know what would happen when she was cleared to go back to work but they’d take it one day at a time.

For now, he was back to his affectionate self—kissing and hugging her and holding her hand when she’d walked him to the bus stop.

Even now, having pie at the Silver Spur Café, he’d chosen to sit right beside her instead of across from her.

While she loved the shift in their relationship, it didn’t fully ease the ache in her chest. For Braden. Braden—who’d snuck into her head and heart every moment she stopped going and doing.

“When are Braden and Delilah coming over?” This wasn’t the first time Cody had asked this.

And every time he asked, she wanted to curl into a little ball and cry.

She was sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted and haunted by every horrible second of her last exchange with Braden.

How was she supposed to tell Cody that Braden and Delilah wouldn’t be coming around anymore?

How was she supposed to explain what had happened?

And when was her heart going to stop twisting itself in knots at the sound of Braden’s name?

“Yeah, Mags. It’s been a while.” Mike sat on the other side of the booth, devouring a massive piece of cherry pie. “No plans with them?”

“I don’t know.” She ignored her brother—who knew things were rocky with Braden—and smiled at Cody. “You’ve got whipped cream on your cheek.”

“Did you two fight?” Cody wiped at his cheek. “Delilah said Braden’s been sad.”

Sad? She ignored the sharp tug in her chest. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“So you didn’t fight?” Mike asked.

She kicked his shin under the table, making him jump and mutter a long list of colorful expletives that had Cody laughing. “I don’t want to hear you saying any of those words, okay, Cody?

“’Kay, Ma.” Cody scooped up a bite of pie. “Are we going to the football game tomorrow night? Delilah wants to cheer with you.”

Maggie wanted to cheer with Delilah, too. She missed Delilah terribly. And Braden—even though she didn’t want to. “Maybe Uncle Mike can take you?” At the moment, she was still too vulnerable.

It was her fault for letting things get out of control.

Braden had done nothing but be his incredible self.

She’d started to rely on him. From wanting to share her day with him to catching sight of his crooked grin to stolen kisses to their passionate night in bed, he’d become a part of her every day.

Braden and Delilah had given her a glimpse of what a happy family should be.

That last day, he’d dropped everything when she called. For her. For Cody. He’d come running. Once he’d calmed Cody, he’d wrapped her up in his arms to console her.

The love she felt for this man was too much—too big. Meaning losing him would be unbearable. That thought had scared her. Desperately. So desperately she’d pushed him aside and made herself miserable.

“We have to go, Ma. Come on,” Cody pleaded. “Can we go, please?”

They would inevitably see one another again. Tenacity was too small not to, but she wasn’t going to willingly put herself in a position where the odds of running into Braden were high—like a football game. She couldn’t risk running into him, not yet.

“We should all go,” Mike said. He’d been all too happy to tell her, whenever he got the chance, that she was making a mistake ending things with Braden. “Together.”

She tried to kick his shin again, but wound up kicking the booth bench instead. Thankfully, she was wearing her boots or her toes would have been bruised.

Mike started to say something, then froze. “Guess we’re not the only ones hungry for pie.” He raised his hand and waved.

“Who is it?” Maggie continued breaking apart the pie crust with the tines of her fork. Sleep wasn’t the only thing she was struggling with. Her appetite was all but gone—which had her mother nagging her at every turn.

“Cody?” Delilah’s squeal echoed across the restaurant. “Maggie, Maggie. Hewwo.” She ran right up to her and held her arms wide.

Maggie wrapped the little girl in a big, long hug. “Oh, I’ve missed your hugs.” She kept her eyes closed until she was ready to face the inevitable. “Are you here for pie?”

“Yep.” Delilah slid into the booth beside her. “Come on, Daddy.” She pointed at the bench Mike was sitting on. “Hi, Unca Mike.”

“Hey, Delly.” Mike grinned at her. “Wearing some knee socks today? It’s getting cold out there.”

“One pink one and one blue one.” She smiled. “B-lue. See? I said it. B-l-ue.”

“She’s been working on her l ’s,” Cody explained.

“At recess. Cody helps.” Delilah beamed up at Maggie.

Oh, how she’d missed that sweet smile. And it filled her with happiness to know Cody and Delilah were spending time together at school.

“You’re doing a great job.” She was trying very hard not to acknowledge the presence of the very large man sitting directly across from her or she’d have looked to see if he was as happy about all of this as she was.

“What kinda pie is that?” Delilah pointed at the crumbled mess on Maggie’s plate.

“It’s buttermilk pie.” She pushed the plate over for the little girl. “Want to try some?”

“Sure.” Delilah used the fork to take a big bite. She tipped her head to the side, considering the flavor. “It’s okay,” she said around the mouthful of pie.

Braden’s chuckle had the hairs along the back of her neck pricking up and her stomach flipping upside down. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Delilah. You might choke.”

“’Kay, Daddy.” She made a big production out of chewing and swallowing. “Are we going to the football game? I want to cheer real woud.”

“You’re good at being loud.” Cody laughed.

Delilah laughed, too. “I know.”

Maggie wasn’t immune to their playful banter. She loved that they were close now. She missed this—all of it.

“Can we, Ma?”

Maggie took a deep breath and met the blue gaze fixed on her. “I’m not sure.” She couldn’t do it. She’d tried, but she wasn’t ready. She loved that face—she loved that man. And she wasn’t sure what to do about it. What was the best course of action—for everyone? “Mike, are you free to take them?”

“Danny and I can take them.” He sighed. “Probably best if you stay out of the cold, anyway. We’re supposed to get a freeze.”

“Are you sick, Maggie?” Delilah put her little hand on Maggie’s arm.

“She was. She was real sick.” Cody leaned against her. “Gramma says she needs her rest so she can get better.”

“My mommy got real sick, too.” Delilah scooted closer to her. “You have to get better, Maggie.”

Maggie slipped her arm around the little girl. “I will, Delilah. You don’t need to worry about me, okay? I’m fine.”

“Ma doesn’t want anyone to worry about her.” Cody sighed and shook his head. “But Gramma and Grampa say you can’t help but worry when you love someone.”

“I worry cuz I wove you.” Delilah burrowed closer.

“I love you, too.” She loved this precious little girl so much. It felt so good to have her close.

“I have missed you wots.” Delilah reached up to play with one of Maggie’s curls. “I asked Daddy where did you go. He said you had stuff to do. I told him I missed you and he said he missed you, too. But now it’s okay.” She was smiling again. “Right, Daddy?”

Maggie knew better than to look—but she did it anyway.

“Right.” Braden didn’t shy away from her gaze—he met it boldly. Almost like he was searching for something. A crease formed between his brows.

“Uncle Mike, you got any change for the jukebox?” Cody was leaning across the table.

“What’s a jukebox?” Delilah did exactly as Cody did.

“A jukebox plays music.” Mike slid out of the booth. “Let’s go pick out some tunes.”

And just like that, she and Braden were alone at the table. She stared after Mike, willing him to look back and rescue her. He never looked back. If anything, he seemed to be intentionally not looking at her.

Traitor .

“You look tired, Maggie.” The furrow on Braden’s brow deepened. “And thinner. Are you okay?”

“Never better.” She hated that he caused tingles stronger than ever. “Everything good with you and Delilah?” Her gaze darted from her mangled pie to his profile.

“Yep.” He sat back against the booth seat. “You and Cody?” His blue eyes stayed on her face.

The way he was looking at her, she could only manage to say, “Mmm-hmm.” She went back to picking her pie crust apart.

“You sure everything is okay?” He’d lowered his voice.

No. Nothing is okay. You’re here, being you. And I miss you . “I’m sure.” Her chest ached.

They sat in awkward silence. She held out as long as she could, but there was no shaking off the current between them.

The second their eyes locked, her toes were curling in her boots.

He was as gorgeous as always but…he looked like hell.

His eyes were bloodshot with dark shadows beneath.

There was a weariness about him that hadn’t been there before.

She remembered Cody’s words then, something about Braden being sad.

Seeing him this way made her sad. The ache in her chest sharpened. “Are you okay?”

His smile was brittle. “I will be.”

Her phone rang. “Hello?” She hadn’t even bothered to look at the screen.

“Maggie? It’s Opal. How are you, girl? Still upright and breathing?” As one of the big shots at the International Healthcare Initiative, she was getting antsy to have Maggie back. “Are you climbing the walls yet? Get cleared by the doc yet? If so, I have an assignment for you.”