“Something that fucker is going to regret,” I tell him.
CHAPTERELEVEN
JULIET
Leaving would probably be best for everyone.Maverick has been so good to me, and I don’t want to drag him into my problems.I don’t think he would agree with me that leaving is the answer because he’s a good person.I know he’ll try and convince me to stay.That means I’ll have to do it in secret.
A ball of dread fills my stomach, but the decision has been made.I go over to the computer on his desk and check the bus schedule and scribble it down on a piece of paper before I check my emails.There’s a response about a room available to rent, so I email them back asking for more details on when I can come see it.
The office door opens as soon as I hit send, so I close the tabs and try to act normal.As I stand from the desk, I grab the piece of paper where I’d scribbled down the bus schedule and shove it into my back pocket.
Maverick’s expression gives nothing away as he steps inside and closes the door behind him.
“Is everything okay?”I ask when he glances at the computer.
“I handled it.”The smile he gives me doesn’t meet his eyes, and although I don’t want to call him out on it, I really want to know exactly how he handled it.
“Are you sure?”I shift on my feet, wishing I was better at reading people.
“I’m handling it,” he clarifies, and I guess that means it’s still happening.“How are you holding up?”
I shrug in reply.He’s trying to avoid the topic, which only worries me more.“What did Brock tell you, Maverick?”
His lips press into a firm line, and I can’t tell if his frustration is with me or Brock.“He’s under the impression you belong to him.”
“I don’t understand why they’re doing this,” I say, and my shoulders sag.A sense of defeat floods me, and I worry this is never going to be over.I stare down at my feet, still embarrassed that I’ve gotten in this situation.
“I can see why it would be hard to let you go,” Maverick says softly, and my head snaps up.
Warmth floods me and washes away some of the defeat.“Really?”
“Are you kidding?You’re sweet and beautiful, little mouse.”I’m stunned silent as a low chuckle leaves him.“And you don’t even know it.That only adds to the sweetness.”My cheeks are warm from his compliments, and if I wasn’t blushing before, I surely am now.“Do you want to tell me more of what’s going on with the two of you?”
As much as I don’t want to, I owe it to Maverick.Even if I plan to leave, he should know what he’s gotten mixed up in.
“It’s weird,” I admit.I might be sheltered, but I know you’re not supposed to marry your stepbrother.
“Let’s sit down,” he says and nods toward the couch in his office before he grabs a couple of waters out of the fridge.He removes the lid from one of the bottles and hands it to me.“Tell me all of it.”
“He’s my stepbrother,” I say, and Maverick’s bottle freezes almost to his mouth.“I mean, kind of.I don’t know.”I let out a long sigh.“A few years after my father died, my stepmother remarried, and it’s her husband’s son.I don’t know what that makes him or if my stepmother is still my stepmother now that my father is dead and she’s remarried.”
He sets the water bottle down.“And you two started dating?”
“No!”I rush to answer while shaking my head adamantly.Maverick relaxes a fraction, and I wonder if the idea of me being with Brock bothered him.
“Good, he’s a fucking dick,” Maverick says, and a burst of laughter leaves me.I cover my mouth with my hand, and he shrugs.“He is.And he’s under the impression you two are getting married.”
“I don’t understand why he said that.I mean, there have been a few offhand comments about him and me getting married one day.”The sound of crushing plastic is loud in the room before Maverick releases the destroyed water bottle and places it on the table.“I assumed it was an offhand remark.I didn’t think he really meant it, but I guess I was wrong.”
Maverick listens while I keep going and tell him everything.The more I share about how things escalated, the more I see his features harden.He tries to mask his anger, but I can’t miss it.When I tell him about how my stepmother told the police I stole from her when they were really items that once belonged to my birth mother, he gets deadly silent.
Once it’s all out, I look in his eyes and wonder what he’s thinking.Could he be trying to find a way out of this mess now that he’s heard it all?I don’t think I could blame him for wanting no part of it.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Sorry,” he barks, making me jump.“Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you.I’m pissed, but not at you.”He moves his hand to rest on my knee, and I exhale with a sense of relief.“I’m pissed at what they’ve put you through.”
“I don’t understand why they can’t let me go.”
