Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Maverick

There is nothing like sitting around a campfire drinking a cold beer. I look forward to these annual trips with my brothers. Now that we’re all older and have jobs and families, it’s harder to sit and just chill. Sure, we see each other every week, but it’s with the hustle and bustle of life surrounding us. This is our time, and I hope we never stop doing it.

“We’re thinking September for the families,” Orrin tells the group. “Toward the middle of the month, probably. Dec, we’ll defer to you on that because Blakely is the only one in school.”

Declan nods. “Yeah, if we do three or four days, she can miss a Thursday and a Friday. Not a big deal. Kid’s smart as a whip.”

“Oh, we know.” Brooks laughs. “She’s too smart for her own good sometimes.”

“I’m thinking she needs a little help with her spelling,” Ryder jokes.

“And you.” Sterling points at me. “Get a handle on those golden tickets, will you?” he says, barely containing his laughter.

“At least I used a golden ticket,” I mumble under my breath. What I don’t tell them is that it’s been far too long since I’ve needed to use a golden ticket. That was the second week of October, and it’s late August. Hooking up just doesn’t have the same appeal that it used to. The gold ticket fiasco put things into perspective. I don’t need to bring that shit around my family. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to bring it around me either.

“You okay, Mav?” Archer asks. “You look like you’re thinking awfully hard.”

“I’m good. Just realized you fuckers are rubbing off on me,” I confess. These are my brothers, my best friends. I can tell them anything.

“How so?” Rushton asks.

I shrug. “Hooking up is losing its appeal. Blakely and her golden ticket put a lot of things into perspective for me. I don’t want to bring that around the family. The kids especially.”

“That’s one reason. Maybe it’s also because of a cute little blonde who’s new in town.” Merrick smirks, tipping his beer to his lips.

“That’s right,” Deacon chimes in. “I hear you’ve been seeing a lot of her.”

“Nope. Not seeing a lot of her.” Not really. I mean, it’s been a week since I’ve laid eyes on her. That’s not a lot.

“Really?” Ryder jumps in. “Jordyn says you’re Stella’s savior.”

I roll my eyes. “I helped her out. That’s not recent news. Hell, I brought her to Kincaid Central and let her meet all of you. I was running late, and I thought it would be good to introduce her since she was new in town. There are a lot of us; I thought that might make her feel like she wasn’t so much of an outsider.”

“You were awful attentive,” Sterling teases.

“I was being a nice guy. Dad, help me out here. You raised us to help those in need.” I give my father a pleading look, hoping that he’ll jump in with some of his words of wisdom and bail me out.

“Your mother and I tried to instill that in each of you. I think we did a pretty damn fine job, if I do say so myself.”

“Told you,” I sass my brothers.

“You’ve taken her to dinner, right?” Sterling asks.

“I did. Her and her daughter. I thought it would be nice to celebrate her job with Jordyn. I know she’d been stressing about it, and like I said, she’s new in town.”

“She stayed at our place after girls’ night,” Merrick reminds everyone. Not that they needed the reminder.

“Yeah, Ada was sound asleep, and she was exhausted too.” Instantly, my mind takes me back to that night. Not that it’s ever far from my thoughts. For the rest of my life, I’ll never forget the image of Stella straddling me while I made her come.

I expected things to be strained between us, and I think she was pulling away a little, but I refused to let her. She promised me that things wouldn’t change, and I made damn sure of that. I smile when I think about last weekend and our trip to get ice cream. Ada taking so many steps. It was cool to get to be there for that.

“Maverick, brother, it’s okay to admit you like her,” Brooks says gently. “Trust me, man. I’ve been there. Hiding it is so much work and puts a strain on your relationship.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but that’s not where we are. We’re friends. Her kid is cute as hell. That’s it. That’s all there is.” It doesn’t matter that I know what her pussy tastes like or that, with the help of her daughter, I tasted her lips again. Both were onetime incidents that I know I’ll never have the privilege of again. There is no point in mentioning it. Stella and I are friends. We’ve crossed a line or two, but friends are what we are. I’ve never had a female friend, and I’m digging it. I like spending time with her and Ada. I’m not screwing that up for a piece of ass.

“Leave him be,” Dad tells them. “He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Thankfully, Ryder’s phone rings, breaking up the conversation and giving me a break.

“Hey, babe,” he answers, holding his phone up to his face. “What are you doing?”

“Uncle Ry! Is my daddy there?” Blakely asks.

Ryder chuckles. “Yeah, munchkin, your daddy is here. We’re all here.” He turns his phone and pans it around the fire, and we all wave at our niece.

“You know that fire’s hot. You better be careful,” she warns.

That earns her a laugh from all of us. “We know, Blakely. We’re being careful,” Ryder tells her patiently. “What are you doing?”

“We’re having girls’ weekend. We’re doing our makeup, and our hair, and our nails, and baking, and watching girl movies. The baby boys are here, but Mommy says that’s okay. Because they’re not men yet. When they’re older, they’ll go with you and Daddy and Grampa and all my uncles. I got lots of uncles.”

I’m smiling so big. This damn kid, she’s the absolute best and never fails to put a smile on my face.

“Sounds like you’re having a great time.”

“The best. Oh, and baby Ada and her mommy, Stella, are here too. They’re not Kincaids, but they’re girls, so that makes it okay,” she rambles on.

My ears perk up at the mention of Stella and Ada. I texted her a few times during the week. She knew I was going camping this weekend, but she didn’t mention joining girls’ night with my family. It must have taken Jordyn all week to convince her to go.

“That’s cool,” Ryder says with all the enthusiasm our eight-year-old niece expects from her uncles. We have most definitely spoiled her rotten, and not a single one of us has regrets. I feel confident that I can speak for my brothers on that topic.

“Can you give the phone to Aunt Jordyn?” Ryder asks her.

“Okay, Uncle Ry. Love you. I need to call my daddy.” She hands the phone off to Jordyn, and Declan grins as his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket to talk to his family.

It’s as if a domino effect has taken place. All of my brothers, hell, even my dad, are on their phones, checking on their significant others.

“I gotta piss,” Merrick says, standing and ambling off to do just that.

I debate for a hot second before pulling my phone out and texting Stella.

Me: What are you ladies into tonight?

Stella: You know it’s girls’ night.

Me: Didn’t know you were there though.

Me: Not until Blakely told us.

Stella: It was last minute. Jordyn was refusing to take no for an answer.

Me: Having fun?

Stella: I am actually—lots of fun. You have a great family, Maverick.

Me: I won’t debate this.

Me: How’s Ada? Any more steps?

Stella: She’s perfect. No, just a few here and there. Not as many as last weekend when she was trying to get to you. I think she might be crushing on you.

Me: Tell her I’m single.

Stella: Robbing the cradle, Kincaid?

I laugh out loud, unable to hide it, gaining the eyes of my brothers, who quickly dismiss me and go back to talking to their wives and kids.

Me: Nah, Bug and I are best buds.

Stella: I’m watching you, Kincaid.

Me: Good thing we’re friends then. You can keep an extra close eye on me.

Stella: Why are you blowing up my phone? Aren’t you supposed to be doing manly camping things?

Me: My brothers and my dad are all checking on their wives and kids.

Stella: Merrick?

Me: You got a thing for my brother, Stel?

Stella: Nope. But last I heard, you two were still single and had no kids that you’re aware of. Something you need to tell me, Kincaid?

Me: Kid free.

Me: Merrick is taking a piss.

Stella: So eloquent.

Me: Fine. Merrick is using the restroom. By restroom, I mean he’s finding a tree to hide behind to offer some relief to his full bladder.

Me: Better?

Stella: Wise ass.

Me: Aw, Stel, you like my ass?

She sends back a string of laughing emoji. I bite down on my cheek to hide my smile. The last thing I need is more commentary from my brothers. I already had one outburst of laughter. Another will send them on high alert. I need to school my features and wrap this up before they notice.

Stella: Behave, Mav. Have fun, but behave.

Me: Yes, ma’am.

Me: Tell Ada we have another ice cream date as soon as I get home.

Stella: When do you get home?

Me: We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so we should be home by noon. Pick you girls up at six? Dinner and ice cream?

Stella: You don’t have to keep taking us out. What’s your excuse this time?

Me: Can a guy not want to hang out with his best friends?

Stella: Best friends?

Me: Yep. See you at six.

Stella: Maverick!

Me: Spotty service, Stel. I gotta go.

I hide my grin as I slide my phone into my pocket. Who says spotty service with text messages? Oh, well, she’ll know why I said it. I know she’s not going to text me again. She knows that regardless of what she says or how she tries to talk me out of it, I’ll be at her grandparents’ place tomorrow at six to pick them up. She knows that I’m lying about spotty service. Serves her right. I told her I wasn’t going to let her run from this friendship. That’s a promise I intend to keep.

It’s one minute until six when I pull into her grandparents’ driveway. We got home around noon, unpacked, took a long hot shower, and then went to the store and started laundry. Merrick was still at the house when I left. I invited him to come with us. That’s the issue with living not only with a brother who’s also your twin. He just smirked and said he didn’t want to be the third wheel on our date. I made the mistake of telling him he wouldn’t be because Ada would be there. The fucker just laughed at my mishap.

This is not a date.

Just two friends hanging out.

I’ll never hear the end of this, but Stella and I are friends, and I can’t hide that. I don’t need to hide that. Eventually, they’ll realize that their assumptions are wrong and let it go. Until then, I need to suck it up and take their teasing. I’ve done my fair share of teasing where each of them is concerned. I’ve earned it, that’s for sure.

I’m climbing out of the truck when the front door opens. Stella walks out to the driveway and sets Ada on her feet. She holds her hands for a few seconds, and then Ada lets go. I kneel and open my arms. I’m about twenty feet away from her. She takes one step and then another. With each step, she becomes more confident, and the smile on her little face brightens.

“Look at you, Bug.” My smile matches hers, I’m certain. My heart races with each step she takes. When she’s within reaching distance, I pick her up and swing her around, raining kisses on her cheeks. “You did it! Look at you, big girl, taking so many steps.” She returns my affection with a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

“She started that today,” Stella says, joining us.

“That definitely deserves a celebration dinner and some ice cream.”

“You don’t have to keep making up reasons to celebrate, Maverick. Ada and I are good. I promise.”

“I’m not making it up. This is a big deal. I mean, we were eating and grabbing ice cream anyway, but this makes it even more important. Right, Bug?” I gently rub my beard against her cheek, making her squirm and giggle.

“Are you ladies ready?”

“About that,” Stella says, chewing on her bottom lip. “I thought we could eat here,” she rushes to say. “My grandparents went to dinner and a show in Atlanta. They’ll be back late, and I thought I could make dinner for you. You do so much for us, and you never let me pay.” She shrugs.

“You want to make me dinner?” I’m smiling because her words cause a fluttering feeling in my chest. Has a woman I’m not related to ever wanted to feed me? Not that I can ever remember.

“Fine. But I’m going to run out and grab dessert.”

“I can make something,” she counters.

“Nope. That’s my offer.”

“Fine.” She reaches for Ada.

“I can take her with me. I’m just running uptown. That way, you can focus on cooking.”

“You don’t have to do that, Maverick.”

“I know I don’t, but she wants to go bye-bye with me, right, Ada?” I ask her. Her answer is to rest her head on my shoulder.

“She really likes you.” Stella’s eyes are soft as she watches her daughter in my arms.

“Do you need anything while we’re out?”

“No—actually, yes. If you don’t mind, I need a gallon of Vitamin D milk for her. We’re almost out. Let me run and get you some money.”

I wave her off. “It’s fine, Stel. What are we having for dinner?”

“Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and mac and cheese, Ada’s favorite.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be back soon.” I turn, make my way to my truck, and work on getting Ada settled into her seat.

“Here.” Stella appears beside me, a little winded. She hands me a small diaper bag. “You probably won’t need this, but better safe than sorry.”

“Thanks.” I smile at her and place the bag on the floorboard of the back seat. I step back, letting Stella have room to say goodbye. “We’ll be right back.” I don’t know why I do it, but I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. To reassure her that I’m not a monster because I have her daughter? Honestly, I don’t know, and I’m not going to think about it. It happened. Friends can give chaste kisses on the forehead. Sterling used to do it to Alyssa all the time.

Waving to Stella, I back out of the driveway and head to the small grocery store in town. I plan just to pick up some ice cream and, of course, the milk Stella asked for.

“All right, Bug,” I say to Ada once I have her seated in a cart. “What kind of ice cream do we want?”

She kicks her feet and grips the handle of the cart, cooing back at me. This kid is cute as hell.

“I’m thinking of some cookies and cream, and I know your momma likes chocolate, so we’ll grab her some of that, and maybe they have those little individual cups of vanilla for you. We’ll check and see,” I tell her, pushing the cart down the aisle.

“Maverick?”

I stop and turn to look over my shoulder. “Hey, Scarlett,” I greet my sister-in-law.

“Ada, right?” she asks, nodding toward my companion.

“Yeah, this is Ada.” I don’t explain why she’s with me. I can already see Scarlett’s wheels spinning.

“Fancy seeing the two of you here.” She grins.

“Her mom was busy, so Ada and I came to get some ice cream.”

Scarlett nods. “We really like her. All of us,” she tells me.

“Stella’s a nice woman.”

“And this little cutie, she was taking some steps last night.”

“Today, she took about forty. It had to be. I was about twenty feet from her, and she walked to me the entire way.” Even I can hear pride in my voice. I’m still jazzed that I was the one giving her that motivation.

“Really?” Scarlett’s eyes widen. “Look at you, Miss Ada. Great job.” She offers Ada her hand, and she takes it, gripping Scarlett’s finger, then looking up at me as if she needs my approval.

“You remember Scarlett, Bug? She’s my sister.”

“Bug?” Scarlett asks.

“Yeah, this little cutie likes to snuggle.”

Scarlett’s eyes brighten.

“The night I watched her, she was a little snuggle bug,” I add to alleviate her trying to play matchmaker. Not that it’s going to do any good. I have a feeling my sisters and my brothers are already scheming.

Can’t a guy just be friends with a woman and her kid?

“Aw,” Scarlett says.

“Well, we better get moving. I told Stella I would have her right back.”

“I’ll see you both soon.” Scarlett grins again and pushes on down the aisle.

“Ice cream, milk, and then home.” I rush through our trip, grabbing all three flavors and a gallon of Vitamin D milk. As we make our way to the register, I see a small stuffed ladybug. I stop and pick it up, checking it out. Ada reaches for it, and I know that she’s going home with it. I hand it to her, and she smiles, hugging it to her chest.

We expertly make our way through self-checkout, and Ada doesn’t cry when I have to scan her bug before giving it back to her. “Okay, Bug, here’s the deal.” I glance into the rearview mirror. She’s holding her new stuffed toy and watching me. “We tell Mommy that the bug insisted on coming home with us, deal?”

Ada giggles, and I take that as her agreement. I know Stella is going to tell me I’m spoiling her, but come on. It’s a bug, and she’s my bug. She needed it. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

“Okay, remember what we talked about?” I ask Ada as I lift her out of her seat. I grab the bag and her diaper bag and make my way to the front door. Ada is lifting her bug to show me, and I give it a kiss. She does the same, mimicking me.

“What’s that?” Stella asks, opening the door for us.

“Funny story. This ladybug here insisted on coming home with us. Right, Bug?” I ask Ada. She offers the bug to her mom. When Stella tries to take it, she pulls it back into her arms, holds it tight, and rests her head on my shoulder.

“Mav, you’re spoiling her.”

“Told you,” I whisper to Ada under my breath, knowing Stella can hear me.

“You’re impossible.” She takes the grocery bag and the diaper bag from me. “Come on in. We eat in fifteen,” she tells me.

“We did it,” I tell Ada. I carry her to the living room, and we play until Stella calls for us to come and eat. We’re not doing anything special, and it’s the best night I’ve had since the evening I took them to the park.

Who knew these ladies would be better companions than my brothers?