Five things, p.28
Five Things, page 28
“This isn’t our final hug, you weirdo,” I say, but instead of pushing her away, I tighten my hold on her too, relishing in this moment. “We’ll be home over the holidays, and you can always come visit me.”
“I know,” she says, pulling in a deep breath before letting me go. “But it feels different this time. Something is telling me this really is the last time you’ll call this your home. When you leave, you’re going to your own place, to create your own family and a new life.”
“Mom.” My lips quiver, and I blink away the tears that threaten.
“It’s a good thing, Beatrice. It’s the best thing in the world to watch your children grow and thrive without you. But it doesn’t make the goodbyes any easier.”
“I love you, Mom,” I whisper over the lump forming in my throat.
“Oh, my baby,” she says, her eyes watery. Even now, after months of hearing the words from my mouth, she still fights the same waves of emotions she did that first day in the hospital.
“I love you too.” She chuckles, grabbing my bag and placing it over my shoulder. “So much more than you’ll ever know.” She pats me on the back, nudging me to the door. “Now, go, get out of here before I embarrass myself by crying into your bedsheets.”
“Okay, I’m gone,” I say, taking the steps out of my bedroom.
My mom is being slightly dramatic, but I feel it too. When Dad told me last year it was my time, I didn’t believe him then. But now I do. I believe in the change that’s coming when I step out of this house and get into my car, knowing my future waits for me . . . and what a future it will be.
By the time I pull up outside the apartment complex, my jitters have long gone and only excited anticipation lingers in their place. I let my engine idle, rolling down the windows and basking in the sun.
I don’t know how long I sit there, my eyes closed as soft piano music echoes through the speakers, but when I switch the engine off and step out of the car, there he is: already waiting for me.
The boy I met over twelve years ago, his hair tucked behind a backwards cap and a BU Bears sweater covering his broad frame. When his lips tip up at the sides, I’m taken back to that very first day. The day my life changed at only eight years old, and a young Maverick Brady worked his way into my heart and soul, and refused to leave, despite the obstacles in our path as the years passed.
My heart races and butterflies take flight in my stomach as his legs carry him over the asphalt, eating up the space between us. No matter how many times I look at him, that feeling remains and I hope it never goes away.
“You took your time,” he says when he reaches me, his hand threading through my hair. He tips my head back, his lips hovering over mine. “I was pretty sure I was going to have to carry you out the car.”
“Uh-uh.” I press my lips to his, my arms curling around his neck. “I just needed a moment.”
“Are you good now?” he asks, his hands moving to my thighs. He hoists me up, wrapping me around his body as he slips the keys from my back pocket and takes us through the doors and up the stairs that lead to our new home.
“Never better.”
“Good,” he whispers, pressing my back to the door of our apartment as he fiddles with the key. “Because I have something for you, and I need you here with me for it, okay?”
“Okayyyy . . .” He pulls back slightly, a smug smirk on his face as he winks at me. “What are you up to, Maverick Brady?”
“You’ll see.” The door opens, and he drops me down, spinning me by my hips. A gasp leaves me as I take in the open-plan living room. Hibiscus flowers lay on almost every surface, the same ones as on my tattoo, and feathers are sprinkled around them.
“What is this?” I breathe, stepping forward. The whole room is covered, but in the center lays his jersey, the one from high school with the number fifteen plastered on the back. “Maverick?”
“You told me once upon a time that jersey made you want to find your own purpose.” I nod, unable to find any words. “That day, my life changed forever, Bumblebee. I went from a lost boy who didn’t know his place in this world, to someone with purpose, because of you. You gave me that. So now I want to give it back to you. You may have that day inked into your skin forever, your own dreams laced into that tattoo. But I want to be a part of them too. I want to chase every one of your dreams and be there when you catch them. I want to live with you, for the rest of my life.”
He moves forward, stopping as he reaches me. For a moment, I think he will pull me into his arms or press a kiss to my lips as he’s done a thousand times before, but instead, he drops to the floor, resting on one knee.
“Mav . . .” I sputter breathlessly, my eyes growing glassy.
“So, Beatrice Marie Fletcher. Promise me a lifetime,” he says, pulling a small blue box free from his pocket. My hands tremble at my sides, and I drop myself down too, resting on my calves. “Promise me that wherever you lead, I can follow, and that you’ll love me today, tomorrow, and always. Promise me that you’ll live, Bumblebee. Live with me, forever.”
“I promise.” I nod, tears rolling over my cheeks as he pulls open the box revealing the most stunning solitaire round-cut diamond. It’s large, but simple. Like us. “Every day, for the rest of my life.”
He slides the ring onto my finger before he cups my face and pulls me against him as he claims my lips. I feel it then, a lifetime of love and promises in a single kiss.
Maybe to some, we’re too young for this moment, to take this next step together. But when he pulls back, his eyes misting over and his smile wide with love and hope, I know this is it. He’s my one.
Maverick Brady saved my life; the least I can do is spend the rest of it loving him.
Epilogue Two
Maverick
Five years later . . .
The crowd roars as the ball flies through the air, landing in my hand. I run, as I’ve done so many times before, but it’s different today. Today there’s more strength behind my legs, more power in my arms as I rush the length of the field.
My name is chanted over and over, excited cheers echoing over my head before I shut them down, focusing only on the end zone. Bodies run at my side, but I block them out too. Knowing today the only thing I can do is win.
I made a promise to a girl a long time ago. I promised I’d take it all the way, and that even when the days got darker, I’d never stop. Dark days did come after that, so many of them pulling us apart, but we found ourselves again, and that promise still stands.
Today, I’ll win the Vince Lombardi trophy for that girl.
She’s out there somewhere, watching as I make the run of a lifetime.
My feet touch the goal line, and the ball falls from my hand, hitting the grass with a light thump. My heart races as I lift my head up, waiting for that final bell to call. Six points, six points was all we needed to make it, and I got them.
The buzzer blows, and my smile is wide as I tear off my helmet. The team rushes me, throwing their arms around me before they hoist me into the air, tossing me up and down. Laughter rings around us when they drop me to the ground and I spin, but my expression freezes as my eyes find her.
Standing there, at the end of the field, is my girl. Her cheeks flush with joy, and the most breathtaking smile on her lips. The jersey she wears is old, one I was given over thirteen years ago, one that has given me purpose so many days before.
My feet eat up the space, and her gaze snaps up, her eyes lighting with fire as her feet take off. She runs to me, meeting me halfway, and dives into my arms. Catching her, as I always do, I swing her around, her bright laughter warming every single part of me.
“You did it,” she breathes in my ear. Her body trembles as I put her down, and she flicks her gaze over the crowd that starts to amble down the steps. Those same triggers are still there for her, and large busy crowds aren’t her comfort space, but she always shows up, just for me.
“Hey, Bumblebee.” I lean down, cupping her face and bringing it up to mine. I place a sweet kiss on her lips, savoring her taste before I whisper, “Tell me five things.”
She shakes her head, her eyes softening at my words. “I don’t need to, not anymore.”
My lips turn down slightly, and she laughs, pressing hers to mine for a moment before pulling away.
“Five things kept me floating through so many of my bad days,” she says, keeping her voice low as celebrations form around us. But as it’s always been, when it’s just me and her, the world disappears until we’re alone in a bubble. “But then, I found you again. And while I may always need to ground myself, I don’t need to see five things anymore. I just need to see one.”
I shudder out a breath, and she presses her hand to my heart, the one with the bright solitaire diamond that now holds a thinner white gold band beneath it, signifying just one of our many promises to each other over the years.
“You. You are my one thing.” She curls her free arm around my neck, her fingers playing with the strands of hair there. “You ground me. You bring me back to life, time and time again, without complaint. Without you, I drown. But when you’re here, with me, I thrive. You are everything, Maverick Brady.”
I lift her into my body, her legs wrapping around me in an instant as I start toward where the team waits for me. She presses a light kiss to my pulse point, and a shudder racks over me. The team calls out to me as I get near, but I only look down at the girl in my arms, knowing there’s one more thing I have to tell her, and it’s something she needs to hear.
“You’re wrong, you know?” She pulls back, looking at me as her brows dip. “You don’t need me to thrive, not anymore. You’ve been doing that all on your own this whole time, Bumblebee. I’m just the lucky bastard that gets to come along for the ride of a lifetime.”
She smiles then, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“A single lifetime with you will never be enough,” she whispers. “Promise me every lifetime.”
The end.
Acknowledgments
Now I normally write a whole list of thank yous on this page, but really there’s only one person to thank today, and he’s kind of the most important one. So … to my husband: thank you. Thank you for being my Maverick on the days when I can’t breathe, and for wading into the water and pulling me out when I can’t swim. You have saved my life in more ways than I can ever explain, and I owe you a lifetime of gratitude for that. I like you on the good days, and I tolerate you on the bad, but through it all, I love you. Thank you for being my lifeline and bringing me back to life when I needed it the most. You are the greatest decision I’ve ever made!
And as always, I must thank you—the reader. Thank you for coming on this journey with me and walking through the shadows to find the sun. It wasn’t an easy one, and when we thought we were taking a step forward, we wound up taking two back. But that’s the reality of living with mental illness. The days aren’t always good, and often we find ourselves going backwards even when all we want is to move forwards. Thank you for having patience with Beatrice and Maverick through all their bad days, and I hope their happily ever after brought you some joy after all their pain.
Stalk Violet
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Other titles by Violet
Eyam Green Academy
Play By The Rules (Book 1)
Play In The Dark (Book 2 coming soon!)
Our Solum Vow Duet
Till Death Do Us Part(Book 1)
For Better, For Worse (Book 2 coming soon!)
About the Author
Violet Paine lives in Derbyshire, England with her husband, their daughter and fur baby. When she isn’t writing, you can find her tucked up on the couch, wrapped in a duvet with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other.
Violet Paine, Five Things
