Page 2 of Maverick

“You’ve always been a good student,” she smiled. “You won’t struggle academically.”

“I know,” he said with confidence. “And I’m good at sports. I guess I worry about girls.”

That raised Kennedy’s brow. She’d never heard her son speak about girls before, at least not to her.

“What are you worried about?”

“I don’t know. It feels like they’re a lot of trouble. I mean, not you. Dad says you’re the easiest girl in the world to live with.”

“Good for Dad,” she laughed.

“I mean, the older guys are all gaga over girls. They fight over them. They race to ask them to dances. It all seems too much to me. Too much trouble. Period.”

“Well, sometimes it is too much,” said Kennedy. “Something your dad did right when we met was that he made sure I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Not just physically but in my heart as well. He was patient and kind, and it didn’t matter to him at all when he found out I was sick. In fact, he made sure he stuck to me like glue.”

“Yeah, but you’re not a girl that always wants stuff. You’re a different girl. You’re strong like a boy but pretty like a girl. Other girls aren’t like that.”

“Do you know a girl like that?” asked Kennedy.

“Lots!” he said with exasperation. “Not the girls at Belle Fleur but other girls. It’s like if a girl gets a new pair of shoes, all the other girls want the same shoes. If she gets new earrings, all the other girls want new earrings. I don’t have a job! I’m gonna go broke.”

Kennedy laughed at her son, touching his cheek.

“Oh, Mav, you’re the best. Honey, those girls are learning some very bad habits from their parents. At your age, it’s not boys that are buying those gifts, it’s their parents. Now, you’ve got a good point, eventually boys will be expected to do the same. You’re smart to realize it’s not a good thing. The girls at Belle Fleur don’t do it because their parents manage expectations with them. Everyone has chores. Everyone has responsibilities. You got a new bike because of what?”

“Because I helped dig the new garden with the other boys and Aunt Claudette.”

“That’s right. You did something to earn the money. How did that make you feel?” she asked.

“Pretty cool,” he smirked. “I like digging in the dirt, and it felt cool to have my own money. I got to choose the bike myself knowing just how much money I had to spend. Then I got to hand the guy my money. But I liked diggin in the garden.”

“Yeah? Do you think you’ll want to become a gardener or maybe a farmer?” she asked hopefully.

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m gonna be a SEAL, just like Dad.”

“I thought you’d say that,” she smirked. “Well, whatever you become, I’m very, very proud of you, Maverick.”

“I’m proud of you too, Mom. What you did back there with that old man was pretty cool. I like telling people I have a cool doctor mom, and she’s really pretty. For a mom.”

Kennedy could only laugh as they walked back to the car to return home. JT was waiting for them as he always did. Standing right at the gate. She only grinned, knowing that he’d followed them the entire day. He always did, and she was okay with that.

“Hey, did you guys have a good day?” he asked with a knowing smile.

“You know that we did,” she smirked. He just smiled, nodding at her.

“How about you, Mav?”

“It was cool, Dad. Mom saved a guy!”

“She did,” he said, frowning.

“Yeah. He got sick from not eating and his medicine or something. Mom was so nice to him even though other people ignored him.”

“That’s why I love your mom,” he said, kissing his wife. Mav shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s not why. You love her because she gave you me.” JT laughed as Maverick ran off toward his friends.

“He’s not wrong,” said JT. “What he doesn’t know is all the fun we had making him.” He kissed down her neck as she giggled.

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