BK 5 - Chapter 39 - Maxie
Once everyone had left the house, Cat, Kitty, and Janel went to Valerie's room. She had mentioned in the past that she was going to leave something for them when it was her time to join Roger. They began searching, but it didn't take long. Valerie had left letters for every member of the family. Even their youngest, Penelope.
"What do you think we should do?" Kitty asked. There were even letters for Jamie, Raylee, and Asher.
"Let's keep the letters, and we can pass them out to everyone after the funeral once everyone else has left, and it's just the family," Cat replied as she closed the giant bag. She wanted to open hers but thought it best for them to all do it together.
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Maxie left Grandma Valerie's birthday party in tears. It was supposed to be a day of celebration, but instead, it was a day of grief. One of the most important people in their lives was taken from them. Her mom, Carmen, asked if she wanted to stay with them, but Maxie just wanted to be alone. Her cousins were meeting their mates like they were falling out of the sky, but she'd had no luck so far.
She pulled over on the side of the road as her sobs shook her body so badly she couldn't drive safely. Maxie had always been on the shyer side like Dexter, but she didn't have his genius brain. She thought of herself as the ugly duckling of the family. She was a werelion, but she didn't feel like one. Her hair was light brown, but she thought it looked like dirty dishwater. No matter what she did, her hair always seemed frizzy, so she wore it in a long braid. Her eyes were dark brown, not blue or green like many of her family. In Maxie's opinion, she was just plain.
She spent a lot of time talking to Grandma Valerie about how she never felt like she was part of the family. No one ever treated her differently. In fact, they treated her like everyone else, but she never felt like she fit in. Grandma Valerie would talk to her for hours and could always make her feel better. Maxie thought about never being able to hug her or listen to her stories about when she and Grandpa Roger met. Why did she have to leave?
*"I know you're sad, but you're not alone. I'm here, and we can go to anyone's house, and they'll welcome you with open arms."* Maxie's lion Cali mindlinked her. She was grieving too for Grandma Valerie, but she was worried about what this loss would do to Maxie.
*"I know Cali, but I already miss her so much. I know I can talk to Grandma Cat or Aunt Lisa or mom or anyone else, but Grandma Valerie was the one who understood me and made me feel safe."* Maxie took a deep, shaky breath and pulled back onto the road. Unlike most of her cousins, she opted out of going to college. Instead, she helped out at the group homes full-time. She loved the kids she helped care for.
She was almost at her apartment when she heard a loud bang. Maxie's car suddenly lost control and went down an embankment, coming to a stop against a tree. It was dark, and where she was, there were no streetlights. Luckily she could see clearly with her werelion vision. Her car was a mess, but she wasn't injured. Maxie opened her car door and stepped out. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she collapsed on the ground and started crying. This was just what she needed after already feeling like crap. She didn't even have the energy to call for help.
"Hang on, I'm coming down." Maxie heard a man's voice and raised her head from the ground.
"Don't bother. I'm fine." She replied, not moving from where she lay. Maxie looked up at the sky as her tears fell. A man suddenly appeared above her, looking her over from head to toe.
"Where are you hurt? Don't move. I'll call for an ambulance." He said, kneeling next to her. Maxie stared into his handsome face and suddenly felt tongue-tired. He had shoulder-length, black, wavy hair and pale blue eyes.
*"Touch him now. He's our mate."* Cali said excitedly. He pulled out his phone to make a call, and Maxie grabbed his hand before he could dial. She felt the sparks immediately and felt like crying again. There was no way a man like that was going to accept a mate like her. He gasped, and his eyes widened.
"I don't need an ambulance. I'm not hurt." She said softly, keeping her hand on his.
"You're lying on the ground crying." He replied. Maxie slowly removed her hand and looked up at the sky.
"I'm crying because my grandmother died tonight, and then I got into an accident on my way home. I'm lying down because I can't take any more right now. I don't have the energy to move." Maxie glanced at him as her eyes filled with tears.
"My name is Buddy. What's yours?" He asked as he lay on his back next to Maxie. She glanced at him in shock. What was he doing?
"I'm Maxie. Your name is Buddy?" She asked. That wasn't a name she pictured a grown man having. He turned toward her with a small smile.
"My parents named me Bradford, but I never liked that name, so I preferred to be called Buddy. That's all anyone knows me by now." He watched her face soften slightly. She still looked sad, but he hoped he could make her feel a little better.
When Buddy had seen her tire blow and her car go down the embankment, he was scared about what he would find when he reached the car. Seeing her on the ground crying, he thought she'd been thrown from the vehicle. He didn't know what was drawing him to her, but he just couldn't leave. Even through the sadness and tears, he could see her beauty.
"You don't have to stay here. I'll get up and go home soon." Maxie said, looking back up at the sky. Her heart ached at the thought of him leaving and never seeing him again, but having him reject her after everything else would be too much for her to bear.
"I'm sorry about your grandma and your car. I can't leave you here alone. I don't have anywhere else to be, so lying here looking at the stars with a beautiful woman is better than going home alone." Buddy glanced over and smiled when he saw Maxie's face was red.
"Thanks, but I'm not beautiful or even pretty. I'm plain. Being anywhere else would be better than being here with someone like me." Maxie turned away from him. Buddy rolled over onto his side and took her hand. He didn't know what those spark things meant, but he'd never felt anything like them before.
"You are beautiful, and if anyone tells you anything different, they're lying." Maxie looked at him; he was so close she could look right into his blue eyes. She wanted to tell him he was her mate, but she was scared of what his reaction would be.
"Thank you for saying that and for stopping to check on me." Maxie turned onto her side. Buddy brushed her hair out of her eyes and let his hand linger on her cheek.
"How about we call someone to take care of your car, and you let me take you somewhere to talk until you feel a little better?" Buddy didn't want to leave her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go.
"You don't have to do that," Maxie replied, looking down and then back into his eyes. She wanted to go with him but didn't want to get attached if it wasn't going to end well. Buddy moved closer to her and rested his hand on her side.
"I know I don't have to, but I want to. Will you please come with me?" Maxie's body was on fire with his hand on her.
"Yes, I'll go with you." Cali was doing somersaults in her head with excitement. Buddy stood up and held his hand out to pull Maxie to her feet. She stopped breathing when he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"You looked like you needed a hug. I hope you don't mind." Buddy said, rubbing his hand up and down her back. Maxie shivered against him. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.
"Thank you." She said against his chest.
"Are you guys okay?" A man asked, shining a light on them. When they looked up, they could see the telltale signs of a police car.
"Her tire blew out, and her car slid down here. She has no injuries." Buddy answered as he held Maxie's hand to help her back up to the road.
"Have you called a tow truck yet?" The officer asked. Buddy saw the way his eyes looked over Maxie, and he didn't like it. He put his arm around her, staking a claim he didn't have a right to do, but she wasn't pushing him away, so he figured she was okay with it.
"No, can you take care of that, please? Here's my card; just let me know where you take the car." Buddy handed the officer one of his business cards, and the officer's demeanor changed immediately.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Grant." He answered, pulling out his radio. Maxie looked at Buddy in confusion as he led her to a black Lamborghini.
"Mr. Grant?" She asked while brushing the dirt off her clothes from lying on the ground. Buddy smiled and raised her hand to his lips.
"Don't call me that, call me Buddy." He said as she got into the car.
Buddy Grant. Why did that name sound familiar to her? Maxie gasped when he got into the car.
"You're Buddy Grant?" She asked in disbelief. Now that she looked at him, she felt like a fool. Buddy Grant had been lying on the ground, comforting her.
"Yeah," He answered simply. Maxie closed her eyes as he pulled away. Just her luck. Her mate was one of the most famous actors in the world. There was no way he would accept her as a mate. She looked out the window as her tears fell. Today really was going to be the worst day of her life.
