Page 62 of A Second Chance

I can’t believe he remembered.

My eyes fill with tears.

One of my wishes as a child was to have a cookie with magic dust so all my wishes would come true. The memory of Maverick making me believe in the existence of a Fairy Queen who delivered cookies to special little girls who created a world of wonder using paints and creative imagination is still vivid in my mind. It was a magical moment that hooked me, and every year on my birthday, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the magic cookies. As I grew older, I realized that the Fairy Queen was a figment of Maverick's imagination, but the magic he had brought into my life remained unchanged. He had given me a gift that would last a lifetime, and I never stopped believing in the impossible, thanks to him.

All the resentment I held against him starts to fade away.

"Ricky…" I say through my tears. I grab the chocolate chip cookie with white frosting and sprinkles that resemble fairy dust.

A single candle sits on top. He lights the candle and says in his deep and sexy voice, "Make a wish."

I do as he says and blow out the candle.

Maverick smiles with relief. "You called me Ricky." He reaches out and wipes the tears from my face with the pad of his thumb.

That's when it hits me. I am the only one allowed to call him Ricky, and I haven't called him that since before Seth passed away. I offer him a small smile and wrap my arms around his waist.

"Thank you," I murmur in his chest.

"Anything for you, Tinkerbelle."

The following day, I find the box with the climbing shoes on the end of my bed along with a cherry ring pop.

THIRTY-ONE

SCAR

Iwas in a deep sleep until something pokes at my cheek. Slowly, I open my eyes to see Shaun's smiling face as he shoves his finger into my cheek.

I wonder how long he's been up.

With a grunt, I lift and tickle him on top of me. "Good morning to you too, monster."

"Morning, Mom!" He cackles, almost toppling off the bed.

"I'm hungry," he says with a smile between breaths.

"Do you want waffles?"

"The dinosaur kind?" he asks, wide-eyed. My little monster loves his dinosaurs. I had to buy the Jurassic Park movies because he is obsessed.

"You got it," I told him.

"Yay!" He jumps off the bed in his dinosaur pajamas and scurries down the hall barefoot.

Pulling off the covers, I swing my legs over the bed and head to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I pull my hair into a messy bun and walk down the hall, passing Mom's room.

As I walk into the kitchen, Shaun stands on the step stool with the bowl and the box of waffle mix on the counter and the dinosaur spoon in his hand.

"Is my little monster ready to be his mamma's chef?" I tease and kiss the top of his head.

"Yep!" He nods excitedly, waving the dinosaur-shaped baking spoon.

After the waffles are made and eaten, I give Shaun a bath. I go into my room to shower while Shaun sits on my bed, coloring. He feels better being close to me in case he needs to rescue me from one of my episodes. It breaks my heart that he feels the need to protect me when it's my job to watch over him.

I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel when I'm done. Using the blow dryer to dry my waves, I throw on a pair of leggings and a faded AC/DC T-shirt.

I leave the bedroom to find Shaun lying on the bed on his stomach, swinging his legs behind him. He looks up at me with a huge grin when he senses me.

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