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She already belonged to him in every way and had a legal recording of their marriage. Nothing stopped her from telling him she had fallen in love with him. They'd dealt with things an average couple would never go through.

Maverick had stepped over the edge when he'd scammed to get her to Seaglass Cove and held her hostage in what she believed was her new home. He subjected her to fears she never knew existed.

Looking back, in some weird way, she coped with the kidnapping by taking the time to see the positive in Maverick. He was a hard man. Almost impossible to know if she relied on conversations. But she'd witnessed how he acted with Skye. She'd seen the emotions slip over his bearded face. Over time, her fears had disappeared.

She was thankful for having the summer with Skye. Skye was her family, but she got lost somewhere in the last four years. She'd looked at raising Skye as a job, a responsibility. There were days she was short on sleep, desperate for patience, and worried about doing everything herself.

She'd hated her sister for what she'd done. She hadn't had time to mourn the loss of her grandma. Barely an adult, she had a crash course in finding out the world was a hard, unforgiving place, and she was alone without anyone to ask for help.

And then to be responsible for a four year old. She blew out her breath. Those were wild times. She and Skye learned to live with each other. They'd struggled, but they survived.

When Maverick entered her life, he'd unconsciously lightened her load.

He let her appreciate the blessing of raising her sister's child. Today, most of her anger toward Janelle was gone.

Whether it was finding herself kidnapped and having to protect Skye, she'd come to realize that every single person was dealt hardships in life that needed conquering.

Life was ugly.

Experiences hurt.

When she could sit back and see how far she'd come, growth couldn't be measured in inches but love.

She was given the time to see the beauty in Maverick, and that was something she wasn't going to let slip away.

She turned onto the back street, drove past the pool, honked her horn, and waved behind her when Maverick cut down the alley to go behind the clubhouse. At the end of the block, she parked on the side of the building and walked into the coffee shop.

Loving her job, she smiled at Dania taking down her apron. "Ready to work, boss."

"Boss." Dania scoffed. "The only one I boss around is Erik."

She laughed, knowing Dania's husband would always tease his wife right back. "Can you believe we're already into October?"

"I'm overwhelmed already." Dania unlocked the register and slipped in the cash drawer. "New month, new schedule. Mariah wants to start gymnastics at the community center on top of swimming—which, by the way, you'll have to close the shop today. I must leave at three-thirty to get to the pool before rec swim ends and pick her up. Thank goodness for lifeguards watching the kids. I swear, they save my butt each week because I can't be in two places at once."

"No problem. I can close up," said Brooke.

Dania groaned. "Soon, the holidays will be here, and things will get busy at the shop. It would be nice to have one more employee here to help."

"We'll work it out." She poured coffee into the maker. "Skye starts swimming next Monday. I need baby steps to get used to adding more activities to my day. I can't imagine how you accomplish everything. I'm going to watch and take notes, not only at work but how you handle Mariah's social life."

"I'm a bad example to follow. It's a learn as I go process." Dania pushed through the swinging door, going to the back.

Brooke turned on both machines and flipped the sign in the door. Whether she was ready or not, her day had begun.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Maverick stepped out of the bathroom at the clubhouse, handed the sack of clothes he'd worn to dispose of the body to Bane, and checked the time on his phone. He was cutting it close. He had to pick up Skye at the school in a half hour.

Jagger walked with him to the back door. "Did you have any problems finishing the job?"

He shook his head. The club had no worries about him talking about the jobs he completed for Havlin. Club business stayed within the members, and he wanted the dirt to stay far away from his family.

"Take a few days off. I'll have Bane put you back on rotation for the parts shop next week until we need you again."

He held out his hand.

"We'll need to talk about how you'll handle cleanup for the club in the future." Jagger clasped Maverick's hand, stopping him from leaving. "And how you'll deal with a wife."