I pulled up to the house and turned off the engine.
Maverick stayed on the sidewalk.
I gave myself a few more seconds to prepare for the conversation. I was there for refuge because I had nowhere else to go. My family was buried in the ground, and my husband was all I had left. As always, I turned to him…because he was my only family.
I found the strength to get out of the car and face him.
I walked around the front of the car, my eyes downcast because I was ashamed to be crawling back to him. He’d tried to get me back, but I’d rejected him every single time. Now I was only here because I didn’t have any other choice. He would either accept me with open arms or turn me away because I was only there because I needed something.
I hoped it was the first one.
When I stopped in front of him, I lifted my gaze to finally look at him. It was a sunny day in the middle of winter, and the clear sky only made the air chillier. It was so bright that sunglasses were needed, but neither one of us carried them. I looked into his dark eyes and didn’t see a single hint of resentment. “I’m here because—”
“I don’t care why you’re here. I’m just happy that you are.” His arms wrapped around my waist, and he cradled me into his chest. His chin rested on my head, and he squeezed me like he never wanted to let go.
I closed my eyes because it felt good to be wrapped in his embrace. It was far better than any night I spent with Brandon. The love I had for this man immediately grew the second our bodies were wrapped together.
He moved his lips to my forehead and gave me a gentle kiss.
I pulled away and lifted my chin to meet his gaze. His features were softer than they’d ever been because he was so relieved to see me. It was the most vulnerable he’d ever been, as if he couldn’t believe this was really happening. “I want you to know that your father came to the bar when I was working last night…”
His hands loosened from my waist and slowly moved to his sides.
That was when I noticed his wedding ring. He still wore it, even though he wouldn’t have had time to run to his bedroom and put it on before meeting my car in front of the house. That meant he’d already been wearing it. “He told me I should come back to you because of everything you’ve done for me…because you care about me.”
Maverick clearly didn’t know what to say to that. His father never expressed any concern for him, but now he’d tracked down his wife to fix his relationship. His shoulder visibly tightened as the skepticism entered his gaze.
“He suggested I come back to you…because he still intends to kill me. But he wanted to do the right thing for you first.” I still didn’t quite understand it, how a man could help his son but still focus on his own self-interest. The gesture was considerate coming from Caspian, but also just as twisted. “That’s why I’m here…because I have nowhere else to go. He knows where I live, where I work… I don’t have a choice.” I didn’t want Maverick to think I was there by my own choice, that I wanted to give this relationship a try because I’d had a change of heart.
Maverick’s expression didn’t alter as he watched me.
“I just wanted you to know that… Do you want me to go?” I knew he wouldn’t turn me away, but I wanted to ask anyway. Just as we had been in the beginning of this marriage, we were back to being in an arrangement. I needed something from him, but in this case, he didn’t need something from me.
“You want me to protect you from my father?”
I nodded.
“And you don’t want anything else?”
“No…my feelings haven’t changed.” I basically wanted a place to live where I would be safe. I wanted to have the best protection possible. Leaving the country wasn’t an option because I didn’t have the money to pull it off.
“You can stay with me.”
I knew he would take me in, but I felt grateful anyway. He was the only person I could count on.
“But I want us to try again. I want us to try to make this marriage work.”
There was a condition for my refuge, a payment for my safety.
“Give that to me…and we have a deal.”
8
Maverick
When she arrived at the house, I assumed she’d changed her mind because she missed me. She forgave my actions because she loved me enough to let it go. Our relationship didn’t start off conventional, so the severity of my crime was debatable—especially when I did so much for her. When her car pulled up to the front of the house, I thought that was a new start.