“That would be great. I know John Warren would love to see you, and maybe you could spend some time with Gavin while you were here.”
I hadn’t seen Gavin since the day he left for Tennessee. We’d spoken on the phone a few times, and the way he talked about working in the garage and prospecting for their club, let me know that he’d made the right decision about moving. That didn’t mean I didn’t miss having him around.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Maverick?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything,” she whispered.
“See you soon, Lily,” I told her as I hung up the phone and headed straight for Cotton’s office.
Cotton and Guardrail were standing in his doorway talking when I walked up. They both turned their attention to me when I said, “I need to go to Tennessee for a few days.”
“What’s going on?” Cotton asked.
“I’ve just got some things I need to take care of. I won’t be long,” I clipped. I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture tonight, and I knew I’d get one if Cotton knew that I was going to sign those adoption papers. He’d given me his blessing, but I knew he’d always hoped that I’d change my mind about it.
“And Henley?” Cotton inquired.
“Fuck,” I mumbled. “I guess she’ll have to go with me.”
“Yeah, she will,” Guardrail smirked, but I wasn’t in the mood to debate with either of them. I ignored that fucking grin on his face as I headed for the door.
“She isn’t going to be happy about it,” I called out as I walked out into the hall.
I hadn’t noticed that Guardrail followed me until he said, “I’ll talk to her. You go get packed.”
I didn’t have time to argue, so I nodded and headed to my room to pack. As I threw my clothes into my duffle bag, my mind drifted to Henley. I wanted to think that having her there with me would make things easier, but I wasn’t really sure how she’d feel about me signing those papers. Would she truly be able to understand why I was doing this? Could she come away from this without hating me? Fuck. How could I expect her to do something that I wasn’t able to do myself?
Chapter 14
Henley
?
“Something’s come up, Henley. You’re going to need to pack a bag,” Guardrail ordered.
“Why? What’s going on?” I asked, startled by his command.
“I don’t have time to explain it all, but you’ll be going to Tennessee with Maverick for a few days. He has some things to take care of, and since he is in charge of watching out for you, you’ll have to go with him,” he explained. “He’s taking his cage to save time, so feel free to pack a suitcase.”
“Really? Do I have to? I can’t hang out here until he gets back?” I whined like a three-year-old child. I hated long road trips, and the thought of being confined in a car for hours upon hours with Maverick freaked me out. I couldn’t even look at him without staring at those perfect full lips, thinking about that damn kiss.
“Like I said, I don’t have time to explain all this shit to you, Henley. Just pack a bag and be ready to go within the hour.”
“I’ll be ready.” I couldn’t help but wonder if everything was alright. “Is Maverick okay? Is something wrong?”
“If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
“Okay,” I mumbled as I turned to leave.
“Henley, I don’t know what you’ve done, but since you’ve been around, he’s been better. Don’t give up on him.”
“I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes,” I told him. I went back to my room and started cramming my clothes into my suitcase. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Guardrail said, and I wondered if it was really true. Was Maverick truly better because of something I’d done? I was lost in my own thoughts when Cassidy walked into my room.
“I just heard about Maverick. Road trip!”
I just grunted as I threw my make-up bag into my suitcase.
“Do you need any help packing?” she asked.
“No, I think I’ve got it,” I told her as I continued to shove all my odds and ends into my suitcase.
Her eyebrows rose as she asked, “Are you okay with this?”
“Honestly? No. I’m totally freaking out,” I confessed. “I have no idea what’s going on, and …”
“It’s going to be fine, Lee Bug. It’s just for a few days, and you’re going to love John Warren. He’s absolutely precious. I wish I was going with you so I could see him, too. I’ve really missed him,” she paused. She cleared her throat, trying to change the subject, as she said, “I’ve heard that Paris is a really neat place, and they have a beautiful lake.”
“Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?”
“You never know. You might just enjoy yourself.” She smiled as she reached out and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Be yourself, and everyone will love you, including Maverick.”
“Do you have any idea what’s going on with him? Guardrail didn’t tell me anything.”
She released me from our embrace and looked me in the eye as she said, “No, but I have a feeling that this trip is going to be hard on him.”