Roy continued, “We like the same things. When we argue, we agree she’s usually right.”
“But only because I am,” Bev conceded, and Dex laughed.
“You want to get married? Why now?” Maya asked. She didn’t sound rude. She sounded puzzled and trying to understand.
“Why not now?” Roy shrugged. “I never told you this, but I’ve been seeing a therapist for a while. It’s helped a lot. Living with fear and living in the past isn’t healthy.” He gave her a pointed look, which Dex inwardly applauded. “It’s not good for anyone, especially if you want to find love in your future.”
“You sound all Dr. Phil.” Maya frowned at him. “You could just date.”
“We have been, but Bev is more than a girlfriend. She’s my everything.”
Dex had no idea how Maya would react, but he hadn’t expected to see her tear up. “Maya, you okay?”
She took her hand from his, and this time he let her go. Then she crossed to her father. He stood, and Dex watched in awe as Maya hugged her dad fiercely and cried. She then yanked Bev to her and hugged her too.
“I’m so happy for you guys.”
Totally not the reaction Dex would have predicted from her. No inquisition, no swearing, no accusations that Bev might be using her father. Maybe Maya was changing.
Or maybe she was able to accept her dad could find love because she loved Dex.
His heart raced as the fantasy came and went. Just because she wanted her father to be happy didn’t mean she was ready to face her own future. Did it?
He heard his name. “What?”
“Well, don’t just sit there,” Maya said. “Come join our group hug.”
He hurried before he missed it, and the inclusion into her special circle meant a lot to him.
The rest of the dinner was a festive affair, but on the ride back to her house, Maya remained quiet.
“You okay?” he asked for what felt like the fifth time.
“Yeah.” Same answer, but this time she added, “Still processing what just happened.”
He nodded and finished the drive without talking. Once he’d parked, she turned to him. “Would you come in?”
So polite. He nodded and joined her inside, feeling cautious because he didn’t know this side of Maya. The woman had never been anything but in-your-face confrontational or assertive. Not quiet and contemplative.
“You okay?” He hugged her, surprised when she hugged him back so hard.
“I guess.” She pulled back, and her eyes glistened.
“Maya, honey. Talk to me.” He wiped a tear from her thick lashes. More followed. “Maya?”
She smiled. “I’m so happy for my dad. He’s been alone for so long. And all because of me.”
“What?”
She sighed.
He pulled them to the couch and sat with her in his lap. He held her and offered comfort, hoping she’d explain.
After a few moments, she did. “Winona—my mom—left us when I was three. She didn’t want me, and she didn’t want Dad. But she might have stayed with him if I’d never been born.”
“Maya, no.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “My mom was full Paiute but not close to her family or tribe. They’d had a falling out before she graduated high school. I guess she’d moved around a lot after that. She met my dad and fell for him in one of her more lucid moments. She did a lot of drugs, and she was a dreamer.”
