Page 31 of Coming Home to Maverick

She just swallowed, not trusting herself to speak. They continued on in a companionable silence. She still wanted to ask his advice, but she didn’t dare talk about her ex when things were so comfortable, or at least hopeful, between them.

Had he forgiven her? She couldn’t tell. She’d hurt him, but he was willing to be friends. And that was worth so much more to her than even she could have guessed. She opened her mouth, trying to force a conversation about Daniel, but one of their all-time favorite songs came up. She belted it out with Maverick at her side. They laughed all the way through the chorus and she thought maybe bringing back old times was even better than talking about new ones.

Chapter 10

Maverick turned his truck up the small path in the brush to get to the lake, happy to be heading up there with Bailey beside him.

“Talk to me about your dad,” Bailey prompted.

“You know Dad. He was the best.”

“I know, but…” She seemed troubled.

“What is it?”

“He was everything to you boys, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah. I spend a lot of time reminding myself I’m not as good as he was.”

“No, Maverick, you can’t do that. You’re awesome. You’re comparing yourself to the dad he became, not the dad he started out as.”

He didn’t say anything for a few minutes.

“I was there. At the funeral.”

“What!”

“Yeah. Gracie and I hid in the balcony choir seats. I was lucky she didn’t fuss.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You know what I wanted most in the world that day?” He saw her wince. “To see you. Hear you. Anything.”

She looked away. “I’m sorry.”

It didn’t help either of them to keep circling back to her apologizing. But it felt good for him to express his hurt, and she needed to know. “Why the questions about my dad?” Something was on her mind. He could see the wheels spinning. “You’ve done a remarkable job with Gracie on your own. She’s doing fine, and you’ve got your parents now.”

She nodded.

“But I feel empty without my dad. It’s different. The world lost a lodestone for me.”

The air was thick with expectation. Did he want to jump in and save her and Gracie, fill in as the dad she needed for her child? Of course. But he didn’t know if that was the right choice for him. Not yet, anyway. This conversation would blow his whole plan to be friends way out of the water.

“And you’ve got the Dawson family. Look at all the men in this child’s life. She’s not gonna stand a chance at finding someone to marry, not unless the guy is Dawson-quality.”

Bailey laughed. “And that’s about near impossible to find anywhere. Maybe Nash would wait around for her.”

Maverick tipped his head back and laughed in surprise. “You know, he just might. Mama says he has no interest in marrying anyone right now.”

They pulled up to the lake, and Maverick groaned. Tiff’s truck was parked in his spot.

“Is that—” Bailey’s tone let him know how much she wasn’t gonna like his answer.

“Tiff.”

“The devil herself.” She frowned, put her feet up on his dash, and crossed her arms.

“Hey, now. Come on. She’s been through a lot.”

“She’s not any nicer now than she was in high school. She’s still out to get me. You should have heard her at the rodeo.”

---