Page 130 of Savage Heart

“Really? What about him?”

Linc clears his throat, and I wonder if he’s trying to work up his nerve. “I’ve lived next door to him my whole life. At the trailer park we might as well be in the same house. I know what he’s eating for dinner just by smelling it, and we’re usually eating together anyway.”

“Right.”

“And I know it’s not like Otis will disappear or anything,” he continues quickly. “We’d still see him. But it would be different. He wouldn’t be right there. And . . . I think we need each other to . . . be right there.”

I reach in my purse for a tissue because this is just too much.

Linc’s voice gets quieter. “So I would miss that. A lot.” He draws in a breath. “But everything else about living here with you sounds like a dream come true. Mom deserves a home where she doesn’t have to worry all the time. And I think you need us too. Because you seemed lonely when I first got here, and now you don’t.”

I hear Maverick’s exhale and can imagine his eyes might be full of tears by now too.

“How did you get so wise?” Maverick asks, his voice gruff.

“My mom and Otis. They’re pretty smart.”

“Yeah, they are,” Maverick says softly. “I have a good idea about what to do for Otis. So you’d be okay with me asking her?”

“Yes.” Linc doesn’t hesitate. “But do it right.”

A faint smile tugs at my mouth.

Maverick sounds amused. “Do it right?”

“Yeah. Not just like, ‘Hey, you wanna move in?’ Make it special.”

Maverick laughs. “Okay. I will do my best to make it special. Thanks for talking with me about this.” He gets serious again. “Your opinion is important to me. I’m not always going to do things perfectly, but I want us to stay open and honest with each other. Okay? Deal?”

“Deal,” Linc says.

There’s movement inside, and I realize with sudden panic that they’re about to come out.

I step back, as quiet as I can manage, and move to the side like I’m just arriving. I inhale hard, forcing my face to neutral. Then I call out, “Linc? I’m here!”

A second later, the door swings wider.

Linc appears first, eyes bright.

“Mom!” he says, rushing toward me. He looks about ready to burst, and I’d laugh if I wasn’t still so close to crying.

Maverick walks up behind him and comes over to wrap his arms around me.

“How much of that did you catch?” he asks in my ear.

I gasp and stare up at him, and he smirks, brushing my hair away from my face.

I sniff and feel my eyes welling up all over again.

“All of it, I think,” I admit.

He nuzzles into my hair, his laugh low.

“How did you know?” I ask.

“When Pickle left us for a few minutes, I figured it out. And there was a little sniffling going on out here.” His eyes crinkle with his smile.

“What?” Linc says, his mouth dropping. “Mom, you were listening?”