Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“You’re the best. Thank you, Merrick.”
He nods. “Just point the way.” The phone rings, and Jordyn lifts a finger at him before answering it.
“So, how could you tell? It’s the smile, right? My smile is better than Mav’s?” He graces me with said smile, prompting one of my own.
“I could just tell.” I shrug, not wanting to admit that whenever Maverick is near, I can feel him. It's as if there is a tether of electricity that zaps between us, holding me captive.
Merrick tilts his head to the side. “You like my brother.”
“Which one?”
He laughs. “Come on, Stella.”
“He’s a good friend. He’s done a lot for Ada and me. I guess just from being around him, I could tell.” It’s the best answer I can come up with without giving myself away.
“It was the hug.” He nods as if he’s proud of himself. “My touch. You knew it wasn’t him by my touch.”
“Maybe.” I give him another shrug as if I’m not sure when he’s hit the nail on the head.
“He likes you, too, you know.”
I scoff. “Come on, Merrick. You and I both know Maverick is way out of my league.”
His mouth falls open in shock. “Do you really believe that?”
“Yeah, I mean, he’s one of the good ones. He’s the kind of man who won’t get you pregnant and walk away. He’s a man of his word, and I know from experience both are extremely hard to find.”
“You’re wrong. Not about him being a man of his word or the kind of man who owns up to his responsibilities. You’re wrong about you not being good enough for him. You are enough, Stella. I have a feeling my brother will make sure you understand that.”
With that cryptic message, he walks off toward the storage room.
“Thank you,” Jordyn says, ending the call. “That was the supplier for those cute boat shoes. They’re sending over the contract.” She grins widely. Her boutique is a huge success, and Jordyn works her ass off to bring new products in every week. “I’m going to go get Merrick set up.” She bounces away, and I smile.
I feel lighter having told her about my night with Maverick, and maybe a little because I missed having friends and someone I could confide in. My move to Willow River is turning out to be the best decision I have ever made.
It’s Saturday night, and I’m out in the yard with Ada. We’re sitting on a blanket, playing with some of her toys. The sun is setting, and soon it will be dark and time for us to go back inside. It’s late August, and I know soon we won’t have these warm evenings to sit outside and play.
I’m stacking blocks up for my girl to knock over. They’re these rubber blocks with all different types of animals on each one. I love them because they’re soft, so she can chew on them, and if she happens to fall on one, she won’t get hurt. They don’t tell you how much you worry once you become a parent.
Ada squeals and claps her hands, and I smile. It doesn’t take much to make her happy. The sound of a vehicle stopping has me lifting my head. We’re not expecting company that I know of. My heart races when I see who it is. He climbs out of his truck and heads our way with a grin on his lips.
“Ladies,” he says as he settles on the blanket next to me. Ada giggles, and she pulls herself up, holding onto my shoulder. She reaches her free hand out for him. “Hey, Bug,” he says fondly. “Are you playing outside with Mommy?”
Ada bounces on her legs, laughing.
“Yeah, we’ve been out here for a while. Just soaking up the fresh air.” I don’t tell him I’ve been thinking about him all day. All week. I also don’t tell him I told his sister-in-law what happened between us.
Ada reaches out for him again. He smiles. “Come here, Bug.” He holds out his hands just out of her reach. She giggles but takes a step while holding onto my shoulder. “You can do it, sweet girl. Come see me.” He pulls his hands back a little, and she takes another step. I hold my breath as I wait for her to take another.
She does.
Another and another until she can no longer hold on to me. Maverick scoots back, just out of her reach, to the very edge of the quilt that we’re sitting on. Ada pauses and then lets go of me. She wobbles a little but then takes a step. She’s taken three so far up to this point but then falls. Maybe today she’ll take one more. My girl is so close to walking.
I’m still holding my breath as she takes an unsteady step toward him. “There you go, Bug,” Maverick praises. “You can do it. Come see me.” He’s smiling like he just witnessed the best magic trick the world has ever seen. His eyes are glued to my daughter. I look away and focus on counting her steps.