A Lie

[Serenity’s POV]

My eyes widen as panic rushes through me over the question my father has just asked me. Dammit, I really did go and fuck up this time, and I was certain that if I didn’t give him a good enough answer, he would take Maverick away from me and put someone else in his place.

“Serenity,” my father huffs when I don’t respond. “Answer my question.”

“We,” I begin, trying to think of what the proper response here is. “We’re…”

Swallowing, I try to come up with a term that would describe what Maverick and I were. I couldn’t say that we were more than friends, but our connection was also something deeper.

Was he my charge because I was the reason he was how he is now? Was he my closest confidante? No. Even my heart told me that wasn’t the case.

‘You like him.’ Mahogany murmurs, causing my heart rate to kick up. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’

Like? Did I like Maverick? Up until recently, I didn’t think much about our connection, but I couldn’t deny that when he touched me or looked at me in