Page 97 of You Saw the Best In Me

“No, I have nothing to do with the legal side. I’m there for whatever he needs,” I tell her, but her eyebrow is still raised, with a strange look on her face.

“You love him?” she questions, and it’s very blunt.

I haven’t thought about defining my feelings for Maverick. Our relationship has so many layers that it hadn’t occurred to me.

What I feel for him seems deeper than love, like some sort of cosmic gravitational pull that ensured we’d be perfect for each other. Deciding we were meant to be before we even realized it ourselves.

That’s how I’d describe how I feel about Maverick.

He was my destiny.

“Yeah, I love him,” I dumb it down for her, keeping it simple and not delving into the specifics.

“You two seem great together. I’m happy for you,” she smiles, and it’s the genuine kind that I’ve grown to love from her.

My phone rings, and it’s a number I don’t recognize, so I duck outside to answer.

It’s an automated message informing me of Asher’s status. After weeks of delaying tactics, he’s finally been before a judge. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of stalking, trespassing, and breaking and entering.

I’m mortified to hear that he’s being held on bail, meaning if someone out there cares enough, they can get him out of jail until this goes to trial, which could be months.

I’m sick thinking about it, but I doubt Asher knows anyone with that kind of money or assets.

He can’t hurt me, and he can’t contact me. I’m still free to live my life, and that’s the most important thing.

Everything has fallen into place here, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people I’ve chosen to call my family.

MAVERICK

I’m waiting for Harper outside the school, ready to discuss our future. It’s her first day back at school since Grams died, and I plan to take her out for ice cream to cheer her up.

“You’re back,” she says coolly, getting into the passenger seat.

“I’m sorry about last night, Harp. I needed to clear my head,” I offer, but she rolls her eyes.

This isn’t going well, but I should’ve known that she’d be mad at me for disappearing. It was selfish, but I couldn’t stand being in the apartment any longer. I had to take the time to process my thoughts and make a plan.

I’m back, and I’m better because I left.

“Want to go for ice cream?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“If you have something to say, just spit it out. I’m not a kid anymore, Mav. You don’t need to bribe me before telling me shit,” she deadpans, waiting for me to speak.

I wasn’t prepared for her attitude, and I guess she’s right. I should treat her as my equal now, not the little girl I remember her as.

“Okay, fair enough. I met with the lawyer this morning, and they said that I’m your legal guardian now,” I say, holding my breath for her reaction.

“Alright, that’s fine with me. That’s it?” she asks, and I brace myself for this.

“She also left me the house. I plan to sell it and get us something of our own. How does that sound?” I tell her, and she sighs.

“Why? Are you trying to forget all about Grams?” she whispers, holding back tears.

“Of course not. We can keep anything we want to remember her by. I think it’s time we start brand new,” I say, and she nods.

I figured she’d push back more, but we’re both silent for the rest of the ride. I let her into Karina’s apartment, reminding her to do her homework, and I closed the door behind me.

It’s been a long day, and I’m counting the minutes until my woman gets home. I need to hold her longer than I got on her lunch break.