Noah grinned.
“Can you say Daddy?” he asked him.
Noah blinked at him, and then he smiled. “Daddy,” he said.
“Daddy,” Maverick repeated.
“Daddy!” Noah said. Noah kept eating. Maverick watched him with a renewed emotion. One he had forgotten. He felt joy. He could hear the women arguing and chose to ignore them. He focused on his son.
“HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!” Delilah shouted. “Embarrass me like that!”
“What did I do? You told me to continue to investigate him. The thought of him coming here made you want to puke. Look at you. Performing for him like you’re some schoolgirl with a crush. Who cooks French toast in six-inch heels?”
“What?” Delilah looked down at herself. “I always dress like this.”
“You’re acting weird, Dee. We agreed that we would get enough on this Maverick guy to kick him to the curb. That we’d find out what he knew about Goodiva and Jaxon Price to rescue her. He’s a dirty cop and a racist one too—”
“No, he isn’t.” Delilah paced. “He isn’t a racist. He explained his past. He’s not any of that. He’s just... it’s complicated.”
“What the hell is going on with you?” Queen asked. “Is he threatening you? Tell me, and I’ll throw his ass in the back of a squad car so fast.”
“Stop it!” Delilah seethed. She walked over to the sofa and sat down. She put her face in her hands. “Oh, my God. Just shut up.”
Queen stood in stunned silence, unsure of her next move. Not since Charles’s death had she seen her friend at such a high level of distress. And Delilah had plenty of drama in her life to send her over the edge. It scared Queen.
“What is it, Dee? Please talk to me,” Queen pleaded.
“I’m confused. I-I-I—don’t know what I did.”
“What did you do?” Queen sat next to her.
“I want everything to be like it was. Before it, all happened. I don’t know what happened to Charles. To our life. I loved him, Queen. But he was a liar. And then this. Everyone is against me. I need a break from all the judgment. I can’t trust myself right now.”
Queen nodded in agreement.
“Maverick is a nice man. Talk to him. You’ll see... and he said things when we talked... so I just don’t want him to be my enemy. Am I confusing you? Shoot. I’m confusing myself. Okay? Okay? It’s no big deal.” Delilah looked up at her friend. “I’m good. Just a momentary lapse of judgment. I’m good.”
“Of course, you’re good. Hey?” Queen took her hand. “You are never scared, Dee. Remember? You’re the strong one. You protected all of us.”
“We were kids. We were just kids, and we were in a situation above our heads. Because of me wanting to fix and protect us, Mr. Collins died in that well. I have to live with what Charles did. I’m trying to live with all of it. It’s hard on me. And Maverick is different. He’s a different kind of problem. Trust me, I can handle him. My way.”
“I do trust you. Collins was never your fault. He was my fault,” said Queen. “Don’t rewrite history and second guess yourself. No one in the world wanted to protect Goodiva and me more than you, Dee. And you did to the very end. Now let me protect you. Maverick Lennon can’t be trusted. Do you understand? He’s a bad cop, and he’s working you. We need to keep a close eye on him. We need to put him in his place.”
“You’re not listening,” Delilah mumbled. “No one ever listens to me when I try to explain myself. No one.”
Queen frowned. “That’s not true. This isn’t you. Since when do you feel the need to explain yourself?”
Delilah stood. “Maybe I’m different. Maybe I’m like you and just do whatever the hell I want. Or maybe I’m like Goodiva and just live free—run from state to state, country to country, man to man. Maybe I’m the special one and not just the book nerd.”
The phone in Queen’s pocket buzzed. A text from her partner popped up. She had to get back to the station. “We aren’t done. You’re hiding something. When I come back, you’re going to tell me what it is.”
Delilah shrugged. Queen hugged her, but Delilah stood there limp with conflicting emotions. Queen kissed her cheek and wiped her face of tears with her hands. “I trust you to handle Maverick because you are strong, Dee. You’re the one that taught us how to be strong. Remember?”
Delilah watched Queen leave before she sat back down on the sofa. “I taught us the wrong way. I taught us the wrong thing,” she mumbled. Queen walked toward the door but stopped to look in on Maverick and Noah. Her nephew was kicking his feet and talking to Maverick. What was surprising to Queen was he did it all from the highchair. She couldn’t help but see the bond they formed. What she knew of the man and what her eyes were witnessing was at odds. She didn’t have to figure it out. But she made a vow to come back and figure it out soon.
DELILAH WALKED BACK to the kitchen. Her makeup was all smeared over her face. She would need more than a Kleenex to fix it. She would end the breakfast and take Noah upstairs to her room. She’d just stay with her baby locked behind a door and try to make sense of her life.
“Wow,” she mumbled. Noah’s face was worse than her own. It was smeared in syrup.
“What is all of this?” Dee asked.
“We finished breakfast,” Maverick said.
She blinked several times to believe her eyes. Maverick approached her, and she didn’t retreat. She remained unable to speak or move. “I don’t care why you push me away when your friend is here. Just as long as you don’t when she is gone,” he said and eased his arm around her waist to bring her closer to him. And then he kissed her. His tongue delved into her mouth. It swept over her own. The sugary sweetness mixed in with his aftershave, seducing away her doubts. He lifted her up against him, and one of her shoes dropped. She took his face into her hands and kissed him back. It was the longest and sweetest kiss of her life. Her body was on fire from a kiss.
“You taste better than Sunday breakfast,” he teased.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” she exhaled breathlessly.
“You’ve been crying?” he asked. “Don’t cry. Not anymore.”
“Okay,” she promised.
Maverick smiled and let her go. “Come to the table with Noah. Let’s eat-eat.”
Delilah stepped back into her lost shoe and followed him to the table. Her son sat comfortably in his chair. She wasn’t sure about Maverick and his past. And for the first time, not being certain about life and the people around her felt good. It felt normal.
“Let’s eat-eat, I’m starving,” she said and smiled.
Chapter Eleven
THE TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
“So, let’s talk,” Delilah said, returning after an outfit change. She’d chosen jean shorts and her sorority shirt that was so oversized it fit like a mini dress after putting Noah down for his nap. Delilah had brought with her the baby monitor. The custom made video box was added to her security system. From Noa’s room, she could track him all over the house. If Noah left his bed, it would warn her and provide a visual of him wherever he went. She gave it to Maverick as a sign of trust. His parental involvement was so impressive in such a short time, Delilah had willingly elevated his role in their lives. She sat on the sofa next to him, feeling light-headed and giddy. Delilah loved his kisses; she wanted to kiss him again. But before then, she had to explain her mental state from earlier. Could she trust him with her truth, she wondered.