Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lydia walked down the hall in the main house, moving toward the familiar morning sounds in the big kitchen. She stopped in the doorway, watching Mac hurry to put scrambled eggs on a plate for Everly as Maverick started to cry in his bouncy seat.
“Don’t cry, Maverick,” Everly said from her seat on one of the counter stools.
“He’s letting us know that he’s hungry, too,” Mac told her as she grabbed a handful of freshly washed strawberries from the colander on the counter.
“Because he wants his bottle?”
Mac nodded. “That’s right.”
“I can get him,” Lydia said, hurrying over to pick him up in her emerald-green tube top and frayed denim short shorts, so Mac could slice the fruit for her daughter. She smiled at the baby as she picked him up. “Good morning, buddy.”
Maverick stopped his fussing but only for a moment.
“His bottle’s in the bowl,” Mac said, focusing on the banana she grabbed next. “If you wouldn’t mind getting him started.”
“Of course I don’t.” She headed for the bowl by the fridge, grabbing Maverick’s breakfast before she sat on the stool next to Everly, giving the baby the bottle. “Good morning, my best girl.”
Everly smiled at her. “Gymnastics is coming soon.”
She beamed at Everly. “Do you have gymnastics today?”
Everly looked at Mac.
“Nope,” Mac said as she finally looked up with exhausted blue eyes that were puffy from crying as she put the plate in front of Everly. “In two more sleeps, we’ll give gymnastics a try. Right, Ev?”
“Right.” Everly started to dig into her food, oblivious to the unmistakable tension in the room.
Lydia met Mac’s gaze, unable to bring herself to ask what was wrong because she already knew. “Are you okay?”
Mac nodded. “It’s just a rough morning.”
“Where’s Will?”
Mac moved to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “He headed into the office early.”
Lydia sighed quietly, not entirely sure what to say now. “I heard you last night,” she blurted out.
Mac stopped dead with a plate in her hand.
“I’m sorry that I did.” And she absolutely meant it. Listening in on other people’s private conversations wasn’t something that she did for fun.
Mac shrugged as she got back to work.
“How can I help you? What can I do?”
Mac shrugged again as she started to cry quietly. “I don’t know.”
Everly paused with her next bite of strawberry. “Mommy’s crying.”
Lydia nodded as she tucked Everly’s hair behind her ear, seeing that Everly was concerned. “It’s okay, honey. Sometimes, grown-ups have big feelings, just like kids do.”
“Big feelings like in the book that we read on the computer?”
Lydia nodded again. “Just like in the book that we read.”
Mac faced Everly, forcing a smile as she wiped at her cheeks. “I’m okay, Ev.”
“You can listen to music when you have big feelings, Mommy. It helps.”
Mac let loose a watery chuckle. “That’s a good idea. Do you want to listen to music on your Toniebox?”
Everly nodded. “I can do it,” she said as she reached forward to touch the ear on the little machine, making Disney music play through the speaker.
Lydia stood with Maverick, turning The Little Mermaid song up as she walked over to stand by Mac. “We can talk if you want, but we certainly don’t have to.”
Tears trailed down Mac’s cheeks again. “I’m just—I’m so tired and overwhelmed.”
Lydia nodded, letting Mac say whatever she needed to say.
“Everything feels like a lot right now. Maverick isn’t much of a sleeper, and Ev’s struggling with being a big sister.” She wiped at her tears again. “Although she did show him one of her toys and gave him a kiss on the cheek this morning while I was changing his diaper.”
Lydia smiled encouragingly as she swayed from side to side with the baby. “That’s a great thing.”
Mac nodded before she lost her composure again. “I feel like I’m failing at this whole parenting thing.”
“Oh, honey, no, you’re not.” Lydia took her hand off Maverick’s bottle long enough to slide her palm up and down Mac’s arm. “You’re a great mom.”
Mac shook her head. “It doesn’t feel like it. I’m trying to keep up with Ev’s therapies and give both kids the attention they need. Then there’s trying to keep up with everyday life…”
Lydia nodded. “That’s definitely a lot. I’m sorry that things are so hard.”
Mac shrugged. “I guess that’s just the way they are right now.”
“And Will? He’s not doing his part? Because that doesn’t sound like him at all.”
Mac jerked her shoulders again. “Things are really busy for him. I know the pressure’s on to keep his billable hours up with the whole partnership thing on the horizon.” She closed her eyes as more tears fell. “Then there’s the fact that I’m nearly certain that he’s stepping out on me.”
Lydia opened her mouth to tell Mac that her suspicions weren’t true, but she closed it again because she couldn’t.
She cleared her throat instead, trying to find the right words as she navigated yet another half-truth conversation.
“I don’t want you to think that I’m defending Will or dismissing you in any way, but I just can’t imagine him doing that to you.
I’m not saying that something isn’t going on, but he loves you, honey. I know that to the depths of my soul.”
Mac wiped at another tear rolling down her cheek. “I don’t know what else it could be. He’s anxious all the time. His phone is always in his hand. He’s hiding something, and he’s not even good at it.”
“Are you sure it doesn’t have something to do with work?” Because that’s what she wanted all of this to be—Will’s problems with Mac. The pictures of him with Richard Russo.
Mac shook her head. “Whatever this is, it’s new. It’s gotten worse over the last few weeks.”
Lydia sighed as she wrapped Mac up in an awkward hug. “What can I do?”
Mac hugged her back. “I don’t know. Mostly, I just want to go home to Connecticut, so my mom and dad can give me a hand.”
She settled her head on Mac’s shoulder. “You don’t have to leave. I’ll help you pack if you truly want to go, but I’m right here. I’ll be here for a couple more weeks.”
Mac sighed this time. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“You can stop pretending for one thing. If things suck, you can tell me.”
Mac nodded. “I wanted a drama-free summer after the insanity of the last one. I thought it might be nice for you and Ty to enjoy your time together without mine and Will’s problems getting in the way.”
Lydia frowned. “You don’t have to worry about me and Ty.”
“He’s perfect for you, Lydia. You’re perfect for each other. That makes me so happy for you.”
She adamantly shook her head, wanting so badly to tell Mac that all of it was pretend.
Just hours ago, she’d made out with a man who’d professed that he wanted her but couldn’t have her.
In a matter of weeks, he would walk away without looking back because his job would end, and it would be time for him to move on to his next assignment.
“We’re still in that new phase where everything feels exciting. That’s what you’re seeing.”
“He’s crazy about you, Lydia. And unless I’m wrong, I’d say it’s vice versa.”
She didn’t want to talk about her feelings for Ty or the fact that her “boyfriend” was one hell of an actor. “What you and Will have is timeless. It’s strong and steady.”
Mac’s pretty eyes grew sad again. “It used to be. I don’t know what we have anymore.”
Lydia sighed again. “Let me help you. Go up and take a nap. A long one. I know it’s not much, but it’s a start.”
Mac batted her lashes at her. “Uninterrupted sleep sounds like a dream come true.”
Lydia smiled. “Maybe we could plan a trip for tomorrow. Just you, me, and the kids. We’ll pack them up and go to the zoo. We’ll get out of the house for some fun or whatever.”
Mac smiled. “Okay.”
“Go get some sleep. I have a couple of cuties to hang out with.”
“Thank you, Lydia.”
She shook her head. “We’re family and friends. We take care of each other.”
Ty punched in the code for the gym door, ready to get to work in his gray athletic shorts and white T-shirt. He glanced at his watch as he stepped inside, stopping short in the quiet space.
Typically, Will had the music blasting, and he was already working on his first couple of sets of whatever exercise he was focused on. Today, he wasn’t there.
“Fuck,” he muttered as he shut the door behind him, hoping that his gym buddy was just running late, but he doubted it. Will and Mac’s argument had been rough. If he had to guess, Will had headed into the office early to give himself and his wife a little space.
Pulling out his phone, he sent off a text to Nick. Doing a solo workout today. Maybe we can connect later.
Nick responded immediately. Definitely hit me back at a good time.
Will do.
Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he looked toward the hallway, deciding that he would check in with Mac and Lydia.
Heading down the long hall, he frowned when the house seemed too quiet. Usually, there was children’s music coming from the kitchen or a cartoon playing in the playroom. Currently, there was neither.
He peeked his head into the library and then into the den before he stopped short of the living room when he heard Lydia’s and Everly’s voices.
“I see three yellow ducks,” Lydia said. “Can you find them, too?”
“That’s a yellow duck,” Everly replied quickly.
“Yes, it is.”
He moved closer to the doorway, watching as Lydia sat curled up in the corner of the couch, holding Maverick as he slept in the crook of her arm while she wrapped the other arm around Everly as they looked at a book.
Everly pointed at the page. “That’s another one.”
Lydia smiled. “Great job, Ev.”
Everly beamed at her. “I’m so smart.”
Lydia laughed as she snuggled Everly closer. “Yes, you are. Your beautiful brain is one of my very favorite things.”
He swallowed as he stared at the sweet picture they made, shocked as hell by his sudden, desperate longing for something just like that. A quiet moment with kids on the couch. With Lydia. A family of his own.
Lydia looked up, sending him a slightly cautious smile. “Hey, you.”
Everly gasped as she grinned. “Ty. Come sit with us. I’m looking for ducks.”