Page 28 of Awakening
And the part I hated admitting even to myself:
Where would that leave us?
I trusted Maverick with everything, with my heart, with my body, with my truths that I hadn’t dared speak to anyone before him. He was my home, but the unknown, unpredictable, unsteady space we were about to step into, boy, did it scare the shit out of me.
And not for the reasons one might think, not because I didn’t want him to be happy. More than anything, I wanted him to feel joy, to feel seen, to feel chosen. After everything he'd survived, he deserved that. He deserved someone who made him feel safe to explore every corner of himself, even the ones he was just now discovering.
I took a deep breath, pressing my palm flat against my chest like I could physically steady my heartbeat. Thiswasn’t about losing him. This was about change.
Change I hadn’t been prepared for.
My mind flashed back to the first time Maverick had ever said I love you. It had been hesitant, whispered against my neck in the dark, his breath shaky, his whole body trembling like the words themselves were foreign currency he wasn’t sure he could spend.
And now, hearing him say something so close to those words for someone else, it felt like standing at the edge of a cliff—equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.
I wasn’t angry, it wasn’t jealousy, it was anxiety.
I was anxious about what this meant, worried about who this Ajaih woman was, nervous about how our dynamic would shift, what new balances we’d have to find.
But underneath all of that was something softer, something steadier, love.
Because that was the point, wasn’t it? That’s what we’d built everything on, not ownership, not possession, damn sure not fear, pure unconditional love.
And love meant wanting him whole, even if that wholeness now included someone new.
I sat back down and let my head fall into my hands, exhaling slowly, my fingers tracing the edges of my phone, hovering for a moment before I typed out a message.
Me: I’m proud of you. And I’m happy you’re opening yourself up to this. When you’re ready, I’d like to see what she looks like. I’m sure she’s gorgeous.
I hit send before I could overthink it because at the end of the day, fear didn’t get to make decisions here, love did.
And I loved him enough to let him grow, even if I didn’t know exactly where that growth would lead us yet.
I leaned back into the couch and let the silence settle again.
"Ajaih."
I whispered her name to the empty room.
I didn’t know her yet, but I would because Maverick was falling for her, and wherever he landed, I intended to be standing close by.
Mav: Of course. She said it’s cool.
Seconds later, the photo appeared on my screen.
And the moment I opened it, my breath caught.
Jesus.
She was stunning.
Not just pretty. Not cute. Not attractive in that casual, passing kind of way. Stunning. Captivating. The type of beauty that makes time pause, that makes you forget your heartbeat for a second because you’re too busy staring.
Her honey-brown skin glowed against the soft backdrop, freckles making the perfect accessory to her luminous skin, her full lips slightly parted like she’d been caught mid-thought, and her eyes—God, those eyes. They were sharp and warm at the same time, like she saw things most people missed but didn’t feel the need to speak them all out loud. They carried a quiet power.
A head full of sandy blonde curls framed her face like waves, wild and intentional all at once. And then there were the tattoos, the bold ink climbing her arm, dancing across her shoulder like an intimate map of her story, and the small one just above her chest, drawing my gaze to the smooth dip of her collarbone.
She wore a little black dress that barely contained the soft curves of her body, and Louboutins graced her feet, making her round ass sit up higher. The way she held herself was confident, unapologetic, and centered.
