“Hi, Mav,” I say, squeezing past him to place the bowl inside the fridge. He shuts the door as I step back. I watch him lick his lips as he leans against the door.
We stand there for a moment, refusing to break eye contact. Looking into his eyes takes my mind back into the memories I still held so close, the love I couldn’t let go of, or the heat rising up in the pit of my stomach.
“Do you think...” he starts, pulling his arm up to hold onto his neck.
I look longingly at him, like I’d done so many times, trying to hold down the thoughts of what I wished he’d do to me with those hands holding onto the nape of his neck.
“Do you think we can go somewhere?” He whispers, snapping me from the thoughts I shouldn’t be having, and my heart does a back flip.
Everything inside of me is screaming at me, pulling me to step towards him and kiss him, wrap my arms and legs around him and refuse to let go, like I should have done when he got onto that flight.
A cough interrupts us, and I look over my shoulder. Colter’s sitting against the island, slanting his eyes at us, pointing to his watch.
“Shit.” I realise I don’t have any time to do this with him; no matter how much I’m starting to want to.
I look back to Maverick and offer an apologetic shrug. “Later?” he pleads, looking longingly at me, almost begging me to give him the answer he so desperately wants, still holding onto his neck.
“Later.” I nod back at him, hopefully giving him a small piece of comfort before turning on my heels and walking back over to the island to start on the next thing on my list.
I catch Maverick still lurking as I look over my shoulder at him, “Need anything else?” I ask.
“Yeah, just wondering what this is?” he asks and I turn on my heels to see him holding Ellie’s curse jar.
“Curse jar.” I smirk.
“Your doing?” he asks, once again. I shake my head, “No, Mama’s, we cuss too much apparently.”
Maverick’s eyes tilt up from the jar to me and ashiver runs down my spine, the heat building.
He says nothing placing the jar back in its place before stomping towards me, quickly reaching me.
“Fuck yeah, you do.” He whispers, brushing against me before walking towards my brother and out of the sliding doors, not looking back in my direction.
I feel my nervous system do a full one eighty at those four simple words.
I stand there, stunned into silence by his presence and the growing wetness in between my legs, confused at why after all these years, would he even still pine for me?
****
Looking out onto the horizon, the sun still bright in the sky and not a cloud in sight, thankfully whatever potential storm that’s been on the weather forecast this week has blown over and left our town alone.
Bringing out the last of the food containers, I place them carefully over the heat stations set up to keep the casseroles warm enough for our guests. Feeling hands on my shoulders, I turn around and see Jake and Mavericks mom, Kathleen, pullingme into a tight hug. Leaving my oven mitts on the table I wrap my arms around her frame.
“Hi, baby girl!” She leans over my shoulder.
“Hi, Aunt Kay,” I whisper back to her as she pulls away from our embrace, the pain fresh in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” She asks, concern deep in her voice, but I only nod back to her, holding a hand onto hers. She looks deep into my soul and nods back.
Kathleen Riggins knows; she knows how much I was hurt most by her son because she was the woman I grieved the most to when he first left.
She didn’t have the answers alongside with me.
She held me when I sobbed into her lap at eighteen, over and over again throughout the years and then once again when I took the pregnancy test in her bathroom.
She’s my lifeline, just as much as my own mama.
I shake the sadness rising up in me and remember that this is the best day of our year, and that her son has finally come home to her. Something we both always wished for one another. I let out a staggered breath and smile up toher, letting her know that it is really okay.
