Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Lacey didn’t sleep. She’d been so utterly restless that she’d ended up spending most of the night pacing in the living room. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get comfortable on the couch, but a couple hours of shut eye wasn’t something to dismiss entirely.
Her mind was in a jumbled mess. She couldn’t focus on what the biggest issue surrounding her was.
She collapsed on the edge of the couch, her head in her hands.
After her mother had left yesterday, she kept waiting for a call from her parents.
She’d expected her mother to go home and tell her father that she was dating a man who couldn’t be trusted with their grandson and that they needed to intervene.
It didn’t matter that part of her knew she was overreacting. She’d been conditioned to believe that she wasn’t good enough to make these sorts of decisions. And even understanding that on a basic level wasn’t enough to get her heart to stop racing.
Did she believe her parents would report her to Child Protective Services just because she was dating a man who had a sordid past?
No, not dating. We’re not dating anymore .
Lacey shook her head with a groan. And no, she didn’t believe that her parents would stoop to that level.
She did, however, believe that they would insert themselves into her life to the point that she’d feel like she was walking on eggshells whenever they were around.
She did feel that it would lead to them finding whatever they could to rationalize the need for them to take over raising Bridger again.
And she couldn’t let that happen.
Then there was the whole issue with Mack.
She cared for him. Her heart ached for him. If she could drive over to his house right now and apologize for what she’d said, she would. But there was one big truth staring her in the face.
Mack wasn’t the best choice for Bridger. If it came down to it, Lacey would always choose her son over any other man.
Lacey didn’t realize she’d been crying again, until she felt the dampness in her hands.
She lifted her head and groaned again. Why was she crying?
It couldn’t be over Mack. She’d been the one to tell him to go.
She’d been the one to spew the hateful and judgmental things at him so he would be willing to leave her apartment without a bigger fight.
These tears, they were being shed for the dream she’d allowed herself to have that would no longer be possible. If someone as good as Mack wasn’t going to make the cut, then what possibility of a future did she have? He’d been perfect.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and she startled, her eyes flying to the bedroom door where Bridger still slept.
Normally on a weekend, they’d be cuddled in bed for as long as they could get away with.
Today she didn’t have to work—thank the stars.
Lacey didn’t think she could show up looking like the mess she knew she was.
The knock sounded again, stirring her from her convoluted thoughts. She got to her feet and brushed her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes would still be red and swollen, but at least there wouldn’t be any streaks of tears.
At this rate, the only person who would be on the other side of that door would be Angela. After the whole debacle yesterday with their mother, Lacey had been surprised that Angela hadn’t called or stopped by sooner. Their post-mom venting sessions had become a tradition of sorts.
Lacey pulled the door open. “It’s about time you came—” Her voice died in her throat as she came face to face with Mack. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look angry like he had last night.
Her heart immediately leaped from her chest, and all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and tell him not to leave her.
Thankfully, she kept a level head and remained composed. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
His gaze swept over her, and a flicker of concern danced in his eyes. He held up a cup carrier with three drinks and a brown paper sack. “I thought you might like breakfast.” He didn’t wait for her response before he slipped past her and into the apartment.
Lacey spun, gaping. “Mack, you can’t just?—”
He placed the items on the counter and started pulling them out. “I got the kid a chocolate donut with sprinkles. But since I know you’re not into the whole sweets thing at breakfast, I got you a croissant.”
“Mack! You—” she tried again.
The man had the gall to flash her a smile as he held up a croissant and something else. “Then again, Sweet Everything was doing a special, and they have something called a cronut. Can you believe they’re trying to merge two pastries together?”
She moaned with frustration, rubbing her temples with her fingers. “You can’t be here. We’re not dating anymore.”
He didn’t seem to listen to her. “I got you coffee, too. And the kid can have orange juice. I made sure to get the one with less sugar.” Mack winked at her, and that was the final straw.
Lacey charged the short distance to him and took the cup he was holding out of his hand and put it back into the cup carrier before attempting to hand it back to him. “You need to leave.”
This time he stared at her like he was seeing everything beneath the surface—like he could actually read everything written on her heart. She shifted, tearing her eyes from him and looking away so she could get her bearings.
“Please,” Lacey whispered. Everything her mother had said to her yesterday—and all the years before—came crashing to the surface. Lacey wasn’t going to risk losing Bridger or being put under her parents’ thumb again. “Just…”
“Don’t,” he said firmly.
She lifted her eyes to meet his.
“Don’t say another word,” he continued. Mack placed his palm to her cheek, and his eyes searched hers like they had before. “I’m fully aware that you don’t want me here, but you’re just going to have to deal with it.”
Lacey opened her mouth, but he moved to place a finger over it.
“Listen to me and listen to me well. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Then you’re trespassing,” she blustered, her skin heating. “I can call the sheriff and have you forcibly removed.”
He shook his head. “You don’t get it. I’ll leave in a few minutes. But I’m not going anywhere. You can’t just lash out at me and expect me to run away with my tail between my legs. That’s not how this thing works.”
“What thing?” she demanded, wrenching away from his touch.
“There is no thing . This?” She pointed a finger between the two of them.
“This isn’t happening anymore. It was a mistake to start with, and it would be a huge mistake to continue.
You’re going to take what you brought, and you’re going to leave.
Then when you’re tempted to stop by unannounced, you’re going to remind yourself that I don’t want to see you. ”
“That’s a lie,” he muttered softly, an edge to his voice. It wasn’t angry—not really. Rather, it was a combination of concern, desperation, and determination rolled into one. “You need me. And I need you.”
Momentarily distracted by his words, Lacey nearly gave in to the promise of it all. Then she shook her head. “I need to keep Bridger safe.”
“Who said he wasn’t? No one’s gonna hurt that kid. I’ll make sure of it.”
She gave up trying to get him to take the cup carrier and instead focused on giving him little shove after little shove toward the front door.
He chuckled at her antics, which only spurred her frustration to a deeper level.
“You can’t be here,” she repeated, finally getting him out onto the front landing of her apartment.
He folded his arms and leaned casually against the railing at his back. “You might be able to keep me out of your apartment, but this? Right here?” He tapped the ground with the toe of his boot. “This doesn’t belong to you.”
Lacey wanted to laugh and cry and yell at him all at once. “Bridger is going to be up soon, and I don’t want to have to tell him why you’ve chosen to become a stalker instead of a cowboy.”
The man actually laughed. He laughed! Then his eyes found hers, and he sobered, his voice a sultry, soft, and comforting sonnet. “I’m not going to give up on you, Lacey. I won’t.”
She gnawed on her lower lip, hating how much those words seemed to soothe her.
“I won’t give up on us,” he said firmly.
“Mom?” A quiet voice called from behind her. She jumped and glanced over her shoulder before tossing one more look in Mack’s direction and shutting the door.
Monday night was busier than Lacey had expected. Most of the tables were full. Maybe there was an event happening locally she wasn’t aware of. She really needed to pay attention more to what was going on in her own town.
She smiled at the latest customers. A nice-looking young couple with a baby. The child had a fist wrapped tightly around his mother’s finger, and he babbled as his eyes swept over the restaurant.
“Hi,” Lacey jumped right in. “I’m Lacey, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. What can I get you to drink?”
“A coke for me,” the young man said, then glanced at his wife.
“And she’ll have a water.” His wife grinned.
They were clearly still so much in love, and it made Lacey’s heart hurt just looking at them.
She didn’t mean to, but immediately, her thoughts drifted to Mack and what she’d lost when she pushed him out of her life.
Her smile tightened as she gave them a nod and hurried off to get the drinks. She’d just finished filling the plastic cups when the hostess popped her head into the small space where the soda machine was located.
“Lacey, there’s another table for you. He requested to be put in your section.”
The cup of water in her hand slipped from her fingers, connecting with the counter and clattering on the floor as water sloshed everywhere. Lacey gasped and jumped back. One other waitress nearby did the same.
Dang it! She already knew who was in her section. He could only be one person. And Lacey didn’t have the mental strength to see him tonight.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t simply tell him to leave. He was a paying customer—and he usually bought more than he could eat from the menu.
“I’ll get that for you,” the other waitress offered.
Lacey sent her an appreciative smile as she filled up a second cup of water and slipped out onto the floor. She could feel Mack’s eyes on her the moment she moved up to the small family’s table. “Are we ready to order?”
“Not yet. Can we have a few minutes?” the young woman asked.
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Lacey tucked the tray under her arm, contemplating what would happen if she blatantly ignored Mack. She didn’t think she’d get fired over it. But then again, she’d been wrong about a lot of things lately.
Sighing in resignation, she turned on her heels and strode toward his table in the corner.
“Good evening. I’m Lacey, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.
What can I get you to drink?” She’d said these exact words so many times, they slipped right off the tongue without effort.
Lacey avoided looking right at him and chose instead to stare at her pad of paper that she wrote her orders on.
“Lacey,” he murmured. “Are you going to look at me?”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, hating the conflicting feelings that stirred within her. “What do you want?” she said through gritted teeth.
“I want to talk.”
“I meant, what do you want to drink?”
He dragged a hand down his face. “Lacey, I’m really trying here. You won’t take my calls, and I did what you asked and stayed away from the apartment. Why are you pushing me away? And don’t tell me that it’s because I was a stupid teenager once.”
She shut her eyes tight, the fears and anxiety ripping through her. When she opened them, she glanced around the restaurant. “If I tell you, will you finally just… leave?”
Mack folded his arms, not answering.
Lacey sighed. It didn’t look like she had much of a choice. “When I had Bridger, my parents took care of him.”
He nodded.
“What I didn’t tell you was that they refused to let me have custody—even after I was legally an adult.”
This time he frowned.
“It took years to convince them that I should be able to raise him on my terms. And even now, they still breathe down my neck—waiting for me to make a mistake so they can take him back.”
“That won’t happen.” Mack’s voice almost resembled a growl, and her eyes cut to his to find fury burning in their depths.
She took in a sharp breath at the sight of it but quickly pushed away the feelings his reaction elicited.
“I’m not going to let that happen,” she said with conviction.
“I can’t risk making even one mistake to draw their attention.
I will protect my child, and if that means never finding love, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. ”
Mack reached out a hand toward her, and she shook her head sharply as she took a short step backward. The lines around his mouth tightened at her refusal. “Lacey…”
“I’m thinking about finding a lawyer.”
His brows lifted, and she was just as surprised as he was over her confession.
“I want to make sure that they can’t do anything to switch custody to their hands again.”
Mack leaned closer to her. “I’m sure that won’t happen.”
“But that’s not good enough. We don’t know what could happen.
So that’s why I need you to leave me alone.
My mom heard all about your past, and she’s the most judgmental person I know.
If she thinks that Bridger is in any sort of danger, she’ll step in.
” Lacey allowed her walls to drop as she pleaded with him to understand where she was coming from.
For a moment, it looked as though he understood. She could see a hint of pity in his eyes, but she was beyond feeling upset about it.
Then Mack straightened in his chair and shook his head. “I told you, Lacey. I’m not going anywhere. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
She let out a groan and tossed her head back with exasperation before turning away from him.
“I’ll have a root beer,” Mack called after her, but she didn’t acknowledge him. This was going to get so much worse before it got any better.