Page 92 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“Baby, you can have five more hours. Shit, you can have eternity. I ain’t kicking you out.”

She opens one eye, looking me over before opening her other as well. “We should probably talk about what happened between us last night.”

“Absolutely,” I agree. “When you moving back in?”

“Maverick,” she sighs, sitting upright, pulling the sheets up along with her to cover her perfect breasts.

“I know. I know that’s not what you meant.” I lean in, pulling her forehead against mine. “Can’t blame me for trying,” I whisper, planting a soft kiss to her lips.

“We have a lot to talk about, Mav. And I probably shouldn’t be naked while we do it.”

I release her with a sigh, though I know she’s right. I’d be stupid to think we could just pick back up where we left off. I nod, offering a subtle but understanding smile. “I’ll go grab us breakfast from the corner. Bathroom’s all yours. You’ve got clothes in the closet.” I rise from the bed, making my way to the dresser to grab a fresh shirt.

“What clothes?” she asks, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“The ones you left here.”

Her jaw goes slack, her gaze softening. “You kept all my stuff?”

“Everything, baby. It’s all where you left it. There’s never been another woman in here since you left four years ago. Well, aside from recently when that fucking psycho, Amber, broke in and played homerun derby with the photos you sent for my birthday.”

Her jaw hardens at my mention of the wedge I placed between us like a fucking idiot.

“If you have the original images…” I continue, “I’d very much like if you would send them to me so I can replace them.”

“You liked them?” Her voice cracks as it comes out low.

A pained smile slowly overtakes me as I blink back the faint sting of tears. “I fucking loved them. She’s lucky she left before I saw what she did, or I would have killed her.” I sniff, wiping at my nose with the back of my hand before letting out a shaky exhale. “I’ll be right back with breakfast.”

She continues to eye me as though she’s still deciding if she can trust me.

This.

Us.

That’s fair. I did this. I broke us. I deserve every ounce of doubt she casts my way until I can prove to her I will never hurt her again. I only hope she’ll let me show her that I’m serious. Because if she doesn’t, if she walks out and goes back to him, which she would be well within her right mind to do, I know I won’t survive losing her again.

***

Jones enters the kitchen barefoot, hair damp from her shower, wearing her high-waisted black cutoff shorts and gray crop top. She pauses, retreating several steps into the living room and leaning back to catch a glimpse at the hole in the sheetrock I still have yet to repair. She points a finger, arching her brow in question.

“I really didn’t appreciate finding Amber in my space.”

Her mouth forms a tight line as she nods, making her way over to the island to hop up. Jones briefly leans toward me, dragging her bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich across the countertop before coming to sit upright once more. She looks so at home, and for a moment it feels like she never left. I stare at her, losing myself to my thoughts.

“What?” she asks, her voice muffled from the big bite of her sandwich she just took. It’s only then I realize I must be completely freaking her out with the way I keep staring at her. However, I can’t bring myself to stop.

“Sorry,” I smile, “it’s just trippin’ me out that you’re actually here. I keep waiting to wake up from a dream, alone in bed or some shit.” A slight chuckle escapes me as I look away.

“Mav.” Her voice calls me back to attention. “What happened four years ago?”

I inhale deep, my eyes locking on hers. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’re leaving this room with no secrets today. “Tommy fucked us. I don’t know how much your brother still tells you about the business, but Tommy made promises to the Russians. And they expected your brother to make good.”

“Nicky said things had gotten tense, but I didn’t realize…”

“Tense is an understatement. They forced him to use them as his distributor. I couldn’t go legit after that because the only way to keep Nicky from catching a bullet from breaking his original contract was if someone met the terms.”

“You picked it up,” she whispers, eyes growing wide at the realization. “You picked up Nicky’s contract. Why would you do that?”

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