Chapter 8

EIGHT

Stella

I tag along behind Maverick as he moves through the park. He stops at an enormous tree and drops the quilt that’s still in its packaging.

He bought it for today.

I don’t know what to do with that information. There are so many layers to this man; I’ve barely scratched the surface.

“Let me.” I place the diaper bag and the Walmart bag on the ground and spread the blanket out on the ground beneath the shade of the tree. “Are you sure you want to use this? It’s nice.”

He shrugs. “This is what I bought it for. We need some cushion.” He smiles down at my daughter, who has her head on his shoulder. “Right, Ada girl?”

At the sound of her name, she lifts her head and places her hands on his cheeks. Maverick smiles at her, and it does something to me. I have to turn away before I ask him to do inappropriate things to me. That’s not what this is between us. Besides, even if it was, I have Ada to think about.

When I look away, my eyes scan the area, and I can see that it’s not only my attention that he’s snagged. There is a group of girls around my age sitting at a picnic table, and they’re watching him and smiling. I want to scream for them to look away, but that’s ridiculous. Maverick isn’t mine. He isn’t anyone’s, so they can look all they want.

One of them sees me watching them, and with hushed whispers, they all look away. I refuse to think about why that’s so satisfying. For all they know, Ada is his, and so am I. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Maverick sits down on the blanket with Ada in his lap. “Guess what I bought?” he asks my daughter. It’s as if I’m not even standing here.

I grab the two bags and take a seat next to them. I hold my hands out for Ada, but she shakes her head and clings to Maverick, making him laugh.

“You’re good for my ego, kiddo. Can you talk to my nieces and nephews and let them know I’m your favorite?” he teases, tickling her belly. She rewards him with her giggle. “Okay, let me show you what I got.” He stretches out his long legs and places Ada on the blanket between them. “Do you like bubbles?” he asks her. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a green bottle of bubbles.

All I can do is sit back and watch this man as he smiles and blows bubbles for my daughter. Discreetly, I pinch the back of my leg to make sure that I’m awake and that all of this isn’t a dream. If it is, I hope to never wake up.

“Look, Ada, bubbles.” I hold my hand out to catch one. She mimics me and my heart swells for the love I have for this tiny human. No one prepares you for the love you feel for your child. I don’t know how my parents could be so callous writing me off. I’ll never do that to Ada. She’ll always have an advocate in me, and a home with me. No matter what.

“Mom, Mom,” Ada coos as she reaches for the bubbles.

“That was sweet of you, Maverick. Thank you.”

He nods. “Look in the bag.” He keeps blowing bubbles while Ada claps and tries to catch them. She’s crawling all over him, but somehow, he manages to move the bottle out of her reach, hold her steady, and blow bubbles.

“What is this?” I ask, pulling an outfit out of the bag.

“Okay, so hear me out.” He glances up at me and smiles before giving his attention back to Ada. “I was shopping. We needed a blanket, and then I walked past that.” He nods toward the outfit I’m holding. “You mentioned getting pictures of her here, and what are Sunflower Park pictures without a sunflower outfit? And it has a hat!” he says, with more excitement than a single man should have for someone else’s baby that’s absolutely no relation to him.

“That was very sweet of you.”

He shrugs. “The hat sold me,” he confesses. “My sisters-in-law are always making sure the kids’ outfits coordinate and fit the theme of that day or event, so I figured you’d want the same.”

“How are you still single?” I blurt.

This causes him to laugh. And of course, my daughter has hero worship, and she does the same bouncing on her legs, while Maverick holds her steady with one arm. “I’ll find her one day,” he tells me.

“Her?” I’m opening a can of worms here. I know him well enough to know the next words out of his mouth are going to have me melting into a puddle on this blanket, but I asked the question anyway.

“The love of my life. The one who constantly makes me smile. The woman who can put up with my silly crazy. My future wife.”

And there it is.

A warmth washes over me at his words. I smile at my little girl, who’s infatuated, and if I’m being honest, I have a nice little crush on the man as well. How could I not? I make a silent promise at this moment to my little girl that I’ll never settle for less than a man who loves like Maverick Kincaid. We’re recipients of his kind heart; I can’t imagine how life would be being wrapped in his love.

Talk about swooning.

I clear my throat. “Thank you.”

“Oh, keep looking.” He nods toward the bag. Doing as he asks, I pull out a small black case. “Camera.” He winks.

“You even brought your camera?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I mean, I know cell phones are great these days, but I thought we could use it too.”

“Ada, Maverick is spoiling us.” Emotion wells in the back of my throat. I have to get myself together. The last thing I need to do is fall for this man. I know without a doubt if I were to let that happen, my heart would be shattered when he finds the woman he just described. More so than when Ada’s dad walked away.

“So, what first, Mommy? Are we doing a photo shoot or eating?”

“How long are the food trucks here?”

“For a few more hours. We have time. You tell me what works.”

“How about we do pictures first? She’s happy right now, so let’s try to capitalize on that.”

“On it.” He hands me the wand for the bubbles and then the container, and I close it up. “Here you go, little lady.” He hands Ada over to me and takes the outfit. “I didn’t have time to wash it. Is that bad?”

“No, Maverick, it’s fine. It was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”

“Stop thanking me, woman.” He playfully growls. His smile tells me he’s not really upset with me. He quickly tears off all the tags before handing me the outfit. Ada is compliant and doesn’t protest when I change her outfit.

“All set?” he asks.

“We’re ready.”

He stands, grabbing the camera. “Our stuff should be fine here, but just in case, hand me the diaper bag. Everything else can be replaced.”

I nod, handing him the diaper bag.

“The baby, too, so you can get up.” He reaches for Ada, and once she’s in his arms, he tosses her in the air, catching her.

My heart leaps in my throat, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to be careful, but with the gleeful giggle my daughter belts out and the laugh of Maverick’s that follows, I don’t have it in me. I know he’d never hurt her.

Maverick leads the way to the sunflower field. “They have different spots with benches and stuff all through the field for photo ops,” he explains as he steps onto the trail.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“That’s good. I was thinking we were just going to have to set her down on the ground and ruin her pretty new outfit.”

“Nah, but she can get it dirty. You gotta do what you gotta do to get the shot, right?” He chuckles, bouncing Ada in his arms. “How about we start here?” He stops next to the first photo op we reach.

I smile because it’s perfect. It’s an old wooden barrel surrounded by sunflowers that we can place her in.

“We’re going to have to be quick,” I tell him.

“On it. Do you want to run the camera, or do you want me to?”

“I don’t know how to work it,” I confess.

“That makes two of us,” he replies.

“You don’t know how to work your own camera?” I ask him.

“Nope. I just bought it today. It was on sale.”

“Wait. You bought this today?” I knew it sounded like that earlier, but I thought that I was hearing things. Now that it’s confirmed, I don’t know what to think or what to say for that matter.

“Yeah, I was shopping, and it was on clearance.”

“Do you need a camera?”

“We needed one for this.” He waves the hand that’s not holding my daughter toward the sunflower field.

“Maverick!”

His head falls back in laughter, which my daughter imitates. “Hush. Can you figure it out, or do I need to call for help?”

I pull the camera out of the case and turn it on. It says point and shoot, and I place it on the automatic setting. “I can do it.”

“You sure? I have two photographers in the family.”

“I’m sure.”

“Perfect. Okay. Get where you need to be, and I’ll put her in the barrel. You’re about to play dress up,” he tells Ada. “It’s going to be so much fun. Mommy is going to take lots of pictures to show you when you’re older. When you’re thirty and start to date, or maybe forty, she can show your boyfriend.” A frown mars his face as if he hates the idea of her dating.

That feeling is back. The melting sensation that reaches my entire body, even between my thighs. It only happens with him.

Shaking out of my thoughts, I aim the camera and take a few test shots. “Ready.”

“All right, Miss Thang, let’s do this.” He places Ada in the barrel and her bottom lip puckers. She reaches for him. I open my mouth to tell him to switch places with me but stop when he drops to his knees and makes a silly face at her. He moves his head around, and Ada grins. He looks back at me and moves a little to the left so that she’s looking at me. He stands, and her eyes follow. “On three, Stel, you ready? I’m going to jump out of the way.”

“I’m ready.”

“One. Two. Three.” He falls to the ground, and Ada laughs. I catch her at the perfect time when her eyes are bright, and she’s still looking in my direction.

“How is it?” Maverick asks.

“Good. So good.” I can’t stop smiling. It’s better than I could have hoped.

“How about another?” He stands back up and dances around. Ada’s eyes follow. She reaches out to him, her little arms in the air, and the smile on her face could light up the night sky.

“On three, Mommy,” he says again. “One. Two. Three.”

This time, he jumps in the air, and she follows the movement. I’m able to take a few shots. When I pull the camera away to look at them, tears well in my eyes. In one pose, her head is tilted back. The setting sun is in the background, along with the sunflowers, and she’s smiling up at the cloudless sky.

It’s the perfect picture.

“Maverick.” I smile. “These are so great.”

“I can’t wait to see them.” He scoops Ada up into his arms and starts walking. “On to the next stop.”

I rush to catch up with them. “Want me to take her?” I offer. I don’t know why, but I always feel guilty when someone else helps out with her. I guess because I’m used to doing it all on my own, and she’s my daughter.

“Nah, we’re good.”

We walk a few more feet and come to a bench with a pot of fake sunflowers.

“Wow, they’ve really thought of everything, huh?” I ask.

“They have. Okay. How about we set her on the bench, and I hide behind it, holding onto her so she doesn’t fall? Just try not to get me in the picture.”

“Sure, I can try.” I laugh. “You know I’m not a professional, right?”

“You’ve got this. Right, Ada? Mommy’s got this in the bag.” He places her on the bench and steps behind her. She tries to stand, and I can see how this is going to be an issue. Maverick must, as well. His head pops over the back of the bench, and she bounces and laughs.

I snap the shot.

“Call out for her. When she looks away, I’ll duck,” Maverick suggests.

“We can try. She’s pretty fond of you,” I tell him. “Ada. Look at Mommy. Adddaaa,” I sing her name. Just as Maverick had suggested, she glances over her shoulder at me. He falls to the ground, and I catch my girl smiling, staring at me over her shoulder.

It’s gold.

Maverick lifts her into the air, holding her over his head. They’re both smiling, and again, I snap the shot.

“Time to switch it up.” Maverick hands Ada off to me and takes the camera. “You ladies, take a seat on the bench.”

“No, we don’t have to.”

“Yes, we do.” He nods, and I know I’m not getting out of this. I take a seat on the bench and hold Ada. He makes faces, and her arms go up for him, and he snaps a few pictures.

“Now, a selfie.” He moves to sit next to me, sliding in close. One arm goes around my shoulders, while the other flips the camera around, and he snaps a few pictures. When he looks at the screen, he nods. “Not bad, considering I couldn’t see where I was aiming.”

Ada fusses, so I stand with her. “I think she’s had enough. She lasted longer than I thought she would.”

“Because she’s a natural, right, Ada?” She reaches for him, and he takes her without delay. “You hungry?” he asks her.

“She’s probably getting there.”

“What about you? Hungry?” he asks me.

“Yeah, I could eat.”

“Come on, then.” He starts walking back to our spot under the tree. “Okay, this is what we’ll do. You can see most of the trucks from here. Tell me what you want, and I’ll make a few trips to get what we need. I’m thinking fries for short fry here.” He taps Ada on the nose.

“Oh, I can get ours.”

“Stella.” His tone is full of warning. “Since when do you pay for your own celebration dinner?”

“Since you bought my daughter a dress, and you bought a camera, and bubbles, and a blanket. Since you do so much for us.”

“Nah, still not happening.” He hands Ada over. “Tell me what you want, or I’ll get one of everything.”

I know he’s not joking. “I can split some fries with Ada.”

“And?”

“Maybe a pulled pork sandwich.”

“Got it and to drink?”

“Lemonade or sweet tea.”

“Got it. We’ll start with that and go back for seconds and dessert.”

I don’t bother to tell him that’s too much. I know I’d just be wasting my breath. Instead, I sit on the blanket and pull a sippy cup of milk out of the small cooler bag I filled with ice packs before we left. Ada takes it and drinks greedily.

“He’s one of the good ones. When you get older and you’re ready to settle down, I hope you find a man like Maverick to spend your life with.”

She drinks, staring up at me. She does not understand what I’m saying, but that’s okay. One day, she will. One day, I’ll be able to tell her about this amazing man who came into our lives when we were down on our luck. I’ll be able to tell her all the wonderful things he did out of the kindness of his heart. I’ll be able to show her the pictures from today and tell her the story.

Maybe, if we’re lucky, I’ll find us a Maverick of our own before that day gets here.

“Here’s the first round.” He places two sandwiches and a massive bucket of fries on the blanket. “I thought we could let her get started. One of those is yours. I’m going to go grab our drinks.” He walks off, and Ada sits up, reaching for a fry.

Ten minutes later, Maverick is back with two lemonades and cheese sticks. “We can split these too.” He settles himself on the blanket. He spreads out his legs, locking in an area for Ada to crawl between us.

“Thank you for this.”

“Congratulations on the new job.”

“Thank you. It feels good to be employed and not in a job that was created for me by my grandparents.”

We grow quiet as we eat our food. Ada feeds us each a french fry as she crawls back and forth between us, staying within the barrier that Maverick has made for her with his legs.

“She almost took a step last night. Grandma was sitting in the chair holding her hands and I was on the floor. She stood there for a few seconds after Grandma let go. She lifted her foot, but she started to fall, so Grandma caught her.”

“Caden, Brynlee, and Beckham are her age, and they are doing the same. It won’t be long.”

“How many nieces and nephews do you have?”

“Let’s see. I’ll start with the oldest brother and move on to the youngest. Orrin has one—Orion is two. Declan has two. Blakely, who just turned eight, and Beckham, who’s one. Then we have Brooks. He has Remi, who is two, and Leo, who is just a few months old. Rushton has Caden, who is one as well. Jordyn and Alyssa are both expecting. Then we have my cousin, Ramsey. Her little girl, Brynlee, is also one.”

“So many. I don’t know that I’ll ever remember all the names.”

“Nah, we’re easy to remember. You’ll get the hang of it. Especially working with Jordyn. You’ll have the family tree memorized in no time.”

“Maybe.” We finish eating, talking about anything and everything. I tell him more about Ada’s dad, and he tells me stories of him and his brothers. It’s the best night I’ve had in longer than I can remember.

When he pulls back into the driveway a couple of hours later, I tell him so. “This night has been wonderful, Maverick. Thank you for dinner, the outfit, the photos, and the company.” I can feel my face flush. I’m glad the car is dark.

“It was my pleasure. I’ll grab Ada.”

“I can get her.”

“I know you can, but you can also let me help.”

I don’t argue. Instead, I pick up the diaper bag and rush to open the door for him.

“Where do you want her?”

“Just in the Pack ’N Play. I need to change her and put her jammies on her.”

“I hope her sleep schedule isn’t thrown off too much.”

“It was worth it.” The admission comes freely, and I find I don’t want to take it back. It was worth it. I wish I could have a thousand, no, a million more nights just like this one. I know he has to go. This wasn’t a date, and we’re in my grandparents’ house, but I almost ask him to stay anyway.

“I’ll see you girls soon.” He leans in and kisses my cheek, and then he’s gone.

The house is quiet, so I assume my grandparents are already in bed. I’m thankful for the chance to soundlessly get Ada ready for bed and get lost in my thoughts.

Thoughts of Maverick.