“I love you, Maverick. Do I think we will have disagreements at some point? Yes, but never anything that would hurt you.”
My heart stammered in my chest when he told me he loved me. I made it up in my mind that I would tell him before the weekend was over whether he said it first or not, but I was relieved that he did.
“You love me?” I asked as my eyes watered. I felt it already, so I wasn’t sure why it made me emotional to hear it.
Onyx’s smile lit up his face. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I stared into his eyes, and they seemed to sparkle as he stared down at me.
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? You make everything around me seem brighter. You take the time to get to know my daughter and be there for her. You give me a reason not to want to work all the time. You are hard not to love, baby.” He kissed my nose.
“I love you too, Onyx.” We kissed again, and this time it turned to me straddling his lap.
Since I didn’t have any panties on, it took no time for Onyx to remove himself from his boxers and ease his way into me.
It didn’t matter that our food was on the way, or even when it arrived; the only thing that mattered was Onyx and me showing and telling each other how much we loved one another.
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring a little and spending more time exploring each other. By the time we left, I was relaxed and ready to conquer the work week with a little extra pep in my step.
Maverickand I had been joined at the hip since our weekend getaway. It felt good doing nothing but connecting with her and giving her the space to relax. I wanted to be able to do that for us at least once a month. I felt it was important to have that quality time.
When we were both off from work, we spent time together. Either she would be at my house, or I would be at hers. She even started bringing Spencer with her, and he had become protective of Turquoise, just as he had been with Maverick.
Maverick turned her spare bedroom into a room for Turquoise so she would be comfortable whenever we stayed the night. It was things like that that made me want to give her the world. Turquoise loved having Maverick around just as much asI did. My father and Sharon loved her too. Our families meshed well, but it was one person I needed to have a chat with about her. So, while Maverick was at work and Turquoise was at school, I drove to Greenwood Cemetery, where Bria was buried.
It didn’t take long to reach her burial plot, because I knew the way like the back of my hand. In the beginning I went every other week to visit her, but I’d been slacking.
I removed the dead flowers and replaced them with fresh tulips. I wiped the dirt and dust off that had accumulated since the last time I was there.
I rested my hand on the top of it. “Hey, Bri. I know it’s been a minute, and I apologize for that. I met someone, and she’s . . . perfect. I know there is no such thing as a perfect person, but she’s the closest thing to it. She loves our baby girl as if she were her own. Turquoise has gotten so big, Bri. I wish you could see her.” I paused and put my hands in my pockets. “No one could ever take your place, but I hope you are resting peacefully knowing our little girl is good. She’s smart like you and has such a great sense of humor.” My eyes watered as I stared down at her name. “Maverick. That’s her name. Maverick is taking care of our hearts. I never imagined I would open it up to someone else, but I couldn’t help but fall for her. It was love at first sight. I saved her from a house fire and immediately felt something I hadn’t felt since you.” I shook my head and just stared at the space around me. “I miss you, Bri. I’ll make sure to come and visit you soon.” I kissed the tips of two of my fingers, then tapped the top of the headstone. “I love you, and I’ll see you again one day.”
As I stood there getting my emotions under control, I felt a slight breeze blow against the back of my neck. I smiled when the sun suddenly brightened. I knew it was Bri’s way of letting me know that I was good.
I headed back to the car feeling lighter than I had in a long time.
The next day
“I can’t believe you have me out here,” Maverick said as we entered a small festival that was being held in a nearby town.
“Well, it wasn’t easy.” I winked as she blushed.
I knew it would take some convincing, so I asked as I was buried deep inside of her. It was kind of hard for her to say no while she came on my dick.
“Don’t think you are going to trick me like that all of the time.”
“I won’t. You’re doing good, though.”
Since we started dating, she’d been slowly opening up to doing more things in different crowds. Sometimes I didn’t think she realized just how much she had changed. She even attended a couple of Turquoise’s school events.
Maverick stopped walking and turned to face me. “I have to thank you for that.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “You make me want to try new experiences with you and Turquoise.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad we could be of service.” I released her, then reached for her hand.
We continued walking around. There were a few vendors out, so we stopped at a few tables and purchased a few items. Maverick got her and Turquoise matching breaded bracelets, as well as some dog toys for Spencer.
After we shopped, we stopped at one of the food trucks to grab a bite to eat. Once we had our food, we found an unoccupied table to sit at and eat.
We both had gotten Polish sausages with peppers and onions with a side of roasted potatoes. The owners of the truck were from Poland, so I knew the sausages were authentic.
For a moment, we ate in silence as we both took in the sights around us. Maverick looked around a lot, but she seemed to be more comfortable than I expected. Once we were done eating, I decided to tell Maverick about my visit to see Bria the day prior.
