by L A Cotton
“I was so confused.” She gazed up at me with lust and love. “One minute you hated me, the next you wanted me.”
“I never hated you, Lo. I hated that you saw so easily behind all my anger and bravado. I hated that you knew my secrets. But most of all, I hated that I couldn’t have you.” My lips fixed over hers, kissing her with everything I had. Our tongues tangled together with easy familiarity, our bodies fitting like two pieces of a puzzle.
Because we were.
Lo wasn’t only my girl. She was the other half of my soul. The better part of me. My anchor and my salvation.
And as soon as I could make it happen, my wife.
Lo
“Change of plans,” Maverick said as we climbed into his car. “Summer and JB can’t meet us, something about his mom throwing a fit because he’s hardly spent any time with her. But Declan texted me to say he’s visiting family in Bay View, so he and his brother are going to drive down and meet us for a drink.”
“So date night has turned into team night?” I rolled my eyes playfully. Maverick knew I didn’t mind spending time with the team. They were as good as family, and I knew they all considered him their leader. It was something to behold, the way they all looked up to him.
“Don’t worry, I plan on making it up to you later.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” He grinned, grabbing my hand and pulling it onto his lap.
“Your mom is right, it’s nice being back.”
“You miss it?”
I watched as the familiar streets of Wicked Bay rolled by. When I’d first moved here from England, I never imagined I’d call this place home. But now, it felt like so much more.
“Yeah, I do.” I let out a small sigh. “I love our life in Steinbeck, but it’s not home.”
“I thought home was wherever I am?” His mouth kicked up.
“You know what I mean.” I squeezed his hand.
Maverick knew I would follow him wherever he decided to play, but we had roots here. It would always be special.
“Maybe I should look at some local teams?”
“Tim didn’t seem to think that was a good idea.”
“Tim is my agent, not my boss. He works for me.”
“I want you to do whatever makes you happy.”
“And what about what makes you happy?” Maverick pulled into a parking bay outside Hitters sports bar.
“You make me happy, and it’s not like I have much of a plan for after graduation.” I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
He cut the engine and turned to me. “I’m going to give you everything. You know that, right?”
“I know.” I did. Maverick loved basketball, but he loved me more. He’d proved that time and time again. But this was his dream, and he deserved it. God, he deserved it so much.
“You’re acting a little strange tonight.” I studied him. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Everything is great. Now come on, I want to get you drunk on cocktails and then take advantage of you on the ride home.”
I grinned back at him. “That sounds pretty damn perfect to me.”
Maverick
“Declan, good to see you, my man.”
He stood up and pulled me in for a guy hug. “How was the wedding?”
“Does it make me a pussy if I say perfect?”
“I’ll keep it between the two of us.” He winked. “Oh hey, you remember my brother, Zach?”
“I remember.” I gave the quiet guy beside him the once over. “I hear you’re making waves over at San Diego?”
“I do okay.” He smirked, taking a long pull on his beer.
“You old enough to be drinking that?”
Zach scowled and I exploded with laughter. “Relax, I’m just busting your balls. Any brother of Declan is a brother of mine, you got it?”
Something flashed in his eyes, but he quickly schooled his expression and nodded. “Yeah, thanks, man.”
“This is Lo, my girl.” I pulled her into my side.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She gave Zach a small wave then Declan pounced on her, enveloping her into a hug.
“It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” She let out a strained laugh. “Rick, a little help.”
“Okay, asshole, remove yourself from my girl before I rip off your arms and feed them to you.”
Zach snorted. “When Declan said you were a hard ass, I didn’t expect... this.”
“A hard ass, huh?” I leaned over and punched Declan’s arm. “I still have one year left before I hand over the captaincy to you.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I reckon I could sweet talk Coach Baxter into letting me have a shot.”
“You fucking wish. That team is mine for another season. When we finally lift the championship, then and only then can you have your shot.”
“Yeah, yeah, keep your panties on.” He flipped me off. “I’ll get the drinks in. What are you having?”
“Just a soda, I’m driving.”
“Lo?”
“I’ll take a strawberry daiquiri please.”
He left us to it. The family resemblance was obvious between the Messiah brothers. Same dark hair and brooding expression. But there was a shadow hanging over Zach, and I couldn’t shake the feeling there was a story there.
“So, Zach, did your brother teach you everything you know?”
Declan was going places. He’d made a huge mark on the team since his freshman year, and I knew Coach Baxter had him in mind to take the baton from me when I graduated. But to have two star players in one family, that was something special.
“Something like that.” He pursed his lips.
“Knew a Zac once, a real piece of work. Thought he could rule the team through fear and power.”
“What happened to him?”
“Me.” It was my turn to smirk. “Listen, I meant what I said earlier. Any brother of Declan is a brother of mine. If you need anything—”
“I’m good, man.” He waved me off and stared out at nothing.
Lo slid her hand over my knee and squeezed, probably wondering what the hell had gotten into me. But I couldn’t help see myself in Zach. A young kid struggling to find his place in the world.
“Excuse me, I need to take a piss.” Zach slid out of the booth and disappeared toward the back of the bar.
“What was all that?” Lo asked me.
“I don’t know. He seem a little off to you?”
“Maverick...” She let out a small sigh. “You can’t fix everyone.”
“That’s not... yeah,” I scrubbed my jaw, “you’re right.” My eyes flicked to the restrooms.
“You see yourself in him, don’t you?”
“How did you—”
Lo gripped my jaw and pulled my face down to hers. “Because I know you, Rick. But you’re not that kid anymore. You figured it out, and I’m sure Zach will too.”
I dropped a kiss on the end of her nose. “How did I get so lucky?”
“It wasn’t a case of luck, Maverick.” She beamed. “It was fate.”
Chapter Four
Lo
“You missed the turning.” I frowned over at Maverick. After one round of drinks with Declan and his brother Zach turned into two and then three, Maverick had finally made our excuses and dragged me to the car.
He was restless. On edge. And I knew it was probably something to do with the weird tension between Declan and Zach at the bar. We’d both felt it. In fact, as the night wore on, it became impossible not to notice it.
“There’s something I want to show you,” he said, keeping his eyes ahead.
I didn’t argue. Knowing Maverick, he probably wanted to pull over at a rest stop and have drunken car sex.
“I think you were right about Zach,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m going to press Declan for the details. He doesn’t really talk about Zach. I hadn’t thought much of it until tonight.”
“You think that’s w
ise, sticking your nose into their business?”
“Has that ever stopped me before?” He reached for my hand, threading our fingers together. “You know, I love that you accept the team so easily.”
“They’re a huge part of your life, Maverick.”
“I know, but a lot of girls wouldn’t be so understanding.”
“Good thing I’m not most girls then.”
“Damn right it is.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
“Where did you say we were going again?”
“One quick stop, I promise. And then we’ll go home and celebrate.”
“We’re celebrating?” Butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach. He wouldn’t... not tonight.
Would he?
“What are you up to, Mr. Prince?” Soft laughter bubbled up in my chest.
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and—”
“Maverick, LOOK OUT!”
The beam of headlights was almost blinding, and I threw up my arm.
“Fuck,” he grunted, the screech of tires on asphalt deafening.
“Maverick!” I yelled, watching as the truck barreled toward us.
It happened in slow motion.
The crunch of the truck hitting the front end of Maverick’s car. The force of the impact ricocheting through us as I slammed back against the seat. Then everything sped up. The lights… the noise… the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. The car spun, whipping us around like we were riding a Tilt-A-Whirl. The seatbelt cut into my skin, pain zipping through me.
Another horn sounded in the distance, the screech of more tires...
And then nothing.
A monotonous beep pulled me from the darkness. Cracking open an eye, I waited for the nightmare to be real, except it never came. There was no crumpled car, no headlights or tires screeching.
“M- Maverick?” I croaked and my dad rushed to my side.
“Thank God, Eloise. Don’t try to talk, sweetheart. I’ll buzz for the nurse.” He pressed the alarm and five seconds later, a nurse entered the room.
“It’s nice to see you awake, Lo. I’m Dinah, and I’ll be looking after you today.”
“I... where’s Maverick?”
“We’re taking good care of him. You just focus on you, okay? Now let me get in here and see what’s happening.” She came to the side of the bed and began fumbling with the monitor. “That’s quite a bump you had.”
Her words made me instinctively touch my head, and I winced with pain. “W- what happened?”
“You were in an accident, sweetheart.”
“Dad?” I croaked, fear flooding my chest at the thought that my 'nightmare' had been real.
“You’ve been out of it for fourteen hours.”
“Fourteen hours?” I tried to sit up, but my muscles were heavy and sore.
“You need to relax.” Dinah gave me a reassuring smile. “Your vitals are good and the few bumps and bruises you have will heal. But you had a bad concussion, sweetheart, so we’ll need to monitor you for a little while.”
My hand instinctively went to my head again. “Ouch,” I whispered, pain radiating through me as I gently touched my face and head for damage. Other than a gauze dressing over one side of my forehead, I seemed to be intact.
“Can I see Maverick?” I needed to know he was okay too.
Dinah and my dad shared a look, but it was Dad who replied. “He came off a little worse than you, Lo.”
“W- what? He’s hurt bad?” My bottom lip trembled.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Dad took my hand in his. “He’s strong; he’ll get through this.”
My heart sank as fear trickled down my spine. “It’s that bad?” The alarm on the machine starting bleeping furiously.
“Maybe we should do this later?” he suggested, flicking his eyes to the nurse.
“Tell me what happened.” Blood roared between my ears as silent tears streamed down my face.
“Maverick took the brunt of the force, sweetheart. He’s in a coma.”
“A coma?” I gasped. “No, no... no.”
He couldn’t be in a coma. We had the whole summer planned. It was his senior year… the team had their sights set on the championship.
Oh God… the team.
Maverick’s basketball career.
“Hey, hey...” Dad brushed the hair from my face and offered me a warm smile. “Rick is strong, he will pull through this. The doctors induced the coma to give his body time to heal.”
“But he’s okay, right? He’ll be okay?”
He let out a shaky breath and I had my answer. “Honestly, we don’t know yet, sweetheart.”
My heart broke.
Right there on the hospital bed, my heart fractured into two and bled out for the man I loved more than life itself.
“I need to see him,” I said defiantly.
Dad glanced at Dinah and she gave me a small nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Summer
“Lo, thank God,” I rushed over to her as Uncle Robert wheeled her toward the waiting room.
“Hey.” She barely smiled. “Is he…”
“There’s no change.”
It had been hours since we'd first got here. The attending EMTs recognized Maverick and told the police officers to call Mom and Dad. Dad called the rest of us. Kyle and Laurie couldn’t get a flight out of Maui until Wednesday, and Macey was across the other side of the country with Devon.
Lo trembled, a pained whimper spilling from her lips.
“Hey.” I dropped down to my knees and took her hands in mine. “He’s going to be okay, Lo. This is Rick we’re talking about. He’s too stubborn to—” I swallowed the words. “God, I didn’t mean...”
“It’s okay.” She gave me a weak smile. “You’re right, he’s strong. He’ll get through this.”
I felt my family move behind me, so I got up and stepped aside to let them have their moment with Lo.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Mom went first. “He loves you so much, Lo. He’ll come back to you. I know he will.”
“Rebecca’s right.” Dad’s voice trembled. “Maverick is strong.”
Lo managed a small nod, but I saw the desperation in her eyes, like a wild animal cornered and looking for a way out.
“Why don’t I take Lo to see him?” I suggested.
“Okay, we’ll wait right here.” Uncle Robert gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
I gave JB a hug. “I’ll be okay.”
“I know you will.” He stared down at me before kissing me softly. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“I always need you. But I need to do this, for her.” My gaze went to Lo. She looked so lost, sitting there, covered in grazes and gauze, the sparkle gone from her eyes.
“I love you.” JB cupped the back of my neck and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
Tears stung my eyes, but I swallowed them down. We needed to be strong. For my family. For Lo.
For Maverick.
“Come on,” I said to her as I approached. “Let’s go see him.”
Lo
The sight of Maverick lying there, hooked up to various machines, his head in a neck brace, was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen.
And I’d lived through losing my mother and my brother in a tragic accident.
“Oh God, Summer.” I reached for her hand. I needed comfort. I needed something to steady the rapid beat of my heart.
“You must be Lo,” a nurse said as Summer wheeled me closer.
“Is he... can he hear us?”
“I like to think he can.” She gave me a small smile. “You come over here and hold his hand and talk to him.”
“How is he? I mean... what are his injuries?”
“Maverick suffered quite a bump to the head. The doctors are also concerned about a spinal injury. But until he wakes up, they won’t know the extent of the damage.”
Spinal injury?
Oh God.
Nausea washed through me.
>
Summer’s hand slid over my shoulder and squeezed gently. I laid my hand over hers, taking comfort in her touch. This was her pain as much as mine. Maverick was her big brother, her protector. Seeing him like this...
A garbled cry escaped my lips. “I don’t know how to do this,” I confessed.
“Of course you do.” The nurse smiled again. “What Maverick needs right now is his family. He needs to know you’re here for him, sweetheart.”
“O- okay, I can do that.” Gently lifting Maverick’s hand, I slid it into my own. “It’s me,” I said.
His silence was almost too much to bear, and big fat tears slipped down my cheeks.
“I’ll give the two of you some space,” Summer whispered.
“If you need anything, just press the buzzer and I’ll be right along, okay?”
I gave the nurse a nod, and the two of them left.
“It’s me,” I whispered, those two words drenched in so much pain, I felt it right down to my soul. “The nurse said I should talk to you, but now I’m sitting here, looking at your broken and bruised body, and I’m not sure I have any words.”
I inhaled a ragged breath. “I love you, Maverick. I love you so much that part of me wishes I were the one lying there so I wouldn’t have to see you like this. You have to come back to me. You have to wake up and come back to me.” My thumb smoothed over the curve of his hand, willing him to give me a sign he was still in there.
“My dad asked me what I remembered, but there’s nothing after the drinks with Declan at Hitters. They said a truck lost control and ran us off the road. We took out another car, but thankfully, the driver was okay.”
Another wave of pain hit, crashing over me like a tsunami. The truck driver had walked away with a few bumps and scrapes, the driver of the third car had been treated at the scene, and I was here. It seemed so unfair somehow.
“It shouldn’t be you,” I sobbed, clutching Maverick’s hand as if it was the last time I would ever get to touch him. “I just need a sign... something to know you’re still here with me.”
