The Summer He Came Home (12 page)

Cain laughed. “Well, good to see you’ve got the stomach to be a fisherman.” He winked. “And next time I take you out, I promise I’ll teach you how to clean them.”

Maggie’s voice slid between them. “Michael, make sure you use lots of soap and scrub beneath your fingernails, please.”

The kid looked up at him, eyes wide. “See? She sees everything.”

Cain grinned and glanced back at Maggie. She sat in a chair on the deck, and as promised, a glass of wine had been provided. Cain had brought all the fixings, salad, and potatoes. Of course, the salad had been premade at the grocer, and the potatoes were in fact a container of store-bought potato salad, but hell, it would do.

Michael scurried off to wash his hands, and he followed suit. The fish had been cleaned and were ready to go on the grill.

“I made a lemon sauce for the fish.” Maggie handed him a cold beer and reached for her glass of wine. “It’s in the small container by the barbecue along with foil and tongs.”

“Thanks, lady.” He winked, loved the flush that stained her cheeks, and headed toward the barbecue.

Maggie’s yard was a small oasis that was a perfect example of “size doesn’t matter.” It was a space meant to hang out and relax in. A large oak tree provided shade to nearly a third of the space, and there was an oriental waterfall in the corner that provided a Zen-like touch. The honeysuckle that crept along the back wall was fragrant, the scent hanging heavy in the warm June air. A small vegetable garden was tucked away in the far corner of the yard, and colorful flower beds overrun by petunias and geraniums crept along the foundation of the house.

It was pretty much paradise as far as he was concerned, and Cain hummed to himself as Michael helped prepare the fish. They arranged the fillets neatly on the foil, doused them liberally with the marinade that Maggie had provided, and covered them so they’d cook.

It felt good to do this. To do something for someone else. For too long he’d been on his own, and for the first time he realized that the few years spent with Natasha had never brought out this need in him. The need to put someone else first.

Being back here in Crystal Lake was about as far away from the life he’d built as he could get. But he was okay with that. In fact, he was beginning to suspect he needed a shot of something
real
in order to survive the future.

He took a long drink from the cold beer in his hand and glanced back at Maggie. She was someone he wanted to worry about. Someone he wanted to do things for.

“This smells so good, it’s making my tummy rumble.” Michael laughed and rubbed his belly. Every single piece of anxiety that lived in Cain had left him. As if a leak had sprung inside his body, he was light and stress-free.

He felt like a damn king.

“Sure does buddy, and it’s gonna taste even better than it smells.”

The boy’s forehead creased into a frown. “Is it because we caught it? So it’s fresh? Cause I never smelled anything this yummy.”

He ruffled the top of Michael’s head. “This is gonna be the best fish you’ve ever had, and it’s because you worked for it. Anything worth having in life has to be earned.”

Michael nodded, and his little face screwed into a frown as he kicked at the ground. “Miss Lauren is your mom, right?”

That was a 360-degree change in conversation. Cain nodded. “Sure is.”

Michael glanced up, eyes wide, mouth set in a serious line. “Where’s your dad?”

He stared down at the boy.
Good
question.

“I don’t know, Michael.” Cain busied himself with the fish, rearranging the fillets in the foil before covering them again. They were almost ready. “My dad left when I was a little guy barely five years old and never came back. He could be anywhere, I suppose.”
Or
dead.

“Oh.” Michael shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at the ground once more. “We’re the same, then.”

“Yeah?”

Michael shook his head and glanced toward his mother. “I don’t have a dad anymore either.”

Cain didn’t know what to say. The tone of their conversation had changed, and no longer were they two guys grilling some fish. Michael was sharing something pretty damn heavy. It was shadowed in his eyes and evidenced by the rigid set of his small shoulders.

Cain was curious. He’d assumed Maggie was divorced, a single mom. He hadn’t considered the possibility that she was a widow.

He knew nothing about Maggie or where she came from. Nothing about the man she’d had a child with. He pursed his lips and took another swig of beer. Something hot flashed through him, a sliver of jealousy he had no right to feel.

But it was there nonetheless. He didn’t like the fact that another man had tasted her, had held her, and created life with her.

What the hell was up with that?

“You guys ready yet? I’ve got the table set.” Her voice startled them both, and a frown slid over her face. Maggie had crept up on them and stood a few inches from her son, but her focus was on Cain. “What’s going on? Am I interrupting?”

Michael shook his head but didn’t answer.

Cain put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, flashed a smile at his mother. “We’re good, and your boy’s hungry, so…”

They ate on Maggie’s small deck. There was just enough room at the table for the three of them. The fish was tender and tasty, as were the sides. It was cozy, intimate, and the bottle of wine went down smooth as silk.

The sun set in a blaze of reds, oranges, and gold. Cain settled back and enjoyed the view. He’d seen the same sun set hundreds of times and had never given it another thought. But tonight, here with Maggie and her son, he thought that it was pretty much perfect.

“You’ve got a weird look on your face. Is everything all right?”

Maggie busied herself with the small stickers she held and ignored Raine’s question.

“Or does the weird look have anything to do with the fact that you and Cain spent the night together.”

“We didn’t…” Maggie began and shot her a dark look. “We did
not
spend the night together.”

“Whatever,” Raine teased as she followed behind and priced the goods Maggie had stickered. The two of them had volunteered to help out with a massive garage sale organized by the football team. It was one of several money drives that were in place in order to raise funds for the new stadium that had been proposed for the local high school. It was being held along the banks of the river that ran through town, and at the moment the entire area resembled a country fair, with booths set up and displays everywhere.

The event had been organized weeks earlier, and Maggie was happy not only that Raine had come out to participate, but that her mood was light.

“That’s not what I heard.”

Actually, Maggie could do without the teasing.

“Well I don’t know what you heard, but whatever it was is wrong. Cain and I had dinner together, but that’s it.” She made a face. “And how could you hear anything anyway? It’s been less than eight hours since I saw him.”

“Lady, you don’t understand the network that exists in this town. Someone
sees
something and
tells
someone else, and then next thing you know it’s on the front page of the
Lake
Herald
.” At Maggie’s look of panic, Raine giggled. “Well, maybe not the front page.”

Raine held up a large velvet painting of a half-naked woman lounging underneath a tree on an equally gaudy chaise. She made a face. “My God, this is like a bad version of Rose’s portrait in
Titanic
.” She giggled. “Free?” She wrote something on the sticker and moved on to the next item. “So you
did
spend the night with Cain.”

Maggie bit her lip.
Stay
in
your
good
place.

She flipped a braid behind her shoulder and bent over to place a sticker on a box of stuffed animals. They were near the north end, not far from the dam, two of a slew of volunteers. Though it was just past six in the morning, the air was already sticky. It was going to be a hot, humid day.

“We had dinner at my house. That’s it.”

“All right,
I
believe you, but I just thought you should know what the rest of Crystal Lake thinks.”

“Maggie!”

She glanced up as Lori Jonesberg jogged toward them.

“Here she comes! Quick, run while you still can!” Raine whispered, and then busied herself with a stack of books.

Lori was an attractive brunette—for the moment. As owner of A Cut Above, the local salon, her hair color changed frequently. She was a few years older than Maggie, and her family had lived in Crystal Lake for generations. Her husband was the fire chief, her children the local sports superstars, and she herself was like a tornado in human form.

Maggie groaned as she straightened and pasted a smile to her mouth that she so did not feel.

Lori paused in front of them, her face split wide in a grin. “My God, girl, you need to spill. I heard you and Cain Black are an item?”

Maggie glanced at Raine, who smiled wickedly and turned back to whatever it was she was pricing.

Lori’s salon was the hub of Crystal Lake, and she was very much the queen bee. It was gossip central. If you wanted to know who was sleeping with whom or who was having money problems or whose so and so had passed, you made an appointment for a haircut. Guaranteed, you’d leave the salon with lighter pockets, but your head would be filled with all the latest news.

Maggie smoothed her tank top and pretended to pick some lint from her shorts. Anything to avoid the probing brown eyes that stared at her with rabid glee.

It was pretty bad that Lori already had the scoop and her salon hadn’t even opened for business yet. Too bad her information was wrong.

“Lori,” Maggie said carefully, “I don’t know what you heard, but—”

“Oh my God, Maggie. It’s all right. Snagging someone like Cain isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Lord knows you’ve been a nun since you arrived in our little town. No one can blame you for wanting a little of what he’s got going on.” The woman winked as if they were sharing a secret or a confidence that she was privy to.

“Lori, you’re wrong about this!” Panic nipped at her heels. She didn’t want the entire town thinking she was having sex with Cain Black. “We just had dinner, nothing more. He took Michael out on the boat, and we ate the fish they caught. That’s it.” Exasperation colored Maggie’s voice a deep husky tone, but as a flashback of Cain kissing her—her legs wrapped around his midsection, her body pressed against his—flashed before her, a blush settled onto her cheeks, and that was something she couldn’t hide.

“Sure, hon.” The woman winked. “The thing is, Cain Black doesn’t just do dinner, if you know what I mean.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, the worst people can say is, you’re using your son to snag one of the Bad Boys. Kudos for picking the sexiest one.”

Maggie was speechless.

It was at that exact moment Cain arrived with Jake and Mac in tow. When she saw Mackenzie, all thoughts of Lori and her outrageous comments fled.

Mac’s face was a mottled mess of cuts and bruises, and his right eye was swollen and black. She thought of Cain’s words, of the “family trouble” that had called him away Wednesday night, and her heart softened. Maggie knew what it was to bear the brunt of someone’s perverted version of love.

She also knew the physical scars would heal, but it was the mental ones that needed tending the most. The healing process was so much longer and more complicated.

“Lori.” Cain’s one word had the beauty queen literally prancing in her inappropriate heels.

“Cain.” The woman batted her eyes like a pro. “Nice to know you’re sticking around. I hear you’re playing the big concert scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend.” The woman dripped sugar like it was honey, but her tone changed quickly as she spied Mac.

“Good Lord, Mackenzie, I heard you got into it with Ben the other night.” She sounded horrified.

“I’m sure you did, Lori.” Mac walked past them toward Raine, while Jake hung back, though his eyes followed his friend.

Maggie glanced up at Cain. His eyes rested on Lori, so she was able to study him unobserved. Something fluttered in her chest as she took all of him in. He was dressed in a faded black T-shirt, one emblazoned with A Farewell to Kings across the chest. He wore the board shorts she’d seen him in at the Edwardses’. The ones she knew barely hung on to his hips. Her mouth went dry at the thought, and she wanted to look away but couldn’t.

His tattoo drew her eye, an intricate design of music notes and what looked like gems—rubies—and though it was something she’d never do herself, she could appreciate the beauty.

Cain said something funny, and her heart lurched as he smiled at the woman. His grin was wide, it was warm, and it was genuine. Maggie wanted it for herself and frowned as that thought jumped into her head.

Lori leaned in close to Cain, whispered something in his ear, and then winked at Maggie. She made a dramatic turn and left, her long, skinny legs teetering as her four-inch heels stuck into the soft grass.

“So”—Cain’s eyes swung her way—“put us to work.”

“You didn’t say anything about working the garage sale last night.” Her thoughts found their way out into the open, and she blushed as his smile deepened.

“Nice surprise?”

Maggie clutched the pad of stickers in her hands and cleared her throat. She ignored his comment mainly because even though it
was
a nice surprise—if she wanted to be honest—he sure as hell didn’t need to know. “Actually, Luke Jansen is in charge.” She glanced past Cain. “He’s over there.”

Cain’s smile faded somewhat, but he nodded. “Sure. Is Michael here?”

“He’s around somewhere. Most likely with his buddy Tommy.”

“All right. Let’s do this.” He nodded to Jake. “And then later”—he winked at Maggie—“we can play.”

Mac groaned, a scowl hardening his features into a painful grimace. “Why the hell I let you talk me into getting up this early on a Saturday to come here is the question of the day, my friend.”

“Suck it up.” Cain tossed a smile her way. “I’ll find you for lunch, all right?”

Heat shot through her belly and settled down
there
. That he could do that to her with just a smile was insane. Her heart sped up, and her breath hitched at the back of her throat.

I
don’t know. I think this could be something real.
His words echoed in her head like a whisper.

A glimmer of hope nestled in her chest, a schoolgirl musing, and she found herself smiling in return as he nodded and then jogged toward Luke, with Mac and Jake close on his heels. The three of them—the Bad Boys, as they were called—had the attention of nearly everyone at the park.

Including Maggie.

“Okay, tell me again how he means nothing to you?” Raine stood beside her, black marker in hand, though she followed the men’s progress as well.

Maggie didn’t say a word. Mostly because there was nothing to say, at least nothing she wanted to say out loud. In the space of less than two weeks, Cain had insinuated himself into her life, her thoughts, and her feelings. For the moment, she had no clue what she was going to do about it.

She decided to think about it later. Which was easy to do, considering the bombshell that Raine was about to drop in her lap.

“So, I went into the city yesterday.”

Maggie continued to sticker the mountain of toys in the section they’d been given. She looked at Raine. The young widow was pensive, her brow furled in concentration as she carefully wrote out prices. Her complexion was pale even with the wash of sun that caressed her.

Maggie sensed the conversation had just become serious.

“I had an appointment with a specialist.” Raine continued to price the toys as she spoke. “A fertility specialist.” Her dark eyes sought Maggie’s, and she paused, letting the pain inside show briefly. Raine’s bottom lip trembled, and she took a second to compose herself before continuing. “I’m thinking of having a baby.”

Maggie’s jaw dropped. Okay, she knew the young widow was hurting and hurting bad, but this was insane.

“A baby,” Maggie repeated, kind of stunned.

Raine’s eyes shimmered in the sun, the unshed tears like misty diamonds. “Jesse’s baby.” She laughed, but the sound was bittersweet and held no hint of joy. “We froze his sperm before he shipped out the last time he was home on leave. I didn’t want to. I thought it was creepy and unnecessary since, you know, he’d be home again, but Jesse insisted.” She bit her lip and exhaled. “It’s as if he knew he wasn’t coming back.”

Maggie didn’t know what to say. All around them, volunteers were setting up for the sale. Conversations floated on the air, talk of the baseball game and barbecues or what plans had been decided for the rest of the weekend. Small stuff. Life stuff.

All of it paled in comparison to what the young widow was struggling with.

“The night that Jake called… I remember him telling me that Jesse had been hurt. Really bad. And before he even had a chance to say he’d passed, I thought of what Jesse and I had done.” Raine exhaled and glanced around. “I knew before he said the words.” She shuddered. “I knew Jesse was gone, and I was so angry at him.”

Raine took a second to compose herself, and Maggie’s heart broke at the struggle she saw. “I’m still angry, and even though I know it makes no sense, I feel like…when he donated his sperm he was giving up. That it was an omen.” Her voice rose. “Everyone thinks I’m mourning Jesse, that my days are filled with thoughts of him and what we had and what we lost, but they’re wrong. You know what the truth is?”

Maggie remained silent.

“The truth is, all I’ve been thinking about is the fact that he’d want me to have his baby, and I don’t know…” Maggie bit her lip and held back tears of her own. “I don’t know if I want to do it, and that makes me feel like a total bitch.”

“Raine, you need to take some time. Now isn’t the moment to make a decision like this. Jesse’s death still hasn’t hit you, but trust me, it will.” Maggie gave her a hug. “Everything is still so fresh, I’m sure some of it doesn’t seem real. A baby is a huge commitment, and I wouldn’t advise anyone to try it on their own.”

Raine’s shrugged. “You seem to be doing a great job with Michael.”

“I had no choice.”

“I’m sorry.” Raine whispered.

“You
do
, but you need to take some time. Step back and look at it when your emotions aren’t all over the place. You haven’t even grieved your loss. So don’t do anything rash, because once a child is conceived, that baby is for keeps.”

“Hey, you girls all right?” Luke Jensen, Maggie’s neighbor, cut into their moment. “Can I get you guys coffee or anything?” The paramedic looked from Maggie to Raine questioningly.

Raine shook her head and moved away as Maggie began to sticker a fresh lot of toys. “We’re fine.”

Luke’s gaze lingered, but then he moved on.

She spied Cain hauling out boxes of stuff from a small trailer that had appeared out of nowhere. He’d taken off his T-shirt, and his muscles rippled beneath the sheen of sweat that coated his skin. He turned suddenly as if he knew she was staring at him. Their eyes connected, and the physical jolt that shot through her body was scary. In that moment she knew. This man would break her heart if she let him.

She needed to forget about him. And she needed to do it fast.

Mac was tossing the stuff out to him, cursing as he did so and complaining about the pain along his jaw—a jaw his father had marked with his bare fists. Jake moved things along, though the soldier kept glancing in their direction, his gaze seeking Raine, his eyes filled with pain and hunger.