Yet again, it’s such a simple, sweet gesture, my heart melts.
We eat breakfast quickly. Maverick's an incredible cook; my omelet is full of flavour and perfectly fluffy.
My plate has just a few bites left, and I want to savour them slowly when I hear my phone vibrating somewhere. I’ve got zero intention of answering it until I’m done eating, but Maverick says, “It’s been going off for a while, ever since you went to brush your teeth.”
My stomach falls. The last time my phone went crazy was when the news broke about our fake relationship. What could it be this time?
I climb off my stool and locate my evening bag quickly, removing my phone. And I breathe a sigh of relief.
“It’s just my mom.”
I walk back to the counter and hop up on my stool before opening her text messages.
MOM: Alright Sadie, your dad says I shouldn’t bug you but how long must I wait?
MOM: When do we get to meet this new man of yours?
MOM: The photos of the two of you at the gala last night are wonderful.
MOM: You look radiant.
MOM: I’m just so happy for you.
MOM: But I want to meet this man!
MOM: Dinner. Tonight. Non negotiable.
MOM: Love you
“That’s a lot of messages.”
I look up at Maverick, placing my phone face down on the counter so he can’t read them. “Yeah, Mom hasn’t quite figured out that you don’t need to send a separate message for every sentence. In her mind, there’s a word limit or something.”
He chuckles. “So are we going?”
“Going where?”Crap.So much for him not reading the messages.
“To dinner. With your parents.”
I gulp. “Do you really want to do that?”
Spinning toward me in his seat, Maverick folds his arms across his chest and studies me. “Do you want to?”
My heart starts to pound. This feels like more than just a conversation about dinner with my parents.
“I…I do, I mean, my mom wants to meet you, and I’ve been dodging her requests for a while, so…” I trail off, my mouth suddenly dry. “But only if you really want to. We don’t have to. The gala was meant to be the end.”
There. I said it. Hopefully, Maverick can also see there’s more at stake than dinner with my parents. Hopefully, last night meant something to him. Hopefully…he doesn’t want our arrangement to end, but rather to change.
Because I don’t want to be in a fake relationship with Maverick King anymore.
I want to be in a real one.
His answer comes swiftly. In one move, I’m lifted off my stool and brought onto his lap, my legs spreading wide to straddle his. One hand goes to the back of my neck, tangling in my hair, while the other lands on my lower back, pushing me in closer to him.
He draws close, then pauses, his lips hovering over mine. Our foreheads meet, and my eyes flutter closed as I wait.
“I’m not ready for us to end.”
