Page 128 of Never Started
Maverick’s features quickly fall, shifting to disappointment. “I don’t want to talk about it, Iz. What’s done is done. All we can do is move forward from here.” His tone remains even, but I can hear the pain hidden behind the forced, casual front. Reaching across the table, Maverick grabs my hand and slowly rubs circles over my palm with his thumb.
The touch is comforting, and I inhale a long, slow breath before continuing, “I hurt you. We can’t just ignore that and move on as if it didn’t happen. It did.”
With a sigh, Maverick releases my hand and briefly darts his gaze anywhere but on me. “Yeah, Iz. You did. You hurt me. But all we can do now is move–”
“Ask me why,” I press on, the words coming out harsher than I intended. Confusion washes over Maverick's beautiful face, and I want so badly to reach out and touch him. I don’t. Instead, I continue, “Ask me why I kissed him back. Ask me why I didn’t tell you. Ask me everything.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Maverick says, still averting his gaze as he attempts to distract himself by taking a bite of the food laid out before us.
“That’s the fucking problem, Mav. It does matter. All of it does. You are wonderful, and it’s easy for you to accept me as I am, but you don’t care enough to know why or pressure me to be better. At least, not in the way that I need. I need someone who pushes back even harder than I do.”
He pauses, setting his fork down. “I can do that, Iz.”
I smile softly at the sentiment. “No, Mav. You can’t. It’s not who you are. You’re gentle, kind, patient, and everything I should want…”
His eyes flash up, meeting mine, and I’m struck with the pain he’s suppressing, and the part of my heart that is undoubtedly in love with him bursts at the seams.
I deserve it all—every ounce of his disappointment, anger, and sadness. I caused it. It’s time I take accountability.
His face hardens as he says, “What are you saying?” The words are laced with every ounce of anger he’s rightfully feeling.
“I have immense love for you, Maverick. The love you give is beyond anything I could’ve ever asked for or imagined. But you fell in love with a heart that was already taken, and I’m so fucking sorry. I’ve become so accustomed to running away that I failed to see that for myself.”
“You’re choosing him?” Maverick’s shoulders slump forward as he scoffs in disbelief, but there’s no judgment in his tone, only an unmistakable ache I can feel at its full force.
After a few moments of silence that pass between us, our eyes lock.
I swallow as tears threaten to fall. “My heart chose his long ago, and… I’m tired of running away from that.”
Maverick nods, taking in my words. “Then stop running, Iz.” His voice is small as he gives me a soft nod filled with understanding and acceptance.
This man…
His heart is the purest I’ve ever encountered in another human. I find myself wanting to love him the way he deserves. Because of Maverick, I grew emotionally and accepted that, despite the scars of my past traumas, I’m still deserving and worthy of the love I’ve been running from for so long.
And, throughout our time together, I’ve realized one thing…
Maverick is my soulmate; he will remain as such. Etched into the deepest part of my heart that will forever be his—my steady reminder that there are kind people in this world, and I am deserving of good things. Yet, I was only ever meant to be a chapter in his story, as he was in mine.
We were never meant to be one another's happily ever after.
Jett, on the other hand, is the love of my life. He breathes life into the parts of myself I thought were long dead. It’s the exact type of love Maverick deserves—with someone else. It’s the type of loveIdeserve.
Maverick’s right.
It’s time for me tostop running.
Chapter sixty-six
Jett
December 2025
Giving Izzy the space she needs to process everything hasn’t been easy, but it’s necessary. I know her well enough to know that if I crowd her or try to add pressure, she’ll only want to resist her feelings even more. That’s the opposite of what I want.
The past couple of weeks haven’t necessarily been a breeze. Not in the least.
If something could go wrong here on the ranch, it likely already has. My resolve is wearing thin, and the exhaustion that has rooted itself in my bones is clearly visible in my features.
