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She hugged the stuffed animal. “I can take care of myself. But in your misguided wisdom, you ended up giving me the chance to know Cal better. I might never have seen the truly wonderful man he is if I hadn’t been able to spend all this time with him.”
Daniel touched her hand. “Do you remember at the wedding, when I told you that Cal wasn’t for you?”
She nodded, allowing herself a small smile. “It was a really bad idea to say that.”
He snorted a soft laugh. “Yeah, probably. I’ve never been more wrong in my life. He’s exactly the kind of man I want for you. I see the way he shines when he talks about you.” He waved a hand down her face. “I see the way you glow. And it’s not just the baby you’re carrying. It’s the two of you together. It’s the love between you. If only I’d taken fifteen minutes to cool down and see what was right in front of me. But I never gave you a chance. I just let this red mist cloud my eyes. Of all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, that’s the worst. Because I truly support you in every decision you make. And I will love your baby with everything in me.”
Her heart melting for her big brother, she threw herself into his arms. “I love you and forgive you.” She stepped back, hands on his arms, still clutching the baby’s first gift. “Uncle Daniel.”
* * *
Cal returned after Daniel had gone, helping her pack some of her things to take over to his place. She was so glad that she and Daniel had mended the rift between them. But there was still an ache inside her when she thought about the rest of the Mavericks. Tomorrow morning, she’d go to each of them and hope they’d also come around.
Yes, she could take care of herself, but she still wanted her family—her entire family—in her life.
She’d only just decided to call her mom to tell her about their marriage plans, to let her know they weren’t planning to rush off to Vegas or Tahoe for a quickie wedding, when she heard the stomping and snorting of what sounded like a herd of buffalo outside her apartment.
She opened the door to find six Mavericks standing outside. “What are you all doing here?”
“As soon as I left,” Daniel said, “I called an emergency meeting, only to learn the other guys all had the same idea and were calling one too. But before I turn it over to them, I want to say again that I love you, Lyssa. I believe in you. I support you.” Then he turned to Cal, who was standing in astonishment behind Lyssa, and smiled as widely as his sore mouth would allow. “You know you’ve always been a Maverick, and we’re proud as hell to count you as one of us.”
Though Cal simply nodded, Lyssa saw the softening of his features and knew how much this meant to him.
Will elbowed Daniel out of the way, the tiniest bit careful of his ribs. “Jeremy is so excited about the baby.” He pointed at Cal. “And he’s excited to have you as a real uncle.” Then he reached for Lyssa’s hand. “I have no excuse for my behavior. I should have supported you both. Believe me, I’ll do everything in my power never to blow it like that again with either of you, or the baby.”
Matt stepped forward. “I believe in you, Lyssa, even if sometimes I screw up and act like an idiot.” And to Cal, he said, “I love you like a brother. We all said some rotten things on Saturday that should never have come out of our mouths. I hope you can forgive us.”
Cal nodded. “Of course I do.”
Then Sebastian moved up front. “First, I have to thank you for the best damn fight I’ve ever witnessed.” All the brothers laughed. Then he got serious. “Lyssa, you’re the bomb. You always have been. I swear I never questioned your judgment, even though sometimes it may have seemed like it.” Then to Cal, he said, “We know you’ll make Lyssa happy. We see it in your eyes now, and we saw it on Saturday. It was one of our biggest mistakes that we didn’t acknowledge it.”
He held out his hand, and Cal shook it despite the bruises and cuts on his knuckles.
Evan simply opened his arms wide, and Lyssa gladly walked into them. “You’re an amazing woman, Lyssa, in every way. I’m so glad you’ve found your happy place in your business. And in the rest of your life too.” He stepped back, holding her shoulders. “Paige is ecstatic that our babies will be so close in age. We can’t wait to watch them all grow up together.” Then he let her go and looked at Cal with a bit of trepidation and a lot of remorse. “Forgive us if you can, Cal. We acted like—”
