Page 141 of Never Started
Carter lets out a small sympathetic laugh. “It doesn’t exactly work like that. You are the person he chose. Therefore—”
I cut him off again as I unlock and open the door to my hotel room. “What if he chose wrong?” I don’t know where the question came from, possibly from the all-consuming guilt.
“Izzy, I’ve spoken directly with the family, and they have assured me that they know of Maverick’s love for you. That he would want you taken care of. They believe they would be doing his memory a disservice by taking it or attempting to fight this in any way.”
I inhale a sharp breath.
Why would Maverick do this? Why would he choose me? He loved me, undoubtedly so, but why, after all I’ve put him through with my indecisions, would he have this kind of trust in me?
Automatically, my eyes drift to the ring box and note sitting in my open suitcase. My heart picks up its pace, and pain stings my chest as I become completely overwhelmed with emotions.
“Okay, I’ll call you back at this number later,” I say, abruptly ending the call before Carter has a chance to say anything else.
It’s time.
This is the last piece of Maverick that I have. I’m not ready. Hell, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready for this. But, yes, it’s time. Maybe once I do this, it’ll revive the part of me that died when I lost him.
Taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart, I pick up the note first. The note that’s labeled ‘speech’. He probably had this written out in case I chose him that night. The night that I did, in fact, not choose him, yet he still chose to give his life for mine.
My hands shake as I open it, but I ignore them and slowly read his thoughts. His last words to me…
The first time I saw you, I knew you were something special. Not in the way you sobbed on the dirty ass ground, but in the way you picked yourself up afterward. I knew that day, in that moment, that love at first sight could exist. Because the way my heart needed to know yours on a deeper level, there’s no other explanation.
I loved you before I even knew you. Knowing you only made loving you that much better.
We didn’t chase each other. Life chose us for one another—perfectly aligning our paths to cross.
But the truth is that falling in love is scary. Actually, it’s pretty fucking terrifying. But falling in love with you has been worth all of the fears that come along with it.
A small sob escapes me, and the tears begin to flow, but I continue reading.
I would choose you every time. In every lifetime. Every scenario. Every situation. If my soul is able to find yours, it would always be you.
You’re it for me.
Even if you don’t choose me in return, I’ll still choose you by choosing to let you be happy. I just hope you give me the chance to be the man I know I can be for you. Your happiness is my only requirement.
Izabel Landry, will you be my forever?
Choking back a sob, my trembling fingers flip open the black box. A gasp leaves me as I’m met with the most stunning diamond ring I’ve ever seen. An enormous, emerald-cut stonesits adorned in the center of a thin, white-gold band, which appears tiny in contrast.
And just like that, I crumble.
“He’s gone. He’s fucking gone,” I cry out, alone.
The tears are heavy, necessary, and somehow soothing. I find comfort as they fall, knowing I now have my answers.
Maverick knew there was a chance I wouldn’t choose him, yet he still wanted me to be happy. I just wish I could have given him more. His beautiful soul deserved so much more.
He already sacrificed himself for me, and now he’s gone. Taking this money, and this ring, is accepting that—accepting that this is all that’s left of his memory.
He wants me to be happy. I can’t let him down.
Chapter seventy-five
Jett
February 2026
