CHAPTER 26

In the weeks after Kimberly passed, things seemed to fall into place perfectly. Maverick had been quiet for several days after her burial, which was completely understandable. He had a lot to process in a very short period of time, so I did the best I could to just be there for him while he grieved. But after he came home from work to find a letter she’d written to him before she died, his whole demeanor changed. Apparently, each kid and Mack received one, and I was beyond grateful they all had even more closure.

Maverick didn’t tell, and I didn’t ask what she wrote, but whatever it was gave him the permission he needed to move on. So like the strong man he was, that was exactly what he did.

Things at the diner were wonderful. My parents loved their newfound free time. I was living with Maverick, and the girls accepted my presence with ease. Piper didn’t even cause any problems, which was a surprise, but one I was thrilled with.

I hadn’t had any reservations about anything to do with Maverick since we reconciled, but as we drove to his dad’s house for Sunday supper, the first one I’d be at since I’d been back, I found myself filled with nerves. “Why are you nervous?” he asked quietly so the girls wouldn’t hear from the back.

He tilted his head, subtly reminding me he knew me better than I knew myself. “Babe.”

His lips quirked. “Semantics. You know it’ll be fine, so stop your worrying.”

“You will. There’s nothing to be hesitant about, but I won’t leave your side until you’re comfortable, which I know will be within ten minutes.”

I didn’t need him to do that, but I appreciated that he offered. However, he lied. Because after only three minutes of being in Mack’s home again, I was totally fine. I felt silly for being anxious, but even though I was good to be alone, he stayed with me until I physically separated from him when we were alone in the kitchen getting a drink. “I’m fine, Mav. You can go talk with the menfolk.”

“No boys allowed. Out.” His aunt Diane came in and shooed him away. “She’s fine. Go away now.”

He rolled his eyes and kissed me softly. “I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”

He rubbed his nose along mine. “Yeah, Pixie. I know the feeling.” He kissed me again, and as soon as he walked out, the kitchen was filled with the women.

I laughed and took the offered glass of wine and then had a blast with the Ryder women making a delicious supper. And while we all ate together crammed tight around a huge table, it hit me why I had anxiety earlier… what it was that made me apprehensive about coming. When that thought settled, I had to excuse myself for the restroom.

The door was barely shut before Maverick was there, his big hands cupping my face. “What’s wrong?”

“And of course, we’ll give them a date, which we still have to pick, but—”

His thumb rubbed across my cheekbone. “June third is when we’ll get married. It’s the anniversary of the first time we ever talked to each other.”

He smiled. “I know. And I love you. Now that you have a date to tell them can we go back?”

“It’s not that… the date is irrelevant, but I like that we have that settled.”

“Because after that, then they’ll ask about when we’re having a baby… and I… I don’t know what to tell them. I don’t know what to say. How do you tell your family that we’re not, that you can’t—”

“They know.” He covered my lips with his finger. “Everyone knows, Cricket, because when they found out, they were not happy with me. They’re not going to ask you anything about it.”

Despite me trying to act like it didn’t hurt still, knowing I’d never bear his child, defeat painted my face in the reflection in the mirror. “Oh, okay.”

“Fuck,” he snapped. “I’ll fix it. I promise. I’ll find a way to fix it.”

“No, it’s fine. I just… well, with your mom and me moving in, things have been kind of hectic, so we haven’t talked about it again and—”

“It’s not. Not only do I want to give you everything, but I want to have a baby with you, too. I’ll make it right, Pixie.” He cupped the side of my face and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Promise.”

We both chuckled a little bit, then he opened the door for his daughter, who I already loved and adored, same with Aubrey. And I wondered if that could ever be enough because as much as Maverick wanted to fix it, there wasn’t a guarantee it would work.

The next morning, Maverick woke me up by pulling the covers off me and kissing my neck. “I scheduled an appointment with my doctor for next week.”

“Why? Are you not feeling good?” I asked in a panic as I tried to process what he was saying as I was still groggy.

“I’m fine. I’m going to see about what I need to do to have the vasectomy reversed.”

“No. I mean, yes, I do. But I’ve been thinking long and hard about it. I actually didn’t sleep last night and… well, there are other options… like adoption.” I bit my lip. “What do you think about that?”

I was worried he’d reject the idea completely, but after a minute, he shocked me. “I think that sounds like a good idea if that’s what you want.” He pushed up to sitting and held my face. “I want you to be happy, and I’ll do absolutely anything I can to make that happen.”

“I know you will. And I want the same for you, so maybe let’s go to the appointment to talk to them, but before you make a decision to do that, we’ll contact an adoption agency as well.”

He bobbed his head. “We’ll be making the decision together, and that sounds like a plan. Options are good.”

“Yeah.” He pushed me back down, and I stifled a giggle as he pulled my top off and shucked his shorts. “I love options… like trying to decide if I want to touch these.” He traced between my breasts and then circled my nipples. “Or this.” Then he trailed down to between my legs where he pressed, his finger sliding inside.

I was already wet for him, and I arched my back, greedy for more. “Why pick one when you can have both?” I challenged, feeling bolder in our intimacy.

“I like the way you think.” He slid his finger out and brought it to his mouth, where his lips closed around his knuckle, and he sucked. “I like the way you taste, too.” Then he opened my legs wide and settled his tall frame between them, and pushed his hot, hard dick inside in one long, thick, delicious stroke. “But I like the way you feel the best. So how about we go with that option?”

I was too far gone to tell him I wholeheartedly agreed with that choice, so I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the wake-up call. Then I enjoyed it again in the shower. And I knew that at the end of the day, I’d get to enjoy it a couple more times before I woke up the next day and enjoyed it all over again… and again.

But before that happened, we had plans to take the girls to the fair, which I was looking forward to. It had been a long time since I was at a carnival, and I think I was more excited than the girls. It was warm and sunny, and it had been a blast so far. The rides were fun, and I was full on funnel cakes and lemonade, but mostly happiness. We were moseying around, both girls running ahead of us, happily munching on cotton candy.

“Wanna try knocking down the bottles with the baseball?” I nudged him as we passed that booth.

“I’m not.” I set my hand on my chest dramatically. “I was simply asking you a question.”

“Oh my God, you have to.” I tugged on his arm. “I know you’re too afraid to embarrass yourself with baseball, so at least try basketball. See if you’ve still got it.”

He hummed. “That’s not possible. But, fine, I’ll play the stupid game… only because we’re almost ready to go home, so I won’t have to carry that big ass bear around all day.”

He smacked me on the butt playfully. “I’ve already won because I’ve got you.”

I rolled my eyes and waited for him to get three basketballs. The girls cheered him on, and when he made all three shots in about ten seconds, the attendant whistled. “Impressive.”

“We’ve both already got those big bears. We don’t need another one,” Aubrey said. “You should pick one.”

Dixie Mae was grinning and nodding. “Yeah. You pick one. We want you to have one, too.”

I used to, I almost said, but I destroyed it when I found him with Piper after I returned, so I was actually really happy to get another one. “Okay.” I looked over to Maverick, who nodded assuringly, and then took a step closer to the booth. “Can I have that one, please?” I pointed to the right side at the brown fluffy stuffed bear that most resembled the one from when we were younger.

The attendant shook his head. “Sorry, no. We’re all out of bears tonight.”

“But?” I tilted my head, confused. “They’re all right there, aren’t there?”

He held out a familiar-looking ring that made every single crack in my heart heal in the blink of an eye. “I think I’ve waited long enough to give you this.” He slid the sparkling pink and yellow diamond on my finger and held my hand. “Marry me, Pixie.”

“I can’t believe you remembered.” I lifted my hand and stared at the ring we picked out when I was sixteen.

“Remembered?” He raised a brow. “Baby, I bought it the next day. I’ve had it this whole time.”

His shoulders shook when he chuckled. “Cricket, you still didn’t answer my question.”

“You’re right, I didn’t.” His face sobered, and he took my other hand in his. “Cricket Belle McBride, will you do me the absolute honor of making me the happiest man in the world by marrying me and allowing me the privilege of loving you until the day I die?”

“Yes.” I threw myself at him, and he went down to his butt. “Yes, yes, yes.” I chanted as I peppered kisses all over his face. And when I heard a round of applause, I turned to see everyone clapping for us. My parents, his family, Nova, Lincoln, Georgia, and most importantly, Aubrey and Dixie Mae were front and center jumping up and down in excitement. And right then, I knew that I had absolutely everything I ever needed… no, I had more than I needed, more than I ever thought I could have, more than I deserved. But by God, I was going to make sure I spent the rest of my life appreciating every single moment with the people I loved… because that was all that mattered.

Mack’s story is next in the Ryder Ranch Series. You can find it here!

She was the complete opposite of me in every way; sweet, spontaneous, and full of sunshine... she was also half my age.

The world was her playground, and Nova Skye spent every breath fearlessly exploring it. Her passion for adventure was contrary to the solitude I loved, yet somehow, I couldn’t get enough.

Her innocence sparked a flame in my empty soul, burning down every defense I had. By the time I started to believe in the us she said we could be, it was too late. My free-spirited rebel was gone, taking what was left of me with her.

Without her, I learned that home wasn’t just a place, it was Nova… and it was finally time to come home.

Get Unraveling Mack Ryder here!