“If you do stay in, do you plan on moving bases?” her dad asked. That was a loaded question if ever he’d heard one. Lindsey’s father was fishing on how serious their relationship was and if Maverick was planning on taking her away.

“It’s highly unlikely, sir,” Maverick told him.

What he should probably say was there was a good chance he’d be shipped off at any minute. That way her family would discourage her from dating him and there wouldn’t be a messy breakup at the end. He couldn’t make himself say it, though. He couldn’t say anything that would jeopardize his time with Lindsey.

The inquisition slowed down after that, and the rest of the evening was actually enjoyable. They finished the delicious home-cooked meal, laughed, had another drink with their cigars, and then reluctantly pulled themselves away.

They were both quiet as they made their way back to Lindsey’s cottage. Maverick was worried about what their future together held, and he was sure Lindsey was thinking about her evening at home with her family. They were a bit overwhelming. But they were obviously loving as well.

Mav didn’t want to hurt Lindsey, didn’t want to hurt her family. He’d best figure out what in the hell he was doing and figure it out soon. If this was nothing more than a fling to him, then it would be best for him to walk away. But even having that thought nearly ripped him in two. He didn’t know what to think or what to feel, so he sat there silently, focused instead on driving.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Rain started pouring down as Maverick and Lindsey drove on the freeway away from her parents’ home. She hated to see the evening end, but she didn’t hate being alone with Maverick again. She didn’t even need conversation to feel comfortable with him. She just needed to be in his presence. She enjoyed their drive together as she sat back and listened to the sound of water splashing off the windows of Mav’s truck.

“Want dessert?” he asked, and she immediately perked up.

“I wouldn’t mind ice cream.” She considered ice cream to be a meal, not a dessert. So many people didn’t take ice cream seriously enough.

“My philosophy has always been that no matter how full a person is, there’s always room for ice cream because it just melts anyway and slides around all the other food,” Mav told her. Such insightfulness made her think he must be her soul mate.

“I would have to agree with that,” she told him. “Of course, when you add the peanuts, hot fudge, and cherries, it becomes a little less liquefied.”

“Nah. As long as it’s touching the ice cream, it’s all good.”

They pulled up to a Dairy Queen. She got the Peanut Buster Parfait, while he got a chocolate-dipped cone so he could still drive.

Then he surprised her. Instead of turning toward her cottage, he drove up the mountain and pulled off to park. The rain had tapered off, so they had a view of the city with all its lights sparkling below them.

“I’ve never been up here before,” she told him, enjoying the warmth of the truck and the coolness of her sweet treat.

“Over the years, I’ve come up here a lot with my brothers to go hiking and skiing. I like this spot because of the view.”

“You’ve lived here your whole life then?”

“Yep. We took vacations pretty often, and I’ve been all over the world, but this has always been home,” he told her. “Has it been for you?”

“Yeah. I grew up in that same house we had dinner in with my parents tonight. But after my oldest brother went into business and made a lot of money, he had the place remodeled to make it a lot bigger. My mother told him she didn’t need all that space with the kids almost grown, but he told her she would have grandbabies someday and might want the extra rooms. Once he said that, she told him to make it even bigger. She wanted a house full of screaming kids on Christmas morning,” Lindsey shared.

“My mom would probably like the same. Our home was strict, so there wasn’t much screaming, but my brothers and I got into some loud fights once in a while. We’d get in trouble pretty quickly, though, so we learned to keep it outside as much as possible. Ace was the worst at that. He had a quick temper. I guess we all did, but he was the youngest so he’d get the blame most of the time,” Mav told her.

“You sure miss him a lot, don’t you?” she said as she finished her dessert and turned to look at him.

“Every single day. I know he’ll come back, I just don’t know if I’ll recognize the man he’s turned into.”

Maverick said this with so much sadness she couldn’t help but reach across the seat and pat his hand.

“I’m sure he’s turning into a great man, Maverick. I’ve always heard that it takes guys a whole lot longer to mature than it does women. So by the time he comes home, he should be just as perfect as you are,” she said before she could take the words back.

“You think I’m perfect, huh?” he said as he tugged on her hand.

She was both grateful for and a bit irritated by the divider between them. At the moment she was embarrassed, but oh how she wouldn’t mind being in his arms.

“You’re close to perfect. I’m sure there are a lot of flaws you’ve kept hidden from me, though,” she told him with a nervous laugh.

“You can’t take back something like that once you’ve already said it,” he told her.

“Well, tell me more about yourself, and I’ll be the judge on whether you fit the ‘perfect’ profile or not.”