“Are you going to say something?” he asked.
“I don’t know what to say, Maverick. I never believed that was who you are. Still part of me thought about it,” she replied.
“Who I was. I’m different now.”
She frowned. She shook her head in disgust. “
“Thank you for telling me everything. I think you should go,” she said.
Disappointed yet hopeful, he smiled under his surgical mask. “I’ll leave. But I’ll be back after I quarantine. We can talk again whenever you want.”
She nodded in agreement. Maverick would have given anything to have her in his arms again. To touch her. But he’d pushed it far enough. He left her there, sitting on the sofa.
SIX DAYS LATER —
“Hey? Thanks for coming,” Delilah said.
“How is Goodiva?” Queen asked.
“Good. The doctors said she should stay in bed until D-Day. So her doula is with her now. The fake contractions are the worst. She’s stressing about delivery.” Delilah closed the door. Queen went to the parlor.
“How are you? Things okay?” Queen asked.
“You know more about my life than me. How’s Maverick?” Delilah asked.
“You called him?” Queen asked.
“Every day, he talks and plays with Noah through my phone. Forget that. I want to know is it true? Is he buying the McAllister place?”
“Talk to the man and see,” Queen rolled her eyes.
“No. Things are weird with us now. He told me all this stuff about his past and—I just don’t know. He’s not the man I thought he was—”
“I know what he told you. And he’s exactly what you said he was when you investigated him—a bad cop. So ask yourself, why did you change your mind? Huh? Was it because you got to know him and found out he’s much more than that? Was it because he loves Noah, and you can see it? He’s proving who he is now. So what is the problem?”
“Great, you sound like Goodiva,” Delilah sighed. “Is anyone on my side?”
“I sound like her because she’s right. Look at the man she loves,” Queen scoffed.
“Shouldn’t I feel some kind of way? You hate bad cops. I can’t just pretend none of it happened. What am I supposed to say to him? Okay, well, we all make mistakes. Want to come over for dinner and raise my son?”
Queen walked over to Delilah and sat next to her. “How could you be so smart and so dumb?”
“Don’t start,” Delilah sighed.
“It’s true. What do you tell a man who is hurting for you when you’re in love with him? What? Say the words.”
Delilah blinked at her as if she didn’t know the answer.
“You tell him you love him. You tell him you believe in him. And you tell him you want him to change,” Queen said.
“Like Apollo? You tell him all of that?” Delilah asked. “You say the words?”
Queen double blinked. “What did you say?”
“You think we don’t see what’s going on between you two? How open are you with Apollo about your feelings?”
“We aren’t talking about me,” Queen scoffed.
“Fine. I don’t want to talk about myself. Answer my question. Is Maverick buying the McHenry place? And why! That’s fifteen miles from here. It’s all land. What is he planning?”
“Oh Lord,” Queen sighed.
“What?” Delilah asked.
“He’s trying to open a business. An auto shop. He wants to build it out there on McHenry land. That’s all I know.”
“He doesn’t need to do that. He can build it out near the turnpike. It’s closer to here. Or he could build it on McHale. There is development around there that would drive more traffic his way. It’s better real estate. I can make a few calls and get him a good price on a lot of land.”
“What?” Queen frowned. “Doesn’t Mother Abigail own that land? It’s what, three miles from here?”
“I got the deed to it. I’ll sell it to him for a fair price. Besides, it will keep him closer to Noah,” Delilah said. “It makes sense.”
“Girl, you a mess,” Queen laughed. “Deal with your issues, Dee. Stop calling me for this drama.”
“Where are you going?”
Queen put on her jacket. “To see Goodiva.”
“She’s resting. She hasn’t been feeling good.”
“Oh? Okay, well, I’ll just check on her.”
Delilah nodded. She walked Queen to the door. When her friend was gone, she chewed on her nails. A plan began to form for her. One she felt certain could change everything.
MAVERICK PARKED BEHIND Delilah’s Range Rover. He didn’t expect her to visit him at Apollo’s. A moment of hope went through him, and he immediately began to talk himself out of believing it. Delilah hadn’t punished him for his truth, however, her reaction wasn’t exactly welcoming. It was torture carrying hope for them, so he focused on Noah and starting a new life in the Cove.
The snow had moved out of the region. Summer had reformed the town. Even under a lockdown of the worst pandemic, the country had seen the town felt vibrant and changed. He would love to live and rebuild in Colorado. He got out of Apollo’s truck, still a little excited over his day. He found a place, and he’d paid a deposit to start construction. In a month, he would have his own shop again. When Maverick reached the front door to the house, it opened for him. Delilah smiled at him.
“Hi,” she said.
“Ah, hi,” he said. “Surprised you’re here.”
“Come in,” she said and stepped back. Maverick walked into the place he had called home for weeks. It had changed with her arrival. Maverick was greeted by a cozy setup and the smell of something tasty warming on the stove. He could see her touch all over the place in the way she tidied the bachelor pad and brought in fresh flowers. Delilah Montgomery carried her magic with her wherever she went. “Hungry?”
“Uhm? Sure,” Maverick said.
“I made your favorite. Steak, medium-rare, potatoes, and broccoli sautéed in butter and garlic. C’mon, let’s see if I got it right.”
“Wait?” Maverick said. Delilah paused and flashed him a pretty girl smile. She wore a halter dress with the kind of heels that made her calves and legs shapely when she walked. Her hair was pushed away from her face with a headband.
“Hi?” Maverick said again. “Who are you?”
She chuckled.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to see you,” she replied.
“I mean, I think I might have the wrong house. You cooking for me now?” Maverick removed his baseball cap and his jacket. Both were dropped on the sofa.
“I thought we should talk. I didn’t really say much the last time we tried. I thought I would try and see—” He didn’t bother to let her finish. How could he? Her return to him was all he needed to see. Maverick drew her into his arms and kissed her. At first, she pushed at his chest, but that resistance was weakened. It faded with the swirl of his tongue over hers. Soon she was kissing him deeply, and the wicked spell of indecision that had been cast over his girl since he left her broke. The take down went down on the sofa. Delilah was grabbing at his groin as he was hiking up her dress and pulling down her panties. It all happened too fast to be savored. Once he planted himself between her soft thighs, Maverick felt triumph. He stared down at her with every loving stroke, wanting to confess more to her. All of his feelings and emotions needed to be heard. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She clung to him, breathing as he breathed, breaking as he broke. And soon, they climaxed together.