25. Maggie
Chapter twenty-five
Maggie
T he day was going better than expected.
My dad seemed to react much better to the pregnancy secret than I assumed he would, and he even complimented Jack’s playing.
Granted, he still had a grumpy frown on his face, but at least he wasn’t screaming…
or drunk. He tended to be overprotective of me in ways that weren’t always healthy for his alcoholism.
Jack’s team won by a landslide. We knew the game would be challenging, but they pushed through like the incredible players they were and ended the game with a score of eleven to six.
They played flawlessly as a team, covering each other’s defenders in all the right moments, passing the ball when needed, and communicating even without words sometimes.
I was so proud of Jack. As soon as we pulled the gator up to the trailer, I ran to him and launched myself into his arms. Defending him today gave me a sense of triumph.
Not only was he successful on the field, but he was also proving to me, my dad, and my caged heart that he was a worthy partner.
That he would do anything for our family.
That he was well, and truly mine .
“You were amazing,” I whispered into his ear.
“I’m so freaking proud of you.” My feet lifted into the air as he squeezed me tighter.
He was breathing hard from the game. He smelled of perspiration and grass, that earthy leather scent lingering beneath it all, and it was probably downright disgusting that I was pressing my body into his sweaty skin, but I didn’t care. This was his moment.
“I told you I was going to win for you,” he whispered back.
Damn.
His words sent shivers down my spine. Sure, every polo woman dreamed of marrying an incredible player, but to have them tell you they played that well and won for you ? That was a fantasy in and of itself.
I released myself from his grip and smiled from ear to ear.
His face matched my own. Looking behind me at the gator, I noticed that my dad was still sitting in the passenger seat, a rough scowl on his face.
My heart dropped into my stomach at the death glare he shot Jack, who seemed mostly unbothered.
“Dad,” I waved. “Want to come over and say congrats?”
He shook his head. “I think it’s time we start heading back. I’m gettin’ hot. I could go for some dinner. I haven’t eaten since before my flight.”
A tear or two threatened my eyes as I turned back to Jack, mustering a small smile.
He cupped my face in response and tsk ed.
Jack’s dislike toward my father was obvious, but my reaction to my dad’s animosity toward Jack made me tear up, and it was going to make Jack’s blood boil.
“I’m going to head home and get dinner ready. ”
“Hey,” he brought my face closer to his and held my gaze. “I’ll be home in half an hour, and then I’ll be with you the rest of the night. I promise.”
A wave of relief came over my aching heart. I honestly didn’t deserve this man. I nodded. He leaned in to peck me on the lips. It was quick, but it held the same amount of sentiment.
“I’ll see you at home, baby.”
***
I was done sugarcoating. I was pissed at my dad.
Not only did he proceed to drink from his flask, but his intoxication was turning into straight-up rude behavior.
“You could have at least tried.” I scoffed at him as we entered the front door of the house.
The way he took in the beauty of the wooden, cabin-style mini-mansion made me feel smug that my father had just spent the last twenty minutes sulking about my new husband when he provided a life like this for us.
Dad pulled the flask from his pocket—the one he had been sipping since I saw him at the airport, and I scoffed inside.
“Maggie, you don’t know him. Men like Jack Hennicke will make you think he loves you to bits, and all the while, he’ll be sleeping with another woman at the first chance he gets.
I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” He walked further into the kitchen, opening the fridge.
My guess was that he was looking for alcohol when he closed it after finding nothing of interest to him.
“Oh, right. Just like you did?”
He stopped what he was doing, turned around, and looked at me. I didn’t think either of us believed the words that came out of my mouth. Since his drunken fits about her, I never brought my mother up to him. “What did I do, Maggie?”
Oh, God. He was going to make me say it, wasn’t he?
I breathed, reaching deep into the hole my mother left, and pulled out the words I didn’t realize I had been dying to confront him with. “You slept with another woman. You cheated on your wife. You cheated on my mother .”
Dad’s jaw fell open. His eyes filled with disappointment.
Or maybe it was regret. Either way, I brought him right back to the night she found out.
The night she tossed her ring on the ground, screamed at him, and slammed the side door.
But he needed to realize that I was affected by it too.
I felt the reverberations from the door slam.
I felt the reverberations of her absence since she disappeared from our lives.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered in a drunken slur.
Then he turned around and continued rummaging through the cabinets.
He was likely looking for alcohol, which I knew we didn’t have.
He knew good and well that I didn’t drink and, come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Jack have anything since we’d lived together.
A sense of smugness settled over me, knowing he wouldn’t find the vice he sought.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I grasped it, desperate for a distraction.
Jack: Come out to the barn. Alone.
Maggie: Be right there.
“Jack needs me in the barn. I’ll be back to start dinner. If you want to be helpful, it would be great if you chopped up some of the green beans in the fridge. We’re having steak tonight.”
I let the door slam behind me and rushed out to the barn. Jack probably didn’t need any help unloading the trailer, but being with him instead of with my pissed-off father sounded like a far better option.
Jack
I hated Richard Rynne. Now, more than ever.
I hated him with a passion that I didn’t think was possible when Maggie looked at me with tears in her eyes because the lazy asshole didn’t make an effort to congratulate me.
When he showed up at my game and shook my hand, I behaved with the respect and kindness that Maggie asked of me, nothing less.
Richard acted…civil, but respectful was not the word to describe it.
He spoke one sentence before moving his attention to anything else.
The worst part, though? He reeked of alcohol.
He came to visit his daughter for the first time in months, and he was fucking tipsy.
What an excuse for a father. I vowed never to disappoint my kid like that.
After texting Maggie, I shut off my phone and headed to the feed room to scoop the horses’ grain. A chorus of whinnies and nickers followed when the horses saw me preparing their dinner. Everyone knew exactly what time they ate and exactly where the food lived.
Emerging from the room with four scoops of grain in my arms, I caught a sad Maggie admiring the horses, eyes heavy and throat tight. She looked fucking miserable.
One of the things I loved about this woman was her unapologetic adoration for the amazing creatures.
She constantly watched them with an awe in her eyes that only a horse-lover could understand.
The way she caressed their faces and bodies as she made sure they were in perfect condition was mesmerizing.
Her love and caringness towards them were unmatched.
I never felt romantically toward women involved with my profession, but seeing Maggie with them undid me in a way that nothing else could.
I watched as she rubbed the white stripe on Vegas’ head.
The chestnut mare leaned into her touch and closed her eyes, completely forgetting about the meal she was previously ecstatic to receive.
Maggie whispered something as she rested her forehead on the horse and continued her massage down Vegas’ cheeks and lower to rub her chin.
My heart sped in my chest, and all the while, I couldn’t have felt more at peace.
This was why I loved horses. They brought serenity to even the most chaotic of situations, and they expected nothing in return. They grazed in their pastures, carefree about the world. They were happy to simply be.
A snort came from Estrella, one of my other mares, breaking Maggie out of her moment.
Surprise crossed her face when she caught me staring.
I tried to smirk, to play it off as if I weren’t just reciting all of the reasons I needed this woman to be mine for the rest of our lives, but I couldn’t.
I just gave her a smile that told her how in love I truly was with her.
“You’re interrupting us.” The corner of her mouth tipped up while her head still leaned on Vegas.
“That was Estrella. I’ve been standing quietly.
” I walked over to start dumping grain scoops into the horses’ buckets.
They didn’t deserve the torture of seeing what they wanted right in front of them, just out of reach.
I was the only one who should have been struggling with that in this barn. And she was just out of reach.
Maggie began to walk to the feed room, but I stopped her. “Nope.”
“What? I was going to help you feed.”
“Nope,” I repeated. “You’re going to sit on that mounting block and look cute for me while I do the work. I brought you out here for a break from your dad, not to help me.”
She raised her brows in question before lowering them and breaking into a sweet, gorgeous smile. She walked over to sit on the mounting block I pointed out and crossed one leg over the other. “This cute enough for you?”