Page 94 of Reaching Avery
Chapter Twenty-Four
Avery
I knew Maverick’s family had money, but seeing the inside of his home still took me by surprise. It looked like it’d just popped out of one of those fancy home décor magazines—which I knew all too well because I flipped through enough of them when I went to the store. Hardwood floors, large floor to ceiling windows, high archways, and filled with expensive furniture. Not to mention the size of it. The entry way alone was bigger than my kitchen.
Feeling out of place was an understatement. I felt like I was in a different world. A goth alien from another planet.
“Mom?” Maverick called, pocketing his keys with one hand and holding my hand with the other.
“In here, sweet pea,” a woman said from the other room.
Her voice was pleasant, and I relaxed a little more. Surely someone with a kind voice like that couldn’t be mean.
We followed the sound and turned left, entering a huge kitchen. The cream-colored walls were well balanced with the white cabinets and stainless steel refrigerator. The handles on the drawers were gold, and a vase of flowers sat on a small cabinet near the island, bringing life to the room. Thin lights hung from the ceiling, giving it that modern, sleek design. Above the sink sat a window that gave a gorgeous view of the backyard.
I forgot all about the decor, though, when I saw the woman standing at the island. Her brown hair hung in loose curls, and even though casual, her clothes were obviously from an upscale designer.
“Mom, this is Avery,” Maverick said as we walked closer to her. I didn’t want to let go of his hand, so I held on tighter. “Avery, this is Mom, but you can call her Karen. IfIcall her that, though, I’ll get slapped.”
I grinned, loving his sense of humor and how he always managed to make me smile in moments when I just wanted to disappear.
With no hesitation, Karen came forward and pulled me into a hug. I was still holding onto Mav, so my arm was behind me at a weird angle.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Avery,” she said before pulling back and studying me. “Wow, you really are a looker.” Her hands were still on my shoulders, and then she quickly removed them as shock crossed her face. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. Mav told me you don’t like to be touched. I forgot.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, not sure if I was happy Mav had told her or upset that I’d been so weird about the touching thing. If he’d told his mom about it, it must’ve upset him a little. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Blake.”
“Please, call me Karen,” she insisted. “Are you hungry? I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a bit of everything.”
Maverick laughed. “Mom, you’re awesome. You didn’t have to go all out.”
“You’re not vegetarian, are you?” Karen asked me. “Don’t want a repeat of last time.”
“Chris was a vegetarian,” Maverick explained with a sheepish expression. His cheeks even darkened a shade. He thought it bothered me to hear about his ex, but it didn’t. Some people might’ve gotten mad, but it helped me get to know him better. “When he met Mom, she cooked a huge steak dinner because I forgot to tell her. And he was kind of a diva about it.”
“Kind of?” Karen asked. “The boy freaked.” She looked at me. “He started citing all of these things about how eating meat is wrong, and he talked to me like I was a criminal.”
“It also led to our first fight,” Mav added, shrugging. “He apologized to Mom a few days later, but anyway. That’s enough of that. Where’s Dad?”
“At work,” Karen answered as her forehead scrunched. I didn’t understand why she looked sad, until I looked at Mav and saw the disappointment on his face. “He should be home soon. He knows how important today is.”
“I’m not gonna hold my breath,” Mav said before clearing his throat. “Let’s eat.”
After we made sandwiches, we took our plates to the table in the dining room—also high-end with the décor. I hadn’t really known the difference between the different types of bread Karen had laid out, so I’d ended up grabbing a bagel looking kind and stuffing it with slices of turkey, tomato, lettuce, and lots of cheese.
It was delicious, and I had to force myself not to scarf the whole thing at once.
Over lunch, Karen asked me questions, but I noticed she kept them pretty simple, instead of prying into deeper topics. She asked about hobbies, things I loved, things I hated, what I wanted to do when I got older, and even some of those ‘if you could have any super power, what would it be?’ type questions. Mav must’ve told her about my reluctance to talk about my personal life.
I met his gaze from across the table and viewed him in a different way.
He wasn’t just handsome, sweet, and smart. He was also patient and considerate. Observant. Someone who put his desires aside, so I’d feel more comfortable.
I knew he wasn’t a virgin, but he’d never once pressured me into anything—other than that one spontaneous kiss, but he hadn’t done that again. There were times I knew he wanted me by the way his eyes would roam down my body and how his chest would rise and fall a bit faster—I wanted him too, even if I had no idea what I was doing—but he’d never crossed that line.
Maverick smiled as I watched him, and something about the way the sides of his eyes creased with the action made my heart soar. He took a bite of his sandwich, getting mustard on the edge of his mouth.
As weird as it was, it made my chest feel tight. Seeing him so carefree and freaking adorable just made me want to close the distance between us and snuggle against him. Do other things too. Things I’d never done with anyone.
