Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
“And he hasn’t contacted me since. He probably heard the outcome of the matchup at some point, but still…I expected something.” Maverick wore the same stoic expression whether he was angry or solemn. He hid his emotions well because his eyes never gave him away. But I could see the subtleties in his shoulders and arms. I could see it in the way he carried himself, the way his eyes slightly shifted downward. “All of this happened because my mother died. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if she hadn’t. Would my family still be together? But then it makes me question that relationship altogether. If it was only good when things were good…was it ever real?”
It should be the same through the good and the bad, but I felt that was an unnecessary statement to make.
“It makes me wonder if he ever wanted kids. My mother must have forced him. Now that she’s dead, he wants nothing to do with us. You’d think I just get over it and move on with my life…but it still bothers me.” Maverick was vulnerable with me without shame. He wore his heart on his sleeve and showed his true colors. He’d slowly allowed me inside his heart and his mind. Our partnership grew stronger, and our marriage became more real. It really felt like we were a man and a woman devoted to each other, there for each other always.
I moved to his chair and sat in his lap. My arm wrapped around his shoulders, and I rested my head against his. Blanketing him with empty words wouldn’t make him feel better, especially when I had nothing substantial to say. It would be easy to lie and say his father loved him…deep down. But I couldn’t say that unless I actually believed it to be true. Saying nothing at all was all I could offer him.
His arm wrapped around my waist as his head rested on my chest.
“I may not be the DeVille you want…but I’m still a DeVille. And we’ll make our own family someday.”
18
Maverick
When Arwen entered the bedroom, she spotted the gown hanging from the bedpost. Champagne pink with a plunging neckline in front, it was sexy but also classy. My shopper picked it out for her and assured me it would be the perfect dress.
When her eyes almost turned into heart shapes, I knew she had been right.
Arwen walked up to the dress and touched the fabric with her fingertips. “Oh my god…please tell me this is for me.”
“You better not think it’s for me.”
She ran her fingers down the fabric before she picked it up and held it against her frame. “I can tell it’s going to look great. When is the party?”
“Tonight.”
“You never give me much notice, huh?”
I shrugged then continued to look through my mail at the table.
She carried the dress to the full-length mirror and held it up to her body as she examined it. “So, what’s the party for?”
“One of my clients is having a celebration.”
“A celebration of what?”
“I don’t know. Being rich?”
She turned to me. “You never throw parties.”
“Because I don’t need to blow up my ego.” It was big enough already.
“Do you think they’ll ask me to sing?”
“No. They’ll expect it.” After I finished looking through the mail, I turned to look at her. I watched her stare at the dress with loving eyes, falling in love with it right on the spot. When she smiled like that, her beauty was unparalleled. I watched her for a moment longer before she caught my look in the reflection. “Is that okay?”
“It’s fine. I have a new song anyway. I think they’ll like it.”
“They’ll like anything that you sing as long as you wear a low-cut dress.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time. “Thank you for the dress. I love it.” She walked over to me and rose onto her tiptoes to kiss me on the lips. It was an ordinary kiss, but it was packed with so much affection, a quick touch from a grateful wife to her husband. She lowered herself back to the floor and walked away.
My eyes followed her, my chest filled with a warmth that could melt chocolate. Seeing her eyes lit up like that made my mouth want to smile. Giving her gifts she loved made me feel valued. Making her happy made me happy. When I put that gun to my head and pulled the trigger, I was doing it for her—and it felt right.
Just six months ago, we hated each other.
But now…everything was different.
She went to the dresser and found the black jewelry box sitting there. “Ooh…is this for me too?”
“I want you to wear it tonight.”
She cracked the box and found a pair of diamond earrings sitting inside. She had more jewelry than she knew what to do with it, but she found each piece special. She immediately took them out of the box and slid them into her earlobes before she checked her appearance in the mirror. “They’re beautiful. They’ll look perfect with this dress.” She turned back around, still beaming. “Thank you for spoiling me.”