The Summer He Came Home

Chapter 15



Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?

Maggie could ask herself that question until she was blue in the face, and she wasn’t sure the answer was the one she wanted to hear. Which would be…hell, yes.

It was nearly three in the afternoon, and she watched her son frolic along the beach with his friend Tommy. Out on the lake, boats and Jet Skis zipped by, their clean lines cutting through the blue water and leaving a white froth behind them. Along the shore private beaches were occupied, kids and adults enjoying the sun and water. Families building memories.

She and Raine were parked on the dock near the boathouse, the water lapping at their feet as they dangled them in the cool water.

She glanced up at the cottage several hundred feet away. This was such a beautiful spot, with the cottage nestled among a canopy of forest that ran along the shoreline. Pine and spruce crowded together and stood like soldiers. The house was rustic, built with reddish-brown logs and resembling a cabin out of the past. It was an A-frame, and the entire front facade was a solid wall of windows. A long veranda ran the length of the structure, which boasted a couple of reclining chairs and a rickety table. In the corner, resting against the railing, was an acoustic guitar.

The house was plain in comparison to the Edwardses’ home or Lauren’s, but then, it was truly a cottage and not meant for year-round living.

She sighed and tried to relax, but it was next to impossible. She and Cain had danced around each other for the last few hours—covert glances, stolen smiles that hid secrets. She’d wanted to ignore it, wished it didn’t affect her so, but at the moment, her body was buzzing with anticipation. She couldn’t help it. Every time he looked at her, she felt a jolt of energy slice through her body. It was unnerving.

She ran a hand along the back of her neck. The action pulled her tank top tight across her chest, and she bit her tongue and hissed. Her nipples tingled and her belly clenched.

Cain was right. There was no way around it. This thing between them was palpable. It was alive inside them both. God, the thought of his hands on her body was enough to drive her to distraction.

Not once in the entire time she had been in Crystal Lake had she entertained the idea of being with someone. She’d been content to carve out a life and look after her son. Heck, for the first few months it was all she could think about. She’d arrived with five thousand dollars and not much else. It had taken everything in her to set up a house and keep things normal for Michael.

If she was honest, she’d given up on the possibility of a relationship long before she left Savannah. The twisted thing that her life had become had left her no choice, really. It had beaten her down and snuffed out the flame.

And now there was a glimmer of something. Would it be worth it? To open up and experience Cain Black, even if it was just for a short period of time?

She heard him inside the cottage whistling to himself as he prepared meat for the barbecue. Mac was helping, or rather drinking beer, while Cain prepared. There was something dark inside his friend, a wounded soul that she could relate to. Maggie didn’t know the details of his life, but she thought that maybe he drank a little too much.

So far, Jake hadn’t shown up.

“When’s Jake heading back to Afghanistan?” she asked. Good. This was good. Think about other things, and maybe the longing that hung in her belly and warmed the softness between her legs would go away.

Raine sighed and kicked her toes into the water. Little minnows swam crazily, darting in all directions. They looked like what was going on inside her belly.

“I’m not sure. He’s not exactly talking to me these days.” Raine splayed her hands out along the deck, and Maggie frowned, noticing for the first time that the young widow had removed her wedding band. “We had an argument the other day, and things aren’t good.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that.”

Raine pushed her hair behind her shoulders and leaned back, her eyes closed as she drank up the sun. “I don’t want to talk about Jake or Jesse or the phantom baby.” A ghost of a smile touched her pale lips. “What the hell is going on between you and Cain? And don’t tell me nothing, because seriously, he’s eating you with his eyes.”

Raine straightened and glanced at her, and a giggle fell from her lips. “I don’t ever remember seeing him so”—she shook her head and made a weird face—“so freaked-out over a woman.”

“Freaked-out?”

“I see the way he looks at you, and it makes me think of being sixteen again and how I felt when I first realized I was in love.”

Maggie nearly choked. “Love? Um, I think you’re getting way ahead of yourself. I’ve barely known him two weeks.”

“Oh I know. I didn’t mean… It’s just…” She shrugged and looked out over the water as her face fell and her chin trembled. “If I could go back in time, there are so many things I’d do differently—”

“Raine, you can’t think like that,” Maggie interrupted.

“Oh don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot I wouldn’t change. But the thing that scares me most is the thought of never feeling like that again. The innocence, the hope, and the endless possibilities. We had it all. I don’t want to lose that. I’m scared that that part of me will dry up, turn to dust, and fade away like it never existed. That I’ll forget what it feels like to connect with someone so intensely that it hurts.” She turned to Maggie, her eyes filled with glassy tears. “I’m twenty-eight, and I’m scared my life is over. If I have this baby…” She sighed, tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear, and looked back out over the water. “We were kings back then and didn’t know it. We had no responsibility and the world at our feet.”

“You miss him.”

“I miss all of it.”

“You’re young. Don’t give up.” Maggie winked. “Love will find you again.”

“So says the woman who’s afraid to date.” Raine’s eyes narrowed. “I know there are things in your past that have scarred you too, but Maggie, you need to listen to your own advice. Cain’s a good guy, and from my perspective, I’m not afraid for you. He won’t break your heart. He’s not that guy.” Raine glanced toward the cottage. “It’s Cain I’m worried about.”

Maggie was stunned. She didn’t know what to say.

“Why would you…” she began. Anger stirred in her gut. Okay, the woman was newly widowed, but hell, that didn’t give her the right to freaking say whatever was on her mind.

“Don’t take it personally, Maggie. But I’ve known Cain my whole life, and as much as people would like to think he’s a player, he just doesn’t do casual.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.” The pictures she’d seen the day before ran through her mind, and with them, a tingle of jealousy. If she were being honest.

Raine shrugged and rose. She offered her hand, and Maggie pulled herself up until she stood beside the small brunette. “Believe what you want, but you’ll see…he’s one of the good guys, and when you finally realize that? Promise me you’ll let him go, because unless you’re willing to walk away from whatever the hell has damaged you, he’ll get hurt.”

Maggie didn’t know what to say.

Raine sighed heavily. “And then we’ll have to listen to song after song about the pain of his tragically broken heart. Seriously, you can’t do that to us.” There was a teasing undertone to her voice, but Maggie knew the woman was serious.

The smell of steak on the barbecue drifted toward them. Maggie glanced up at the house and smiled as Lauren waved down to her. Jake was with her, and he nodded in their general direction, then disappeared around the corner where the barbecue was located.

“Mom! Is it almost time for supper? We’re starved.”

Michael and Tommy came running up the beach. She decided to put aside Raine’s words and concentrate on the here and now. The young widow longed for a past that would never be hers again. Maggie had no desire at all to revisit hers.

***

Cain stretched back and watched his mother and Maggie converse. They were on the deck of the cottage relaxing, sipping hot chocolate. Dinner had been great, the steak tender, the wine smooth, and the company… His eyes rested on the redhead. The company was perfect.

Raine had grabbed a ride home with Jake, and Mac had disappeared soon after the plates were cleared. Draper had claimed he had somewhere to be, but Cain suspected it was more that a visit to the Coach House was needed in order to drown his demons in a bottle of vodka.

He sighed. As long as Mackenzie stayed away from his father, he’d be okay.

Dusk was settling, and he’d built a bonfire near the beach. Michael’s buddy Tommy had just left—his father had swung by—and now it was just the two of them. Michael threw some branches he’d collected onto the flames, and they watched the tiny embers that flew into the air like fireflies. “Do you have marshmallows?” Michael’s eyes widened hopefully.

“Sure do. My mom brought a bag with her.”

“Awesome. Do you have wieners?”

“Dude, you just ate an entire T-bone, and you want more meat?”

Michael giggled. “I make the best SpiderDogs ever.”

“Maybe a midnight snack, if you’re still up.”

Soft feminine laughter drew their attention, and Cain’s heart jumped at the sight of Maggie laughing at something his mother had said. The woman could change the world with that smile.

“Do you hate your Dad?” Michael asked suddenly. His foot sifted through the sand, his eyes fixed on his toes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

But Cain knew better.

“Hate?” He shrugged and settled back onto his elbows. “That’s a pretty strong word.” He thought about it for a few moments. “I don’t think I hated my father. Even when he was home, he wasn’t really around. I was more hurt and disappointed, I guess.” His eyes closed, and once more he saw the little boy that he’d been. Waiting. Always waiting. “That first year after he left, I thought every night would be the one.”

“The one?”

“The night that he’d come home, back to me and my mom. But it never happened, and eventually I gave up.”

Michael slid in beside him, and Cain moved, gave the kid some room. The boy nestled against him, and something hit him in the gut that he wasn’t expecting. A rush of emotion that was both a need to protect and something else entirely.

It was the something else entirely that he wasn’t real sure about.

“I hate him.” Michael said quietly. “My dad. I don’t want to see him ever again.”

Cain was silent. He had no idea what to say, but one thought spoke loudest in his mind. Maggie’s ex was alive. Somewhere out there.

“He used to hurt my mom.” Michael’s voice trembled.

Cain glanced up at Maggie. He couldn’t see her face anymore—the shadows had grown long—but he heard the soft lilt to her voice, that Southern roll that he’d come to adore. He saw the elegant curve of her hand, an artist’s hand, tuck a stray curl behind her ear. His heart leaped into his throat, and anger tightened inside him. His fist clenched, but he remained silent.

“I used to hear her crying at night sometimes, and once it was so loud, so…sad that I wanted to make her feel better.” Michael’s chin trembled, and Cain’s fist unclenched. “I snuck into their room…” His fingers crept onto the boy’s shoulder, and Michael glanced up then, his huge blue eyes glistening with tears. “I saw him hit her.” Michael made a fist and shoved it in the air between them—a small, angry fist that trembled. His face darkened, the cheeks flushed a ruddy color. “His hand was like this, and he hit her on her arm and then on her face.” Michael shuddered angrily and swiped at the tears that fell from his eyes. “Over and over,” he whispered.

Something twisted inside Cain, something dark and deadly.

“Hey, it’s all right buddy. We don’t need to talk about this right now.” Cain rubbed Michael’s shoulder, trying his best to keep his voice neutral and calm. It was hard. He was f*cking livid. He needed to focus on the boy.

And yet how did you wipe away that kind of pain?

Michael plunged forward, and Cain realized the best thing he could do was listen.

“I was so scared that I ran back to my room and hid in the closet, but he found me.” His voice lowered until it was barely a whisper. “His face didn’t even look normal. It was all red and angry and scary.”

Michael kicked his foot, and his little hands were clenched so tight, the knuckles were white. “He tried to hurt me too. Said I was a little snot-nosed bastard who didn’t deserve anything.” Michael shuddered. “The police came and took him away before anything really bad happened.”

Cain’s gut rolled over. Shit. He’d had no idea. But it sure as hell explained a lot. The wary look that had been in Maggie’s eyes the first few times he met her. How she’d cowered when he tried to help her after she fell. She’d thought he was going to hit her.

“What happened after the police came?”

“We left and came here.”

Cain let the information settle for a bit. “Have you talked to your father since you’ve been in Crystal Lake?”

The boy shook his head. “No.” He looked up at Cain and was anxious. “I’m not supposed to talk to anyone about him. You can’t tell my mom I told.” His chin trembled, and Cain squeezed his shoulder.

“Hey, we’re good. I won’t say a word.”

“Swear on the Bible?”

“A whole stack.”

“Okay. Mom says it’s our private business and no one needs to know. I think she’s scared…”

Cain frowned, unease sliding through him. “What’s she scared of?” He asked the question, but he knew what Michael was going to say before he opened his mouth.

The boy’s small shoulders hunched forward as if he were trying to draw what warmth he could from the fire. “She’s scared that he’ll find us and then…”

“Then what? It’s okay. You can tell me.”

“He’ll hurt us. I don’t want him to hurt my mommy,” Michael blurted before burrowing into his side. The boy shuddered and shook against him. It was obvious he was scared, and for a moment, red-hot anger coursed through Cain.

His arms went round the boy, and he pulled him in as close as he could. His gaze traveled back up to Maggie. His heart pounded hard and fast, and he clenched his teeth together tightly.

The thought that anyone could hurt her or Michael filled him with such rage, he wasn’t sure he could speak. To think this little guy had seen such violence against his mother made him sick, and to think of Maggie on the receiving end left him feeling weak. So he took a few moments. Envisioned his fist connected with the slimy coward’s face many times over. It might not be the right thing to do, but it sure as hell made him feel better.

“That won’t happen.”

“Promise?” Michael whispered.

“Yeah.” His chest welled with the hot flush of emotion inside him. “I promise.”

What the hell was he doing? Cain knew he was about to cross a line, but he didn’t care. Maybe he should. Who the hell was he to be promising her kid that everything would be all right? He ignored the inner voice of reason. The one that months, or even weeks, earlier would have been enough to send him packing.

Cain nodded toward the fire. “How ’bout some marshmallows?”