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o me, Rick.” She squirmed until she was able to look up at him. “I love you. I knew I loved you before you left, but Rick, if you’re not one hundred percent sure about the both of us, then we need to shut this down. Right now. I can’t let Connor get hurt again. I can’t let him love you if there’s the slightest possibility that you might leave us.”
Maverick cradled her face and he bent forward, his mouth near her ear.
“Charlie, I’m one hundred and fifty percent sure about you. About us. I’m not going anywhere. I love you and Connor. That’s all I got. I hope it’s enough.”
She picked at the collar of his shirt and damn, but it was a beautiful thing to see the smile that slowly spread across her face.
“I think I can work with that.”
His mouth settled onto hers and he kissed her, long and thoroughly, until they both had to come up for air.
“That’s good to hear,” he said. “Now how about we go home?”
She glanced toward the community center and he saw the hesitation. “Davis inside?” he asked.
She nodded.
“He’s a smart man. He’ll figure it out.”
Maverick’s hand slipped over hers and he led her toward his truck. They had some stuff to navigate, but as she settled in beside him, her body meant to be there, he felt like a freaking king.
They were home in less time than it had taken him to profess his love to this woman. And if his heart didn’t nearly squeeze out of his chest when Connor hurled his little body into his arms, well, it was a miracle.
“You’re back,” Connor said, his young voice high and excited. “I knew you’d be back.”
“I am,” he said, his large hand at Connor’s back. “And I’m not going anywhere, bud.”
“I know that,” Connor said, indignantly.
Charlie raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
“Oh? Why’s that?” he asked, grinning when Connor took his coat from Charlie and tossed it onto the floor.
“Because we have all the Lord movies to watch still.”
“Ah,” Maverick said, scooping the little guy up into his arms. “I guess we better get started then.”
The three of them settled down in front of the TV. They cuddled and watched the movie and when Connor fell asleep, Maverick carried him upstairs and he and Charlie got him settled.
He took Charlie to bed. He worshipped her body. And when she fell asleep in his arms, it felt as if he’d never left.
In fact, he felt as if he’d just come home.
Six Weeks Later
Charlie was in a hurry. Of course she was. Why else would Daniel McBride decide that it was okay to take his tractor out for a spin? Good Lord the promise of spring did some crazy things to folks around here.
“Come on, move,” she muttered, trying to see around him. It was nearly noon and she’d told Rick that she would only be at the shop for about a half an hour. Davis had needed her help on a particular engine and she’d been more than happy to oblige. She missed getting her hands dirty. That was four hours ago.
She honked her horn and made a face when Daniel turned around. She couldn’t pass him because there was a stead flow of traffic coming the other way. Why wouldn’t there be? After all in downtown Fisherman’s Landing.
Oh. And she was in a hurry.
Daniel pulled his tractor over to the side and she flew past him, resisting the urge to flip him the bird. Barely. She got the red at the only set of traffic lights in town and waited impatiently for them to change. She even managed not to chew on her fingernails. Just. She glanced at them and grimaced. Why had she bothered with a manicure?
She cruised down the road, smiling at the sight of the ocean. She was happy to see the sun and excited that spring was just around the corner.
She turned on to her street and swore when she saw the expensive looking Mercedes in her driveway. Pulling up behind the black vehicle, she slipped from her truck and decided to sneak into the house through the back. That way she could head upstairs and clean up before she met Donovan James. The country superstar had just arrived with her new baby and husband in tow.
