Page 92 of Knot The Only Onee
The front door opened as we piled out of the car. Mav stood on the porch, just in front of the first step down, with his arms crossed over his chest. A thick beard covered his chin and cheeks, and his hair curled around his ears with several strands of silver through the temples. He always knew he'd go silver early; his father and grandfather went completely gray by the time they turned forty. Looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree in that regard.
"Fuck you doing here?" Mav snarled as he looked me over with contempt etched into his features.
I took a calming breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. I knew this was going to be a rough day. "We need to talk to you. Been having some issues with vandalism along our fence line."
"And that's got to do with me, how?" His brows rose, and he made no move to leave his perch on the porch.
"Maverick," I sighed. "I don't know what the fuck happened between us, but cut the shit."
"You're on my property, so you best be addressing me with some respect." He dropped his hands, but they clenched into fists at his sides. "As for what happened between us, you fucking know exactly what you both did, so why don't you just admit it."
I cocked my head to the side. "I have no fucking clue what you're talking about. You're the one who never even showed up at my momma's funeral." I did my best to control my temper, but my anger was quickly rising.
"Yeah, I didn't go because if I did, I'd have ended up punching you in the face for hurting my sister."
Now I was really fucking confused.
"What does Heidi have to do with this?" Heidi was the youngest child of the Cedar Hills clan and the only girl. Her five brothers kept a close watch on her, and James and I did too, before the rift between the families happened.
"You really gonna stand there and tell me that you don't remember hurting her?" He slowly descended the steps with raw fury blazing in his dark eyes. His hat tipped low, obscuring part of his face from view, but I could easily make out his curled lip as he sneered. "I saw you pushing her to the dirt. I smelled her blood. I fucking saw you take off with the Alamos boys, and you just left her there bleeding."
My brow furrowed as I sifted through my memories, trying to figure out what the fuck he was talking about. I held up my hands and took a step toward him. James did the same as Simon and Elias hung back close to the car.
"Mav, I don't know what you think you saw, but I can assure you, we'd never hurt Heidi. She was just as much our sister as you were our brother." James took another step, his voice strong and even but soothing.
For the first time, Mav inspected James, and his head tilted. "You're an alpha now? Color me surprised, but it doesn't change what happened."
"Damn it, Maverick!" Heidi pushed open the door and marched down the steps. She jumped and slapped her brother across the back of his head. "If I knew that's why you were pissed off at Noah and James, I would have told you to get your head out of your ass years ago. I can’t fucking believe you!"
Heidi had a head of dark curls, a curvy frame, and barely hit the five-foot mark. Her brothers all towered over her, but she never let that hold her back from scolding them when needed.
"The Alamos boys were bullying me. They're the ones who hurt me." Heidi shook her head. "James and Noah saved me that day and ran them off. They didn't leave me behind, they chased after Enrique and his brothers to make sure they left me alone."
Mav remained silent as his gaze slid between his sister and us. A faint flush spread over his cheeks. "Why didn't you ever tell me they helped you?"
"You never let me, Maverick. In case you haven't realized it, you guys kinda railroad me when something bad happens. When you said you knew who hurt me, I figured you knew it was Enrique, not that you thought it was freaking Noah and James. You're an idiot. Momma and Noah's momma were best friends. We're all practically cousins. How could you ever think they'd hurt me?"
Maverick ground his jaw together as his gaze dropped to the ground. "We all thought it, not just me."
"Fucking neanderthal brutes, the lot of you!" Heidi seethed. "Momma would be kicking your ass right now if she were here. I can't believe you thought they'd do that to me."
Heidi blew out a frustrated breath, then turned and strode over to James and me. She smiled shyly, and I could see the freckles that filled in across her nose and the tops of her cheeks. She was a spitting image of her Momma. "I'm so sorry about him. It's good to see you."
With a grin, I reached down and engulfed her in a fierce hug. "Good to see you too, squirt. Missed you."
She let me go, then hugged James as well. "No calling me squirt, though. Too old for that one now."
"What about ‘shorty’?" I teased. "You never grew out of that one."
Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed an accusing finger in my direction as her bright emerald green eyes sparkled. "Don't make me curse you. I will. Just try me."
I held my arms up and shook my head. "No nicknames. Got it!"
"Now." She clapped her hands together. "Who are your friends, and would you like to come inside for some strawberry lemonade? I made it this morning."
"Momma's recipe?" James asked, almost too eagerly.
"Is there anything better?" She giggled.
