Page 52 of Crack the Ice

Do you know how to do makeup?

I can’t figure it out.

Why do we need it, anyway?

Will you teach me?

“I want to do all those things, have her be my little bestie, teach her all the things girls at that age need to know.” She gasps, hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God, I didn’t paint her nails. I’m so sorry. Come on. We have to go back. She’s going to be so mad at me.”

I watch her ramble, hands flying everywhere as she runs through the list of things she thinks Lily will be mad over. God, she’s adorable.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Move in with me and let Savannah stay here. She can pay you rent.”

Her jaw falls as she blinks at me a few times. “Did you miss the part where I said I’m trying to come to terms with everything, and I can’t do that while you’re all up in my business?”

I lean forward on the counter, doing absolutely nothing to hide the joy coursing through me. “I did not. But like Sheila so kindly pointed out…”

Her lip pulls up into a sneer, and she growls with the ferocity of a kitten, but I can’t deny that I love it.

“I travel a lot. I have more than enough room in my house for all of us.” She’ll figure out how much she had to do with that house. Eventually, “It makes sense. They’ll have consistency, we’ll all be in the same place, and regardless of what comes of the two of us, those kids will know without a shadow of a doubt that they’re loved.”

“Maverick, I can’t move in with you.”

“Why?”

She sputters, head shaking back and forth like I’m an absolute idiot for even suggesting it. “Because what will my brother think?”

“That you’re doing what needs to be done for two kids he also happens to care about. Next reason.”

She crosses her arms, and it pushes her tits up to the point I’m salivating. It is wholly unfair that I can’t do anything about that right now.

“What will the kids think? Two adults who aren’t romantically involved living together and taking care of them.”

Not romantically involved, my ass. “If I have my way, that’ll change eventually, so I’m failing to see the problem here. Next.”

She mumbles something I can’t quite make out as she gives me her back and pulls some pasta out of the fridge. “You’re insufferable.”

“I’ve been called worse, baby. Now tell me what the real issue is.”

“Maverick! I just told you why. So much time has passed. We don’t even know each other anymore. I’m not a clean person like you are. I freak out and shut down for days if my schedule gets thrown off even a little bit. Sometimes I forget to eat. Sometimes I go all day without drinking anything but coffee. Some days I want to be left alone to rot. Regardless of how I feel, there are kids involved. They come first. Did you not listen to anything I said five minutes ago?”

There’s sweat beading on her forehead, and I shouldn’t think her yelling at me is as hot as it is, but apparently, I do. Pushing up from the island, I round it and place my hands on her shoulders. “As I said before, Cess, we get to know each other again. I want your mess, I’ll remind you to eat, and I’ll get you a water bottle with your name on it.”

She raises a brow, and the thoughts of ‘there’s nothing you can do to fix this’ slowly start to melt away.

“It helped Lana drink more. I figured it might help you, too. But look.” I let my hands fall and lean against the counter. “There’s going to be an adjustment period. Everyone’s schedules are going to be off for a week or two. But if you give me your schedule, I’ll work around it the best I can. It’s off-season. I’m not trying to make this any harder for you. And if you don’t want to be in this with me, then don’t. I know you love them, but I don’t want you to spiral if it’s going to be a problem. There’s no shame in doing what’s best for you.”

“I want to be part of it, Mav.” Her entire body slumps forward, and for a second I’m afraid she might fall over. She doesn’t. Instead, she looks up at me with tears clinging to the thick, long strands of her lashes. “I want to be enough as I am, for them. For you. For my friends.” Her voice shakes, and it might have hurt less if she pulled my heart out with her bare hands. “I don’t even know how to be enough for me sometimes.”

“Isn’t this something we can figure out together?” I whisper, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what I’m doing either. Lana’s my sister, we grew up together. I only know what they’ve told me these past six months. Hell, I just learned that their dad made barbecue sauce that Caroline could never replicate.”

“Sounds like a challenge if I’ve ever heard one.” She mutters.

I smile, loving that she’s invested in this, too. “Don’t even get me started on trying to help them with homework, because I was clueless fifteen years ago. I’m sure not much has changed on that front.”

She smiles, but her chin quivers. For as emotionally draining as this day has been for me, it’s been a hundred times worse for her. “I’ll back off, okay? Well, for now at least.”