MAVERICK
He sunk inside me with a shuddering groan, stopping when it felt right, when it felt too much, tracing kisses on my exposed shoulder towards my neck and my hair, inhaling my scent.
I inhaled a deep breath as I felt him. I felt so connected to him that I could feel his emotions like we were one soul, with no barriers between us, just our love and devotion. Then I reached out to him as I turned my head to kiss him.
He granted me with a moan as our mouths sealed in a searing, vulnerable kiss. Then he rocked into me. I cracked my eyes open, and he looked at me as we made love. It was beautiful, and I watched him mesmerize.
He pulled out, laid me on my back, and came on top of me. I moved my hand behind his neck, burying my fingers in his hair, and he dipped his head to kiss me and slid his length back inside me, thrusting into me with precise precision, no rush, not hard, just us taking our time, cherishing the moment.
We moaned and sighed as it felt right and perfect.
We moved together. Words weren’t necessary- just our eyes spoke to each other, our attention, our hearts, and our souls as we flew towards bliss.
I woke up with a light feeling in my chest. For the first time, I wasn’t rushing to get up. Curtains opened to the side, and I shielded my eyes from the sunlight on my face, blanketing me with warm light.
“Well?”
I quickly followed that voice with my gaze. “Well?”
A smile spread across his lips, and he came to my side to kiss me. “Ready for breakfast?”
“Nope.” I looked at his outfit. He wore a shirt with sleeves pushed up his elbows and dark pants, not the usual office getup. “Where are you heading, Chairman and CEO?”
His smile widened, eyes twinkling.
“Congratulations, by the way. You owned the fifteen percent again.”
“You watched the news?”
“Who wouldn’t? I’m up for the handsome and young billionaire.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but he’s taken.” He traced his finger on my cheek and ran it on my nose. “Our baby would be the most beautiful thing on earth if she or he gets the mother’s look.”
“Excuse me? I think the father is the hottest man in the universe.”
“Really? Is that why you fall in love with me? Wait. When did you realize-”
“We’re not going there, Lake.”
He laughed out loud. “Why not?”
“Fine. I think it was on my birthday when you played piano for me. What was that song?”
“I’ll play for you every day if it reminds you of the day you fell in love with me.”
“How about you?”
“I think I liked you the first time I saw your picture, and my feelings started to deepen when I realized you’re genuinely a kind and passionate person.”
“Thank you. Now tell me, where are you going?”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I have to go with Dad to Canada. I want to take you with me, but I also want you to rest.”
“As much as I want to go to Canada for the first time, it’s not a vacation. For how long?”
“I’ll be here tomorrow if things will go as planned. And Aurelia is coming with us.”
“Of course, babe.” I wanted to feel jealous, but it did not settle, maybe because I trusted him.
“Are you okay with that?” There was a hesitation in his voice.
“Of course. I trust you, and you’re doing this for your father.” I got up from bed and went to the bathroom.
“Baby?”
“Yeah. Just give me a second.”
After I used the bathroom, I expected him to be out of the room, but he was still there, patiently waiting for me. “You’re gonna be late for your flight.”
He stood up and cupped my face to kiss me. “Please be very careful.”
“From what?”
When he smiled that way, showing me his sweet side, it made me fall in love with him again. “Just sit and read books or watch something on TV.”
“You’re weird, and don’t tell me you’re going to hire a private nurse for me. I swear, Lake, I’m going to knee your balls.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I believe you.”
“You know I’m allowed to exercise and do yoga, right?”
“Yeah.” He seemed unsure.
“I can. Now go. Call me once you land, and keep me updated about your father.”
“Okay, baby. I love you.” He bent down, lifted my pajama top, and kissed my tummy. “You take care of mama while I’m away, okay? Love you both.” He kissed me again before he walked out of the room. “Love you, Maverick!”
“Love you, too.”
***
“So what now?” I stared at two dozen paper bags, and these were just my maternity dress. We hadn’t shopped for baby clothes because I told them I had to know the gender before going on a shopping spree again. And I couldn’t wait to hang the painting on the nursery’s wall, which we bought from the auction.
The fact that Beatreigh had been able to convince Nana to come with us blew my mind. Her driver and the boutique staff helped to load the bags.
“I think you overspent, Bea.”
“You’re my daughter now, and I’m allowed to overspend on you and wait until my grandchild comes. You can’t stop me or my son. I will spoil him.”
“Wait. It’s a boy?” Nana asked.
“It’s too early to know, Nana.”
“I bet it’s a boy,” Bea said.
“No, honey. It’s a girl,” Nana countered. “Or maybe it’s a boy.”
I smiled as Nana seemed undecided about whether my baby was a boy or a girl.
“Whatever it is, he’s my first grandson. So I will give him everything.”
“Okay, ladies. I’m hungry. Can we eat now?”
They shared a look and chorused, “It’s a boy.”
“How do you know?”
“According to a study. Pregnant women carry boys and eat more than who carries a girl.”
“Oh. Really?” I stared at them in surprise.
We found a nice restaurant and ordered. While waiting for our food to arrive, I checked my phone.
“They haven’t landed, darling.”
“I’m not worried. Lake will update me once they land.”
“He wouldn’t sign the contract unless it was indicated that he would only work four hours on Saturday. It was his only demand. Not the salary.”
I stared at Beatreigh. “Why is that?”
“It’s important for him to spend time with his family on Saturday till Sunday. He wouldn’t want history to repeat itself. When we had Lake, it was just the beginning of my career, and I’m career-driven like his uncle, and so was Wallace. We were all competitive. The problem is, I’m also a mother, and Wallace wouldn’t want me to work. I didn’t realize that our marriage started falling apart because we didn’t want to slow down.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Lake knows family what matters to him the most. He’d seen what happened to us and didn’t want his child to experience being passed on between two homes. When he was fifteen, he asked me why we couldn’t be just together like before, and it broke my heart.”
“Well, he still turned out to be a good son, Bea. You did not fail as a mother. Lake loves you very much.”
“The important lesson there, Ricky, is prioritizing your family over your job and making money. Work together instead of racing towards the finish line.”
“That’s beautiful, Augustine.”
“I was worried for her. She doesn’t have a good role model mother, and from what I’ve seen for the past months, I thought they wouldn’t last a year. I guess I was wrong, and I’m glad I was.” Nana looked at me. “There will be more struggles along the way. Just remember how you got there, which made you both strong. Everything will be okay.”
“Thanks, Nana.”
I was excited to answer when my phone buzzed. To my surprise, it wasn’t Lake, but my brother.
I answered it after I excused myself. “Are you checking up on me?”
“Where’s your husband, Maverick?” Like always, he greeted me with a question.
“Why?”
“It’s important. Where is he?” he asked urgently.
“On the way to Toronto, why?”
“Fuck. That’s why he’s not answering my call.”
“Terzo, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.” My heart started to palpitate.
“Is he with his father?”
“Yeah. Please, tell me?”
“Shit. I’ve intercepted a call that some rogue militia is targeting their jet.” Shit. No. Not again. “Call Linden and tell him it’s an emergency that you need to get through their communication. Their lives are in danger.”