Page 102 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“I can only imagine.” I roll my eyes, bracing my elbow against the door while resting my chin on my palm.

“No,” Finn scoffs. “You can’t. J, I am so happy you’re back for a fucking multitude of reasons. The main one being that maybe Mav will stop shooting people that bring you up, which means I can stop digging unnecessary graves.”

“What?” My gaze shifts from my window to the front seat.

“He ain’t lying, Jones,” T confirms. “Bish has put people in the ground for cracking jokes about you. Homeboy back there putting hands on you?” T snorts. “Shit, we’d be cleaning blood out of that kitchen right now if Mav had walked in. When relaying this story later, maybe best to leave that part out? I can’t guarantee he won’t drive back for him.”

“And while I am good at my job,” Finn interjects, “I’m not a miracle worker. I can’t be moving bodies the same day we have Feds raiding us.”

“No, of course. I won’t say anything.” I shake my head, shocked to hear Mav could be so easily provoked. “Guys?”

Finn glances in the rearview while T looks back at me over his shoulder.

“How bad did he get while I was gone?”

They exchange a sympathetic glance, T’s Adam’s apple bobbing on a swallow. After a brief pause, Finn answers. “Let’s just say, it’s been a rough few years.”

“I probably didn’t do much to help that,” T sighs. “I’ve been pretty twisted up in my own misery, so I haven’t been the best at deterring him from his self-destructive tendencies.”

“You’re not going anywhere, right, J?” I can see Finn’s brow arch in his reflection. “Because Mav may be the strongest person I know, but he will never survive losing you again.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s me and him ‘til the end.”

I notice Finn’s shoulders visibly relax into his seat as The Rebel Dutchess comes into view. Glancing into the rearview once more, his eyes lock with mine. “Welcome home, Jones. Bring our boy back to us.”

CHAPTER 45

JONSIE

“Mav?” I enter the apartment using the key he gave me, slipping off my shoes beside the door. “You here?”

“In here!” his voice calls out from the kitchen, and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing he’s safe.

Making my way through the living room, I round the corner into the kitchen where I’m swept up, my duffle slipping from my shoulder in the process before I’m deposited onto the island countertop.

“Mav!” I squeal as my ass hits the marble.

Mav’s lips slam against mine, his fingers threading into my hair as he pulls me closer into him, our kiss intermittently interrupted due to his mouth repetitively splitting into a wide grin.

“Is this real?” he pants, his hands continuously roaming the length of my body. “I’m not dreaming, right? You just walked in the door, came home to me? You’re gonna keep coming home to me?”

“Every day.” My promise comes out as a whisper against his lips, and I swear to God I wish I could capture the smile that lights up his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Maverick look so breathtakingly beautiful, so genuinely happy. It cracks my heart wide open, filling me with love.

“Let me take you to bed,” he pleads, dragging his tongue up the column of my neck. “Or better yet, lay back right here. After all, kitchens are for eating.”

My eyes slightly roll back in my head as Maverick’s tongue does something magical with my ear before nipping at my lobe. “Mav,” I begin, attempting to ignore the warmth pooling at my center as he moves to undo the buttons on my shorts, “as much as I would fucking love that, it’s probably gonna have to wait, considering I invited the guys over for an early dinner.”

He stills, pulling back slightly on a sigh as he eyes me, his mouth forming a sweet smile. “You’re killing me, baby.” He playfully tickles my sides, eliciting a string of giggles from me.

“What?!” I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I thought it would be nice to have a family dinner after everything that happened today, especially since I never got to have the one I tried to throw all those years ago.”

Mav’s smile falters. He glances down, his thumb brushing the top of my thigh. “There’s a lot of things you never got that you should have had.”

“Hey.” I call his attention to me, my palm guiding his chin up so his eyes meet mine once more. “None of that shit. We’re here now, together. I’m home.”

Mav’s forehead presses against mine, his eyes slipping closed. “You have no fucking idea what that does to me. It’s like I’ve been living with a hollowness in my chest for years, and those two little words just made me whole. I want you here all the time, with me always.”

“Yeah, well,” I snort, “you say that now, but I’ll be driving you crazy in no time.”

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