The Summer He Came Home (25 page)

Cain saw Maggie about a minute before she realized he was there. He’d parked in the driveway but had spent the last five minutes pacing up and down her porch, trying to get rid of the nervous energy that hung low in his gut.

She moved up the street, her steps quick, her head bowed. A large bag hung off her shoulder, and she was hunched forward as if trying to ward off something.

He cursed, pissed at himself. He’d let his guard down. A lame-ass move, and now she was going to pay for it.

Maggie glanced up then, and he clenched his hands at the look in her eyes. It was back. The deer-in-headlights thing was back, and it was his fault.

“Where’s Michael?” A hint of panic rolled beneath her words. Her Southern accent was much more pronounced, and she couldn’t hide her fear.

“Jake took him back to the lake, but Raine knows he’s there. She called me.”

Maggie blew out a shaky breath, and her expression changed. It wasn’t so much that her features physically moved. It was subtle, like a shadow creeping across her eyes. She squared her shoulders and marched up her narrow walkway, shoved her way past him, and unlocked her front door. She slipped inside, and he followed, wishing she’d at least yell. Throw something.
Do
something.

The silent treatment left him uneasy.

She let her bag fall to the ground, and a copy of
Hollywood
Scene
slipped out. He stared at the cover, wincing again at the bold headline.

“Maggie, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say. I had no idea there were paparazzi in town. Hell, why would I? They’ve never followed me before unless Natasha was around.”

She walked into her kitchen without a word, and again he followed. Two wineglasses were pulled down from her cupboard, and she filled them with some merlot left over from a few nights back.

She treated herself to a generous gulp and moved away from the sink, leaving his glass behind. The unease in his chest tightened, gripped him in a band of tension that made it difficult to breathe. His eyes followed her as she slipped out the back door and disappeared into her yard.

Still without uttering a single word.

Cain grabbed his glass and downed the entire thing. He traced her footsteps down the stairs until he stood a few feet from her.

Overhead the gray clouds that had blown in earlier filled the sky, and he thought that maybe he’d felt a big raindrop. Maggie sipped her wine and leaned against the railing that led from the small deck down to the grass. She looked small, vulnerable, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her, just like he had the night before.

He felt like the biggest ass ever. Bringing this load of crap down onto her world.

Ignoring him, she walked to the back fence, her hands trailing along the yellow honeysuckle as she wandered toward the small waterfall in the corner.

“Maggie, I—”

She shook her head, held her hand up, and with the flick of her wrist he was silent. Cain watched her, hating the hopeless rush of emotion he felt. But he respected her parameters and hung back.

She slowly undid the clip atop her head, and a silken wash of crimson fell over her fingers as she gently shook out her hair. The wind had picked up, and he watched transfixed as her long tangles floated on the breeze.

She wandered over to the other side of the yard and stopped midway between the back fence and her house. She bent down and picked up something and then she froze.

Cain moved forward until he was able to see what she held—a cigarette butt. He frowned and watched her carefully.

“He stood right here,” she said, her face tight. “And I never knew.”

Cain followed her line of vision and cursed as he stared at the dark patch of window that belonged to her bedroom. She was talking about the dirtbag photographer.

“Maggie, I’ll sue the bastard.”

“What’s the point in that? The damage is done. I’m just trying to understand what kind of person would sneak into someone’s backyard and take pictures of them through their window.” She hugged her arms around her body and shuddered. “It’s invasive, perverted, and just…wrong.”

“You’d be surprised.”

She turned then, her eyes angry, their blue depths as dark as the clouds above them. “I don’t want to be surprised. I have a little boy to look out for, remember? Being surprised isn’t a good thing.”

“Maggie, I know what you’re thinking.”

She shook her head and laughed, a short, harsh sound that didn’t belong on her lips. “You have no idea what I’m thinking. Trust me.”

He took a moment and then tried again. “This story will be big for a while, and then it will blow over. They’ll move on to the next sorry son of a bitch. And then the next one. It’s the way the machine works.”

She looked away, and he felt her withdrawal like a physical slap. It pissed him off. That she could just turn off like that.

“Maggie, I know you’re upset, and rightly so. But let’s put things into perspective here.”

“He stood in my backyard and pointed a camera into my window.” She shook her head and her voice rose. “What if he’d held something else? What if it had been a gun pointed in my window?”

“Okay, you’re getting carried away. A gun? Seriously? I’m a guitar player, for Christ sake, not the president.” His chest tightened as he glared at her. She was blowing the entire thing out of proportion.

“For now.” She muttered.

“What do you mean for now?” What the hell was she getting at?

Maggie rounded on him, her face flushed with anger. “Where do you think you’ll be a year from now, Cain? Here? With me?”

“A year from now?” He sputtered.

“Because that would be wrong.” She continued as if he’d never said a thing. “These past few weeks have been a fantasy. Those pictures in that trash magazine aren’t real. They’re fantasy, nothing more. A year from now, you won’t be here and you won’t be with me.”

“How the hell do you know what I want?” He ran hands through his hair, his thoughts twisted, confused, and just plain fucking mad.

Maggie shook her head. “I don’t know what you want, Cain, because we’ve never talked about it, but I do know one thing.” She blew out a hot breath. “I have a son who needs to be protected.”

“Maggie, nothing will happen to Michael. I’d never allow it.”

“
You’d
never allow it?” She set her empty glass on the small patio table near the barbecue. “Let me be clear about this.
I’ll
never allow it. I’m his mother. You’re just…”

His pulse spiked as a new wave of anger rolled over him. “I’m just what?”

She stared at him, her eyes huge as several fat drops of rain fell from the sky. “You’re the man I’ve been screwing, and as of now, it’s officially over. We can’t do this anymore, Cain.” Thunder rolled in the distance and lightning streaked across the horizon.

“Can’t or won’t?” he snarled, his anger erupting.

“I won’t do this anymore.”

“Maggie…”

But she’d closed off. Retreated. Frustration and anger churned madly, feeding his dark mood. He blew out a long, hot breath and took a moment. He couldn’t lose his temper. That would push her further away.

“Maggie, you need to take a step back. This isn’t as bad as it seems.” He tried to keep his voice calm and neutral, but the panic parasites were burrowing deep.

“I disagree. In fact, I
strongly
disagree, and I think it’s going to get much worse than it is today. It may seem like no big deal to you, but we’re looking at this from two entirely different perspectives.”

“They’re pictures, Maggie. This will blow over.”

“Blow over, my ass.” She shook her head. “Maybe for you, but not for me.”

Cain looked away. He didn’t know what to say. How could he make her understand? It
would
blow over. This kind of thing always did.

He lowered his voice. “Maggie.” She was going to run. He could feel it. “Why don’t we discuss what this is really about? Because I sure as hell don’t believe you’re this upset over some pictures. What are you afraid of? Your ex-husband?”

She was surprised, her mouth half-open and eyebrows furled. She stared at him for several long moments, her mouth pinched tight. “I can’t talk about this anymore. I need you to leave.”

“I want to talk about it.”

“I don’t care what you want, Cain. This isn’t about you or me.” She thrust her chin forward. “It’s about my son.” She inhaled a ragged breath.
“My son.”

He’d been dismissed. “So that’s it.” Cain’s nostrils flared, his eyes flattened, and he clenched his mouth so tight that pain radiated along his jaw. “Just like that.”

“Look, Cain, I don’t have time to hash this out.” She shook her head, her eyes huge in her pale face. “I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“I’m not leaving, Maggie. Tell me about your ex-husband and what he did to you.”

“Dante is none of your business.”

The energy in the air crackled, and lightning rushed across the sky once more. Raindrops splattered onto her face and body, the large drops leaving fat, dark circles on her clothes.
Dante.
He had the bastard’s name.

“Michael made him my business.”

“Michael? What do you mean?” Her chest heaved, and she glanced away. He knew she was fighting for control, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.

She ran trembling fingers along her temple.

He decided to lay everything on the line. What the hell did he have to lose? “I know he abused you, laid his hands on you and hit you.” She flinched as he spoke, as if every word uttered slammed into her the way Michael’s father’s fists had. She clenched her fingers so tight around the delicate crystal glass, he was afraid it would shatter.

“Why would you…how would you…?” She struggled to finish her sentence, and if he could have done anything to wipe away her pain, he would have. She swallowed thickly.

“Michael told me.”

Her eyes widened, and silence stretched between them. “No.” She finally whispered. “But Michael, never…he
never
saw…” She looked away, her body and voice trembling.

Cain fought the urge to grab her into his arms. He wanted to offer comfort but at the same time was afraid to drive her away. A fragile connection had been forged and it wouldn’t take much to break it.

“Oh God.”

“Maggie, let me help you. Tell me what it is you need, and it’s done. I can’t be there for you if you don’t let me in.”

“I never knew that he saw.” Her voice broke. “What kind of mother am I?
I
never
knew.
”

He reached for her—he couldn’t help himself. His hands slid along her shoulders, and he pulled her close, grateful that she let him. Maggie’s head tucked just under his chin, and he breathed in her unique scent, loving the way she melted into him. She belonged there.

She belonged to him.

A steady fall of rain slid down their skin, but the two of them were oblivious to the storm that raged. She didn’t move, and he made no effort to drag her into the house. The water washed over them, a cool balm against their heated flesh. He closed his eyes and held her, hoping, wishing, it would take away her pain.

After a while she stopped trembling, and her hands pushed at his chest. “Let me go, Cain.”

Reluctantly he released her, but there was something in her voice that made him wary. That ball of fear inside him churned heavy as she took a few steps and turned to him.

“Raine will be here soon with Michael. I need you to leave.”

“I’m not leaving.”

She brushed wet hair off her face, but there was no expression in her eyes. It was as though the tap had been closed and the water had run out. She was blank. Already gone.

“I’ll allow Michael to play in the charity football game with you, because I know how much it means to him, but after that we’re done. I can’t handle what happened here today, Cain. It’s too much.”

His anger spilled over. When had this woman gained such control over his emotions? “So, you’re willing to toss our relationship into the garbage because of a few pictures? I thought you had more backbone than that, Maggie. I guess I was wrong.”

She took two steps toward him, her small form humming with anger. “I guess you really don’t know me at all then.”

“It’s kind of hard to know someone when they’re constantly shutting you out.” He frowned. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“Not particularly.”

He walked toward her. “I think you’re using Michael and your ex as an excuse to run away from something pretty damn special.”

She glared at him but remained silent.

“You’ve got trust issues. I get that, Maggie, but there comes a moment when you have to let go of that crap, or else…” His tongue got all tied up. How could he make her see?

“Or else, what?”

“You’ll end up just like your old man, alone, bitter, and wasted.” She flinched at his words, and he knew they’d cut her deep. “Don’t you want to be happy, Maggie?”

She stared at him in silence for a good long while, and Cain thought that maybe he’d just crossed a line. But damn, she pulled his pin easier than anyone had ever done before, and he wasn’t about to apologize for being right.

“I want you to leave.”

Unbelievable.

“So that’s it.” He frowned darkly and took a step toward her.

“That’s it.”

“I don’t get a say.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t.”

The back door flew open, and they both looked toward the small deck. Michael stood just inside, the grin on his face dying as he stared down at both of them. His curls were crazy, surrounding his head in a halo—a result of the humidity and rain.

He pushed away the stubborn wave that hung in his eyes and stepped onto the deck.

“Why are you standing out in the rain?”

Maggie made a noise, a soft painful whimper, and Cain stepped forward.

“Your mom was just coming in.”

“Oh.” Michael’s eyes were glued to his mother.

“Thanks for all your help today, buddy.”

Michael nodded, but his face paled as he stared at Maggie. “Are you all right, Mom? You don’t look so good.”