Page 31 of Maverick

He stares at the tip of his shoes, big chest moving with his exhale. “I don’t want to lose them. Some days, I’m so fucking happy, it scares me. If they get taken away, I don’t think I’d survive it.”

Less than a year, and his whole world revolves around Evie and Mia. Everything is changing so fucking fast. And maybe it’s scary. But I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure he doesn’t have to worry about it.

“I’ll start on the paperwork. And tonight? You talk to Evie.”

A few hours later,another knock on my door snaps me out of my thoughts. Jonas pokes his head in, one eyebrow raised. "You're late for drinks. Everyone is already in Ransom's office."

I glance at the clock, surprised to see how late it's gotten. "Yeah, I'll be right there." I shuffle some papers into a haphazard pile, promising myself I'll deal with them tomorrow, and put Colton’s adoption file right in the middle of my desk.

Jonas gives me a piercing look. "You okay, Mav? You seem...much more distracted lately."

"I'm good," I assure him, standing up and stretching. "Just a long day in court."

He nods, but I can tell he's not entirely convinced. Jonas has always been too perceptive for his own good. Or for mine.

We walk down the hall to Ransom's office, the sound of laughter and clinking glasses growing louder as we approach. I push open the door to find my brothers sprawled out all around the room, drinks in hand.

"About time," Colton calls out, raising his glass in greeting. "We were about to send out a search party." Thankfully, he seems more like himself.

I flip him off good-naturedly and head straight for the bar. I pour myself a generous finger of whiskey, the amber liquid sloshing against the sides of the glass.

"How'd it go in court today?" Ransom asks as I drop into the empty seat beside him.

I take a sip of my drink, savoring the burn. "About as well as expected. Her ex is a piece of work."

"You'll get him," Nick says confidently. "You always do."

I nod, but my mind is already wandering. I can't seem to shake the image of Cadence, her hair falling out of its messy bun, a smudge of dirt on her cheek as she laughs with the dogs. There are a million other things to focus on, but it's her face, her smile, her laugh that fill my mind.

"Earth to Maverick." Declan's voice cuts through my thoughts. "You with us, brother?"

I blink, realizing they're all staring at me expectantly. "Yeah, sorry. What were we talking about?"

Zach snorts. "We were discussing our days, but it seems like yours might be more interesting."

I roll my eyes, taking another sip of my drink. "Just thinking about a case."The hardest case.

The conversation flows easily, the way it always does when we're together. A familiar combination of business, strategy, and shit talking. We never planned these post-work meet-ups. We see each other all the time. But the twenty or thirty minutes here, without any distractions, are sacred now. Attendance isn't mandatory, but most of us want to be here. Even Micah tries to stop in a few times each week.

"How are things coming along on the new headquarters? We made any progress?" I ask.

Everyone shuts up and looks straight at Ransom. He throws back the rest of his drink and clears his throat. "They took a little convincing. Negotiations were slow."

"Yeah," Nicks says with a low chuckle. "They saw fucking dollar signs and figured they could squeeze us. It took a little while for them to realize we weren't going to play that game."

Ransom grins. "It's all tied up. We'll have the keys in hand by the end of the month. Construction will start the same day."

"How much work does it need?"

"Most of the floors are in good shape. A little carpet, some lighting, new desks and we're set. We'll have to build out the daycare of course. I'm thinking the main floor for that. We have to put in a door to some outside space, and Colton can secure the fuck out of it to make sure the little ones are safe." Ransom rubs his cheek absently. "Our floor needs more work. We'll gut it and make it whatever we want, provided it can get done in six months.

"And the space for Micah?"

"I've got a new prefab steel building going in right next door. He'll be close."

"Fuck, yeah, he will," Kade says, clapping his hands. "It's about time."

"Yeah," Ransom murmurs, "it is."

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