Page 32 of Widow Mayker

Maja burst out laughing. “Couples counseling? For two people who aren’t a couple?”

“Yo’ ass was pressed all up against me last night, mamas.”

Her cheeks darkened prettily. “Shouldn’t you get to know me before making such bold declarations?”

Grinning, I said, “That’s what’s on the agenda for today. I want to get to know everything I can about you. Likewise, I want you to freely ask me whatever you want.”

“Do you miss stripping?” she asked, then grinned.

“Wow.” Amused, I shook my head while she laughed. “That was years ago, baby. I made some good money, too.” Tickled, she laughed, as I added, “I can’t show my body off anymore. I got a woman, and I’m quite sure she ain’t goin’ for that shit. Is she?”

Maja leaned back on the bed and stared at me. Smirking, I went into the bathroom, rinsed my toothbrush, then applied toothpaste to it. As I brushed my teeth, I stood at the doorway of the bathroom peering at Maja. Her eyes were still on me, and she was still perched in the same position. There was a silent tug-o-war between us, and I was determined to let Maja answer the question on her own.

I went back to the sink to handle my teeth and face, then turned on the shower to freshen up for the day. By the time I was done showering, moisturized, and dressed, Maja was on her feet standing at the window watching my family’s campground come to life.

Easing up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her to my body. She turned in my arms and peered at me. Whenever she initiated eye contact, I got a little more excited.

“I hate everything associated with a badge,” she said.

“You’re here with me,” I stated.

“I’m not your woman, though,” she countered.

Honestly, that shit broke my resolve a little bit. I hid it well. “What are you, then?”

“An…acquaintance.”

Her response felt like a dagger. My visceral reaction to hearing her friend zone me shouldn’t have cut so deep. It did, though. Allowing my arms to hold on for a second longer, I finally released her and smirked.

“Aight, Acquaintance. Let’s go eat,” I stated.

Over breakfast, Maja and I exchanged glances and few words. This wasn’t how I wanted this day to go. She was supposed to be diving into my deepest secrets. I was supposed to be peeling back the layers of who Maja was. Instead, her wall seemed to be thicker than before. Although she had little conversation for me, she was all smiles for everyone else. Maja was chatty with my mama, and that cut a little deeper because my name never left Maja’s lips. She wasn’t thinking about me, and I had to chuckle to keep from getting upset. I played it off by doing other little shit like playing horseshoes with my brothers and darts with my pops. All the while, I kept my eyes on Maja.

By the time the rowing competition started, she joined me on the pier so that we could board our rowboat. She’d been enjoying herself all morning, and I was almost tempted to rain on her parade and decline rowing with her. Sucking up my lost feelings, I climbed inside the boat, then reached my hand out for her. She boarded the boat and sat on the plank in front of me. Once the first rower was in place, I pushed us away from the pier to install the other rower. As we waded on the water for everyone else to join us, Maja peered at me over her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she questioned.

A lie was about to fly off my lips. Hell, it didn’t matter how she took the truth, though. I was in the friend zone anyway. “I thought we were having a good time. However, you haven’t said much to me today, and I can only assume it’s because you’ve shut me out.”

She worried over her bottom lip before turning back around.

“See,” I stated. “Right there. What’s that about? Have I done something that makes you want to retreat?”

Maja’s sigh attached itself to the muggy warm air. “There’s nothing I’m afraid of, Von.”

“But you’re afraid of me,” I surmised.

“I’m afraid of what you represent,” she clarified. “My father wore a badge, and he betrayed me in the worst way.”

Swallowing, a chunk of my heart went out to Maja. I didn’t expect her to reveal her past so soon. Then again, she wanted me to understand how deep the hatred for my badge ran. She didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t pry. As my pops said, she’d reveal what she wanted me to know in her own timing.

“I hate that for you, Maja. Badge or no badge, a father should never betray his child,” I said.

“Being here with you makes me feel like I’m betraying myself,” she confessed. “I feel like I’m betraying…” Her words trailed off, and I didn’t prompt her to continue. As birds chirped and the sound of the water sloshed up against the shore, I glanced up into the sky for a sign.

“You made an oath to ya’self.” It was a guess.

She nodded. “Oaths aren’t meant to be broken.”