“What ifyoumeet someone else? Unfortunately, both are possible. I’m not saying you should sit around and wait for him. Go live your life. Raise Leo. Date other men. I’m just afraid you two are going to ruin your friendship trying to be lovers while he lives on the opposite side of the country.”
Kill me now.
When I don’t say anything, she continues. “Have you two made a plan? When you’ll talk? When he’ll return for a visit? When he’ll fly you up there to see him?”
“We… we both agreed to play things by ear. I think we wanted to enjoy our time together.”
“That’s not very promising, Baylee.”
My heart sinks. “But he might not even get the go-ahead to play. He has to go see his doctors. I think we’re maybe waiting to see what they say.”
“What do you see? What feeling do you have about his future in football? You have the same gift I do. I know you sense something. What is it?”
I swallow past the tightness in my throat. “I’ve had a recurring dream about Maverick.”
“And?”
Closing my eyes, I replay it in my mind. “He’s in a huge stadium after a win. He’s on the field, and everyone’s congratulating him. But it’s not what I saw in the past, with him winning championships in high school or college.”
“It’s the future.”
“Yes.”
“So then he’s going to keep playing.”
I cover my mouth briefly as though that will help me contain my emotions. “I think so.”
“Then there’s nothing you can do to fight that future, nor should you. He has to choose his own destiny, just like you haveto choose your own. So I ask you, do you want to be in Wild Heart, always worrying about Maverick and who he’s with? Worrying if girls are sneaking into his hotel rooms? Worrying if they’re being inappropriate with him? Because that’s the life you’re signing up for. I would know.”
I shake my head. “That will make me crazy.”
“Then you have to choose yourself and Leo. I love Maverick like he’s my own son, but I’m not sure trying to scrape together a relationship while you’re so far away will do either of you any favors. Because I’ve been in your shoes, and it’s not a path I’d wish on anyone.”
With the back of my hand, I wipe my tears. “Why do you always have to make so much sense?”
“The road to wisdom is paved with pain. I wish it was paved with Godiva chocolate and those little puff peppermints I love. But at the end of the day, if you and Maverick are meant to be, it will happen. The way the sun rises in the morning or the moon rises at night. The way stars shoot through the sky. Because you’ll be inevitable.”
“I miss you, Mom.” I wish I could hug her. We’ve never been apart for so long before, and I feel her absence acutely.
She sniffles. “Mija, I’m sorry I can’t be there with you right now and be a shoulder to lean on. I was always there for Amara when she had trouble with her ex. But know this. You’re strong. You can do this.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “Do what?”
“Be a single mom.”
44
MAVERICK
“How doesit feel to win the trophy again, boys? And some shiny new buckles?” Rhett asks as we load up our horses onto the trailer.
“Beating the McAllisters is the best feeling in the world,” Beau says with a grin.
I check the side of the trailer where some woman is trying to rip Jace’s shirt off. “Jace!” I yell. “Let’s go.”
I’m a muddy, filthy mess. It’s raining. I’m wet and cold, but this is the most fun I’ve had in ages. Except it’s getting late. Guilt spears through me that I’m here and not home with Baylee on my last day in Wild Heart.
After Rhett locks the trailer, he turns to me. “What time is your flight tomorrow? Need a ride?”
