Page 113 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, son, but how old are you?”

“Twenty-six,” I reply with a smile.

“I expected you to be older,” he chuckles, releasing my hand.

“I get that a lot.”

“This is my wife, Shannon.” Mitch gestures to the woman on his left, and I actually have to steady my reaction because the sight of her has me stumbling. There’s no denying the relation. She looks like an older, yet still stunning, version of J.

“Nice to meet you.” I smile with a nod, which she very politely reciprocates as she quietly assesses me. Though her expression gives nothing away, I can’t help but feel she seems less impressed by me.

“I see Joanna’s started in on the food already.” Mitch laughs, arching his brow at her as she pops another Oreo in her mouth. “Did you at least wait for me for fried dough?”

J’s face scrunches up, causing Mitch to throw his head back in laughter. “Seriously? You couldn’t wait for me? That’s our thing!”

“It wasn’t me!” she offers up in defense. “Nicky gave it to me, and you know its sacrilege to refuse fried dough!”

“Alright. Alright,” he relents, waving her off. “I forgive you. I’ll just have to go get my own.”

“Come on, Pops.” Nicky claps a hand on his shoulder. “This is definitely the year I kick your ass at the ring toss.”

“You said that last year and as far as I’m aware I’m still the only member of this family to ever land a ring on the neck of one of those bottles.”

Nicky and his dad head off toward the games as J sidles up to me, slipping her arms around my torso as I wrap a possessive arm around her shoulders.

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yeah.” I smile, leaning down to plant a kiss. “I’m great, baby.”

“Hey!” Mitch calls out from up ahead, waving us toward him. “Let’s go, you two! Full family participation. That means you too, Maverick.”

***

Several hours later we’re still roaming the fair, my sides legitimately sore from how hard I’ve been laughing. Her parents are fucking spectacular. Between Mitch cracking dad jokes and Shannon telling embarrassing stories about J and Nicky from when they were little, they’re the typical picture-perfect American parents. You’d never guess Mitch was her stepdad. He dotes on her like she’s his own. Same with Shannon and Nicky. It’s painfully obvious how much they love their children.

A small part of me wonders what it would have been like to be raised in a home like that. I think of how different my life would have been, but then I realize there’s a possibility I would’ve never met Jones and I’m suddenly thankful for the shitty experiences that led me to this point.

I stand off to the side, the final rays of sunlight disappearing behind the distant mountains as I watch Jones, Nicky and Mitch play the infamous ring toss game for what must be their twentieth time. Mitch consistently sinks at least one ring per game, handing off each oversized stuffed animal he wins to passing children.

I want to be a dad like that. I can see it all so clearly. Jones and me making this a tradition every year, bringing our kids to binge on fried food and sketchy-ass carnival rides while we compete amongst one another in games. I’m going to be a dad like that. And she’s gonna make the most incredible mom.

I’m so lost in my daydream about what the future holds for us that I almost miss Jonsie’s mom eyeing me out of the corner of my peripheral. I face her, half expecting her to turn away, yet she doesn’t. She holds my gaze, pinning me in place where I stand.

At last, I speak. “I know they’re a lot to take in.” I lift my arm as I glance down at my tattoos. “Thank God I own my own businesses or else I’d probably struggle quite a bit finding a job.” I offer up a halfhearted smile.

Shannon looks briefly in the direction of her family before retuning her gaze to me. “It’s not your tattoos that bother me, Maverick.” She approaches me, closing the distance between us. “Nothing about you bothers me, per se. I just want to know you’re not going to break my daughter’s heart all over again.”

Her words knock the wind clear out of me, my eyes growing wide. “She told you about us?”

“She didn’t have to,” she responds with a knowing smile. “When we got back from our business trip, I knew something was wrong. She’d lost weight. She didn’t want to go to prom. I had to force her to go to her high school graduation.” I look away, ashamed knowing I was the cause of that. “I used to sneak into her room at night to lay with her. It was the only time she wasn’t pushing me away. She’d say your name in her sleep.”

“I messed up. I—”

Shannon holds up her hand, silencing me. “I don’t need to know what happened. I don’t need to know what you did. I don’t need to know why you’re here right now when two weeks ago she was living with someone else. All I need to know is that you’re going to do right by Joanna this time around. I know my daughter, Maverick. The way she looks at you? You’re it for her. Is she it for you?”

“There’s no one else for me.” My words rush out with conviction. “There never was. Shannon, I’m in love with your daughter. I’ve been in love with her since I was twenty-one years old. I lost her once because I was a fucking idiot. I don’t make the same mistakes twice.”

Shannon’s eyes pierce my own as though she’s searching for some break in my resolve. However, she must decide she’s satisfied with my response because the corner of her mouth tics up into a crooked smile as she slowly nods her head. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.” Her arms extend out to her sides, inviting me in for a hug, and I’m surprised how quickly I move to accept. Feeling her embrace, the way her arms close around me offering comfort only a mother can supply, has me reminiscing. It’s not until this moment I realize how much I miss Bent’s mom.

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