Page 41 of Maverick

I saw this soft side of him when he talked about the animals. He had this deep connection with both horses that you could never imagine.

There was no alpha man here today. Just this slow and loving, Silas. The way he held my hand, that look in his eye, everything about him today was like a slow-burning love.

As Maverick pulled away, he just looked down and smiled. “Let’s eat, babe. I’m starving.”

We grabbed the basket of food and set up a nice little picnic under a big oak tree. There were plenty of snacks and two amazing turkey sandwiches Lilah had made.

“God your sister is an amazing cook.”

Maverick laughed as he took a sip of lemonade. “Yeah, my Mama taught us all how to cook so we could take care of ourselves. It was also a great way to bond as a family.”

“You guys are close huh?”

He nodded, “Yeah, growing up we were all very close. Then Lilah moved away and we fell apart. That’s also when she and Striker broke up. Then our Pop died and she came home. Things were a little tense.”

“I’m sorry about your dad. Are things okay now?”

“Yeah, babe. They certainly are. Lilah and Striker got back together and she finally sees how the club is a good thing. We’re not a bunch of thugs. Tell me about your family. I want to know more about you.”

I took a deep breath before I started my story. “Well, I was born to a mother who would rather do drugs than be a parent. So there’s that. I have no clue who my father is. My grandfather thinks he’s a member of the Shadow Raiders, but that’s anybody’s guess. I grew up in the club and my grandfather tried his best to take care of me when he could. Not much to tell.”

“Did the Shadow Raiders treat you good?”

I smiled thinking about the few members who were nice to me growing up. “Most of them yeah. One member, Joker, looked after me for a while. Joker is a little older than me. He’s like a big brother. He made sure I had food and a clean bed to sleep in. Then the current President took over. Snake is exactly what he sounds like. A fucking snake. He’s dirty, rude, mean, and running that club into the ground. He’s the one who is trying to use me as collateral for my mother’s debts.”

Maverick wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him. “Let’s not talk about that then, babe. Tell me good things. Your dreams. Your hopes. I want to know it all.”

I leaned up and kissed him. “You’re amazing. I honestly don’t know about my future. All I know is that I love art and love teaching it to people. I do love to travel. Being on the run certainly has its benefits. I’ve been able to see so much of the world around me. Maybe a traveling art teacher, but who knows. Whatever my future is, it has my art in it. Time will tell. What about your future, Mav?”

He gently stroked my hair as he looked out over the mountains. “I’m not sure either, baby girl. The club and the ranch are all I know. But I’m happy with it.”

We both laid back on the soft grass and just stared up at the clouds, laughing and eating; enjoying the day together with no worries. Life was pretty good right now and I couldn’t be happier.

Chapter Twelve

Maverick

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