Page 58 of Fumbled Love

The city bustled around us as we lay side by side on the snow-covered grass. He rolled over and linked our fingers together. We were cold and wet, but neither of us was in a hurry to leave. We stared at the blue sky until it was time for him to head to the airport.

The shift in our mood could be felt when we returned to my place to grab his overnight bag. He didn’t even try to fight me when I insisted on riding with him to the airport. We sat in the back seat of the town car, both of us hating that we were dragging this goodbye out, but neither of us had the strength to stop it.

I was fighting back tears and trying to be strong, but the moment we reached security, I had to turn away. This was harder than I thought it would be.

We stepped back from the line, and I took a calming breath. He reached for my hand and kissed the top of my head. “We are right back at the scene of the crime.”

“Yeah, but this time there’s no storm to strand you here.” I wrapped my arms along his waist and squeezed him tight. Between our schedules, I had no idea when we would see each other again. So, I clung to him like my life depended on it.

“Sweetheart, I’m just going back to my condo in Atlanta, I’m not going off to war.”

God, I was a hormonal love-sick mess.

“I know.” I squeezed my eyes shut to keep them from leaking. “I just wish you didn’t have to go.”

He buried his nose in my neck and inhaled. “Fuck, this is hard.”

I looked up at him, feeling tears spill down my cheeks. “I’m embarrassing myself, aren’t I?”

He ran his fingers through my hair. “No, but these tears aren’t helping.”

“I’m sorry.” I was overcome with emotion and was doing a horrible job of hiding it. “You better go before you miss your flight.”

His thumb traced over my brow. “I hate this.”

My fingers clenched his shirt in a tight grip. “So do I, but we need to get used to this, right?”

His face morphed into something hard and determined. Realizing that this was only the beginning, my throat grew sticky with dread. I was half a second away from giving up my job, my home, and everything I worked my ass off for just so that I could be with him.

I glanced over at the TSA line and was tempted to hop on that plane with him and say the hell with all my responsibilities. Instead, I closed my eyes and concentrated on taking a couple deep breaths. The urge to scream and cry was still strong, but I held those feelings back.

Maverick brought his hand up to my stomach. “Be good for your momma, little one.” He leaned his forehead against mine and kissed my lips one last time. “I’ll see you soon.”

He picked up his carry-on, and I felt my bottom lip tremble as I watched him walk through the pre-check line at security. By the time he disappeared, I was a sobbing mess.

CHAPTER21

KINLEY

I’d feltguilty about keeping my relationship with Chad at arm’s length. He’d been one of my closest friends for years, but things were changing in my life, and I wasn’t sure where he fit anymore. Knowing that he could potentially have feelings for me made me question if we could truly stay friends.

As I stood in front of him with my nervous fingers twitching against the door, I wanted to kick myself for not anticipating this visit.

“Hey,” I greeted him, glancing at the wrapped gift in his hands.

His mouth brushed along my cheek as he passed me by. It was innocent, but all I could think about was how awkward this was going to be.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were avoiding me.” His eyes narrowed slightly at the Atlanta Arrows hoodie I stole from Maverick’s duffel bag before he left. It was thick, comfortable, and it smelled like him. But Chad stared at my outfit with an odd look on his face.

“You look nice. Are you going somewhere?” I asked, giving him a strained smile.

He looked down at his outfit and frowned. “No, just stopping by to see you.”

He was dressed in a hunter-green sweater with a pair of dark khaki pants. His hair looked gelled, his chin was freshly shaved, and his shoes looked polished. He was wearing a good amount of cologne; all these things would have gone unnoticed until now. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed nervous.

“I didn’t know you were stopping by, or I would have ordered you some food,” I hurried to say just as he spotted the takeout container on my coffee table.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a corned beef on rye from Katz’s Deli I spy?”

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