Page 65 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

Staring in his eyes told me exactly what Duke had told me. I knew I wouldn’t see Menace when I stared in his eyes, I would see Maverick, and I really wanted to be angry with Menace right now.

“I hate looking people in the eyes, but I need you to look at me, Wonder.” I closed the fridge and turned to look at him.

He smiled at me. “I am sorry for telling you to shut the fuck up. It was wrong of me, and I don’t ever plan to speak to my future wife that way. I’ve said shut the fuck up to plenty of people and never felt anything after.” I watched as he used one hand to touch his chest. “I felt something when I said that to you… you didn’t deserve that from me, Stevie.”

“You hurt my feelings, Maverick,” my stupid ass started to cry, and looked away with my arms folded. “I know I talk a lot and I’ve been told that my entire life.”

He walked closer to me and pulled me closer to him. “I am so sorry, Wonder. You do talk a lot, baby, but I can find other ways to tell you to be quiet… okay?”

“And promise to never speak to me that way again.” I peered up into his eyes, and his usual harden glare was softened, as he peered back into mine.

“I promise to never speak to you like that again.”

We both stared at each other before he held my chin and placed his lips onto mine. I stood on my toes as I pushed my lips against his, and he wrapped his arms around me. Pulling away from our kiss, I continued to search his eyes.

He was genuine.

“Wanted to do that for a little minute now.” He kissed my lips again and removed a loose curl from my face. “I got you this.”

He went into his pocket and pulled out a paint brush. I gently grabbed it, and then nearly poked myself in the eye trying to get a closer look at it. “Mavie, this is a four-hundred-dollar paint brush.”

I felt like I shouldn’t have been holding it in my hands. It was too precious, and too expensive for me to be holding. “Walk with me real quick, Wonder.”

I allowed him to pull me out of the kitchen, and throughout the house. I’ve spent my time trying to explore every inch of this home, and there were still more places to be explored. We went down the hall, and then out the back door around the pool until we came to a small glass house.

“What is this?”

“Pool house.” He pulled me in front of him and opened the glass door.

I gasped when I saw the inside. The cedar wooden floors, panel windows allowing the moonlight in, and the canvases.

There were canvases of every size in here, and easels everywhere along with different paints and paint brushes. On the wooden table in the corner, there were two tabletop easels, flowers, and candles lit.

Soft R&B music played in the background as I clutched the paintbrush like it was a piece of gold. I turned to look at Maverick, and then back at what he had done. My words were caught in my throat, and this was one of the moments where I could shut the fuck up without being told.

I kept going back from the studio that he had made for me, and then him, not knowing what to embrace first. “I want you to be comfortable here, and Skyler told me that painting brings out a peace inside of you that she loves and hates.”

“Hates?” I whispered.

“She hates the mess that you make and has warned me that you usually have paint in your hair and everywhere.”

I smiled. “You spoke to Skyler?”

“I did.”

“What did she say?”

He shrugged. “My business, Wonder. I want you to experience that peace here. Our situation isn’t ideal, and we’re getting to know each other. Giving someone my last name, my mother’s last name, is something that I take seriously. I don’t want to fuck this up… ‘cause I have a habit of fucking shit up with the people I care about.”

I quickly hugged him, and he surprised me when he hugged me back. Standing on my toes, I kissed his cheek and smiled. “Thank you for this, Maverick.”

“You’re welcome.”

He stood by as he watched me run around this entire studio taking in all the expensive art supplies he purchased for me. Itouched the roll of canvas linen and looked over at him. He stood with his hands in his sweat pockets, as he watched me.

“This is all very nice… want to know what is even better?”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’s that?”

---