“C’mon!” Maverick takes off as soon as Orion helps him down from the truck, leaving us to run after him.
We follow him into the school and down the hall to his classroom.
“Good morning, Maverick,” Miss Jenna greets him. “Go take your seat on the rug, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He shuffles past her, winding through the children already clustered on the rug, until he finds his assigned spot.
“Frankie, it’s so good to see you again,” she says warmly before turning to Orion. “You must be this O I’ve heard so much about.”
His cheeks blush, and I love it. “Orion Cartwright.” He offers her his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’re so glad y’all could join us. Feel free to grab a chair in the back of the room and we’ll get started.”
How are we the last ones here? School doesn’t officially start for another ten minutes!
Orion takes my hand in his, stroking my knuckles with his thumb as we listen to parent after parent talk about their profession.
So far, we’ve had a baker, a doctor, and an engineer.
“Next up we have Maverick and his…” Jenna pauses and clears her throat. “Orion.”
If anyone else catches her blunder, they don’t react. Thank God.
“This is Orion,” Maverick says once they get to the front of the classroom. “I call him O. He owns a ‘struction business, and one day, he’s gonna be my dad!”
I nearly fall out of my seat at my son’s bold declaration, but Orion… he looks cool as a cucumber.
Seriously, how is he so calm? My heart feels like a runaway train bound for derailment. I mean, my son just announced to his entire class that he wants Orion to be his dad.
“Deep breaths,” the mom next to me murmurs, rubbing my back in soothing circles. “That’s right, in and out.”
Guess someone did notice.
“Thanks,” I whisper back, my cheeks still burning hotter than the sun. But hey, I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out anymore, so that’s a win.
“…and that’s what it’s like to own a construction company.”
I snap my focus back to Orion, just in time to hear the end of his speech. I feel bad missing it, but my brain feels like it’s mashed potatoes and I’m still not sure how to process Maverick’s declaration.
It’s not that I don’t want that for us; I mean, it’s clearly the path we’re on, but I also don’t want him to get his hopes up.
Clearly Orion loves my son like he’s his own, but I have no idea if he wants to adopt him, much less how he feels about Mav calling him dad.
I guess we have a lot to talk about at lunch…
“Wait, so, you’re really letting me come home?” Maverick asks, bouncing on his toes as he waits for Orion to unlock the truck. “Like, I for real don’t have to finish school today?”
“Not today, bud.” Orion ruffles his hair. I swear, the sight of the two of them together will never not make my heart squeeze in my chest.
“But why?” He drags the word out. “What are we gonna do?” Bless his heart, I can practically see his brain exploding. But, to be fair, he’s never left school early before.
Orion opens the back door, bracing Maverick from behind as he climbs up into his seat. “I thought we could get lunch—”
“Can we get pizza?” Mav whips around to face Orion, his puppy dog eyes in full effect. “Please!”
“I’m fine with whatever y’all want,” I say, meaning it. Mostly because I’m still obsessing over how to talk to Orion about everything Maverick said.
He’s told me over and over that he’s all in, and I believe him—I do. But stepping into an official dad role is a big deal. Even if he’s already rocking it, unofficially.
Orion buckles Mav’s chest clip and then steps down, his brow furrowed. “I had reservations—” he starts, but then shakes his head and says, “—you know what, pizza sounds perfect.”
“Yes!” Maverick throws both hands over his head in a celebration. “This is the best day ever!”
The drive to Mr. T’s is quick, and somehow, we manage to beat the lunch crowd. I defer to Orion when it comes to toppings; I’m too busy working up the courage to say what I need to say.
“Can we get ice cream after?” Maverick asks as we crowd around one of the small tables filling the space. “I want mine with sprinkles. Please, Mama?”
“Sure,” I reply, because you can’t get Mr. T’s pizza and not get ice cream. “But I have something I want to talk to y’all about.”
“Is everything okay?” Orion clears his throat.
“Yeah, it’s just…” I suck in a deep breath. “Mav, what did you mean when you told your class that Orion was going to be your dad?”
God love him, my son looks at me like I’m a total idiot, before sighing and saying, “‘Cause he will, Mama.” He turns to Orion. “You wanna be my dad, right?”