One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

“Hey, hey, baby.” Mackenzie called out to her baby girl, squatting before her and patting the back of her head.

Calista’s tear filled eyes looked up at her, and Mackenzie swallowed hard. They had just finished breakfast, and Mackenzie was only half done with clearing the dishes when Calista began asking for her father.

“You don’t have to cry, baby.” She kissed Calista’s right cheek, but it did not seem to be enough.

The little girl continued to stare at her with sad eyes.

“I had a dream last night, and I saw daddy. Did I really see my daddy yesterday?”

Mackenzie’s heart twisted in her chest, a sharp and painful twist. She cupped Calista’s cheeks and smiled sweetly at her.

“Of course baby, you saw your daddy. He spent the whole day with you and Cameron, and even tucked you to sleep.”

“But he didn’t sleep on Cameron’s bed, so where is he?” Calista replied, stubbornly.

Mackenzie heaved a sigh, and looked around the small dining room before she said anything.

“Don’t worry baby, okay? Daddy would be here in no time. He just has a lot of work to do, but as soon as he is done, I promise he would come, okay?”

Calista sniffed in her tears and nodded her head. Mackenzie’s smile broadened. She kissed her daughter’s forehead, and turned to look at her puppy.

“Why don’t you play with Rony? I can tell he misses you.” Mackenzie asked Calista. She watched as the little girl’s eyes softened at her puppy. Calista climbed down from the chair and knelt beside Rony.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

As her hand rubbed her dog’s body, Mackenzie watched her with flushed cheeks. She placed a hand on Calista’s shoulder, and Calista turned to look at her.

“Why don’t we do something in the yard for daddy, before he comes?”

Calista’s hazel eyes sparkled with delight.

“Really mummy?”

“For sure.” Mackenzie chuckled.

Mackenzie had to keep the children busy one way or the other. She had asked Charlotte to keep Cameron company, and make sure he watches as many TV shows as possible to take his mind off everything. As for Calista, she intended to keep her daughter’s mind and hands busy, until she could fall asleep.

Mackenzie took her daughter to the yard and spent hours working on her wood work with her. Calista assisted her in bringing materials, picking up nails from the ground and putting it into the trash can. Mother and daughter talked and laughed as they worked.

~~

Uncle Maverick, hearing all that had happened, knew he needed to see Mackenzie.

When he got to her home, he met Charlotte and Cameron in the living room. The little boy’s laugh threatened to tear the walls down.

Maverick was happy to see him that way, especially with all that was happening. He asked after Mackenzie, and Charlotte told him she was in the yard with Calista.

Maverick spoke to Cameron for a short while, before he walked into the house to look around, before going to the yard.

It was then he saw Mackenzie’s phone ring. It was the Axford bastard calling again. What the fuck did he want from Mackenzie that his family had not already taken?

He ended the call as soon as he could, and made his way to Mackenzie’s small workshop in the yard.

Calista and Mackenzie were there, just as Charlotte had said. Calista was the the first to catch sight of him. Her cheeks spread into a broad smile as she threw her arms wide open and ran towards him.

“Uncle Maverick!”

Maverick picked her up from the ground and twirled her around. She laughed, blushing as she closed her eyes.

“Cameron needs you inside, my darling. He wants to show you something on the TV.” Maverick spoke, when he placed her feet on the ground.

“Okay!” Calista called out happily and dashed into the house, leaving him and Mackenzie all alone. Mackenzie was still smiling, seated on a stool, hands covered in black gloves, with a dusty yellow apron tied around her neck.

He sucked in a deep breath before he walked up to her. Mackenzie’s smile did not dwindle, not even after he met her eyes with a scowl.

“What are you doing here, Mackenzie?”

It was in that moment she corked her left brown in query.

“What?”

“What?” He repeated, mimicking her voice.

“You’re really calm, after everything that happened, in the middle of all that’s happening.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes and shook her head as she smiled. He was always one to worry, even much more than her.

“Uncle Maverick, over here,” she gestured to a stool beside her. “Come, have a seat.”

“I can’t sit, Mackenzie. I was overwhelmed with work, and that’s why I couldn’t come yesterday. And when I called Charlotte, she said you had gone to the park with the kids!”

“Maverick…”

“How can you be so nonchalant, Mackenzie? This family is ready to take your kids, everything, just like they did before. Is that… is that what you want?” Maverick’s voice quivered as he spoke, a mix of concern and frustration evident in his demeanor. Mackenzie could sense that he was genuinely worried about her, and she felt grateful for his concern.

She let out a sigh and settled deeper into the stool. “Maverick, you’ve always known that I intended to tell Chase. The father of the children deserves to know they are his. There’s no point in hiding it any longer. He knows now, and he’ll have to protect his children alongside me.” She set down the mallet she had been holding and folded her hands beneath her chest.

“Protect the kids with you?” Maverick scoffed.

“Mackenzie, you have no idea. How can you blindly trust a man like him?” He took a few steps closer to her, his gaze intense. “Listen to me, Mackenzie. The wealthy can be ruthless. I’ve worked with them countless times. They’re ruthless, selfish, and callous. They don’t care.” His tone was urgent, as if he was pleading for her to see reason.

“Since the children are his, he might take them away and leave you with nothing. We need to leave right away!”

Mackenzie blinked rapidly, her confusion evident. “What?”

“Yes, Kenzie. Listen to me. I’ve made some arrangements. You’ll be safe. We won’t go to North Dakota. I’ve rented an apartment in another city. They’ll never find you there.”

She stared at him for a moment, her thoughts racing. He had caught her off guard.

“Come on, Mackenzie. Say something.”

She was about to respond, but his words had left her speechless.

“Look, Uncle Maverick, I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for the children and me. But why are you so concerned? To the point of renting an apartment and…”

“Don’t you know, Mackenzie?”

Her question hung in the air as he cut her off, his gaze intensifying. He closed the distance between them and settled onto the stool he had initially declined.

Mackenzie’s eyes flitted over his face, avoiding his penetrating stare.

“Know what?” She whispered.

Maverick chuckled softly, his hand reaching out to touch hers. “You’re the one I’ve always wanted, Mackenzie. Even before you met Jeffrey, that jerk…”

Her heart raced, and instinctively, she started to pull away, but he continued speaking.

“I’ve loved you for a long time, Mackenzie. I kept it to myself, waiting for the right moment, the right time. You always referred to me as your uncle, even before we were family. I just wanted to give you space to… grow, to go through college, to flourish.”

Mackenzie’s pulse quickened, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes avoiding his gaze. This revelation had caught her off guard, leaving her at a loss for words.

Mackenzie started to speak, but her lips felt too heavy to move. She continued to bat her lashes at him, stull awestruck by his confession.

When she finally found her voice, she rose from the stool and looked down at him.

“Uncle Maverick,”

“That title again.” He muttered underneath his breath, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

“You have always been like an uncle to me, even though we are not related. I have always seen you like that, and I am not sure I can see you as anything else. Honestly, I am not going to lead you on, but it would never work between us.”

“And you think it’ll work between you and Chase?” He fired back, rising from his stool so that he towered above her.

Mackenzie stepped backwards.

She looked over him once more, before she replied.

“Even though it doesn’t work between him and I, I would never see you as a love interest. I…I just can’t.”

Maverick did not say another word. His broad shoulders, hidden underneath his black T-shirt, fell. The hurt that glittered in his brown eyes could not be missed. He kissed his teeth, raising his right hand to rake his fingers through his brown hair.

She had hurt him, but there was nothing she could do. Mackenzie couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different, had he confessed his feelings to her before she met Jeffrey. She could remember having a crush on him when she was eleven. He was older and very handsome, but she had soon outgrown it.

She wanted to reach for him, but decided against it. She cared about him, but not in the way he wanted, never in the way he wanted.

“I am willing to try, Mackenzie. Okay? I can’t give up just yet. I have been waiting for all these years, Kenzie. All these years you were with Jeffrey, and I saw it as my own personal miracle when you came back.”

Mackenzie sighed and looked away from him.

“You were hurt, so I knew I had to wait. I cannot let some other person come and take you away from me now, I just can’t.” He continued to plead.

Mackenzie didn’t know when she had begun to frown, but when she met his eyes again, hers held a subtle warning.

“Uncle Maverick, this isn’t right. I have promised Chase that I would stay put, I can’t just up and leave!”

“The children, what if they are in danger?”

“Some security details would be coming to guard the house soon. And when they leave for school, they’ll be guarded as well.” Mackenzie bit back.

“I would protect my children as I have been protecting them. I am not relying on Chase, but I know that he would do anything to keep them safe.” When she saw him scoff, she dared to take a step closer to him.

“Look, uncle Maverick. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the kids and I, I really do. I really want to pay you back, believe me. But I can’t give you what you want.”

Maverick dropped his gaze to the ground and sighed.

“You have no idea what these people are capable of doing, Mackenzie.

“Uncle…” He turned his back to her and walked out of the small workshop. Mackenzie stood still and watched him walk back to his car.

While the children called after him, Charlotte and Felicity rushed to Mackenzie. They had heard everything.

They met her on her feet, stupefied.

“I’m sorry, Mackenzie.” Charlotte patted her shoulders gently.

“I have always known.”

Mackenzie sent her a stern glare, and Charlotte raised her hands in surrender.

“No, no, don’t get me wrong. I am not pushing you to him. I just never expected him to come out to you.”

Felicity watched Charlotte speak. She made sure not to say a thing. Mackenzie fell into her stool and continued to speak to Charlotte and Felicity. She was tired.

“Mummy, mummy!” Calista’s voice caught the attention of the three women.

“There’s something on the news!” She pointed at the house.

The three ladies exchanged questioning looks.

Mackenzie’s heart sunk into her chest.

The news.