The thought hit me square in the chest. I never thought of having someone in my life long term.
"Jo, why don't you join me in the kitchen for a moment."
In a bit of a daze, I followed the woman without protest.
"You okay? I could see your mood shift rather suddenly."
"Yeah." I shook my head. "A thought kind of snuck up on me that I didn't expect."
"Care to talk about it?"
I looked at Nancy's caring face. "I think I might."
Nancy took a seat at the table and tapped the chair next to her. "Join me."
I did so without question. Nancy was old enough to be my mother, and I felt like I could talk to her as if she was. I hadn't had my mother in a very long time, so it was good to have someone besides my grandmother to talk to.
"I saw the way Lex looked at you, and it hit me that I wanted that for myself one day."
"And that's a bad thing? No offense but you went a shade of white back there."
"It's just not something I ever thought I would want. I was always happy flitting from man to man."
"Who do you think changed that for you? Maverick or the baby? Or is it both?"
There was no doubt in my mind why I was suddenly having different thoughts. "Mostly Maverick but maybe a little bit of the baby." I rubbed my fingers across my brows.
"It sounds like you need to do some soul searching."
I chuckled at her assessment. "You might be right."
"Can I give you some advice?"
My lips turned up in a smile. "Yes, please."
"Don't let this opportunity pass you by. If you're even thinking about wanting a future with Maverick, then tell him. You both deserve to have that conversation."
I felt so much better hearing that. "You're right. If I've learned anything from all this, it's to seize the moment because nothing is guaranteed."
"That's the spirit. You can do this. I believe in you."
I was glad to have Nancy in my corner. Because of her words, I truly did feel like I could do anything.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Maverick
I walked into the run-down warehouse outside of town with a smile on my face. It was rare I got my hands dirty anymore, and I was thoroughly looking forward to it.
"Maverick." A woman dipped her chin in my direction. She was one of four women covered in black leather and standing in a semicircle around the man I recognized as Santino.
"Ghost team?" If this was the case, then no wonder Wes laughed when Jo mentioned they had a thing against women.
"Just think of us as your guardian angels. What you see here never leaves this room. Got it?"
It was clear who was in charge. The other three women didn't even bother to look at me.
"Fine with me. As long as we deal with this piece of shit."
