Page 31 of Awakening
“Ajaih.”
“Ajaih, I know things ended badly, but I've thought about you a lot,” his voice filled with pleading.
“Don’t,” I cut him off, my voice low but firm, “This isn't the time or place.”
But as usual, Colson never knew when to quit and leave well enough alone.
“I need you to know how sorry I am, and how much I regret how things ended. I was young, stupid, and fueled by ego. I made a mistake, but I’ve grown and changed since then. Becoming a father changed everything for me, especially as a girl dad.”
If my eyes rolled any further back, they would’ve gotten stuck, as the old folks used to say. I didn’t give a damn about his apologies, his growth, or the child that was created on my watch. Maverick and I just wanted him to move the hell on and find his seat in coach.
Maverick's jaw flexed. “Bruh, my woman is clearly not interested in the bullshit explanations and apologies. Go ahead and find your seat, get settled, FaceTime your wife and kid before takeoff, and enjoy your flight.”
My flabbers were gasted because I’d never seen this side of Maverick. He was always laid-back and even-tempered. My thighs were clinching, and they weren’t the only ones as the women waiting to find their seats behind Colson voiced my thoughts, “Whew, his fine ass don’t play about her, I know her back still missing from how he blows it out,” causing her friend to snicker.
“I wonder if they want a third, because I need to know what it’s like to look for my back, too!”
Everyone, including Maverick, laughed, except Colson, whose smile faded. “Man, I was just trying to talk—”
This time, Maverick stood up, his full height towering over Colson. I grabbed his arm. “Talk somewhere else to someone else that might be interested in that bullshit sob story and half-truth apology. I’m trying to enjoy champagne in first class before we make it to Santorini, where I plan to eat her pussy overlooking the Aegean Sea until she’s delirious, and you’re not about to ruin that. Now turn your ass around and go sit down before we both end up on the no-fly list."
Colson's mouth opened like he wanted to say more, but after a moment of hesitation, he backed off, mumbling something under his breath as he tucked his tail and walked away.
“Girl, if you need help rewarding his fine ass, I can make myself available to go to Santorini,” the woman winked and laughed as she and her friend moved to their seats finally.
Maverick sat back down, still fuming, "The audacity of that motherfucka.”
I let out a shaky breath and grabbed his hand again. “Thank you, baby,” I murmured as I leaned over and kissed his lips. I couldn’t wait to properly thank him once we made it to our destination.
"Always," he said, his thumb stroking my knuckles as he pecked my lips, "You wanna talk about it?"
Actually, I did. Over the years, I kept my breakup with Colson close to the chest, never really sharing the sordid details that broke my heart, my trust, and made me question myself. I nodded, exhaling slowly. “We met in basic training. He was never particularly charming, but he was ambitious and understood my ambitions and the dreams I had to climb the ranks in the Air Force.Somewhere along the way, the plans he had for his life changed, and he decided he was done with military life. He wanted to settle down and plant his roots, get married, and start a family. I didn’t have a problem with marriage or even kids, but when he assumed I would leave the military with him before I accomplished what I set out to, we hit a brick wall.”
Maverick nodded, listening closely, his other hand now sliding slowly up my thigh beneath the soft fabric of my dress, sending little sparks dancing across my skin.
“The problem was, I didn't want kids, and for the longest time, he didn’t want them either. Our upbringings were troubled, but for different reasons. My mother left me at the hospital when I was a newborn, claiming she was too young to be a mother, and Colson’s mother suffered heavily from drug addiction, while his father was nowhere to be found. While I had Dro and a host of aunts and mother-like figures, Colson was left to raise himself. For that reason alone, he said that having children wasn’t in the cards because he couldn’t give them something he’d never received from his parents, love. It wasn’t unusual to change one’s mind on marriage and kids; it happened daily. I mean, hell, I would love to experience a loving marriage where we don’t live in the box of what society defines as normal, but instead we define what our love looks like and how we maintain it. Once my career was taking off, his was coming to an end. Where I was finally starting to feel like I'd found my place, he was trying to figure out what was next for him. When I refused to sacrifice what I was building in the service, he saw that as me choosing the Air Force over him. We fought a lot after that. Then came the excessive cheating and the baby. Thatwas the nail in the coffin."
“His loss,” Maverick said, his voice dropping an octave or two into a sultry rasp that sent heat surging through my body.
“I’m damn sure grateful you stayed true to yourself. I saw my mother sacrifice and compromise on things she knew were harmful, and in the end, I suffered the most for her lack of a backbone,” Maverick said, sadness flashing across his face.
Behind the strength in his eyes was a man who’d endured a lot of pain and still landed on the other side, the side where love lives, and joy ensued. I needed to know those parts of him as well, and I would make it my mission to learn about them so I could love him in the ways he needed me to, through the pain into the light.
I smiled softly, leaning in to kiss him, my lips brushing against his with growing hunger. “I can’t wait to show you how grateful I am for you,” I whispered in his ear, my fingers softly caressing his neck and throat, pulling a restrained hiss from his lips.
As the plane continued its ascent, I felt a weight lift off my chest. The past was behind me, and ahead of me was Santorini, Maverick, Knox, and a future filled with passion, possibility, and undeniable desire.
The moment our plane touched down in Santorini, my breath was stolen from my chest. Through the expansive windows of the airport, I caught my first glimpse ofparadise, brilliant whitewashed buildings clinging to rugged cliffs, their domes kissed by the sun, overlooking endless sapphire waves that shimmered like liquid gemstones.
The air itself seemed charged, thick with warmth and the salty whisper of the sea. The scent was enchanting with a mingling of blooming bougainvillea, citrus, and the distant tease of ocean spray. My skin immediately tingled, as if the island itself was already stroking me, inviting me to surrender.
"Goddamn," Maverick murmured, sliding his hand over the curve of my lower back as we walked toward our waiting car, "You seeing this, baby?"
"I'm seeing it," I whispered, my voice already breathy with awe and anticipation. "It's like the island wants to seduce us."
Maverick grinned, his voice a low, playful growl, “Shittttt, it's working, but it's got competition."
I smirked, feeling the spark dance between us. “Careful, Mav. You keep touching me like that, and we'll never make it to Knox’s villa.”
