Page 56 of Paths
I take a sip of my beer. I rarely drink, just enough to be social and not have people ask why I don’t. I don’t hate it—just hate the way it makes me feel. I had my benders when I was younger, but now I prefer to stay in control. Not that I judge, I don’t. Especially when I look across the room and see Maya throw her head back, laughing with no inhibitions. I don’t think it’s the wine. She’s becoming more relaxed with everyone around her.
The past couple days have been good. I’ve learned from Asa’s FBI contact that MacLachlan has stayed put in Buffalo, which is a relief. Maya made me dinner last night in her little house, and damn if it wasn’t delicious. And hell if I didn’t eat butternut squash and zucchini since I lost the bet. The squash was fine, the zucchini was less than fine, but I ate it anyway because I’m learning the longer I’m around Maya Augustine, I’ll do practically anything to make her happy. That’s not me, and it’s really not me when it comes to food. She’s thrown me off my game. Not that I’ve had a game in years—I haven’t. Still, I can’t believe I’m eating vegetables just to make her happy.
Even though she knew MacLachlan was back in Buffalo and she’d be fine on her own, I was back in her bed last night without question. I did nothing more than kiss her until she was breathless after we talked, and I gave her shit about making me eat vegetables, but it was all worth it.
I held her in my arms as she slept. I did my best to doze—there was no way I wanted to risk my fucking dreams coming back. But hours after we went to bed, I succumbed to it before her alarm woke me this morning. After two nights of the best sleep I’ve had in a long time, it feels good. Not only that, but sleeping next to Maya is by far the best thing I’ve ever experienced, and I haven’t even had her yet. I don’t know why I keep holding back, but I do.
Maybe it’s because I know I’m only the second man she’s ever kissed, let alone the second for everything else. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t really know me—my work, the shit that happened with my family. Maybe I think I’ll fuck things up even though I’m trying hard not to.
I’m sure it’s a little of all that. All I know is every moment I spend with her, I want her. More than I’ve ever wanted anything. Falling into a dreamless sleep with her last night just makes me more obsessed.
I contemplate all this as I watch her. She’s standing with Addy, Bev, and another woman with pink hair who I don’t know. We’ve been here for two and a half hours—the food is good, the people are friendly, and it’s been fine. It’s been the first time I’ve done something normal in a long time. Things like this have never been my normal.
“You seem good,” Crew says. I turn to him and raise a brow and he amends his comment. “Okay, you seem better. Maya still working on your shoulder?”
“Yeah, and I’ve been going at it strong. It almost feels back to normal.”
“You sleeping?” he asks.
I shrug, and tell him the truth but not why. “Better.”
“You ready for her family and the MacLachlans?” he continues his interrogation.
I nod and look back to her. “I’ve thought it through, every scenario we could run into. So yeah, I’m ready.”
“Sorry! Sorry we’re late.”
I look over and another one of Addy’s employees, Clara, comes rushing in, her big pregnant stomach leading the way. She’s followed by three boys, and bringing up the rear is a man who doesn’t look like he’s feeling so hot.
“Okay,” Clara announces loudly, talking to the room at large, before motioning to the three children who have since scattered around the large brick room. “I’m sorry, so sorry for them and the ruckus they’ll no doubt cause. Our sitter didn’t show. I tried to call our parents, and if you can believe, their social lives are busier than ours. Or they’re liars—really, it’s a toss-up. But I made everyone get out of the house to come. I’m a ticking time bomb—I could pop at any minute, but I’m not missing this, come hell or high water. Anyway, I texted Addy, she insisted we bring the kids, but we’re even later since Jack is moving slow because he’s trying to pass kidney stones.”
“Really?” Her husband grimaces, though I’m not sure if it’s from the kidney stones or her public announcement of his current situation. “Is it necessary to tell everyone?”
“We’re all friends.” Clara waves him off and goes to the makeshift bar at the side of the room and tags a bottle of sparkling water out of the ice bucket. Turning back to us, she waves a hand in front of herself as she goes on. “I mean, all you have to do is pee through a strainer. I, on the other hand, will be on display for a room full of people while squeezing out your fourth baby. So, I’m sorry, but since I’m about fifteen months pregnant and look like a petite hippo, I’ve lost my filter.”
Her husband shakes his head, and winces as he follows her to the bar and pours himself a scotch, asking his wife in a way I doubt he’s looking for an answer, “Have you ever had a filter?”
“You’re supposed to be drinking water,” she announces.
“I need this and maybe three more, then I’ll drink water.”
“Nick, don’t touch that,” Clara snaps her fingers and moves across the room to the youngest boy.
When I turn to Crew, he’s grinning at the show going on, so I ask, “You ready for all that?”
Without losing his grin, he looks over at me and raises a brow, but doesn’t say a word.
“Really?” I ask.
He nods, raising his bottle to his lips and leaves it at that.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Doing what we’ve done is surreal at times, so much that when it ends, it’s an adjustment to realize the rest of the world has continued their lives, going on as normal without taking a hiatus from life like we did.
Crew sets his beer down and heads to one of the boys to help wrangle them. The Ordinary is centuries old. Surely, they can’t do that much damage, but I’ve heard about Clara’s kids.
Looking back at Maya, her dark blond hair that I’ve come to love has fallen around her face as she talks to one of the boys.
Staying where I am, my eyes wander to the right to see more people who work for Addy. Morris, Evan, and Van are in deep conversation about who knows what, and Van has his arm around a woman I’ve never seen. There’s a fire burning in the massive stone fireplace that’s so big, I could almost walk into it. We’re surrounded by exposed brick that’s centuries old, and in the corner stands a practically-perfect lit and decorated tree. It’s so different than the one I cut down for Maya’s little house, it’s laughable.
