I glance back toward Maverick then toward Henry. “We’re still figuring things out.”
Henry pinches his lips together. “Okay then, my wild goose chase was for nothing. Do either of you need a ride back into town or will you be figuring that out as well?”
“If you could let Angie know I’m okay, that’d be great. Otherwise, I think I’ll ride into town with Maverick later today.”
Henry nods slowly and stares at me through narrowed eyes that speak more words than he’s saying. We don’t usually keep this many secrets.
“Okay then,” he manages, his eyes now on Maverick. They know each other, but I’m not sure how well. “You better take care of her, or I know where to find you.”
Maverick reaches out his hand toward Henry. “I will.”
Henry nods and walks back toward his truck, my heart set on full speed. There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for him. He’s kind and sweet and he’s all over the place with love and acceptance, but there are some things that I need to figure out for myself.
Once the door is closed and Henry is pulling back down the driveway, Maverick turns me toward him. “Why do you think the hospital was calling?”
I shrug. “I really did rush out. Maybe it’s a wellness check or something. I worked pretty closely with the social worker the whole time. Besides, I had Henry down as an emergency only contact. Plus, the social worker knew I was keeping the adoption private until everything went through so she wouldn’t have called him unless it was absolutely necessary.”
Maverick stares back at me and I watch as the wheels turn in his head. “Right, so maybe you should call them back.”
“What are you thinking?”
He shrugs, but I already know what he’s thinking. He thinks maybe the parents changed their minds, and the social worker was calling to let me know.
“I can’t let my heart go there, Maverick. If I do, and it’s a no again, it’s only going to crush me more.”
“And if it’s a yes?”
Excitement flutters through me at the thought of ayes, at the thought of bringing the kids home to the room I painted and decorated to look like a fairy garden, at the thought of raising them next to this man standing next to me. For some reason, my whirlwind fantasy makes me laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Maverick’s hand is on my shoulder.
“Nothing, I just… I know this is all going to come crashing down and I’m not ready for it. Every time I get my hopes up, I’m disappointed.”
“Every night the moon has dreams of being awake all day, but the sun crushes his fantasies. Though, every night, he tries again.” Maverick kisses my forehead. “You have to call them. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
I’m not sure I’d have the strength to do this on my own, but with Maverick next to me, I really do feel like I can handle more. And right now, I think I have a call to make.