Page 34 of Coming Home to Maverick

She lifted her chin. “I want to be as good a friend to you as you are to me.”

He brushed a piece of hair from her face. “Friends.” His eyes held hers, and he stared deeply, comfortably, into the face of the woman he thought he’d known. “I’m sorry for underestimating you. Sorry I never championed your dreams.”

“I’m sorry I never told you what they were.”

“Hey, we were kids.”

She shook her head. “I’m gonna grow up and make it up to everyone. I’ll do right by Gracie and my parents, and you…” Her face crumpled as if the weight of it all might press her into the ground.

“No, no, hon. That’s not how it works.”

She lifted her chin. “That’s what my parents said, too, but…”

He tightened his arms around her, wishing he could hug away all the worry of her heart. “What you did broke a lot of hearts. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. But you were hurting too. And you came back. We all just need to take some time to heal. We’re not doing this alone you know.”

She sniffed. “You talking about letting God in.”

“Yeah, remember what it says in Isaiah in the Bible. “He was bruised for our iniquities. He carried our sorrows.” He tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear even though the wind was bound send it flying again. “You don’t have to run around trying to fix all our wounds. You just need to do what you’re doing, reaching out, loving. I’m sure your parents are just happy to have you back in their lives and to know Gracie Faith. And God does the rest.”

She nodded. “Does He?”

“He sure does. The best part about that verse is the end. With His stripes, we are healed.”

“And we’re supposed to just give it all to him?”

“Well, you repent, right? You try to do good. But if you accept Him as your Savior, if you have Faith in His love for you, then yes, you’re supposed to give it all to Him.” As he said the words, he know he was talking right to himself, that every word was meant for him just as much as Bailey.”

“When did you get so smart?”

He laughed. “I’m not. But give yourself a break. I’ve got to work through my own stuff with all this.”

“I know. I think it’s gonna take me some time for both of us.”

“Yep. I think so too.”

“And you, trying to make me feel better about something terrible I did to you. It just isn’t fair, Maverick. Something good’s got to come your way too.”

He stared down into her wide and caring eyes and then shook his head. “I’ve already got lots of good pouring down on me. I’m happy as a pig in mud.”

She laughed. “You sound like your dad.”

“I’ve never heard better words of praise.”

“I miss him.”

He nodded. “You know, there is something you could do to make up for all the pain you caused us.”

She lifted her head. “What?”

“There’s these candies with pecans and caramel…”

“Maverick.” She whacked him. “You want me to make you some turtles? Is that it?”

“Well, yeah, no one makes them like you do, and you’ve been gone for five years. How much longer does a man have to wait?”

She laughed, a soft, comfortable sound, and Maverick started to feel a bit better hearing it.

“I’ll bring them to dinner tomorrow, along with whatever else my mama says we should bring.”

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