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“Aw.” Maverick leans over and kisses my cheek. “He loves us.”
“Don’t let it go to your head. Are y’all sticking around for the game tonight? I have some burgers I can grill and?—”
The door to the apartment flies open. I crane my neck to look into the foyer, and I jump off the couch when I see Maven and June.
“Mae?” I call out. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
I hustle toward the door. I check June for injuries when I get to them, but I don’t see so much as a scratch on her.
“Hi,” Maven says, and her voice is strained. Her cheeks are pink and her eyes are red, and my heart hammers worriedly in my chest. “We’re fine. I just… I messed up, and I feel like a horrible person.”
“Talk to me. Are you hurt?”
“No, no. No one is hurt.”
“Did you kill someone? Do we need to hide a body? I think I might have a shovel somewhere in the apartment.” I take the backpack hanging from her shoulder and set it on the floor. “Wait a second. Is this another candy necklace situation?”
A soft laugh escapes her, and my shoulders relax. “No. We didn’t terrorize any department stores today. June and I were in the movie, and she kept fidgeting. I asked if she needed to use the bathroom three times, and she said no. When we were leaving, I realized she had an accident. I forgot to bring a change of clothes with us, so I had to make the poor girl sit in her—” Maven takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Dallas. I feel horrible.”
“Daddy!” June flings her arms around my leg, and I squat down to kiss her forehead. Her shorts are damp, but she seems unfazed. “We saw a movie.”
“Did you? How was it?”
“There was a princess.” June sighs and rests her head on my chest. “A pretty princess.”
“We love princesses.” My eyes flick to Maven, and she’s gnawing on her bottom lip. There’s a tug toward her. A yank, almost, to let her know she didn’t do anything wrong, because I hate seeing her defeated and upset. “Mae, hey. It’s okay. Accidents happen. When JB was younger, she had explosive diarrhea when we were at a birthday party.”
“Explosive!” June repeats, and I laugh.
“Majorly explosive. Guess who forgot her diaper bag? Me. Getting home was a nightmare, and I had to throw away her car seat. Don’t worry about it.”
“Do you think she’s traumatized?” Maven asks. “Do you think she hates me?”
“June? Do you hate Maven?” I ask my daughter point blank, and June frowns.
“I love Mae Mae,” she says.
“See? Kid’s already forgotten about it. She’s got the memory of a goldfish. I’ll give her a bath and put her in some clean clothes. She’ll be as good as new.”
“I can do it,” Maven says quickly. “It’s my fault. I told you to take the afternoon off, and I?—”
“There’s no such thing as taking the afternoon off when you’re a parent. It’s fine. Really. It’ll take me ten minutes.”
“I’m the one who messed up, and I’d like to be the one to make it right.” Her eyes meet mine. “Please, Dallas.”
Oh, fuck me.
I shouldn’t like hearing her say that, but I do.
It messes me up. Catches me off guard and alters my brainwaves a little, because when June tugs on my shirt, I realize I’m staring at Maven like I’ve lost any and all intelligence.
Maybe I have.
“Okay,” I say, and it feels like there’s a frog in my throat. “Sure. Yeah. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry again.” She takes June’s hand in hers. “You go and have fun. We’ll stay out of your way.”
“I don’t want you to stay out of the way. Come to the living room when you’re done. I’m making burgers, and my friends and I are going to watch the game. You should join us.”
