My heart felt all mushy and warm.
"Besides, is this not what you chose when you agreed to spend your life here on the island with me?" Maverick asked.
"You're right. I guess it still feels like a dream."
"A good one, I hope."
I smiled. "The best one. One I hope I never wake up from."
Our touchy-feely moment was interrupted as the server came up to our table again. "My apologies, Mr. Gryphon, but there's someone here asking to see Mr. Evans?"
"Me?" I asked, baffled. I didn't know anyone on the island well enough for them to ask for me. Did I?
"Yes, sir," the server said.
Maverick frowned. "Did they give a name?"
"No, sir, I'm sorry. He only sounded urgent."
He...?
While I was still wondering who the hell it could be, I noticed Maverick had gone still in his seat. His demeanor changed, going from comfortable and relaxed to upright and serious, exuding his gryphon's natural air of powerful grace and nobility.
"Very well," Maverick said calmly. "Bring him here."
The server nodded and briskly walked away. I shot an uneasy glance at Maverick, whose warm eyes turned into sharp shards of solid amber. His hands were folded on the table and his shoulders were rigid. He almost looked like a mafia boss or something.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Fine. Please don't trouble yourself."
I didn't know what was bothering Maverick but I trusted him. While waiting for this mysterious person to show up, I pulled out my phone out of habit.
That was when I saw the texts.
My stomach dropped. They were all from Terry, and they were all pissed. Since I turned off my phone alerts last night, I hadn't seen any of them until now.
After a string of increasingly agitated texts, the last one read:
Terry: Just You Wait.
I saw two figures approaching the table from the corner of my eye. One was the server, and the other was—
"Oh, no," I mumbled.
"LEO!"
I hated the way my name sounded coming out of Terry's mouth. His grating voice was jarring in what had become my safe place. My muscles tensed as I braced for a confrontation.
In one smooth motion, Maverick stood up from his seat and put himself between us. I could barely see Terry from behind Maverick's broad shoulders.
I'd suddenly been thrown into an alternate reality. Terry shouldnothave been here. Seeing him felt like a slap in the face.
"Leo, are you crazy?" Terry demanded. "You couldn't have just enjoyed a free vacation, could you? Youhadto go and find a rebound. Who even is this guy?"
My blood boiled. How dare he talk about Maverick that way? My dread at seeing him melted instantly and I shot up from my seat to stand beside my mate.
"Terry, why don't you shut the hell up?" I snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about. He's not a rebound."
