Standing, I scoop his jersey from the floor where I left it, dropping it over my head and taking our puppy from her crate.
“Hey, Kee-Kee!” I kiss her small muzzle, and she licks me right in the nose.
It makes me laugh. It makes my eyes heat, and I carry her to the back door, letting her out. Then I switch on the coffee maker and look around this kitchen I’ve gotten to know so well.
I think about Maverick at the stove adding spice to my blue box mac & cheese the same way he added color to my darkening world. I think about dancing in the refrigerator light to “Magnolia Wind.” I think about dancing to our new favorite song, “If You’re Not the One.” I love it, because he is the one.
“It’s too early.” His deep voice causes me to turn, and he reaches out his hand.
I step immediately into his embrace, resting my cheek against his bare chest. I can’t speak or I’ll start to cry, and I’m doing my best not to leave him that way.
We have to part. It’s going to hurt like hell, but it’s nobody’s fault.
“Let the puppy in.” I squeeze his hand before going to the bedroom to gather the last of my things.
He got his wish. Every time I move, I feel all the places he marked me. Every step reminds me I’m his. I pull on my clothes and pack my toiletries. I hesitate, looking around his bedroom before leaving and going to the door. My car is almost here.
We agreed I’d use the car service to go to the airport. He fought me on it, but I wanted to do it this way. Saying goodbye at the airport would be too heartbreaking, and I’d rather not be ugly sobbing in front of all my fellow travelers.
He pulled a thin T-shirt on, and he’s holding Kelani as we stand in the doorway facing each other. I reach out to place my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his skin.
“Thank you for last night.” My voice is quiet. “No matter what happens, we’ll always have it… and Boo’s wedding. I might just move into the guest cottage.”
“Keep the bed warm for me.”
I look up at his face, so gorgeous covered in a light beard. Square jaw, square chin, hazel eyes. Straight white teeth hidden behind a kind smile. This man I love.
He lifts the small crate holding Kelani. “I talked to Carla about adoption. We worked it all out, signed all the paperwork, and I want you to take her with you. I got a special ticket for her.”
My brow furrows, and I blink quickly from her to him. “What do you mean? Why?”
“She was so happy in the orchard. You love her. Your mom loves her. She’ll have more fun with you.”
A stone drops in my chest. It feels so final when he says it that way. “But what about you?”
“I’ll be gone all the time. I don’t want her to live in a crate.” He puts his hand over mine. “But she’s ours.”
I see her puppy paws pressing against the wire door, and I take the crate from him. “We’ll be waiting for you.”
His lips curl into a smile, and he puts his hand on the side of my neck. “Text me. I’ll want to know how my girls are doing.”
Nodding, I can’t hold back the tears any longer. “Tell me something no one knows.”
He slides his thumb across my cheek, wiping the tear away. “I’d give it all up for you.”
I hiccup an inhale. “Maverick…”
“Tell me something no one knows.”
“You belong to me.”
Leaning closer, he presses his lips to mine as the car arrives. Lifting his head, hazel eyes hold mine. “Stay safe.”
It’s moredifficult than I expected trying to watch the Stanley Cup Finals from home. Some of the streaming services have it, but I rely heavily on Gina and Haddy texting me all through the games, letting me know what’s happening.
The Champions won the Western Conference final, defeating the team they lost to last year, the Slicks. I remember the guys talking about that team. I remember they sounded like they were already ceding victory, but they snatched it back.
When I got Gina’s text, I was standing in the middle of the peach shed, teaching the teenage volunteers how to sort peaches the old-fashioned way with marked tennis balls rolling down the conveyor belts.
