MAVERICK
I was so nervous, and riding in the chopper didn’t help. I started fidgeting as we walked into the massive entrance of Beatreigh’s mansion.
“Darling, you made it.” the voice just came from nowhere, and I was instantly engulfed and squeezed in a hug.
“Oh, hi. It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Winston.” I returned the hug.
“Just Beatreigh or Bea, darling. You are Mrs. Winston. I dropped that name a long time ago,” she said with a smile. She looked younger to have a son of Lake’s age. She was also beautiful, with bright blue eyes and a fabulous smile.
“Well, hello, Mom.”
Beatreigh chuckled, kissing her son on the cheeks. “Hey, bunny.”
“Right. Still bunny, even in front of my wife.” He kissed his mother back.
“Come with me,” she said excitedly.
Lake might have still sensed my nervousness. He took my hand as we followed his mother.
The view in the backyard was spectacular, with vast greenery and blooming flowers.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.” It was one of the most beautiful places I’d seen. Her residence was massive. The mansion alone could fit twenty penthouses.
“The reason why I love this place more. It’s peaceful around here.”
“You should have seen Uncle Moses’s estate. He turned his backyard into a soccer field but kept the stream.”
“He has a stream in his backyard?” my reaction made them chuckle. Why was I even surprised? They were filthy rich and could have built an artificial ocean if they wanted to.
“It’s part of his property. Strike and London renewed their vows over there.”
“That must be romantic.”
A small smile curved up his lips, and I wasn’t aware I was smiling, too, until his mother saw us.
“How do you like your tea, Maverick?”
“She’s fine with sugar and milk, Mom.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
His mother smiled as she poured milk and dropped a sugar cube into the cup. Then, there were sandwiches, cheese bites, mini scones, pastry slices, bars, and chocolate truffles.
“Relax, darling. I don’t bite, and I’m not a monster-in-law.” She gave me the tea.
I took it from her, and she still felt my shaky hands. “I’m sorry. I never met parents before.”
“Good. The only parents you’re going to meet are mine,” said Lake unapologetically as he helped himself to his tea, grabbed a slice of a sandwich, and took a bite. “Is there seafood in here?”
“Don’t worry, dear. No crabs or prawns in there. And no walnuts. I did my homework,” Beatreigh said meaningfully to her son.”
“Thanks, mom.”
They were really closed. I could see it now.
“So, how are you two? When are you planning on throwing a party to introduce her to your father?”
I stared at Lake. I didn’t realize it was necessary.
“Soon.”
“Soon, when exactly, honey?” She then looked at me. “Is he treating you well? I raised this boy to be a good man. Is he going to be a disappointment?”
“Your son’s nothing but good to me, Bea.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Maverick,” he said casually while I felt the color draining from my face. “We argued a lot. She never listened to me. She likes taunting and disobeying me.”
“Hey. Marriage only works both ways. You can’t force her to follow your order because you’re the provider and paying the bills. Don’t expect her to listen to you if she has an opinion of her own.”
“Right. That’s why we’re perfect.”
“What do you mean taunting you?” I asked him.
“Do you want me to tell you before my mother?”
My cheeks burned. “No.” I sipped my tea and tried the food. “But I was telling her the truth. You’re a good husband, aside from the fact that you’re trying to buy everything for me.”
“And it’s bad, how?”
“There are more important than material things, Winston.”
“Tell me. Like what?”
“As simple as checking up on me, and I get it, you’re not romantic.”
“Really? Or you’re just clueless. And you don’t pick up my calls or reply to my text. I held your hand, kissed you, complimented you, took you from school, went to your work, and bought you burgers even if I didn’t eat them because that was what you asked. I even asked Strike to bring French pastries from Paris, and I’d never done that to anyone. Mom is excluded.”
I shut my gaping mouth and swallowed, feeling so embarrassed. I guessed I was dumb and clueless.
“I’m proud of you, bunny.”
“And she still thinks I don’t like her.”
And I was still speechless.
“Okay, honey. If you’re done, you can leave me and Maverick now.”
“Why?” His brows met.
“I want alone time with her.”
He was hesitant at first but rose to his feet and kissed the top of my head. “If she makes you uncomfortable, just yell out.”
“You didn’t just say that. I’m not the one making her uncomfortable,” his mother said to him.
Once Lake was gone inside the house, I shifted in my seat. My heart thundered in my chest.
“Did he really do what he said?”
“Yeah, and I’m dumb. Now I feel so embarrassed. Considering our situation, I thought he was doing those to make me feel comfortable around him. Like he said, we have to make it look real in front of people. So I did what I did. It was nothing personal.”
“You don’t like my son, Maverick?” Her question caught me off guard.
I looked her in the eye and saw nothing but a loving and concerned mother. “I like him, but that’s it. I can’t fall for him. Our situation is complicated, and it’s contractual. It has an expiry date.”
“Why not? It’s just a contract. What’s important is your feelings for my son.”
“Your son, no offense, doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t date, but I believe in the long term and forever. We’re only in this situation because of his father. I’m quite sure you’re aware of it because he told me he doesn’t lie or keep things from you.”
“Except when he married you in the city hall.”
“Yeah. That’s right.” I swallowed.
“Look, Maverick.” She squeezed my hand. “I love my son more than anything in this world. He’s my everything. You’ll know what I’m saying once you have a child of your own. I don’t want to watch him hurt because you broke his heart.”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw how he talked about you and looked at you when you were not looking. He’s undoubtedly smitten by you, and I can see it now. Admit it or not, I know you have feelings for my son, but because you’re not a rulebreaker, you ought to keep to that contract and agreement you signed, but I can make that agreement go away. It was my idea anyway.”
Shocked with newfound information, I asked her breathlessly, “What do you mean?”
“His father is adamant for him to get straight, to start a serious relationship for the purpose of the position in the company, but you can’t force a man like my son into a serious relationship until he finds the right woman for him. So I wrote that agreement and wanted to know if my son and the woman he chose to marry would keep that rule, the open relationship part.”
“I don’t intend to sleep with anybody. Even if he does, I’m fine with it. This is a contract marriage, after all. He needs a wife, and I need money, but for me, the marriage is sacred, and I intend to be celibate until we separate.”
“Has he been sleeping with another woman since you two got married?”
I chuckled. “I don’t know. I tried not to be intrusive in his personal life.”
“He’s your husband, Maverick.”
“I know, but I’m not stopping him.”
“Have you two slept together?”
“What?” My eyes went wide. Wow. I never expected that question.
“I take that as a no, but why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m not his type.”
“Do you really think I believe that for a second? He literally flew back from here to be with you because of that video. I’ve never seen him like that before, so furious and restless. And trust me, he never brought any woman to me before.”
“I like him. I like him a lot. He just makes me feel special, no matter what his intention is. I know he can have any woman he wants, but he always surprises me.”
“Then give him an heir.”
“W-what? Why?” I tried to read her, whatever she had in her head, but I saw nothing but hope. “I can’t trap him in this loveless marriage, and I would not certainly abandon my child and let him raise it alone. Never.”
“I don’t think you realize how much you changed my boy, Maverick.”
All I could do was stare at her in disbelief until I wiped a tear that rolled down my cheek.