Page 18 of Maverick

“I can’t even imagine carrying twins. I mean one baby is a lot of work, but two? Damn girl!”

Lilah just laughed as she ruffled the boy's hair. “It certainly wasn’t easy, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love being pregnant. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the farmer’s market with us? I could use some help keeping an eye on these wild boys and I can bet you are tired of dealing with these grumpy ass men all day. Also, spill the beans about Wrench, girl!”

We both laughed as Erik gave us a dirty look from across the room. “Yeah, that would be great! Let me just finish up here and then we can get going! And Wrench is just a friend. He’s like a big brother. I’m pretty sure Maverick told him to keep an eye on me. It’s nice to have him around. I’m an only child so I never had any siblings. Wrench gives me advice, we talk cars, play some video games we found, and just sibling stuff. He told me last night he always wanted a baby sister.”

Lilah laughed as she got up from the couch. “Yeah, that sounds like Wrench. I’m glad he’s keeping an eye out for you.”

I quickly finished cleaning the bar and grabbed my bag and Orion. We headed out the door and into Lilah’s SUV. We buckled the boys in and drove out of the compound and into town.

The farmer's market was extremely busy. Lilah brought me to one of the tents in the town square. It was empty except for a few boxes, a table, and some art bags.

“Uhh...what are we doing here, Lilah?”

She just smiled as she opened one of the bags. “Look inside, Willow.”

I slowly opened the bag and took out one of the paintings. It was the one I did the night before; the night sky! I turned and looked at her, “These...these are mine?”

“Yes, silly! Mav told me all about your art. Mama signed you up for a spot and got you all types of supplies for your booth. Girl, you are amazing! These should be in a museum!”

I just blushed as she started to set up the booth with all my paintings. “You guys didn’t have to do this. Thank you so much! Nobody has ever supported my art.”

Lilah came over and wrapped me in a big hug. “That’s just what we do around here.”

I was blown away by her generosity. Everybody in my life, except my grandfather and Joker, always expected something in return. Nothing was ever done out of the goodness of their heart.

Lilah helped me set everything up as people started to wander in the booth. They were all amazed by my paintings and started to scoop them up faster than I could get them out.

Tons of people requested custom paintings or asked when there would be more. I was so overwhelmed by their kindness and support.

I got to work taking names and numbers as Lilah handled transactions. We were a great team and I smiled to myself, maybe having a girlfriend would be nice. I never really had any friends growing up or even back at home waiting for me.

The farmers market was finally winding down and I was almost sold out. I had a few orders for custom paintings and I couldn’t be more excited. I had set up the boys at a little table with some paint and they were having a blast.

“Watch me, boys! Let’s make a red circle.” I took my brush and painted a bright red circle on my canvas. I turned to look at the boys who were trying so hard to copy me. “Great job! You boys are so smart!”

Lilah came over with two travel cups of coffee and juice boxes for the boys. “Wow, Willow! You are really amazing with them. Would you maybe want to do some art lessons for the boys?”

“Really? That would be great!”

I reached over and gave Lilah a huge hug. “You can even use my car so you can come and go freely. I’ve got this SUV to drive around so you’re good to go!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing right now. “Lilah, this is so sweet. Are you sure?”

“As I told you, it’s just what we do around here!” She smiled as she ruffled her boy's hair and rubbed her ever-growing stomach.

As Lilah was checking on the boys, I looked out in the crowd and froze. There was a big man standing in the back of the crowd, staring into my booth. An uneasy feeling came over me as he made eye contact. My heart started to beat faster and I started to feel dizzy. He slowly smiled as he made his way toward me.

The chill ran down my spine and I started to hyperventilate. The man got closer and closer, his sinister glare making me lose my cool with every step he took. He was clearly from The Shadow Raiders and was coming to get me.

Orion came around in front of me and started to herd me into the booth. Lilah looked up and Orion ran to herd her into the booth as well. He immediately put himself in front of the twins, never looking away from the man.

“Lilah. Please take the boys and get to your SUV. Now.”

She looked between myself and the man coming closer and nodded. Lila gently placed her hand on my arm and pulled me closer to her.

She carefully took out her cellphone and I saw her reach under her sweater and pull out a gun. “Girl, I don’t back down. Striker is on his way. Emergency text system. Take a deep breath and try to relax. Ground yourself. I can’t have you passing out on me.”

We could hear the roar of motorcycles coming and the man looked around. As soon as he spotted the bikes, he took off running.

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