Page 86 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
27
“Lucky.” Maverick opened his door and immediately hugged her. She’d driven to his apartment for the first time so they could all ride to his parents’ house together. “I swear this has felt like the longest week of my life.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” The feel of his body pressed against hers was as exquisite as she remembered. He was lean, but not naturally so. She knew he worked out regularly to help keep his “anxious levels” down—his exact words. There was almost no give to his chest, all hard lines and shapely muscles. And yet, somehow, she relaxed against him as if he had the softest, most malleable body in existence. How could a simple hug be so comforting? He made her feel like they fit together perfectly without even trying.
He pulled back, examining her face. “Mmm, glasses.”
“Better safe than sorry. I’ll take them off inside,” she promised, even though it wasn’t the best idea. Her eyes had taken on a semi-permanent red tint from crying too much and not enoughsleep. Progress required sacrifice and she was making headway with Hennessee House, one long night at a time. He closed the door behind them.
“You look tired.” She poked him in the side.
“I haven’t been sleeping well. I was in the middle of a power nap just now—I feel like I’m still asleep,” he said. “I was dreaming about you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’m a little…stressed. Lately, real life has been infiltrating my dreams and causing me all kinds of trouble.”
“Dreams but not nightmares,” she challenged. “Must’ve been a good kind of trouble.”
Maverick took a long, lingering glance at her. From head to toe and back again, stopping at her eyes. “It was.” He wrapped her up in another hug. “I missed you.”
“Why?” she joked.
“Why did I miss you?” he asked, playing along. “Because I want you here. I wish I could be there. I can’t have what I want so missing you is all that’s left.”
“Booooo! Tomato, tomato! Booooo!” Georgia laughed as she rounded the corner with Rebel. “I didn’t know you had that level of cheese in you, Super Dad.” She made a show of prying them apart to give Lucky a hug too.
“Hi, Georgia.”
“Don’t you miss me? You haven’t texted, which is so rude. A whole weekend together and not a single follow-up message. I’m hurt.”
“I don’t think I have your phone number?”
“That’s both beside the point and exactly what I’m talking about.”
Lucky nodded, giving her an apologetic smile. She understood what Georgia meant. Friendship, like all relationships, required intention. More often than not, it wasn’t effortless. It’d never been that way for her, and she didn’t expect it to be now. She’d just beensufferingbusy. Between Hennessee House and Maverick, everything else felt like ithadto be shoved to the side. Which felt wrong.
“I have her number,” Rebel said to Lucky. “I’ll give it to you.”
“Shall we, ladies?” Maverick laughed, gesturing them toward the door.
“Dad, Beanie said they’re bringing Sophie.”
“Your uncle Max isn’t bringing that puppy.” He locked the door.
“Yes, he is!” Rebel said. “I’ll bet you five dollars.”
“Do you have five dollars? It can’t be like last time when you lost and said the money was already in my wallet and that you were just giving it back to me before I gave it to you anyway.”
Georgia shrieked with laughter. “That is genius. I’m stealing that.”
Maverick glared. “Please don’t encourage her.”
“Grandma is giving me birthday money,” Rebel said confidently. “I’ll use that.”
•••
Within seconds of arriving at the Phillipses’ family home, Georgia seamlessly blended into the crowd, greeting everyone by name and giving out hugs. Rebel ran directly to the backyard, disappearing into a small group of kids.
