by L A Cotton
“Watch it, Jack, that’s my sister you’re talking about.”
“Kyle,” Kiera grumbled. “He doesn’t mean—”
“Give us a minute.” I eyeballed him, and he nodded.
“Sure. I need another beer anyway.”
Once he had disappeared, I said, “I really don’t know what you see—”
“Don’t, Kyle, just don’t. Besides, this is your moment.” She smiled weakly. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
“Yeah?” I knocked her shoulder with mine.
“I’m just... wow, engaged.” Kiera lowered her eyes.
“Kiera, come on, this is me. I thought you’d be happy.”
Her eyes slid to mine. “I am. God, I am. Come here.” My sister surprised me by enveloping me with her slender arms.
“I love you, sis.”
“I love you too, brother. Even if you are completely certifiable.” She pulled back and began to walk away but I snagged her wrist.
“You’d tell me, right? If something was wrong?”
“I... everything’s fine.”
“Son, get over here. We’ve managed to find a bottle of the good stuff. I think a toast is in order.”
Rebecca and Stella handed around glasses while Dad popped the champagne and poured everyone a glass. Laurie kept looking up at me, smiling, and I felt like a motherfucking king.
“I’m not going to lie,” Dad said. “When I arranged this trip, I didn’t anticipate this. To say you’ve surprised me is an understatement, Son, but how can I be disappointed when I have watched the two of you go from strength to strength over the last five years? You’re both still young but love doesn’t wait. I hope you’ll all join me in raising a glass to Kyle and Laurie, and what I hope will be a very happy future.”
Everyone raised their glasses ready to toast and a chorus of cheers filled the room, but as I looked around, I realized there was one person missing.
“LO SAID YOU MIGHT BE out here.” I pulled up my hood and joined Rick out on the deck. “It’s fucking freezing out here.”
“I kind of like it,” he said as he stared out at the lake. “I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Listen, man. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just... well, I knew it was a crazy plan, and I didn’t want to second guess myself any more than I already was.”
“Kyle, it’s not...” He hesitated, tearing the label off his beer. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Huh?
“I don’t understand. Unless you’re worried about losing me because you know that’s never going to happen. Bros before hoes.” I laughed, but when he didn’t join me, my brows pinched. “What’s going on with you, Prin—”
Rick’s eyes slid to mine and my stomach sank at his expression. “Oh shit,” I breathed out. “This isn’t about me because it’s about you. You were going to ask Lo, weren’t you?”
I was a fucking idiot.
How had I not seen this coming?
Rick grimaced, running a hand down his face, refusing to meet my eyes once again.
“Shit, I’m sorry, man... you never said anything.”
“Guess I didn’t want to second guess myself either.”
“How long?” I asked.
“A while.”
“So what’s been stopping you?”
“Probably the same thing that stopped you. We’re young. Life is probably going to get crazy in the next few years.” Rick looked at me. “But she’s it for me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, she’ll say yes. You know she will.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I can’t ask her now. You stole my thunder, Stone.” He gave me another weak smile.
“Way to make a guy feel like shit.”
He leaned over and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, I am. I just, I wanted to be you tonight.”
“Well there’s a first. Now you know how it feels to be me, coming in second best to you.” I smirked, and this did he did return it. “But seriously, we’re lucky sons of bitches, you know. Some people spend half their lives searching for the girl of their dreams, and we both already found ours.”
“Yeah,” he breathed. “Yeah, we did.”
“So when it happens, you’ll be my best man? I mean it probably won’t be for a couple years yet, maybe after we’ve graduated. Hell, you might even beat me down the aisle, but no matter what happens, I want you by my side.”
His eyes flicked to mine, his expression clouded with emotion. It was a rare sight on him. Maverick Prince. My best friend. My brother in all the ways that counted. He held my stare for another second before putting me out of my misery.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Chapter 9
Maverick
When I finally got back to our room, Lo was curled up on her side, asleep under the covers. I stood in the darkness, watching the stream of light dance over her as she slept. My chest grew heavy as I relived the evening. The moment Kyle had dropped to one knee and stolen my plan out from under me.
It wasn’t his fault. I knew that. It wasn’t like I’d told him I’d been thinking of proposing to Lo for months. Yet, I couldn’t help the irrational sting of jealousy I felt. He’d got his happy ending tonight.
He’d gotten my ending.
Motherfu—
“Maverick?” Sleep hung heavy in Lo’s voice as she stirred.
“Ssh, it’s late.” I started stripping out of my clothes. “Go back to sleep.” Slipping under the covers, I curved my hand over Lo’s hip and drew her body into mine.
“Talk to me,” she murmured, rubbing her ass in places that never led to talking.
“It’s late.” And if she pushed me, I might end up saying something I couldn’t take back.
Damn Kyle and his crazy fucking thunder-stealing ideas.
“Maverick,”—Lo turned in my arms and blinked up at me—“something’s wrong. I know it is. If it’s because Kyle didn’t tell you, he didn’t tell me either.”
“It isn’t that.” I swallowed over the lump in my throat.
“So, what is it, what’s wrong?”
I blew out an exasperated breath and lowered my voice, “I just... Do you think they’re too young?”
Lo’s brows furrowed as she kissed my nose. “I think no one can ever know how someone feels about another person. If Kyle and Laurie think they’re ready, that’s for them to decide. Besides, nothing says they have to get married yet; they can have a long engagement.”
Silence settled over us, thick with my secrets—the real reason this was bothering me so much.
“Maverick,” Lo whispered. “Talk to me.”
“I...” Fuck. I could say the words. Right now, I could say the words and forever change us. Maybe she’d say yes, maybe she’d throw her arms around me and give me the one thing I wanted more than anything. But our moment would always be overshadowed by Kyle and Laurie’s moment. And Lo deserved to shine all in her own right.
“One day,” I said, unable to hide the quiver in my voice. “One day, it’s going to be me on one knee, asking you to be mine forever.”
“You really want that?” It came out breathy, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Want that? Lo, I want you in every way I can possibly have you. I meant what I said the other day.”
“But I just assumed...”
“What?” I brushed her nose with mine. “What did you assume?”
“You have a shot at going pro, Maverick. Your life is going to change so much.”
“Don’t you mean our life?”
Lo dropped her gaze, splintering my chest wide open.
“Hey, look at me,” I said, rolling her onto her back, giving her no choice but to meet my eyes. “We’re in this together, Lo. You and me. I will never make any decisions that might jeopardize what we have.”
“I wouldn’t ask that of you. Basketball is your dream, Maverick. And you deserve it. You deserve it so much. I will never stand in the way of that.”
&nb
sp; My world tipped sideways. We’d talked about what happened if I got the call. But I guess it still seemed in the distant future where it couldn’t touch us. Now though, it felt like a ravine, carving distance between us.
“And I’m telling you, like I’ve told you before, there isn’t a choice to make.”
“Maverick.” Lo released a heavy sigh. “It’s late and I don’t want to fight.”
Fight?
We were fighting now?
“We’re not fighting,” I said defiantly. “We’re having a conversation. An important conversation. Look, I can’t know what will or won’t happen next year, or the year after that; but I don’t need to because as long as I have you, I have everything I need. The rest is just a bonus.”
Lo rolled her eyes. “You can’t call getting drafted to the NBA a bonus, Maverick.”
“Says who?” My brows shot up. “Basketball will always have a special place in my heart, but if doesn’t come with you attached, I don’t want it.”
Lo launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck so tightly I thought she might crush my windpipe. “That, what you just said, is better than any proposal.”
I jerked back, meeting her glossy eyes. “What did you say?” I’d heard her perfectly, but I needed to see her eyes when said the words.
“I said what you just said is better than any proposal.”
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or bitterly disappointed. Whatever I felt, I didn’t do a very good job at schooling my emotions because Lo framed my face in her hands and said, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“One day, Lo. One day.” I whispered, dipping my head to capture her lips.
I COULDN’T SLEEP. AFTER showing Lo exactly how much I loved her—twice—she fell asleep in my arms. But as the minutes ticked by, I became more and more restless.
Carefully rolling her away from me, I slipped out of bed and into the hall. It was late, and the house was silent except for the whir of the refrigerator, and the odd hoot from a nearby owl.
As I’d laid there, watching the gentle rise and fall of Lo’s chest, losing myself in every breath and soft murmur, I replayed our conversation over and over. Part of me regretted not telling her the truth; of not getting down on my knee and asking her to be mine forever. But the other part knew that deep down, she wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to be an uncertainty for Lo. When I asked her to become mine in every way possible, I wanted to know without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted it too.
But the truth was a bitter pill to swallow. Add to the fact I’d watched Uncle Rob and Stella, and Kyle and Laurie declare their engagements in front of everyone, and I either needed a strong drink or to punch the shit out of something.
I chose option A. But when I pulled the refrigerator door open, a voice startled me. “Want to talk about it?”
“Beatrice?” I grabbed a beer and closed the door. “What are you doing up? It’s late.”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“And that is supposed to help?” She eyed the bottle in my hand.
“I’ll let you know.” I took a long pull on the beer before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You know, Maverick. We haven’t talked much. I’ve known you for most of your life and yet we’ve never really just talked.”
That was mostly my fault. When Beatrice and August first came into my life, I was angry and confused and wary of everyone around me.
“My granddaughter loves you very much.”
I leaned back against the counter, unsure of where she was going with this.
“I love her too.”
“Maverick, I know you do. Do you think I’d trust you with her so easily if you didn’t?” Beatrice winked at me, but it did little to ease the knot in my stomach. “I was surprised when my grandson got down on one knee. I always thought it would be you first.”
“I...” Fuck. She wanted to have this conversation now? When I was wound tighter than a spring.
“Don’t look so worried.” Her lip curved. “I should imagine this is very weird for you. But as someone who has been married for over half her life, perhaps you’ll take some advice from this old woman?
“You have time. When I was a young girl, marriage meant something different to what it does today. Today, you can spend your life with someone, make a home with them, start a family with them, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve both signed that piece of paper or not. It wasn’t like that in my day. Marriage was for life, or at least it was supposed to be.”
Dragging a hand down my face, I stared at Beatrice. “I love your granddaughter, more than anything.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that, and I don’t doubt you won’t listen to a word I say. You have a strong head on your shoulders Maverick, you always have, and I’m not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. All I’m saying is, you’re young and you’ve both been through so much. Enjoy each other first. Lo isn’t going anywhere and something tells me neither are you. You have time. You have all the time in the world to get it right.”
Beatrice stood up, pulling her robe together. “Want to know what I see when I watch you with her?”
“What?”
“I see forever love. It’s a rare thing to find at your age, Maverick.” She offered me a warm smile. “A surprise proposal or a piece of paper won’t change that.”
Silence enveloped us, the weight of her words sinking into me.
“I guess I should be getting back to bed. Getting old is no fun, dear.”
“Goodnight,” I said still reeling from her words.
“You should get some rest too, Maverick. I’m sure my granddaughter will be worried if she wakes and you’re not there.” She gave me a knowing look before disappearing down the hall.
I stood and drank the rest of my beer in the shadows, replaying every word from Beatrice’s mouth. She knew, that much was true. Somehow, she knew what I’d planned to do for some time now.
But was she right?
Did me and Lo really have a forever kind of love?
I knew what I felt, knew that when I looked into my future, I saw Lo at my side. And I wanted it. Fuck, I wanted it so much. But there were times, like earlier, when Lo seemed ready to give it all up. To sacrifice her own feelings, what we had, in the name of my career.
And that terrified me.
Because I meant what I’d said to her. There was only one choice for me.
Her.
It would always be her.
Chapter 10
Laurie
“Laurie, can I come in?” Lo’s hushed voice filtered through the door. I slipped out of bed, Kyle’s side already cold, and went to let her in.
“Hey.”
“Hey, I heard Kyle in the kitchen and thought I’d come grab ten minutes with you. Is that okay?”
I smiled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “As if you have to ask. Come on.” I went back to bed but Lo hovered.
“Hmm, I love you.” She glanced at the ruffled sheets beside me. “But there’s no way in hell I’m sitting on your sex bed.”
“Sex bed?” I snickered, pulling the covers around my body. “I wouldn’t say—”
“You got engaged, Laurie. Are you seriously expecting me to believe you didn’t spend the night... nope, I can’t say it.” Lo smirked at me, fake shuddering, before moving to sit in the chair in the corner of the room. “Besides, you’re blushing.”
“I am not.” I totally was.
She was right. The second we came back to the room last night, Kyle had insisted I wear nothing but the ring adorning my finger.
“I still can’t believe you’re engaged.”
“No one is more surprised than me. I mean, it’s Kyle. He can’t be serious for more than ten minutes.” I gazed down at the sparkling diamond, warmth flooding me. I was engaged.
Engaged.
It was crazy and yet, when he’d dropped to one knee in front of his
entire family, the word ‘yes’ had come as easy as breathing.
“He loves you,” Lo said.
“I know.” I fought the urge to explode with happiness. “I can’t believe I’m going to be Mrs. Kyle Stone one day.”
“I’m really happy for you, Laurie.”
There was something in her voice that had my eyes lifting to my best friend’s. “Lo, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just... you’re getting married.” She smiled warmly, washing away any signs of the hesitation I’d sensed in her seconds earlier. “Have you talked about when it might happen? Where?”
My shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “We didn’t get much talking done last night.” I fought a grin.
“Laurie, that’s my cousin you’re talking about.”
“Oh hush. Like Maverick hasn’t had his hands all over you every second you’re alone.” It was her turn to flush. “I think we’ll wait until we graduate. Even though it sounds like a lifetime away.”
“You don’t have to wait that long.”
“Maybe. We’ll see.” I wanted it to be perfect down to every last detail. “I’ve always liked The Coastal, they have a big marquee. Or maybe a beach wedding. You know with one of those canopies, lots of lilies, and the men in white shirts and cargo shorts, and me in a floor-length—”
“And you said you hadn’t given it much thought?” She smiled wryly at me.
I lowered my eyes, forgetting myself. “I might have thought about it, just a little.”
“You don’t say?”
“It’s just I was that girl, Lo. I remember putting the pillow case on my head and walking down the hall pretending my prince was waiting at the end for me. I just never thought...” My fingers curled into the covers. “I never thought all my dreams would come true.”
“Oh, come here.” Lo rushed over to me and pulled me into her arms.
Sniffling back the rush of emotion, I eased away to look at her. “You’re my best friend, Lo. I’m so happy I get to share this with you. And we’ll be family, can you believe that?”
“We’re already family, Laurie. Marrying my dork of a cousin isn’t going to change that.”
