(ARIELLE''S POV)


    I felt my face heat up. Before Dwayne could notice, I quickly said, louder than necessary,


    "Okay, so much for this. I really need to go, or Maverick and I will bete." I stepped forward, ready to make my escape.


    Dwayne nodded, as calm as ever. "Of course."


    I nodded back and started to walk away, but before I could take another step, two figures appeared, heading straight toward us.


    I froze, casting a questioning look at Dwayne. I didn''t recognize them, but it was clear they were focused on him.


    Dwayne was already tranting my look. "They mean no harm, Arielle. They''re my workers."


    He turned to the two individuals who had already gotten to us. "This is Rodrigo and ire. They''re part of my team and they relocated with me."


    I took a moment to nce at the neers without giving myself away. ire was a tall, imposing woman with short bob-cut hair and piercing grey eyes. She had a nose piercing and a no-nonsense look about her, and I couldn''t help but feel a little fazed.


    Rodrigo, on the other hand, looked a bit more approachable. He was equally tall and lean, with a mane of messy brown hair and warm honey-brown eyes. He smiled at me, and I eased up a bit.


    "And this is Arielle," Dwayne said, ncing at me with a faint pause before finishing. "She''s my... good friend." He stressed the words as if they carried some hidden weight, and I didn''t miss the slight hesitation.


    "Rodrigo and ire will be at your service, Arielle. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to reach out to them. I''ll leave your number with them if you don''t mind."


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. More Mafia bodyguards? Seriously? Do I look like someone who needs an entourage?


    But I held my tongue. Arguing with Dwayne was pointless, especially since I was alreadyte. Besides, if I ever ended up in real danger, it''d probably be because of him or Jared anyway.


    I nodded at the duo, trying to hide my unease.


    "Nice to meet you two."


    Dwayne handed the dog''s leash to ire"I want to say goodbye to Maverick," he said, following me to the car.


    As we walked, I couldn''t help the feeling of curiosity at how he referred to Maverick when he spoke to ire like she knew him. Unable to rein in my curiosity, I asked, "You spoke about Maverick to her like she knew him." "That''s because she knows him," he said, like a stranger I knew nothing about knowing my son was the most natural thing ever.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, stopping in my tracks with a huge frown.


    Dwayne chuckled and stopped as well; by now, we were inches away from the car. "It''s not that serious, ostrich. Those two rescued Maverick when he was kidnapped," he revealed.


    I paused, the anger simmering at the surface, abating. I turned back to look at the duo, this time with a rxed and grateful face. They were watching Dwayne and me and immediately averted their gaze when I looked back. "You silly man!" I snarled, hitting Dwayne yfully on the arm. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier so I could thank them properly?"novelbin


    "There''s enough time to do that, feisty cat," he responded, smiling.


    I rolled my eyes and walked towards the car, and he followed suit.


    I opened the door and got in, while Dwayne leaned in the window, peering in at Maverick. "Hi, man," he called, a warm smile enveloping his face.


    "Hi, Uncle Dwayne," Maverick responded cheerfully.


    "I came to say goodbye, champ," Dwayne said, his voice and eyes filled with affection. "You be good, okay? Listen to your mom and Aunt."


    "I will," Maverick promised, his little voice filled with sincerity. "But can I ask you something?"


    "Shoot, buddy," Dwayne replied.


    I too was curious judging from how serious Maverick''s voice had turned.


    "Are you going to talk to Mom about...you know?" Maverick asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.


    I stopped myself from yfully rolling my eyes. Children are indeed innocent; what was the point of whispering when we could all hear him?


    Dwayne chuckled, ying along by lowering his voice, too. "I think I know what you''re referring to, but I''m not making any promises, champ. Your mom''s a smart woman, and she can. Make her own decisions."


    Maverick nodded, a thoughtful


    appearing on his face like it would, on an adult. "I know, but I just want what''s best for my mom. I don''t want to interfere in her decisions, and don''t want you and my dad fighting over her."


    As much as I least expected such intelligent and wise words from my son of almost 4, my heart still swelled with pride. At the same time, I was apprehensive about where this discussion was heading.


    Dwayne, on the other hand, seemed


    to be enjoying the discussion as his face spread more in a smile. "I think you''re a pretty smart kid," he said ruffling Maverick''s hair. "And your Dad and I are not fighting over your mom. Right, Arielle?" He said thest words, ncing at me.


    "Sure. Of course," I stuttered.


    "But I have to ask," Dwayne said, a mischievous look appearing in his eyes.


    "Whose side are you on? Your dad''s or your uncle Dwayne''s?"


    My heart skipped a beat as I wondered just what game Dwayne was trying to y. I made to stop Maverick as I feared his response, but to my surprise, he just winked at Dwayne and said, "It''s a secret."


    I exhaled sharply, and Dwayne burst outughing, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You''re a sly one, boy. I like that."


    Maverick grinned, obviously proud of himself, and man, was I proud, too? Pretty much.


    "That''s enough," I finally said. "We''re runningte. Bye, Dwayne," I said thest words firmly, daring him to challenge me.


    But he chuckled, leaning off the car, and as Maverick waved, Ashley stepped on the elerator and the car drove off.


    *******


    "That was totally unexpected from Maverick," Ashley said, her eyes glinting withughter as she steered the car through the morning traffic.


    We were on our way to the restaurant after dropping Maverick off at school, and Ashley was reminiscing about his exchange with Dwayne.


    "I honestly did not see thating," I admitted, shaking my head in amazement as I recalled the conversation.


    I couldn''t help but smile as I thought about Maverick''s quick wit and clever response to Dwayne''s question.


    Ashley chuckled, her voice filled with


    admiration. "Your son is a genius. I


    mean, what-4-year-old do you know who cane up with a response like that? And I especially love how he yed it cool and said it was a secret."


    Sheughed again, clearly entertained by the memory.


    "I know, right? I was surprised, too. And I have to admit, I''m a little curious about what his response would have been if he had answered Dwayne''s question." Ashley nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. And I''d say Dwayne was pretty sly." And then her tone turned serious as she met my eyes in the rearview mirror.


    "From your intuition, who do you think Maverick would have chosen?"


    I paused, mulling it over. It was a tough call. Would Maverick pick his superhero dad, always seemed off saving the world, or his fun-loving Uncle Dwayne, who showered him with gifts and endlessughter?


    No matter how I looked at it, I couldn''te up with a definite answer. With a sigh, I finally joked, "Honestly? I was half-expecting him to say Aunt Ashley."


    Ashley snorted, her lips twitching into a smirk. "Oh, please. Aunt Ashley would totally let him down. If I really had that ambition, both J-dude and D-dude wouldn''t even stand a chance. You know that."