Page 57 of Fumbled Love

“I’m curious about something,” I said, playing with my glove-covered fingers. “You grew up in a house filled with love and lots of good memories. How come you’ve never wanted that life for yourself? How come you’ve never settled down with anyone?”

“That’s a complicated answer.” He blew out a breath and adjusted the beanie on his head. “In the beginning, I was young and immature. I was all about having fun. As I got older, my name started to mean something. People kissed my ass. Guys that I thought were my friends would invite me to all the important parties, but never wanted to hang out one-on-one. The women I thought were interested in me just wanted to sleep with me and take pictures so they could sell them the next day.”

“Jesus.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “It sounds like they forgot you’re a real person.”

“As long as it got them the attention they were seeking, they didn’t care.”

There was so much more to Maverick than people understood. He’d sacrificed and given up more than I ever understood. The fans, the lack of privacy, and the media attention all went with the lifestyle. Sure, there were perks to being a celebrity and having money, but it came at a cost that most people could never understand.

He looked down at my hand resting on his and stared at it before bringing his eyes to mine. “Tell me about the guys you’ve dated.”

I rolled my eyes. “There are so many, it would take all night to talk about them all.”

He squeezed the tip of my nose. “Cute.” He lifted his eyebrow. “Now spill.”

“I’ve only had a couple serious boyfriends. My last relationship ended last year.”

“What happened?” His gaze was curious. It felt weird talking about this, but then again, I asked about his past, so it was only fair.

“Carson got a job offer in San Francisco. When he asked me to go, I knew I wasn’t ready, so I broke up with him.”

“What the fuck kind of name is Carson?”

“Be nice.” I bumped his shoulder with mine. His question was kind of funny because he sounded a little jealous. “Carson was a nice guy; he just wasn’t the one for me.”

“You never regretted your decision after he moved away?” His eyes filled with curiosity, like he wanted me to tell him more, but I didn’t want to spend what little time we had left talking about my ex-boyfriend.

“Nope.” I patted my stomach. “Everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He seemed pleased with that answer. We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I asked, “So, what’s next on your bucket list?”

He looked at his watch. “Do we have time to make a snowman?”

A slow smile touched my lips. Of all the things we could possibly do in Manhattan, he wanted to do something as simple as playing in the snow.

“Your flight doesn’t leave until later tonight. We have plenty of time.”

The thought of him leaving dimmed my smile, and I suddenly wished we could forget the world around us. This lighthearted and fun side of him had me craving more time alone with him.

We gathered snow and rolled it into two big balls. Our attempts at making a snowman were hysterical because it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen. In my defense, we weren’t dressed for this type of outing. We wore jeans instead of snow pants and fleece gloves instead of mittens. Our hands were freezing, and our pants were wet, but I had never laughed so hard in my life.

“What a joke.” He shook his head in laughter. “You’ve lived here for twelve years now and you never learned how to make a snowman?”

I stood up and wiped the snow off my pants. “Maybe if I was ten, I’d have more time to play in the snow. There is this thing called ‘work’ that takes up most of my time.”

“Excuses, excuses,” he teased.

I picked up a handful of snow when he wasn’t looking, packed it into a ball, and aimed it at his face. Of course, it missed. In seconds, he was tickling me so hard that we lost balance and fell into the snow. I tried my best to wrestle my way out of his hold, but my struggle was no match for his strength. We laughed and rolled around on the snow-covered grass until I was on top of him.

His hands went to my sides, that hurt from laughing so hard. My laughter slowed down when I saw the tenderness in his eyes. The moment shifted from something fun to something much more. Maverick looked up at me. His face never looked more relaxed or at peace.

He brushed some of the snow out of my hair. “Are you okay?” His eyes trailed down to my stomach. “We didn’t hurt the baby, did we?”

“The baby and I are fine.” There was a flutter in my stomach that had nothing to do with the little kidney bean growing in my belly. I could tell myself whatever I wanted, but I was in love with him. Not the teenager I had a crush on, not the quarterback that everyone liked to watch on television, but the man who made me laugh and smile.

The only man to ever have my heart.

He gripped the back of my neck and gently pulled my mouth down to his. His lips were warm against my cold skin. The words I love you were on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell him so badly but was afraid to say it first. I wouldn’t be able to handle the embarrassment if he didn’t feel the same way.

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