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He set his bag down and was just about to reach for the door when it flew open.
“You’re here,” Charlie said, her eyes shiny as she rubbed the palms of her hands over her jean clad thighs. “I was worried. You didn’t text.”
“Shit, babe, I’m sorry.” Maverick took a step toward her. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get here.”
He thought that maybe her bottom lip trembled a bit, and it made his heart turn over. He didn’t think about anyone else except the woman in front of him and Maverick bent toward her, his hands sliding into all that loose, dark hair. He held her prisoner and slid his mouth over hers.
He kissed her—a soft, gentle kiss—and though it made him want to dig in and go deeper, he reluctantly let her go. He rested his forehead against hers for a couple seconds and then moved to the side.
Once all the Simons were through, Maverick closed the door behind them. He took a step closer to Charlie, slid his hand to the small of her back and introduced her to his family.
His aunt enveloped her in a big hug and at first Charlie seemed stiff, but then she accepted the embrace. And then another from his uncle Noah. When Cooper stepped forward, Maverick felt compelled to speak.
“Keep it clean Coop.”
His brother flashed a smile and offered a hand instead. “Thanks for getting the house ready.”
“It was no problem, really.” She glanced at Maverick. “I had to bring some bedding from home because I wasn’t sure if there was enough here.”
“Thanks for that,” Eden said with a smile, though it faltered when she glanced over to her son. “You’re due for more pain medication and we should get you to bed.”
Teague said nothing, but his eyes were dark and his mouth set in a tight line. He offered a smile to Charlie as he passed by and headed for the stairs.
Cooper took them up to the second floor and for a small window of time, Maverick had Charlie all to himself.
He immediately slid his arms around her because he needed to feel her. Badly. She was shivering, as if cold, and Maverick held her tightly, his head buried in the hair at her nape.
God it felt good to hold her.
“We need to talk about everything,” he murmured against her.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ve got time for that.”
Maverick moved slightly so that he could see her face. So that he could try to read her eyes. “I need for you to know that I was going to tell you about my family. I don’t want you to think I was holding that back for some reason. I wasn’t. I was just…it’s hard for us sometimes. Hard to blend in and just be one of the guys.”
“I get that,” she said with a small smile. Had any woman ever had a mouth that delectable? “I mean, I think I can imagine what it would be like, judging from some of the footage I saw on the news.”
She rubbed his shoulders and, damn, but he could have stood there for hours. “How is your cousin? He seems kind of lost.”
Maverick shook his head and glanced upstairs. “That’s a good way to describe it. He’s up and down but mostly just down. I hope he can find his way back because right now he’s just kind of existing.”
“I know what that’s like.”
His eyes shot back to Charlie’s. There was more to her story than she’d told him. He wasn’t sure how he knew this, but he did.
“Someone or something will bring him around,” she said softly. “It might take a few weeks or a few months or even a few years. But it will happen.”
He pushed back a lock of hair that fell over her brow and kissed her once more. “You’re not driving home in this.” He frowned, glancing around. “Where’s Connor?”
Charlie nodded to the front room. “He’s asleep on the old sofa in there. The poor little guy was tuckered out. The entire time I was out shoveling, he was playing in the snow.” Her eyes misted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this happy. This engaged.” She shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know if it’s the music somehow or you…”
She blushed and Maverick’s heart melted a little bit.
“There’s hope for your cousin,” she murmured.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for us today. You know that, right?”
“I do.” A wicked smile crossed her face. “And I’ll make you pay. Trust me. I have plans for that.”
