Maverick and Clay make small talk about the old barn demolition that Maverick is starting tomorrow. He decided to gut the whole thing himself, something I’m happy with because he’ll be able to channel his emotions into that project.
“Come here please, darlin’,” Maverick calls to me from the table, and my heart sinks at what’s coming.
I go to him, drying my hands on the way, and drop the towel on the island before moving to his side. His arm snakes out and hooks around my waist before pulling me into his lap. The nervous flutters in my belly have me fidgeting with my hands, trying to ease the tension radiating from Maverick into me. He reaches out with one hand and places it over mine, stilling my movements.
“Why are you two acting so strange all of a sudden?” Quinn questions sharply. Her eyes are flying between her brother and my face, puzzlement dancing in her tone. “Are you pregnant?”
“No!” I rush at the same time that Maverick lets out a “not yet.” I shoot him a glare, but he just winks in return.
“Well, something is wrong with you two.” Quinn levels me with her I’m-your-best-friend-and-I-see-right-through-you gaze. “Is your hooha broken again?”
“Jesus, you’re something else,” I grouse. “My hooha is just fine, but thank you for your concern.”
She gets a mischievous glint in her bright green orbs. I rip my hand out from under Maverick’s hold. “Don’t you dare,” I fuss through clenched teeth, pointing at her.
“What? I was just going to say that I’m happy his pocket monster isn’t branding your uterus anymore.”
“Quinn!” Clay snaps. When I look his way he is obviously trying to stifle a laugh, but clearly having picked up on the nervous energy as well, he’s more concerned with that.
She holds up her hands but thankfully keeps her trap shut.
Silence continues, the apprehensive air turning into a deep cloud of foreboding.
I give Maverick a supportive smile. “It’s okay, honey,” I tell him softly, cupping his strong, clenched jaw. I don’t look away, holding his stare. “It’s okay,” I repeat.
I feel his jaw work under my palm. A flash of fear blankets his face, the look gone just as quickly as it appeared. We ignore his siblings and I hope like hell that I’m able to give him the encouragement he needs with my small cues.
“I need to tell you two something. Something I’ve been keeping from the both of you,” he rumbles thickly.
“This isn’t easy, so please let me get it all out. I’ll tell y’all anything you want to know after, but I just need y’all to let me tell you everything, okay?”
Quinn nods, chewing on her bottom lip.
Clay lifts his chin, his hand coming up to run through his short black hair. A sure sign of his apprehension.
“You two know why I left. Or more important, what drove me out of here with pure rage-filled determination. Buford was a bastard to me—to all of us—but you know why I couldn’t stay here or be anywhere near that man. I’ve never hidden my reasons, but when I left I found out a lot about the man who pushed me to leave the people that I love.”
I pull his hand into mine and hold it tight, not looking away from Clay and Quinn. I want to be Maverick’s shield here, but I also want them to know that I’m here for them as well. I hate the dread I see in both of their faces, especially knowing that fear will quickly morph into hurt.
“Fuck,” he hisses, and I feel his forehead against my shoulder. He stays like that for a second before getting whatever he needs to continue. “I found Mama a few years after I left Pine Oak.” He pauses when Quinn gasps. I see Clay’s jaw flex and his lips thin. They keep their silence. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about her, but after. Our first meeting was fuckin’ shit, but in the end I learned a whole lot I never fuckin’ knew. I always wondered why Buford treated me like crap, but never took it that far with y’all. He was shit to both of y’all, to be sure, but not like he was to me. It was my talk with her that had me searchin’ out a trainer I hadn’t worked with before: Trey Mavericks.”
He clears his throat. “I never wanted to tell y’all this. You have to understand, I kept this from you both because I was fuckin’ terrified that it would be too painful, but I’ve recently realized you might need this to put whatever might be hauntin’ y’all two behind you forever. Trey, he became the closest thing to family I had while I was gone. Not just because he ended up bein’ my trainer for the majority of time I was ridin’, but also because he’s my family.”
“I don’t understand,” Quinn whispers.
“I’m gettin’ there, Quinny,” he breathes. “Trey’s my uncle. My biological father’s older brother.”
“What?” she says with a gasp.
I steal a look at Clay to see his own shock present with wide eyes.
“When I finally managed to track down Mama, she told me about her affair. My real father was a cowboy named Trent Mavericks, who’s since passed. She named me Maverick after him, but in doin’ so she gave Buford a constant reminder that she fucked around on him. Knowin’ that, he used his hate for her and her actions as the fuel to hate me, well . . . it made sense. He hated me. Not for any other reason but because of the reminder I was. My dreams of ridin’ just made him spite me more. I know there wasn’t a thing I could have done to change that.”
“Goddammit!” Clay exclaims, standing from his seat to pace, his shoulders pulled tight.
“I love you both so fuckin’ much that it killed me knowin’ that you might see me like he did. The bastard.”
“Mav,” Quinn cries, tears rolling from her eyes. “None of that changes a damn thing. You have to know that,” she pleads.
Clay turns at her words, his features carved in granite. “Nothin’ they did would ever make you less of my brother. I don’t give a fuck shit about the blood that runs through your veins. You are our brother.”
Maverick’s grip turns painful, but I don’t dare show it. My eyes pinging from both Clay and Quinn, wishing I could ease their pain.