MAVERICK
“Okay, Lake. You have to let me go,” I said between his kisses. I was not complaining, but I would be late for work.
“Your office is just behind the walls.” He squeezed me again.
“I know, but I can’t be tardy. I need to be a role model, not your wife.”
“And the co-owner.” He kissed me again.
“Stop it.”
“We need to go shopping.”
I looked at my corporate dress. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Well, you’re gonna have a baby bump sooner.” He touched my tummy. “My raspberry is growing fast.”
I saw Homer and Owen trying to hold their smiles. “They’re making fun of you, Lake.”
“I don’t give a shit what they think.”
“Maybe you should.” I fixed his red tie and patted his chest. “They think you’re a pussywhipped.”
At the corner of Lake’s office, Owen’s body shook while Homer pretended to be looking away.
“They’re not in love, that’s why. And they don’t have kids.”
“Excuse me?” Owen raised an eyebrow.
“Oh.” I turned my head at Owen. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
“His boyfriend for how long now?” He looked at Owen.
“Five months,” Owen replied.
My eyes widened in surprise. I remembered he told me about his past relationship. “Wow. I’m happy for you. I want to meet him. Is he handsome like you?”
“Excuse me, Maverick?” Lake reacted quickly.
“You’re excused.” I grabbed my bag on the chair and walked away towards the door. “See you later, Mr. Winston.”
“Don’t work hard, baby. Eat your lunch.”
“Yes, dadda.”
Owen and Homer barked out laughing while Lake seemed to like his new nickname.
“I love you.” He mouthed.
“Love you, too.”
I almost had a heart attack. My heart was in my throat as my officemates screamed, “Congratulations!”
Then, the confetti popped up.
“What’s going on, guys?” My eyes landed on my boss, grinning from ear to ear.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Winston.”
“Thank you, boss.”
When I went to my desk, a cute box of cupcakes and balloons was pinned in the corner.
“Who gave this?”
“Me for the balloons,” Cooper said.
“I brought you cupcakes.” Mira squeezed me into a hug.
“Thank you guys.” I grabbed a cupcake and took a seat. “You can have the rest. I have to watch my weight, but this is mouth-watering.” I peeled off the wrapper and took a bite, and it was delicious. “Yum. Thanks, Mira.”
I had a lot to catch up on my pending work, but Mira helped me with some files.
Later, Lake brought food and joined us at the cafeteria. We didn’t discuss dinner with his father, but he didn’t lecture me. I was still waiting for his outburst, though.
Lake took me out of work early to join his mother for tea.
“Thank you for joining us, son.”
“Why do I feel like I’m a third wheel?” he complained as he sat beside me at the cafe.
Like always, Beatreigh ordered her tea while I chose lemonade with mint. Lake got his load of caffeine.
“I’m taking your wife on shopping.”
“I just told her this morning that we’re going shopping.”
“Do you know what clothes to get for your wife?”
“I’ll figure it out. Maternity dress, right, baby?” He looked at me.
I just watched them chat while I enjoyed my lemonade and cinnamon raisin yogurt biscuits.
“You can come with us if you want to. Or maybe you can join your father golfing,” Beatreigh said suggestively.
His mood instantly soured.
“I heard your dinner went well.”
“What do you want me to do? Kick him out before my wife, who spent hours making that dinner?”
“Bunny, no.” She reached out for her son’s hand. “I’m glad he reached out to your wife and apologized.”
Lake’s gaze shifted on me, studying me for a couple of seconds.
I wasn’t guilty for what I did behind his back. I was happy with how my life went. I got a husband who loved me, and he was excited about our baby.
“He did, didn’t he?”
I shrugged.
“Maverick, I don’t like your silence.”
“I was hoping this topic would not come up because I should have gotten your opinion first about the dinner, but I had a feeling that you might refuse.”
“You’re right. I would have, but I’m okay with it. Thank you, baby.” He smiled, though I still saw the sadness in his eyes and the discomfort in his body language. It seemed like a win-win situation.
“So you’re not mad at me?”
“Why would I? I feel a little guilty, though. After what you’ve been through from what he did, you still cooked and baked for him, and that is something only a good heart could pull off without throwing the whole apple pie in his face. I gave my father a chance, not entirely, but you know what I mean. You should do it, too.”
“Wait. You baked apple pie?” Beatreigh asked in surprise.
“Yeah. She did, and that’s my breakfast this morning,” Lake said proudly to his mother.
“Now, I’m jealous.”
“Don’t be, Bea.”
“Well, we can have dinner, all four or five, if your father’s new girlfriend will join us.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, mom.”
I gripped Lake’s thigh under the table. “It’s a good idea. I want to put all that negative energy behind me. I want to be on good terms with your father and his girlfriend now that I’m pregnant. I want to walk freely and eat ice cream in the park without thinking of threats or someone throwing tea on my face.”
Lake sighed and nodded.
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Was it the ice cream or the tea?”
He looked amused as he shook his head, staring at me intensely. “You’re so gonna pay for this.”
“Okay, son. I’m here. Stop with innuendos.” Beatreigh sipped her tea.
My cheek burned as I returned back to my lemonade.
“Dinner then. At your house, Mom.”
“Sure, honey. I’ll call your dad.
***
The dinner somehow made me tense.
“Have you heard anything about where Leah Fox is right now?”
“Last time Linden told me, she’s in Brazil. I think she’s innocent, just scared to get caught up between the thugs. My father seemed to be not involved as well. This was merely your douchebag’s ex’s doing, who owed a lot of money to the gangs.”
“Thanks.” I gripped his hand as we walked into Beatreigh’s house.
“You don’t have nausea?”
“Nope. The chopper ride wasn’t that terrible.”
“The weather is good.”
I breathed deeply to calm my nerves as we approached the sitting room. The last time I faced Aurelia, she was bullying me, and now we were going to sit together over dinner.
“It’s fine, baby. If you feel uncomfortable, tell me, and we can go home.”
“Okay.”
“Darling.” Beatreigh came in a beautiful floral evening dress. “You made it.”
“Thank you.” After our pleasantries, she took us to the sitting room.
I instantly saw Wallace and went to him as my respect to my father-in-law. “How are you?”
“Hanging in there.” We did kiss to kiss on each other’s cheeks. “How are you feeling? No morning sickness?”
“Nope. I hope it stays that way.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Then Aurelia came, smiling shyly. For an overconfident woman, I was almost not convinced she was the same person I had met weeks ago if I had not seen it myself.
“I’m so sorry for being the bitch, and there’s no excuse for what I’ve done. Just so you know, you’re not just my victim. For the last few days, I’ve been tracking those girls online and sending them my apology, but I did not DM you because I wanted to ask for your forgiveness in person. Please, forgive me.”
“You apologized. The last girl who threw a drink at me has never done, and his other ex.”
“I told you, she’s not my ex,” Lake immediately defended himself.
I shrugged, arched my eyebrows, making Aurelia smile, and suddenly giggled.
“Congratulations. I’m genuinely happy for both of you.
“Thanks, Aurelia.”
She then grabbed my hand to sit next to her. “How far are you?” She looked at my tummy. “Are you excited? Nervous? How does it feel like to be pregnant?”
I couldn’t help but smile. Wallace, Beatreigh, and Lake were seemingly in an amicable conversation.
“I also owe you an apology. I misjudged you. You seem to have taken good care of Wallace when no one else can.”
“Yeah. He’s been hard on himself, though. I guess that was how we ended up together because we shared something. We both hurt the people around us, which was intentional, but we are trying hard to redeem ourselves.”
“Dad!”
I gasped as I stared at Lake for his outburst while towering his father.
“Son-”
“No. You listen to me, old man.” He pointed his finger at his father. “I’ve been listening to you my entire life, and now it’s your time to listen to me. You go to that doctor in Canada. You’ve tried two of the best doctors in the world, and it’s time to get another opinion. I will come with you if that makes you fly over there.”
“Son-”
“No, Dad.”
“Just do as he says, Wallace,” Beatreigh backed up her son. “It’s for your own good.”
“Okay, Dad. Here’s the deal. I will buy my share back and take the CEO position, and I would even take the Chairman seat temporarily while you are recovering.”
“Deal.” Wallace stood up quickly, extending his hand.
“Son of a bitch.” He shook his father’s hand with wide eyes. “You tricked me, you old dog.”
Aurelia and I hid our smile from him, and he saw it anyway. He was now glaring at us.
Beatreigh rose from her chair and announced, “Now, let’s have dinner.”
“Yes. I’m starving.”
Pairs of eyes were glued at me, making my cheek burn.
“It’s my baby talking. Sorry.”
“Our baby, Maverick.”