Page 8 of The Cupcake Cottage

Her request was innocent enough on the surface, but he knew getting his hands on Maria’s dip at a party where her octogenarian father-in-law Carmichael was present was like trying to fill a water glass in the middle of a desert.

Maverick scanned the people clustered under theCongratulations Myles and Karenbanner. Sure enough, Carmichael was there, hunched over the layered dip, elbows out like he was ready to bite anyone who dared try to take a scoop.

“Get some yourself,” he told her with a light scoff.

“So much for doinganythingfor me.” She gave him a dramatic roll of her eyes.

He snorted and headed to the beer trough near the patio’s smoking barbecue. He bumped into Myles along the way, and they walked back to the fence together.

“Look who I found,” Maverick said to Daisy-Mae.

“Lovely party,” she told Myles. Her smile didn’t emit her usual ray of sunshine, and Maverick figured it had to be pretty tough being here. She and Myles had sort of fizzled out over recent years, but she’d been like one of the family. Seeing her friend take the spot she must have assumed would be hers had to hurt. Or maybe it was just awkward.

“Your beer, m’lady.” He bowed and handed her the bottle.

“Where’s my dip?” She gestured like she was upset, playing it up.

“When are you two getting married?” Myles asked, laughing.

Maverick winced at Myles and his lack of sensitivity. Why Daisy-Mae, a smart and beautiful woman, ever went for this knucklehead was beyond Maverick. Sure, his friend was charming and caring. But he’d never been the right man for Daisy-Mae.

“Mav has cold feet,” Daisy-Mae said, sliding her arm through his. That twinkle was back. Time to tease Myles. “Thanks for the beer, honey.” She rolled up onto her tiptoes in her cowboy boots, planting a kiss on Maverick’s cheek and spreading warmth through his entire body.

He grinned at Myles, ready for his friend’s reaction, focusing on that rather than how good Daisy-Mae’s soft lips had felt against his skin, how he loved being called honey.

“Well, it’s about time,” Myles said with something bordering on disgust.

“Sorry, what?” Maverick said as Daisy-Mae’s arm went slack.

“You two. You’ve been over here having your own private party all night, laughing and stuff.”

Daisy-Mae had fully pulled away now, and Maverick wished she’d come back, snuggle in again. “We were joking around.”

“And I’m saying y’all would make a good pair.” He grinned, and Maverick wondered if he was serious or if he’d finally turned the tables on them and their teasing.

Myles tipped his hat to them and headed to the patio to greet a new party arrival.

“That was weird,” Daisy-Mae said. Maverick nodded.

“You know,” he said, gesturing toward Myles who had found Karen and was giving her a kiss, “maybe it’s just all of this disgusting happiness around us, but it almost makes me want to give it a whirl.”

Daisy-Mae gave a choked laugh of surprise. “Really?”

“Sure. It might be a good thing.”

Although something as consuming as marriage still felt impossible. Daisy-Mae often referred to him as The One-Date Wonder for a solid reason. It took him a while to trust, and he’d had a lot of bad first dates thanks to his reservations. Being mildly famous, you were never sure if a woman was interested in you or what you might be able to offer. Then there was the other problem of the intense busyness during the season. Not many women enjoyed coming second to his career.

“Marriage would be a good thing how? You need a nice wifey to pack your suitcase for all your away games?”

He shot her a dark look. “No, the PR twins think marriage might help my reputation.” There. Let’s see what she had to say about that.

Daisy-Mae turned to study him. “Would you?”

“Get married?”

“For work and positive press?”

He shrugged, not looking at her. He’d spent the past few weeks considering the idea. There were some fatal flaws, though. First, who would he marry? Second, a marriage for show sounded like a terrible plan.

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