AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pressing my lips to his, I close my eyes and just hold him, letting him feel the weight of my promise.
Neither of us moves to deepen the kiss, we don’t need to. It’s already intense enough and full of promises.
Rolling my head up, I press my brow against his and stare into his watery eyes.
“I love you too, Julian,” I whisper.
42
MAVERICK
Listening to them cry killed me, but I didn’t let them know that I was awake.
They needed that moment.
He needed to finally get his truth off his chest and she needed to feel the weight of his trust in her to hear it.
Our lives didn’t collide very often. I’m older than Reid and JD and I’d already finished school and embarked on a life as a fully-fledged member of the Hawks when JD lost Maya. But that didn’t mean that I didn’t know about it.
Victor tried to keep it on the down low, but gangsters were gossipers, just like the old wives of the town, and rumors spread fast. Hell, for a few hours, I was under the impression that JD had succeeded in following his girl to the other side.
I remember being relieved he hadn’t achieved it. He might have been Reid and Knox’s friend, not mine, but even I could admit that he was a good guy, and had a promising future as a Hawk.
If only I knew then what I knew now. Maybe we all could have handled everything differently.
While he was fighting for his life, I was embarking on mine with Alana in it. I didn’t have much time to be concerned about anyone but her back then.
Maybe if I’d have looked a little further outside our little bubble, I wouldn’t have the understanding of JD’s loss that I do now.
With a sigh that’s full of regrets and my own loss, I push myself up and sit on the edge of the couch as I think about what they’re probably doing wherever they disappeared to.
Movement outside the door catches my attention, and when I look up, I find Reid loitering.
“You okay?” he asks, making me give him a double-take. It’s going to take me a little while to get used to him not hurling abuse at me every chance he gets.
“Y-yeah. We all had a nap and then Alana and JD—”
“Left you to have their own fun,” he adds with a smirk.
“He told her about Maya. They thought I was still asleep.”
“Shit,” Reid breathes, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
“So I guess that explains the bandage on his wrist then.”
Stalking into the room, Reid falls into the chair opposite me and drops his head into his hands.
“I had no idea he was that close to the edge. If I knew then I wouldn’t have gone to Mexico like I did.” Regret comes off him in waves.
“I believe you.”
He stills and glances up, pain filling his eyes.
“And he won’t hold it against you. He’d want you to get answers for Alana above all else.”
“I’d prefer if he was here to see us end this, though,” he mutters.
“He will be. It’s going to happen. Any updates?” I ask, noticing the time and just how long he could have been on the phone for.
