Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Brooklyn

T he summer heat is unforgiving, and I'm not doing myself any favors by wearing this ridiculous sweater.

I shove the diaper bag into the storage rack under the stroller and stand up. My eyes fly to check on Libby, but she's climbing the stairs that go to the slide.

Normally, I play with her, but I feel like I might overheat if I don't get a few minutes in the shade.

Nova bumps my hand, licking my fingers.

My dress is plastered to my skin with sweat, and I fluff it out.

Panic sets in as I glance at Maverick.

His mouth hangs open, and my stomach drops as I stagger back a few steps.

It dawns on me that he's not holding Nova's leash about the time I trip over it.

My arms fly out as I try to center myself, but the uneven concrete doesn't help anything.

Maverick darts over, wrapping his arm around my lower back and pulling me to his chest in one swift movement.

"Are you okay?" he growls close to my ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie, swallowing thickly.

"You're pregnant…" He barely murmurs the words. He definitely doesn't yell, yet a shiver runs down my spine as my gaze darts around.

Libby runs across the walkway back toward the two side-by-side slides. She's fine, but it absolutely feels like my world is falling apart.

"The night when we met," I say, taking a seat on the picnic bench. The shade feels heavenly, but I'm still a sweaty mess. "I was only a month pregnant, so I didn't know. I wasn't trying to trap you guys into anything."

"Fuck me," Maverick growls, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling my face close to his chest. It floods my nose with his smoky, nutty scent. "It's wild that you even feel like you have to say that. If you were, you clearly would have stuck around. I don't know about Gunner, but I was absolutely aiming to seal the deal that night."

His hand tightens on my shoulder as my face rolls up to stare at his.

I'm surprised to see him watching Libby.

Nova lies on the ground a few feet in front of us. She seems to be doing the same thing.

"Avan doesn't know," I admit softly. "Neither does Libby."

"Jesus Christ," Maverick mutters, pulling me closer. "I can smell your fear. It's fucking with my head hardcore."

"I don't know how much you know about the situation, but he wasn't very interested in Libby once he learned that she would be a girl…" I sigh so hard my entire body trembles.

Hell, maybe he is scenting my fear.

I've managed to keep my pregnancy from everyone, but Noble caught on, and now Maverick has too.

It doesn't help anything that it seems like my belly popped in the last few days.

I could physically see the difference in the mirror this morning, and I'm afraid the time of keeping my pregnancy on the down-low has officially run out.

Libby runs around the fenced-in play area as she and a little girl giggle.

My head shakes, and I pull up a hand to rub at my aching eyes.

"Do you know the gender?" Maverick asks, nuzzling his cheek to the top of my head.

"No," I choke out. "I can't. I mean, I couldn't bring myself to find out. If it's a boy…"

"Oh, sweetheart." He tightens his hold on my shoulder and starts to gently rock us back and forth. "I think you've got to get out of the city, sooner rather than later."

My stomach rolls uncomfortably, but I nod. "I know."

"You're going to be okay," Maverick says against the side of my head. "Gunner and I will make sure of it."

It's a nice sentiment, but I'm going to be a single mom of two kids in a couple of short months.

Without Avan to help fill in the gaps financially…

I don't know how I'll possibly keep the three of us above water.

Libby plays for a while, but I'm emotionally and physically exhausted.

All I can hope is that she'll crash after lunch.

I turn around to lift her into her stroller, and my mouth falls open.

Maverick cradles her to his chest as she smiles up at him. I've worried a lot about what she might miss out on with not having another parent around.

"Ready to ride?" he asks, preparing to drop her into her seat.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "You carry me."

I seem to be frozen in place, watching her cuddled so close to him.

I should take her, so he doesn't have to carry her.

It's not his responsibility.

She's mine.

"Okay, you got it," Maverick says with a shrug. He grabs Nova's leash and hands it to me. "Wanna trade?"

My heart races as I blink like a fool.

Is it really this easy being around another person?

Holy crap.

Maybe I do have more trauma left over from my relationship with Avan than I was ready to admit.

I don't know why I'm so on edge.

Maverick hasn't promised me anything, and yet it feels like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Liberty falls asleep with her arm wrapped around Maverick's neck and her head on his shoulder when we're only five minutes away from my apartment.

My eyes continually dart over to study the way Maverick's strong shoulders and chest fill out that white T-shirt to perfection.

It's ridiculous.

I wouldn't be shocked if he asks Bless for a transfer.

Who would want to deal with me and all my problems? Especially when following Lennox around is probably a relatively simple job.

The crosswalk light is green, so I push the stroller out into the road without looking both ways.

My entire world tilts as Maverick wraps his arm around my torso, just under my breasts. He lifts and tugs me backward as air fans over my face from the passing car.

If I didn't have a death grip on the stroller handles, the car definitely would have plowed right over it.

It escaped being destroyed by inches .

The trunk of the car is now where my body was only a few seconds ago.

"Holy fuck, are you okay?" Maverick asks.

Nova chuffs, circling between the stroller and my legs, but even as Maverick places me on my feet, my brain struggles to accept what almost just happened.

"I should have double-checked," I choke out.

"Probably, but that wasn't…" Maverick curses under his breath, and I twist to face him.

He's still got Liberty up on his shoulder, and somehow, she managed to sleep through the entire thing.

"The same thing almost happened at the grocery that day with Gunner," Maverick growls, wrapping his free hand around my hip as he pulls me closer. "We need to get back to your apartment and regroup."

My mouth feels dry, like it's impossible to speak, so I nod.

Who would want to hurt me or my daughter?

Only one name comes to mind, but even that is hard to comprehend.

Maverick is talented. He only has two arms, but he manages to keep Libby up on his shoulder while wrapping the other arm around my lower back.

I'm so frazzled; it's hard to be sure this is reality.

My hands shake, but my chest is weirdly numb while I'm also having trouble breathing in enough oxygen.

I think I'm in a mild state of shock.

Nova keeps pace at my side, even though I'm barely holding on to her leash.

She's a very well-trained dog.

We step around the large shrubs that block my building from view, at least until you fully take the turn around the corner.

Nova lets out what sounds like a warning chuff, making me jump.

Maverick's hand tightens on my hip, and my entire body freezes when I spot Avan. He's standing near the side door to my building, texting one-handed.

Nova continues to do whatever she's doing. It's not quite a growl, but it does sound like a warning.

"Shit," Maverick whispers. "Okay, it's too late to scramble now. Might as well fully commit." His arm moves up, wrapping his hand around my shoulder and leading me forward. He gets very close to my ear and murmurs, "Just go with it. We're clearly coming back from a courting date…"

"Brook." Avan frowns, shoving his cell phone into the pocket of his suit pants.

Maverick drops his hold from my shoulder, pulling his arm between us and offering his hand. "Benjamin Maverick, I've heard a lot about you." His tone is friendly and soft enough to keep from waking Libby.

"Avan Barrett, but I'm afraid I haven't heard a single thing about you." He plasters on the same fake smile he always defaults to when he's furious.

That smile is deceiving.

"Don't worry, it's all good things," Maverick lies.

Avan's eyes narrow. "I'll bet." He reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out an envelope. "This is for you." He shakes his hand until I extend mine to grab it. "It includes the location of the dress shop. They know to expect you and to add Liberty's dress and accessories to my tab, but feel free to pick something up for yourself if you'd like to attend with her."

If I'd like to attend with her?

She's freaking three years old.

"If not, I'm happy to hire a nanny for the day to ensure someone is completely focused on her well-being," Avan says.

Does he think he's being reasonable? Or is he purposely trying to piss me off?

If it's the latter…it's working.

I clench my teeth to keep from snapping something that would cause this to get ugly.

I don't even know what I would say, but it's not my responsibility to be at his beck and call.

Our daughter hasn't spent enough time with his family to be at his wedding without me.

Not unless he wants her to be scared. She barely knows any of them outside of Bless, but even then, Avan is unaware of how much time they've spent together.

"Brooklyn told me her ex was a great guy, but that's seriously generous," Maverick says in a tone I've only heard him use once before. It's much more clueless frat guy than his normal voice, and it's the same way he talked to those guys when he rescued me that night in the bar.

He wraps his arm around my lower back once more as Nova paces, watching Avan, like she can sense that he's a threat.

"Make sure you don't miss the fitting appointment." Avan's lips turn downward as he blanches. "I won't keep you. It seems Liberty needs to get settled for her nap." He flicks his eyes at Maverick. "Pleasure to meet you, Benjamin." And with that, he steps around us and walks off.

I'm sure there's a car waiting somewhere nearby.

My fists clench.

Jesus. I hate him so much sometimes.

"Come on, sweetheart." Maverick guides me toward the door to the apartment building. I'm not sure if he's purposely trying to bait him, but he says it loud enough that I'm sure Avan can hear it. "Maybe we all need a nap."

Maverick puts Libby down on her bed. I'm technically not allowed to have pets in my apartment, but I guess it's fine for a short visit.

My hands shake as I carefully change Libby into a Pull-Up. She's a deep sleeper, so she occasionally has accidents. The pediatrician said it was normal for her age, and he mentioned that she might even regress once the new baby is born.

It's kinda terrifying.

In no way can I afford two kids in diapers.

I tug her blanket up and kiss her temple before heading for the door.

The baby wiggles as I stand, and my knees wobble.

I move to cradle the baby and realize I need the bathroom. Yeah, I think I might be experiencing some residual shock.

It feels like my whole world is crumbling, but I don't have any idea how to fix it.

Avan is going to punish me.

The look on his face, hell, his entire demeanor, told me what I'm in for. He won't do it when anyone else is around, but he will make me suffer. The anger from earlier is gone, and now all I can focus on is the explosion that I know is coming.