Page 60 of Broken Promises

Maverick pushes his way through Kai and Cal. “We’re not a family. Never have been. You made it clear that I was only alive to marry and make connections for you. Just a pawn in your scheming.”

“What have I done? All I did was support my husband. How was I supposed to know he was breaking the law?” Eva scoffs again. I forgot how much I heard her do that over the phone when Mav met her for lunch over the summer. It’s grating on my ears.

“Breaking the law? He’s been accused of trafficking drugs, Mom! Drugs that killed thousands of people!” Maverick shouts, but she doesn’t even flinch.

“I’m very aware of the charges against your father. Which is why you need to come home and —”

“No. I am home.” I smile at how strong Maverick is right now. His parents have done a good job chipping away at his confidence for most of his life, but he’s finally fighting back.

“We need to show a united front if we hope to beat the charges. The prosecutor has a son that shares your. . .tastes.” She scrunches her nose like she smelled something rotten.

“You’re not pimping out your son to save your murderous husband, you psycho,” I snarl, trying to get around Cal, but he keeps his arm firmly in front of both me and Belle. I look around him to see Kai struggling to keep Jo back too. Harlow is still really pale and staring at Eva like she’s seen a ghost.

“Dad is taking a plea deal, and I’m releasing a public statement condemning his actions and making sure the public is aware of the distance between us,” Maverick states, shocking everyone in the room if the gasps are anything to go by. Even Eva shows a brief flash of shock on her face. If I blinked, I would’ve missed it.

“Your father isn’t taking a plea deal, Maverick. There isn’t one on the table.” Eva takes a step forward and reaches out like she’s going to grab Maverick and drag him out of his own house. I dart under Cal’s arm and stand next to Mav, slapping his mother’s hand away before she can touch him. She sneers at me.

“Oh, hi Mrs. Wolfe. So nice to see you again. Please feel free to fuck right off,” I say, smiling sweetly.

“Let’s go, Maverick,” she says like she hasn’t heard a single thing he’s said.

“You misunderstand. You are not welcome here. This is Maverick’s home, and we are his family. Leave.” I say the last word through teeth clenched almost as tightly as my fists. I’ve never punched someone before, but now feels like a good time to start.

Eva scoffs, looking down on me like I’m beneath her. My smile widens, and I step towards her. Maverick grabs me around the waist and hauls me back against him, but the look of fear on Eva’s face, as quick as it was, satisfies me enough not to fight him.

“Call Dad if you don’t believe me. From your car because Willa is right. You’re not welcome inmyhome withmyfamily.Come back here, and I’ll be pressing trespassing charges against you.”

“Sorry I’m late. Whose car is in the. . .” Jon freezes in his tracks as he walks through the door, carrying a box of chicken wings and a case of beer. “Street.” he finishes. “What’s going on?”

“You will come home, Maverick,” Eva says, spinning on her heel and slamming the door behind her.

“Should I leave?” Jon asks.

“It was her,” Harlow says, her eyes wide. Cal wraps her up in his arms and murmurs something in her ear. Jo’s eyes go wide and everyone else looks as confused as I feel.

“Stay, Jon. We need to have a family meeting,” Maverick says, leaving the foyer and sitting on his couch. We decided to keep Jon in the loop since he’s become close to the guys and is the one handling anything band related. It’s easier to explain delays to an agent that understands what’s happening.

“I need the laptop,” Harlow says, making a break for the door, but Cal doesn’t let her go.

“You’re not wearing shoes, Firecracker. I’ll get it,” he says. I leave them to talk and sit next to Mav on the couch.

“Thank you,” he says.

“Should’ve let me at her,” I mumble. He laughs and pulls me in for a side hug. I hug him back instead of questioning how he’s so happy right now. I peek up at him and see him smiling. I meet Belle’s eyes across the room where she’s standing with Kai. She looks just as confused as me.

Everyone is silent while we wait for Cal to get back with the laptop he went to get. I’m snuggled between Mav and Harlow, the latter bouncing her knee so much I reach out to stop it. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“Can we call Declan?” Cal asks while Jo pulls something up on the computer.

“He’s playing right now.” And losing. I haven’t been able to watch any of it, but I get the alerts on my phone.

“We can watch the rest of his game if you want,” Mav offers.

I shake my head. “There are eighty-two games in a season. I can miss one. This is important.”

“Who wants to go first?” Kai asks, looking between Mav and Jo.

“You first,” Mav says to Jo.

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