Page 3 of The Maverick's Homecoming

“Come on.” She gave the stool another tap. “Have a seat. Catch me up on the life of an NFL superstar.”

Still, he hesitated to take the stool. “I wasn’t a superstar for all that long.” He eyed her with concern. “And you still look pale.”

“I promise you, I’m fine. And you know what? If you’re not in the mood to tell me what you’ve been up to, that’s okay with me. Just sit down beside me and let me cry on your shoulder. I could use an old friend to talk to right now.”

“A friend?” He smiled then, his real smile, the one that used to make her heart beat faster. “You mean that?” He sounded so young. And hopeful, too.

She smiled right back at him. “Stranger things have happened. Come on, it’s been years. I’d say it’s time to let the past go.”

Finn took the stool. “Okay, Kenzie. Talk.”

Why not? she thought. He was here and willing to listen.

And she truly did need to vent.

So she talked. She explained that she and her ex-husband, Tate, had agreed that they both wanted kids and couldn’t wait to start a family. “So we got married and bought a house. Time went by. Suddenly, it’s five years after the wedding and I’m still on birth control.”

He asked the logical question. “Why?”

“Tate said he wasn’t ready. He traveled for work and he said his job was stressful. He needed time to get established before starting the family he said wanted so much. I kept after him. Finally, a year ago, he agreed to start trying. So we tried. A few months went by. I didn’t get pregnant. We kept trying. But not all that hard. As I said, Tate traveled for work and he was gone a lot.” And was Finn looking at her funny? She felt bold right then and wanted to be honest, so she just went ahead and asked him… “Are you thinking about the baby I lost when we were dating?”

His face flushed cherry red. “No! I didn’t say that.”

“But are you thinking about it?” She leaned in closer. “Finn, I can still have children. That was never the issue. My doctor says there’s no reason I won’t conceive. Yes, I had a miscarriage back in high school.” She’d lost the baby at the end of their senior year. And the experience had been heartbreaking—for her and for him, too. “But sometimes that happens in the early months of pregnancy. I promise you, there’s no reason I can’t have a successful pregnancy one of these days.”

“Gotcha,” he said. He looked really uncomfortable.

And now, she felt guilty. Just because she was feeling bold and honest didn’t mean he had to be. “I’m oversharing, right?”

“Kenzie, no. You are not oversharing. Honestly.”

“So…you’re just dying to hear all this?”

He bobbed his head in a nod. “Yep. Go on.”

“Okay, then.” She shrugged. “It’s pretty simple. Tate had begun making those not-ready-for-fatherhood noises again. And then, not all that long ago, out of the blue, Tate tells me that he’s been doing some soul-searching and he’s realized that marriage and kids aren’t for him, after all. He asked for a divorce. And the next day, he moved out.”

“Where is that jerk now?”

She gave a low laugh. “Remember. You asked.”

“Yes, I did. Where is he?”

“As of now, Tate has moved back home to Denver after living in Vegas for six weeks to fulfill the residency requirement for our quickie divorce.” She waved the papers at him again. “Which, as you can see, is now signed, sealed and delivered.”

Finn proceeded to say all the right things—how Tate was a waste of space and somebody ought to make a quick trip to Denver to rearrange his face.

“I appreciate the support,” she said mildly. “But the truth is, I’m glad that he’s gone. It wasn’t going to work. Yeah, it’s a shock. I’ll get over it, though. Today’s a bad day but tomorrow will be better.”

Finn was shaking his head. “If you say so…”

“I do.”

“Fine, then. I’ll hold myself back from paying your ex a little visit. But sheesh, no wonder you were feeling sick.”

She realized she was actually glad that he’d followed her into the bar. “Honestly, Finn. Thanks for listening. I feel much better now.” The ginger ale had really helped—as did having her high-school boyfriend’s broad shoulder to cry on.

True, he’d walked away from her that summer right after high school. At the time, she’d nurtured a burning resentment toward him.