Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Maybe you should just call a lawyer,” Noah murmured.
Mack shot his brother a scowl. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the money for it.
Each of his brothers had invested the funds their parents had scrounged up and gifted them after high school graduation.
It had been meant for college, and so far, Caleb was the only one who made their parents’ dream come true by graduating with a college degree.
But the fact of the matter was that Mack wasn’t sure Lacey would take kindly to him steamrolling over this situation and forcing her to take counsel from a lawyer he hired.
Knowing how fiercely independent Lacey was, Mack knew he had to tread carefully. He was on thin ice with her already.
Or rather, if anyone asked her, they weren’t even a couple anymore.
He groaned and tossed the document he’d been reading about a case that could be considered precedent. “I’m not getting anywhere with this stuff.”
“Hence the need to hire a real lawyer,” Noah quipped.
Mack sent him a seething look. “I don’t want to hire a lawyer if it’s not necessary. If this comes to that, then sure, I’ll make Lacey accept help in the form of the best lawyer this state has to offer. They’re not going to take Bridger away from her no matter what they think.”
Noah watched him like he was seeing something that Mack couldn’t.
“What?” Mack snapped.
Noah shrugged. “It’s just nice to see that you’re passionate about something. Funny how it took you falling in love with a girl to make that happen.”
Mack scoffed. Love. He’d thought he loved her.
Heck, he’d thought she loved him. But even after he’d confessed as much, she still walked away.
Maybe he didn’t love her the way she needed to be loved.
Fear gripped him as he considered the possibility of that idea.
If he wasn’t loving her the way she needed, then what hope did he have at getting her back?
Noah was still watching him intently, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. “It’s okay, bud. Vulnerability can be scary at first. And your heart will get used to caring about more than just yourself.”
“I care about things,” Mack snapped. “I care about a lot of things.”
His younger brother chuckled, leaning back on his chair where they both sat at the kitchen table. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Have you ever wondered why our parents pull you aside day in and day out to ask you about your future?”
Mack stiffened.
“While they seem to leave me alone?”
He was right! Noah hadn’t gone to college. And yet Mack hadn’t seen any indication that Noah was judged as harshly by their parents. His eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to tell me, though.”
Noah’s focus dipped to Mack. “Nope. But I will point out something. You need to find a purpose that will fulfill you. And this thing you have with Lacey and her kid does that.”
“Yeah, so what? I already know that.”
His brother straightened before setting a steely stare on him. “What’s standing in your way, then? Why aren’t you with her right now?”
“Because she won’t give me the time of day,” he muttered with exasperation.
Noah inched closer. “And what are her reasons for that?”
“Her parents won’t…” Mack’s voice trailed off, and he launched from his chair.
Her parents were in the way. They’d made her fearful of doing anything they wouldn’t approve of, despite her living on her own and cities away.
His eyes shot to Noah’s. “It’s her parents.
If I can get them to drop this whole thing, then she wouldn’t have any excuses. ”
His brother gave him a knowing grin. “Then I guess you know what you have to do next.”
Mack’s expression faltered, and he snorted. “What? You think I can just track them down and go talk to them? Convince them that I’m not some psycho stalker? You realize we’ve never spoken before. I don’t have their information.”
“But you could get it.”
“Lacey would never?—”
“Angela would. And I would guess that the daycare that Bridger goes to has their information in his emergency contact file—though that might be more difficult to get. If I were you, I’d call Angela and swear her to secrecy. She and Lacey are still at odds with each other, right?”
Mack scratched at his jaw. “I think they’re getting better. But Angela was pretty mad about us. I don’t know if she would help me.”
“All you can do is ask,” Noah pointed out. How did he get to be so smart? There was a lot about his brother that he didn’t know, and it made him want to get to know him better.
“Fine. You’re right. I’ll see if Angela can help me. If not, then you’re going to have to help me at the daycare center. Maybe you’ll be a distraction while I go in there all secret agent style.”
They both chuckled, and the tension in the air eased up a little bit.
Mack picked up his phone.
He couldn’t believe he was actually going to do this.
He was really doing this.
Mack stared up at a beautiful two-story home in one of the nicer subdivisions of the city.
Based on the perfection of the lawn to the immaculately sparkling windows, it wasn’t a surprise that Lacey had issues with overbearing parents.
They were perfectionists. Their expectations must have been horrendous when she was younger.
And knowing that made him connect with her on a much deeper level.
They’d both dealt with overbearing parents. They’d both suffered at the hands of adults who wanted to control them—though the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how loving his own parents had been.
Mack straightened his shoulders. It was ten in the morning. He’d waited as long as he could before making the drive, but he’d gotten antsy, and he couldn’t wait a moment longer. At least it was a Saturday.
Angela had answered the phone with a hushed tone the other day. She’d demanded to know why he wanted the address, and when he’d explained, she’d gone quiet—so quiet he’d thought that she’d for sure tell him to leave her alone and never call her again.
But she didn’t.
She’d given over the address and wished him luck—that he was going to need it.
Staring at this house, he knew in his bones that she was right.
He’d had a hard time standing up to his own parents over the years.
Every time he’d told them he’d wanted to be in the rodeo, and they’d told him it wasn’t going to work, he’d let them knock him down and make him believe that he wasn’t cut out for what he’d wanted most.
But he didn’t want the rodeo most anymore.
He wanted Lacey. And Bridger. And a life with both of them.
Heat billowed in his chest as he strode forward and knocked firmly on the door. The scuffling of footsteps inside was the only indication that they were here, and if he hadn’t heard it, he might have left for how long it took them to answer the door.
An older gentleman opened the door and peered out at him with curiosity. He cleared his throat and offered a kind smile. “I’m sorry, but whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested?—”
“I’m here about Lacey.”
The man closed his mouth, and his brows lifted. “Do I know you?”
Mack shook his head. “No, but I’m here anyway.”
“Who is it, dear?” a female voice called before a woman materialized beside him. Her curiosity shifted to recognition then became guarded. “You’re… It was Mack, wasn’t it?”
So she knew his name. Either Lacey had talked about him, or she knew it from those gossips in town.
“Yes,” he said evenly. “And I’m here to talk to you about Lacey. May I come in?”
She hesitated a moment, then she glanced up at her husband and gave him a curt nod.
The hardest part was over, right? He’d gotten them to invite him inside. The rest should be cake.
Unfortunately, not even he could convince himself that was true.
Their names were Alan and Briana. They sat in a pair of high-backed, upholstered chairs that faced the couch where Mack was perched on the edge of the cushion.
Alan’s expression was unreadable and yet kind.
Out of the two of them, he seemed like the one with a more level head.
Briana remained guarded as she watched him.
Occasionally, she narrowed her eyes, as if she couldn’t control the scowl she wanted to bestow on him.
Mack shifted uncomfortably. He just needed to dive into it. He was already here, and prolonging the inevitable wasn’t going to do him any good. He cleared his throat and set his gaze on Briana to show her just how little she terrified him.
Or at least that was what he hoped his eyes portrayed.
“I know you’ve heard some stories about me, and while some might be true, others are not.
I’d like to get that off my chest, first and foremost. Because I’d like to believe that you would give me the benefit of the doubt—seeing as you’ve never met me. ”
She stiffened, and her husband gave her a look that indicated he wasn’t sure what they were discussing. When Briana didn’t outright ask him about anything, Mack continued.
“I’m not a perfect man by any means. I’ve made mistakes, and I probably will make more, but the most important thing is that I’m working to be a better man. Every day, I do what I can to make those I care about proud that they know me. And Lacey is one of those people.”
Alan leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees. “You and Lacey? You’re dating .”
Briana made a scoffing sound, but her husband didn’t pay any attention to it.
Mack hated the instinct to lay it all out for the man.
The more he watched this interaction, the more he wondered just how much Lacey’s father was involved in the situation.
Rather than make a fool of himself if he was wrong, he lifted his chin and told the truth.
“I’m in love with your daughter. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t want to be near her, to touch her, laugh with her, or simply have her in my sights.
I’d do anything for her, and that includes making sure she’s never alone again.
I love Bridger, too, and nothing would make me happier than letting him call me ‘Dad.’ Lacey and I have our issues.
She’s been through a lot, and she has a hard time trusting people, but I’m not going anywhere.
I won’t stop trying to build that trust until the day I die.
One day, I’m going to marry her, sir. And I’m going to adopt that boy because I already feel like he’s mine. ”
The room fell deathly still. The only sounds Mack could hear were the pounding of his heart and the rushing of the blood in his ears. He stared hard at both of Lacey’s parents, praying that his determination wouldn’t set Briana off on some rant.
Their focus shifted away from him in that moment to something behind him. He hadn’t heard the door open, but he definitely felt a presence at his back. Slowly, he turned around and came face to face with three individuals.