“Nah. But I saw the menu you not so subtly left on the kitchen counter and the Italian salad looked promising.”
“Leave it to you to choose a salad filled with processed meat and cheese, old man.”
“Hey now,” he said, standing from the hard bench and stretching. His movements were barely strained these days, and I couldn’t help but be proud of the progress he’d made since I moved in. “It’s not my fault that place offers pepperoni, salami, and sharp provolone.”
“Hmm. I suppose not. It’s not like I expected you to order the one with chickpeas and alfalfa sprouts.”
“Take me straight to the hospital if I ever do that, will ya?”
He reached down, holding his hand out to me, and I grasped his palm and stood. I glanced at the remaining people in theroom—hoping Maverick might still have shown up—and felt my mood dampen when I didn’t see him. My traitorous heart beat erratically, and my kitten heels clicked as we made our way out of the room and through the courthouse.
Chapter 36
The sun wasblinding as we pushed open the heavy doors, but dark oppressing clouds were rolling in, getting ready to blanket the city with sheets of rain. I shielded my eyes andthreaded my arm with Dad’s, watching as our shadows danced along the stone steps that led to the parking lot. I squared my shoulders, trying to relieve the tension brewed from sleepless nights and restless thoughts.
As we made it to the bottom of the steps, I spotted a familiar figure leaning against a fence covered with creeping ivy.
Maverick.
His dark jacket was slightly rumpled, and his hands were in his front pockets as his eyes locked on mine. Our fight still lingered in my memory—angry words, harsh tones, and then the kind of silence that feels like a brick wall. But beyond that, seeing him waiting gave me a flicker of hope. A match striking in pitch blackness to illuminate the darkness.
For a moment, I froze, making Dad stumble and look around for the source of my confusion. He huffed and patted the hand that was threaded through his arm, turning to whisper, “He was there, you know. Sitting behind me. I tried to get your attention, but you wouldn’t turn around.”
My head jerked to him as he nodded, pulling his arm from mine and crossing them. Had Maverick been there? Hearing Trey’s hateful words and my meek responses?
“I apologized to him about the doctor, and he told me how proud he was, watching you fight for what you deserved.”
“Are you serious, Dad?”
We hadn’t spoken since our fight, spewing words sharp enough to cut and accusations borne from stress and fear. Time slowed as Maverick moved toward us while my feet remained rooted in place, feeling like they were stuck in two cement blocks. I hardly dared to breathe as Dad placed a steadying hand on my back and leaned in to whisper, “Absolutely.”
Within seconds, he stood in front of us, looking rumpled but still more handsome than any man had a right to.
Dad stretched out his hand, gripping Maverick’s firmly before letting go. “Hi, Son. Good to see you.”
I focused on a crack in the pavement, terrified of what I’d see when I met his eyes.
“Good morning again, sir,” he said softly. His voice sounded timid and unsure, causing my gaze to find his.
My fears were quickly put to rest, because when my eyes traveled from his shoes past his stomach and to his face, I wasn’t met with scorn or anger, but with raw vulnerability.
“You’re here. What are you doing here?” I asked, voice laced with confusion.
Dad took a step to the side, giving us space. “Where else would I be?”
“After our fight, I didn’t think there was anything left to say.”
“We both said a lot that day, Summer. But I have to believe there are better…kinder words still to be said. I was angry, and I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. But I wasn’t going to let you face the aftermath of today alone. And I was hoping for the chance to talk.”
My breath caught in my throat, the bitterness from our fight feeling distant, drowned out by the relief at having him there.
“So, I heard you saw a good show. Trey tried to make me look like a thief,” I said, taking a step closer toward him.
“Yeah,” Dad added, keeping his arms crossed and his eyes hard as he watched the scene unfold. “Luckily your girl had a damn good lawyer, and her ex was a shitgibbon of the highest degree.”
His subtle use ofyour girlwasn’t missed, but I refused to let myself assume, knowing we still had plenty of baggage to deal with.
“I caught the final act, all right,” Maverick said, tilting his head and half-smiling. “The judge wasn’t fooled for a second.”
