Page 3 of Maverick

“How is Mr. Wills?” she asked her husband, knowing that he would have followed up to be sure he was taken care of.

“He’ll be fine. He lives by himself, and his granddaughter went to the hospital to get him. She said they’ve been fighting him on living with her. He’s getting forgetful but doesn’t want to give up his independence.”

“I can understand that,” said Kennedy. “He didn’t seem to be suffering from dementia. I think it’s just plain old age.”

“Which sucks,” growled JT. Kennedy wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist and kissed him.

“You’re not old. If last night is any indication.” JT just grinned at her. “By the way, your son confirmed for me that he’s going to be a SEAL.”

“Yeah?” grinned JT.

“Don’t look so damn happy, JT. It’s a dangerous job, and you know it better than anyone. I damn sure know it, and I know that he’ll accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. That only makes me more frightened for him.”

They watched him playing with the boys, then he stopped to give a hug to Claudette and Irene. Irene touched his cheek, Maverick already taller than she. A few minutes later, Mav ran toward his parents.

“What’s up?” asked JT.

“Oh, I was just gonna tell Mom not to worry. Mama Irene says I’m gonna marry a really smart, really sweet redhead with big green eyes. I think I like redheads. I’m not sure about green eyes. That’s just weird.” He turned and ran back the other way, waving over his shoulder. JT laughed, shaking his head.

“Well, what do you know? Our future daughter-in-law will be a redhead.”

CHAPTER TWO

“Hey, what’s up?” asked Maverick as he stepped inside the apartment of Braxton Pechkin.

Brax and his twin, Paxton or Pax, were both on Mav’s SEAL team, along with Patrick Humphrey. Brax and Pax were the sons of Benji and Annie. Benji had once been a SEAL as well, thrown together with Annie, the daughter of a SEAL, in the worst possible circumstances. Patrick was the son ofBogey and Alice. Bogey had also been a SEAL at one time.

“Just watching the game, brother,” smirked Brax. “Truthfully, counting the days until we’re home for good. Being at the wedding last weekend was sweet, and it made me miss everything. The food, Mom and Dad, the water, all of it. Hell, I even missed the animals.”

The men laughed, nodding at one another.

“CJ sure looked happy,” said Pax. “I’m glad for him. He’s had some shitty girlfriends in the past. He deserved someone like Jill. Plus, she’s beautiful and smart as shit. Smarter than him for sure.” Again, they all laughed but noticed that Maverick wasn’t his usual jovial self.

“What’s up, brother?” asked Patrick.

“Yeah, what’s the problem? Don’t you thinkit was great seeing everyone at the wedding,” said Paxton.

“Yeah, another happy affair,” said Maverick with a tone of disgust.

“Brother, just because you haven’t found the one doesn’t mean she isn’t out there,” said Pax.

“I’d rather not find out at this point,” he said.

The others smirked in his direction, knowing that his last girlfriend turned out to be a bit of a party girl. She always wanted to go out. Not just for dinner, not just for drinks. She wanted to be in the clubs dancing until two a.m., then get up the next morning and make her way to work.

Maverick wasn’t built that way. He was a solid, follow-the-rules, by-the-book type of guy. Six-feet-two, two hundred and ten pounds of well-honed muscle, he was a SEAL’s SEAL.

“I just can’t get Melissa out of my head. I was stupid to ever start that relationship. I thought she might really be the one, which only proves I have shit judgment when it comes to the fairer sex.”

“Did you, Mav?” asked Pax. He stared at him. “I mean, did you ever once consider taking her home to meet your parents? Did you ever think about how she would fit in with our team? I’m not saying she wasn’t a nice girl. She was nice enough. She didn’t really do anything wrong. She was pretty. She was smart in her own way. But she wasn’t what any of us typically goes for.”

“To answer your question,” frowned Mav, “no. I didn’t think about taking her home, and that’s what made me realize that she wasn’t for me. That and the utter exhaustion. She was always wanting to go out. I’d think ‘out’ meant dinner at six or seven and then back to maybe watch half a movie. Brother, she had plans for a different club or party every night. How do people fucking operate like that?”

“Man, I don’t know,” said Brax, shaking his head. “Some days, I feel like the true old man of the team. If we’re not in training or called up, I want to be in bed by nine, at the latest ten. We’re up at 0430 for PT and back at the grind. That last chick I dated would get home around 0430 and call me just to talk, knowing I was up and getting ready for work. Fucking talk when the sun is up. I’ve got to start my day.”

“We’ve all been through it,” said Patrick. “It will happen for us. We’ll get as lucky as our folks and live happily ever after in the land known as Belle Fleur.”

“I guess,” said Mav. “It’s just this weird feeling in my chest. Not like a chest pain, more like something else I can’t put my finger on. It’s not just about Melissa. Fuck, we’ve all dated dozens of women.”

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