From the momentI laid eyes on Maverick, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Though our interaction was brief, it was enough for me to be intrigued.
She had hazelnut-colored skin and long black hair. I couldn’t see her eyes the night I rescued her, but now that she was awake, I noticed how striking her deep brown eyes were. She sucked me in the minute we locked eyes. Although she had an oxygen tube in her small nose, she was still so fucking gorgeous. It had been a long time since I felt so drawn to a woman, but I needed a way to find Maverick again.
Maverick.
I let her name float through my mind since I learned of it. It was different, but I was sure it probably fit her. She wasdifferent, and I determined that after being in her presence for only two minutes. Since pulling her out of her house, I had this urge to protect her. From what, I didn’t know, but I was willing to find out if she’d let me.
At first, I was going to take her flowers, but I changed my mind because she didn’t know me. I didn’t even know if she liked flowers. I didn’t want to come off too strong and scare her off before we could have a real conversation. She seemed to be in good spirits, and that made me feel at ease.
One of my coworkers had gone to check out the damage to her house, and from what I overheard, it would probably take a week or two to fix, as long as she had good insurance. It wasn’t my place to tell her that, so I kept it to myself. She had her friends, and who I assumed was her mom with her, so I was sure she would have somewhere to go in the meantime.
Since I worked overnight, my dad took my baby girl to school and picked her up for me so I could get some rest and do whatever I needed to do around the house. I cleaned a couple of days ago, so the only thing I needed to do was wash a load of clothes, and dust. On the weekends that I had off was when I did more of a deep cleaning, including changing and washing the sheets. Sometimes I would have Turquoise help me. I wanted her to learn the importance of a clean house. I gave her a small allowance so she could buy whatever toys she wanted. It was usually doll babies, but I was okay with that. I wanted her to stay a kid as long as possible. She had a tablet that she liked to use at times, but she had a time limit for usage. There were learning games on there to help keep her mind sharp.
“What’s good, people?” I walked into my father’s house.
“Daddy!” Turquoise screamed and ran toward me. I bent down to scoop her into my arms.
I kissed her cheeks multiple times, then hugged her. “How was your day with Grandpa and Mee-maw?”
“Fun!” She giggled. “We colored, made some cookies, and played with dolls.”
I walked further into the house and sat down on the couch. I let Turquoise back on her feet, and she ran to the spot she played in before my arrival.
“Hey, Son. How was work?” my father asked.
“Work was work. It was busy.” I sat back against the couch and smiled.
“Uh-oh. I feel like me and the little lady shouldn’t be in here,” my stepmom said as she laughed. “Come on, Turquoise. Let’s go get your stuff together.” She stood and held her hand out for my baby.
My father and I watched them leave the room. Once they were upstairs, my father sat up.
“What’s that look about? I don’t think I’ve seen you smile like that in a long time.”
“I think I met my future wife.”
My dad’s mouth fell open as he sat up even further.
“How? Where?” He placed his hands on his knees. “What?”
I smiled again and looked around the room before focusing on him again.
“The other night, we got a call about a house fire. Everyone thought it was clear, but my gut told me someone was there, and I was right. She was unconscious, but she was so damn pretty. When I looked down at her face, all I could think about was protecting her. I visited her in the hospital, and you know that’s something I don’t do, but I couldn’t help myself. She looked even better awake. Her eyes sparkling almond eyes were what really drew me in and held me captive. I have to find a way to get to know her.”
I didn’t make it a habit to see patients, no matter what they looked like, but I had to with Maverick because I couldn’t get her out of my head. I only told her that so she didn’t think I wasweird. I did occasionally check on the children, though, because I always had a soft spot for them.
“Wow. I’m sure you didn’t get her phone number or anything because she was in the hospital, so how are you going to talk to her again?”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know. I know where she lives, but it’s not like I can just show up at her house. We’ll cross paths again if we are supposed to.”
“Are you ready to date though?”
I stroked my beard while I thought about his question. It had been years since I dated for real, but I felt like I was ready. With Turquoise getting older, I felt like she needed another female influence in her life. I wasn’t looking to replace her mother, because that would never happen, but I would like someone who could help me out sometimes. At least someone who could help with women's issues when they arose. Yes, I had my stepmom, but she was getting up there in age, and at times I knew she and my father had trouble keeping up with an energetic six-year-old.
“I believe it’s time to at least give it a try. It’s just something about her that makes me want to see how it goes.”
“All from a few minutes of interaction?” One of my dad’s eyebrows rose.
“That’s all it took,” I told him.
