Brad was sitting on the deck at the cabin when Ethan walked up. He wore a Longhorns cap, shorts, and a T-shirt, the standard uniform of most of the men here. Testing his insides, Brad didn't find any of the usual anger and resentment that had always ridden him when he thought about Ethan. They weren’t entirely comfortable yet, but not uncomfortable either. More like a new friendship, tentative and needing to take time to nurture.
“Yo.”
“What's up?”
“Just got a call from Newman. Thought I'd come and tell you what he said.”
“Want a beer?”
“Sure.”
Brad lowered his feet from the rail and went to grab it from the fridge, and another chair.
“You like it here?”
“Sure.”
They drank in silence while Brad allowed himself to acknowledge that it would be a wrench to leave this place.
“The will of the late Mr. Buchanan handed everything over to their only child, one Nadine Buchanan. All it said with regards to a reserve was that they wanted the land to be used for the good of the surrounding area.”
Brad whistled. “Which to them meant that it was turned into a reserve, but their bitch of a daughter is interpreting that to mean a resort.”
Ethan raised his bottle in agreement.
“So, we need to pursue the conservation angle?”
“Or I was thinking I could buy it.”
“I'll go halves with you.” He wasn't entirely sure why he'd offered to help in the land purchase, but now he had it felt right. He had the money, so why not. Anything to stop that bastard getting his hands on it.
“It's not pizza, Brad.”
“How much do you think?”
“Not rightly sure, but Newman is digging into it right now.”
“What are you worth?”
“Twelve million. You?” Ethan shot Brad a look.
“I beat you by two million.”
“No shit?”
“I've been investing, like I said. I'm good at it.”
“Well all right, go you, but the Buchanan land wouldn't be an investment offering a great return, Brad.”
“I wouldn't mind owning a chunk like that though. I could head on in there anytime I liked, and maybe even build a cabin there somewhere.”
“A holiday place,” Ethan mused. “Could be nice. It would be equally nice to piss EG off.”
“Hell yes.”
Ethan laughed. “It's a lot of money for no return,” he said again.
“It is, but I can take that hit, and you can too, depending on what that bitch Nadine Buchanan wants for it.”
Ethan nodded. “Okay, let's find out. We'll see if we can stop them with the conservation angle first, but we'll need to start inquiries. I'll have to get a broker involved, because I don't want Nadine Buchanan to know it's us.”
“Ethan, I don't want the townspeople to know.”
“No, I said that to Annabelle. If this goes ahead, only you, me, and her will know that we've bought it.”
“Deal.”
“Still can't believe Macy slapped her.”
Ethan’s smile matched Brad’s.
“That Buchanan woman had it coming, and you people need to stop thinking she's weak and protecting her. Macy is strong and capable.” Brad knew he shouldn't have said the words, as the silence settled around them. Ethan broke it first.
“What's the deal between you and Macy?”
“Deal?” Brad played for time.
“I'm not an idiot, and neither are most of the people who live here. You and her have a connection, and your behavior at the meeting reinforced that.”
Brad kept his eyes on the lake.
“We're friends.”
“Someone told me they saw her on the back of your bike the night of the wedding.”
“Not much gets by in this town.”
“Some of it I'd like to.” Ethan sighed. “Gussie Neeps told me she'd lost another tooth to an abscess today.”
“Nice.”
“You take the good with the bad.”
“It's a weird town, Ethan. These people just kind of step in and take over your life. I'm wearing shorts”—he looked down at them—“that DJ O'Donnell picked for me.”
“Walt Heath told me Annabelle needed taming when I first showed interest in her. ‘Wild one,’ he said.”
“Not far wrong there.”
“That's the woman I love you’re talking about.”
“I remember the first time I saw her, and thinking that you'd have your hands full.”
Ethan was quiet for a while, and Brad wondered if he'd pissed his brother off.
“She's warmed all those dark places inside me, Brad. I don't have nightmares, and I don't carry too many dark thoughts about my childhood anymore.”
He knew what Ethan meant, because he had dark places too.
“I'm glad.”
“So about Macy.”
“Move on, Ethan.”
“She's had a tough run, Brad—”
“And you think I'd hurt her?”
“No, in fact I think you'd be good for each other. I just want you to know that this is a small town, and she has people who watch over her because of what she suffered.”
Brad liked that people watched over her.
“We're adults, Ethan.”
“I understand that too, but I'm saying she's not like some of the other women you've had in your life. She's not a love-and-leave kind of girl, Brad, and I have a feeling you could hurt her easily.”
“We know where we stand,” Brad said, wondering why his brother didn't think he could get hurt just as easily.
“It's not only Macy I worry about, you know.”
“Don't worry about me, I know how to keep myself safe.”
He felt Ethan's eyes on the side of his face.
“And that's just sad, but I take your meaning, because I was the same.”
Brad swallowed a mouthful of beer.
“You play ball?”
“Round or oblong?”
“There's a round ball?” Ethan said.
“Apparently people kick it.”
“Weird. Anyway, let’s go then.”
“Where?” Brad said, standing.
“The park. Some of the guys are throwing the ball around. Nothing serious.”
He then took another Longhorns cap out of his back pocket and handed it to Brad.
“And I'm guessing those guys would be your weird friends?” Brad placed it on his head.
“The very ones. You can take me on the back of your bike.”
“I remember that about you too. The bossiness.”
“Eldest sibling, it's how we roll.”
He gave it some gas down the road, and Ethan whooped, making him laugh, the sound freer than he could ever remember it being. He'd found himself doing that a bit since he'd been here.
Newman, Jake, Cubby, and Buster were at the park.
Cubby was going up to receive a pass as they pulled in, and Buster hit him in the ribs, knocking him to the ground.
“Nothing serious?” Brad said as Cubby hit the ground hard.
“We hardly ever get hurt, and Jake's here if we do.”
“Reassuring.”
“You ever thought about buying a nice sensible sedan, TJ?” Cubby managed to straighten as he arrived.
“No, why do you ask, Sheriff?”
“Every time Maureen and half the women in this town hear your bike, they go all giggly, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn’t getting on my nerves.”
“Let the boy alone, old man. You're just pissed you've had to rein in your wild now you're hitched.”
“Wild? The only wild thing he's ever done is change up his sneakers for loafers.”
Brad laughed as the insults continued. He could tell by the ease with which they flowed that this had been going on for years. Interrupting each other, finishing sentences, it was entertaining to watch.
“Right, that shit’s done.”
“What shit?” Brad questioned Cubby.
“The insulting is foreplay, TJ, gets us in the mood.”
“That’s just plain wrong, and in the mood for what?”
“The hurt.”
He had a brief sense of impending doom when Buster roared at him to go long. He did, and took the ball and Newman at the same time.
“Well fuck,” he snarled, getting to his feet. Bracing his hands on his thighs, he hauled in a breath before straightening. “I'm now in a horn tossing mood!”
Ethan snorted. The others look confused.
“He's pissed,” Ethan translated. “That's when his Texan comes out.”
Sides were drawn. Brad, Ethan, and Newman versus Jake, Buster, and Cubby.
“Do you sleep under your flag too, TJ?”
“Too?” Brad raised a brow at Newman’s question.
“At least we have a flag. Now shut the fuck up, because I'm ready to hand out some hurt.” Ethan spun his cap backward. “Unless you girls are scared?”
Hoots of laughter followed that as Brad did the same.
“You played this before, because we don’t go easy on people because they’re slow.”
“Soccer? Sure, I got it nailed, don't sweat it,” Brad drawled.
The play was dirty, clothes were ripped, curses filled the air, and after a rough start where Cubby threatened to arrest him if he didn't get his shit together, Brad thought he handled himself well. His ribs ached, and he was sure there’d be some bruises in the morning, but he had to admit it was fun.
“And that, gentleman,” Buster crowed, “I believe has us as winners.” Picking up the ball, he did a surprisingly light-footed jig around the still prone Texan at his feet. It was the second lap that did him in. Ethan swung out a foot, and the baker landed on his ass.
The sun was high and Brad's clothes stuck to him as he followed the others to the edge of the lake.
Jake stripped to his boxers and ran past Brad. Leaping off the bank, he let out a loud whoop and cannonballed into the water. The others soon followed, with Brad last in. He was dunked, wrestled, and generally messed with. Resistance, he realized, coming up for air the third time, was futile. He was the junior in this group and therefore fair game. Eventually they ran out of energy and floated about like pieces of driftwood.
Brad looked up at the blue sky and thought this was about the most relaxed he'd felt in a while. He'd never wanted people that he formed a bond with, hadn't been raised that way, but he could understand now why Ethan loved it here.
They sat drying in the sun and ate chicken and potato salad subs, drinking beers. Talk went from topic to topic, settling for a while on Buchanan business.
“Hard to imagine Macy slapping that she-devil Nadine,” Jake said. “Maybe once, not anymore.”
“She's stronger than she looks.”
“How do you figure that?” Buster asked Brad.
Aware that he was suddenly the focus of all eyes, he made himself shrug.
“Just an observation. You people watch over her, mother her, but she's strong. No woman could go through what she has and not be.”
He took another pull on his beer as silence settled around the small group. Ethan broke it.
“Huh, never thought of it that way. She was just so broken, I never really looked to see if she'd strengthened up again.”
“I'm not close, so I can see stuff you idiots can't, I guess.”
“Sure, there's that,” Cubby said. “There's also the other stuff.”
Suddenly the sheriff of Howling was back, steely eyed and focused on Brad.
“Stuff?” Brad kept his voice neutral.
“What's the word I'm looking for here, boys?”
“I'm thinking it's chemistry,” Newman said from his horizontal position, feet crossed at the ankles, arms pillowing his head.
Cubby flicked his fingers in agreement.
“The very one. So what's the deal with Macy?”
Brad had walked in and out of boardrooms, made decisions, and run with some pretty high rollers in his life, but strangely this man was making him edgy.
“My take is, she's mid to late twenties,” Brad said, stalling. “Below average in height, sweet face, and has a nice little boy called Billy. Runs a store in town, which now has a way better layout.”
“Not quite what he was after, but I have to agree with the layout,” Jake said. “I damaged a shin every time I went in there.”
“Not sure why you'd want to,” Ethan said, looking confused.
“Branna has Macy put stuff aside and I buy it for her. Makes gift giving a whole deal easier.”
“And you didn't think to share that idea with your friends?”
Buster looked at Ethan, who in turn was glaring at Jake.
“Not my fault you two can't form a thought without help.”
The bickering continued and Brad inhaled, glad that the focus had fallen off him.
“So, getting back to you and Macy, TJ?”
“There is no Macy and me, Sheriff. She's a friend, we helped each other get out of that situation at the Buchanan place. You can't go through something like that and not form some kind of link,” Brad said, giving the explanation he thought most plausible.
“Okay, yeah that actually makes sense. But there's that rumor about you and her on that metal death trap you ride, at the wedding.”
“It’s a Harley Davidson, Sheriff. Sure thought a man like you would know that.”
“Know it, and still don’t like it. Now, about those rumors.”
“You know rumors, no grain of truth,” Ethan said, looking at Brad. “Now stop picking on him, and pass me another beer.”
“Oh hell no, you did not just stand up for your little brother.” Jake smiled.
“Haven't done it for a while, have to say it felt good.”
Brad looked at the top of his bottle. It did feel good.
“Aww hell, my beer just went sour. You're not going to weep now, are you? I hear you Texans are good at that shit.”
Everyone laughed at Buster's words, and Brad felt himself relax again as the talk turned general. He didn't feel anything but friendly with a ton of lust chucked in for Macy Reynolds, but still, he didn't want these Neanderthals noticing that.
He thought about going to see her tonight. Was it the right move, considering the conversation they'd just had?
Hell yes it was. They were consensual adults, and allowed to scratch any damned itch they wanted to.
He waited until the town was cloaked in darkness, and during that time he’d decided against going, and then in favor, so many times his head hurt. He knew Macy was innocent in so many ways. Knew there was a possibility she may invest a great deal of emotion into an affair, if that was where they were heading for the few days he had left here. The hell of it was, he couldn't stop himself from wanting her. That one night they’d shared had left him reeling.
It probably spelled trouble for both of them, especially as they were pretty messed up already, but then again, maybe it was what they needed, and by the end of it they would both be happier and able to walk away from each other still friends.
Brad knew now this was a place he wanted to come back to. It wasn't just his brother that would draw him here, it was the town and people who lived in it too.
Climbing onto his bike, he headed back into Howling. Once he hit Macy's drive, he shut off the engine and pushed the bike up, parking it around the side of the house.
Big and ugly, it wasn't an inviting house, he'd noticed that yesterday. In fact, it looked cold and isolated perched up here looking down on the smaller places beside it. There were no gardens or trees, and he wondered what was with that. Where the hell did Billy play? Was there a yard out back? He was shaking his head as he reached the front door, and it was then he heard the sound of the vacuum cleaner.
Who the hell vacuums at this hour, he thought pulling out his cell and looking at the time; 9:30 p.m. Had she spilled something?
He knocked, but as Macy was still vacuuming, he tried the door and let himself in. Brad found her in the dining area. She wore a sundress with no straps. The soft aqua fabric caressed her breasts and then fell to her knees, and he wanted his hands on her, but first he had to shut that noise down.
Brad located the power and switched it off.
“Oh.” She spun to face him.
“Hey.”
“You scared me.”
“What the hell are you doing vacuuming at this hour?”
She dropped her eyes and began putting the cord away.
“It needed it.”
“And I repeat, why the hell are you vacuuming at this hour?”
“It's my house, I can vacuum if I want.”
He wasn't sure why he thought it, but there was something in her tone that told him this was more than just a random act of housekeeping.
“Why not do it during daylight hours?”
She towed the vacuum to the hall with Brad on her heels, and put it away in a cupboard.
“I did. It needed it again.”
“You already vacuumed today?”
She spun on him, eyes flashing, hands on her hips.
“I like to vacuum, so sue me!”
“No you don't, no one does. So why are you doing it?” It was just a shot in the dark, his pushing her for an answer, but he knew he'd hit something when the color in her face drained away, leaving her looking scared.
“I-I don't know why I still do it?”
“Still?”
She shut the cupboard and leaned on it, but her legs folded and she ended up on the floor.
“Brian, he used to make me vacuum two, sometimes three times a day, and I can't seem to break the habit. It's weird.” She looked confused. “I've changed so much, and worked so hard to be the person I want to be, but some things I just can't break away from.”
Brad could honestly say that his hatred for Macy's ex was running a dead heat with what he felt for his father. Dropping to his haunches, he cupped her cheek.
“H-he used to come home and put on his white gloves and run them over surfaces to check for dirt and dust.”
“Jesus.” Brad's felt her pain deep inside.
“I know he can't hurt me anymore, and I know I'm not crazy, so why do I still do this?” She looked up at him, seeking an answer.
“He called you again in the last day or two?”
She shook her head.
She looked so small and vulnerable that Brad was sure his heart just sighed. Not a response he would like when he thought about it later.
“I still have hang-ups from my father, and hate myself for them.”
“That makes me feel better.” She managed a small smile. “Which it shouldn't, because I don't like to think of you hurting, but it does.”
“I forgive you.” He smiled, although inside he wasn’t feeling it. What he was feeling was the need to punch someone, namely his father and her ex.
“I'm sorry, I planned to light some candles and then get out the wine, but I've killed the mood, haven't I?”
“You kidding me? Vacuuming women are a real fantasy of mine.”
This time her smile was wider.
“Did you ride up on your bike?”
He knew why she'd asked the question, because he'd given the noise his bike would make some thought too.
“I'm not a teenager, Macy, and even then I wasn't into hiding or sneaking about. So if we do this, then we deal with what people will say, and knowing this town, someone will have seen me walk my bike up your drive, and by morning it'll be gossip in the Roar. So be sure this is what you want.”
“I've never done anything like this before, but I want to.”
Brad ran a thumb over her cheek. She was warm to the touch.
“Sure you have, you're a wild woman. Riding a motorcycle, getting shot at, standing up in public meetings, and slapping Nadine Buchanan. This,” he waved a hand at her, “is just a soft and very, very sweet façade that hides that Amazon beneath.”
She leaned closer to him.
“I should point out that all those things have only happened since you appeared in Howling, and I may have taken a step backward tonight with the vacuuming business.”
He reached for her, slipping his hands under her and lifting her.
“I hope you're not attempting to blame me for your wild ways, Miss Macy, and like I said, seeing you here, looking all sexy with a vacuum in your hands, was a turn-on.” Brad buried his face in her neck. “You smell good too, honey.”
“And you turn me to Jell-O,” she whispered.
“Good to know.”
Brad headed for the stairs. “I'm guessing this is the way to your room.”
“D-don't you want some wine?”
“No, I want to taste you.”
Macy was fairly sure she was melting. The look in Brad's eye should have been X-rated. After the disastrous start, where he'd found her vacuuming, things had pretty much gone up from there.
She'd never been carried anywhere before, not by a man who desired her, that was.
“Do you think Billy is far enough away that he won’t hear you scream?”
“I can't believe you said that,” Macy whispered as her temperature spiked and she felt heat pool between her thighs.
“I'm Texan, honey, we don't hold back.”
She left a lamp on in her room, the soft golden color offering seductive light. He lowered her down his body, all those wonderful hard planes of muscle, and Macy suddenly wanted to put her mouth on him, lick the hard, warm skin, and make him moan the way she knew she was going to by the end of the night.
“You okay to do this in here?”
“Yes, this is not the room I slept in with him.”
She watched him look around. Neat and tidy, the room was like the others in the house: emotionless.
“Why do you have one colored wall in your house, and everywhere else is as sterile as a doctor's waiting room? Same goes for outside?”
“I couldn't answer that when my friends asked me, and I'm no closer now. It's like I need to continually punish myself by living like this, but I'm not sure why.”
He placed his lips on her shoulder, then bit softly into the skin, and Macy moaned low in her throat.
“We'll discuss this later. Right now I've got other things on my mind.”
She slid her hands beneath the hem of his T-shirt and then upward. His body was hard, the skin warm beneath her fingers. Brian never let her touch him, unless— No, she wasn't going there. Tonight was for just Brad and Macy.
“You are a sexy woman, Macy Reynolds.”
His fingers were tracing the top of her bodice, dipping beneath. She felt them on the rise of her breasts.
“Ar-are we going to have an affair, Brad?”
“Yes, honey, we are.”
His words were harsh, and she reveled in the fact that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“When I saw you in this dress, all I could think about was stripping it off you.”
“Oh yes,” Macy sighed as one large hand cupped her thigh.
She pushed his shirt off his body, and then placed her lips on his chest. Kissing him, she ran her tongue around one nipple and then the other. Macy was working on instinct because she'd never done anything like this with Brian.
“Sweet Jesus, honey, that's good.”
She continued down his body, using her hands and mouth on him, and loved each indrawn breath. One of his hands sifted through her hair, the other touching wherever he could reach.
At his waistband, she undid the button and pushed down the zipper. He helped her remove the last of his clothes.
“You're a beautiful man, Brad Gelderman.”
His eyes were intent, fire burning in the blue depths, and it was all for her. She felt deliciously wanton in that moment. Macy Reynolds could incite a man like this; it was a heady thought.
“Touch me more, Macy.”
She started on his thighs, feeling the strength, and then one hand trailed inward, her fingers wrapping around his arousal. The breath hissed in his throat as she stroked the full flesh. Moving her fist up and down, she bent and licked the top.
His breath was coming out in short bursts as she continued, taking more of him in her mouth. He didn't tell her she was doing it wrong, or pull her hair, he simply stood and let her do what she wanted to him. Macy explored him, teasing him, touching him with the tips of her fingers, and then digging them into his ass.
“I'm seriously dying here,” he rasped, reaching for her. “And you're wearing too many clothes.” He pulled her dress over her head. “I have to see the back view of those.”
She'd put on a pair of blue silk panties. They barely covered her and the back rode high on each cheek.
He turned her, and then she felt his hands run down her thighs as he dropped to his knees.
“You have some seriously sexy curves, honey.”
His licked the edges of the silk, and Macy felt her body ignite. He kissed every inch of exposed skin, then moved to the front and placed his lips above the waistband.
Macy’s breath was ragged as he eased the satin down her thighs and then opened her. The first lick made her cry out, and then she was lost. Panting, moaning, sounds she didn't even know she could make, and soon she was spinning out of control.
His chuckle was dirty as he got to his feet. Picking her up, he dropped her on the bed then straddled her.
“I need to give these some attention.”
And he sent her straight back there as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. On and on he went, and Macy scaled the summit again. When he left her briefly to pull on a condom, Macy wasn't sure she had anything left, but as he eased her hips to the edge of the bed and slid inside her, she realized she was wrong.
“Give me one more, honey.”
“Yesssss.” Macy hissed out a breath as the wonderful feeling started to grow inside her again. But this one was different, bigger and stronger, and when it came she screamed out his name. He grunted and followed two thrusts later.
He fell beside her on the bed, one hand on her stomach, and Macy only had the strength to place hers on top, and then her eyes closed.
She woke to silence, which in itself was odd, as Billy usually woke her demanding breakfast.
Opening her eyes, Macy looked beside her but didn't see Brad. He must have pulled up the covers, because she didn't remember doing it. Her limbs were sore and stiff when she moved them. Smiling at the memory of why, she got out of bed and headed to the shower.
Billy must be sleeping late, or playing with Razzle in his room. The water felt blissful. Dressing in a pair of old shorts and a fitted tank, she ran a brush through her wet hair and headed downstairs.
It was Saturday morning, and Jany was opening the shop, so she could spend the day at home with Billy. Her feet stopped on the bottom step as she heard voices. Brad was still here.
Making herself walk into the kitchen, she found Billy eating his cereal and Brad leaning on the counter drinking coffee. He saw her and smiled, and it made her toes curl. Open and honest, it lit his eyes. His hair was mussed, shirt wrinkled, feet bare, and she wanted to walk over and lean into that lovely body of his. Let him rest his head on the top of hers and settle into him for a long cuddle. It was a scene that she was sure would be carried out in several houses in Howling this morning, but it shouldn't be happening here.
“Mom, Brad arrived early to check on Razzle, and made me breakfast!”
“Oh.” She shot him a quick look, but couldn't read anything in his expression. “That was nice of him.”
“Yup, and then we took Razzle out and he did a pee and poop on the grass.”
The puppy wandered over and dropped his butt on the floor before Macy, and looked up at her. To give herself time, she bent to pat him.
“You want coffee?”
“I—ah sure.”
“How do you take it?”
“Cream and sugar, thanks.”
Billy hopped off his chair and ran past her.
“I'm going up to get Razzle's bed. He may need it for a nap, ’cause Mac said he'd do that a lot while he's little.”
Macy didn't know what to do with her hands, so she stuck them in her back pockets.
“I'm sorry. I planned to get out before he woke, but I overslept. He doesn't know I stayed the night, Macy. He thinks I arrived early.”
“Sure, thanks.” Macy made herself walk to the coffeepot. “The thing is, Brad, this is what I didn't want to have happen, and because I put myself in this situation it has.”
“I told you I wasn't into hiding, Macy.”
“I know… it's just that he's so young, Brad, and he won't understand what's happening if he hears about you being here last night. So, this….” She looked at him briefly.
“Hot, bone-melting sex?”
She gave a jerky nod. God yes! “I can’t let it happen again. I thought I could, but I can’t.”
“Sure, if that's how you want it.” She took a step back as he pushed off the counter. His eyes were now cool, the blue depths empty, his emotions shut off from her, and that lovely morning smile gone.
“I-I'm just not like other women. I have a son, and I hope you understand I can't let him see me behaving like a….”
“Woman with needs?”
The words came out coated in ice.
“This is a small town, and people will soon know if this carries on. I should have realized that, or maybe I did, but—”
“You put yourself first for a change?”
“I’m not first, Billy is, and I don’t want him hurt.”
“I told you last night someone may have seen me pull up, Macy.”
“I know, and I thought I could handle it, but I can't.”
“Your phone is ringing.”
She hadn't heard it. Hurrying out into the hall, she answered it.
“Hello.”
Macy's heart started racing as her mother shrieked into the phone. The panic in her voice was very real, for once.
“I'll be right there.”
“Problems?”
He was behind her, so she made herself turn and face him.
“Dad took a bad turn last night. Both Doctors McBride are with him now.”
“I'm sorry.”
“I-I need to get there.”
“I'll watch Billy, you just go.”
“I can't—”
He grabbed the hand she dragged through her hair and pulled her into his body, simply holding her. Macy closed her eyes as she allowed herself a few brief seconds to rest on his chest. She had no rights to this man, but right now she would take his strength.
“I'm sorry about this morning, Brad, but it has to be that way.”
“I got that, now you go and get your things, and I'll drive you over.”
“I can drive.”
“Sure, and I've seen you, but you're shaking, so not today.”
She was shaking. She'd had calls before, but Macy knew this one was different. This one could mean her father had only a short time left, and that scared her.
Macy made herself pull out of his arms.
“Thank you for understanding about us…. I mean—”
“There is no more us.”
“Yes. I'll ring a few people, see who can take Billy now, if Dad… oh God.” She pressed a hand to her mouth.
“Macy, I got him. He's fine with me, and I'll look after him until you get home.”
“I was mean to you.”
He sighed. “No, you were honest, and sometimes that makes us mean.”
She nodded. This man could have been important to her before life had played its hand on them both.
“Go now, and get what you need, and then we'll leave.”
“Okay.”
They pulled out of the drive a few minutes later, and she was glad he was behind the wheel because her insides felt funny. She’d known her father was deteriorating fast, and the panic in her mother's voice told her this time it was bad.
“Call us if you need us, Macy.”
Brad pulled up outside her parents’ house and her stomach dropped as she saw Jake's pickup.
“Okay, and you be good for Brad, sweetie.”
“I will, and kiss Grandad for me, Mom. Brad said we might make a garden.”
“Will do, and you know I love you.”
“You too.”
“A garden?” Macy looked at Brad.
“Your place needs brightening up, but don't you worry about it now, honey.”
“I'm scared.” The words rushed out before she could stop them.
“Want me to come in with you?” His hand settled over the one she had clenched.
“No, but thanks.”
Inhaling, she opened her fingers briefly and squeezed his before she got out. She felt Brad's eyes on her as she walked to the house. She shot them a final look before walking inside.