Wood U (Carved Hearts #4)

by L. G. Pace III

  Lake Travis was quite a jaunt from downtown, but our bus-ride out to the location was fun. All three of the guys who’d been flirting with me at the go-cart event were on the bus, and they sat in the back near us.

  “Which one do you want? I’ll take your leftovers,” Isaac whispered and we both giggled. Coolers of beer and bottled water were plentiful, and by the time we disembarked, most of us weren’t feeling any pain. I wasn’t sure if I was going to muster the courage to zip line down, but I really wanted to say I’d done it.

  As we rode the boat across the beautiful lake to the hiking trail, two Australian guys entertained us with the story of how they’d just moved down from the Midwest in order to escape winter. It was hard to understand half of what they were saying, and at times, I was sure they were making words up on the spot. Snow had gotten the better of them, and they eloquently explained that they’d both nearly frozen their balls off keeping their driveway clear. One of them kept eyeing Isaac, and I strongly suspected they’d hook up before the night was through.

  Enjoying another cold one, I watched several couples take the plunge before gearing up. From what I could tell, they all made it to the bottom in one piece. Between the alcohol and the flirtatious ribbing from my fellow travelers, I soon found myself being buckled into a zip line harness, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

  “Just remember how much you love me, Kelly,” Isaac called to me. I frowned at him as I fastened my helmet, completely confused about his random statement. He eyed the other zip line platform nervously, and I turned to see what he was looking at.

  I’d been so focused on trying not to freak out and make an ass out of myself, that I’d ignored the commotion at the platform a few feet away. Just as my handler was about to release me, I glanced over and saw Mac buckling himself into the other harness. The determined set of his jaw as he met my gaze made my breath catch.

  “What the f—” I began, but my handler interrupted me.

  “Ready, set, go!” He gave me a shove and I found myself hurtling down the hill, clinging desperately to the nylon harness. My heart hammered with such ferocity that I was convinced it would take flight from my chest. With growing dread, I tracked Mac in my peripheral vision. He was rocketing down the hillside much faster than I was, and I realized that at the rate he was traveling, he’d be waiting for me at the bottom. We’d have to hike to the next zip together, so unless I wanted to hike back to the beach, I was stuck facing him, if that was what he had in mind.

  The entire trip down probably took less than a minute, but our entire relationship flashed before my eyes in that short span of time. I’m not sure if it was the adrenaline or the alcohol, but I was a live wire by the time I reached the bottom. As I reached the platform, I saw Mac was already free from his harness. Approaching me before I’d come to a complete stop, he grabbed hold of my trolley and reached for me as if he planned to free me from my restraint.

  “Sir!” one of the zip-line attendants said, moving toward Mac as if to intervene.

  “I got this, boy.” Mac turned toward him. I wasn’t able to see his face, but the attendants both took a couple of steps back.

  “No!” I tried to wiggle out of his grasp. His eyes swept me, and I watched helplessly as the ghost of a devilish grin played on his familiar lips. I knew exactly what was going through his dirty mind.

  “All clear?” The question sounded from the nearby attendant’s walkie-talkie. He raised the walkie to his lips and pressed the button.

  “Hold please. We have a situation,” I heard him say and I fought with my restraint, trying desperately to free myself so I could get back on my feet. As it was, Mac was holding my trolley, and I could feel the tips of my toes scrape the platform, but only if I pointed them like a prima ballerina.

  “Calm down, Chief. This is no situation.” Mac’s voice sounded gruff and commanding. “I just need a few words with the lady.”

  “We have nothing to talk about,” I snapped through gritted teeth. I worked the straps of my harness hopelessly. I hadn’t been paying enough attention when the college boy hooked me in, and three beers on an empty stomach were getting the better of my coordination. Or maybe it was just Mac. Something about him flustered me, and that started long before our current state of affairs. Regardless, he turned in response to my words and got in my face until I had little choice but to look him in the eye.

  “I didn’t say we were going to talk. I’m gonna talk. You’re gonna listen.”

  “Can you get me down, please?!” I called to the two attendants lurking nearby.

  “I got this,” Mac called to them, without taking his eyes off of me.

  “Let go,” I managed calmly, even though a storm raged inside me. I wanted to kick him where it would hurt the most, but he was too close for me to get the backswing to do the amount of damage I felt he deserved.

  “Sure thing.” He twisted his hands and released the catch, steadying me so I wouldn’t fall. It happened so quickly that I found myself standing free before my mind had a chance to catch up. He towered over me, and his sudden closeness was painfully familiar. “Now, all I’m asking is that you listen.”

  His voice was level, and when I stole a glance up at him, he looked so sincere that I almost caved. Then I remembered how my chest felt when he hung up on me and the horrid display I’d witnessed on his front lawn. Making sure I had all of my equipment, I turned on my heel and walked towards the next zip station.

  “Sugar…” Mac’s exasperation was obvious to everyone within earshot.

  “Don’t call me that,” I shot back. “You no longer get to call me that. What the hell are you doing here, anyway?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” he said walking after me. “I don’t remember having a conversation about breaking up.”

  “Pardon me. Did I violate some relationship etiquette when I didn’t inform you that we are no longer an item?”

  He nodded. “You sure as hell did.”

  “Well, excuse the fuck out of me. We agreed we wouldn’t see other people, but that didn’t seem to matter to you. I guess you can consider yourself notified. Now leave me the hell alone.” I heard his footsteps falter for a second, then come after me with an even louder crunch.

  “What the h…would you stop walking away for five seconds? I just want to explain—”

  I interrupted him, refusing to even glance back. “News flash, Mac. I don’t give a damn. You should have texted me back, or taken any of my phone calls if you felt like communicating. It’s too late now. We’re done.”

  “Now just a damned minute!” The rage in his voice brought me around to face him. He was ten feet away from me, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Behind him, I saw three of the men from the zip line heading our way. I didn’t give good odds to any of them if they were planning to restrain Mac. “You will listen—”

  “Or what? You’ll make me?” It was a cheap shot, using a pressure point I knew would hurt him. I saw the wounded look flash across his face as he got what I was intimating.

  “Fine. You want us to be done? We’re done. But you are going to shut your mouth and let me say my piece.” His eyes dared me to say something. The men behind him looked to me for a cue, and with a huff, I waved them off. Mac turned in their direction, and they tried to look casual as they scurried back along the path. Wheeling back to me, he growled. “Patty abandoned MJ.”

  I’m not sure what I’d expected, but that wasn’t it. I felt like the ground had just dropped out from under me, and I dropped my folded arms to my sides.

  “What?” I gasped. “Is he okay?”

  “Damn right, he is.” Mac puffed up, folding his arms across his chest. “Now that I have full custody.”

  “I…I don’t understand,” I stammered, trying to force my brain to assimilate the new information.

  “Junior called me when I was heading out to meet you at the restaurant. He asked me to bring him something to eat. She’d left him there alone since the day befor
e. He was so proud of himself for being a big boy.” Mac’s voice cracked, and he paused, raking a frustrated hand through his thick hair. I felt an ache in my heart as I imagined how much it must have upset him for M.J. to have to fend for himself.

  “The place was a pigsty and, after talking to M.J., it was obvious that this wasn’t an isolated incident. I called my lawyer and did what I had to do so that it would never happen again. My lawyer advised me to take the SIM card out of my phone. So I never got your calls or saw your texts.”

  I searched his face, and he seemed so sincere. Over his shoulder, I could see the rest of the zip-liners hiking in our direction. The three guys who I considered potential dating material were on the front line, and they were moving toward us in a determined fashion. I turned away and hurried in the direction of the next run. Imagining M.J. in the scenario Mac presented to me had me close to tears, but I fought hard against them. M.J. had Mac to look out for him. I only had me.

  Mac easily caught up with me, and I physically relaxed. My body’s response to his closeness was automatic, and the fact that he could still make me feel that way was troubling. All the vile thoughts I’d had when he hadn’t taken my calls or texted me back haunted me, but then the vision of his ex with her hands all over him stiffened my back once more.

  “So this was all because of Patty?” I fought to control my breathing, but now I was spoiling for a fight more than ever.

  “Yes.” He exhaled, as if he’d expending all of the energy he’d had reserved for me.

  “If that’s the case, why were you making out with her on your front lawn?” He looked at me in such utter confusion that it sapped the thrill of my victory. I shoved him, nearly knocking him down. “Explain that away, you smooth-talking bastard.”

  “You saw that?” He sounded surprised, but not guilty. That just made me even more furious, and I picked up my pace.

  “I was coming to give you a chance to explain. Even though you were ignoring me, I still trailed after you like some pathetic little puppy. I hope that makes you feel like a big man, Mac. And what do I get for my loyalty? I get to watch you make out with her, of all fucking people!”

  He raced around in front of me, physically blocking me. I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.

  “Get out of my way. I can’t even look at you,” I choked out the words, humiliated at the hot tears spilling down my cheeks.

  “You didn’t try to help me?” he demanded, and his reaction confused me so badly that I actually took a step back.

  “H…help you…” I stammered, looking up at his earnest face.

  “That crazy bitch attacked me. She threatened to kill herself just to get me outside. Then she tried to bribe me with sex, and I couldn’t get her off of me. The cops almost lit her ass up just to get her in cuffs!”

  My vision swam, and I saw the scene again in my mind’s eye. It’d been too painful to think about, but looking back, Mac might have been pushing away from her. If he wanted to be with her, he was sure going to a lot of trouble to lie about it. I was trembling and I stumbled past him, moving down the path in the direction of our next platform.

  “I thought…you two were getting back together,” I muttered.

  He scoffed from somewhere behind me. “You must not think very much of me.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me…” I was having trouble keeping up my pace, I was shaking so badly. I slowed, and I felt his arms come around me. God help me, my knees nearly failed me just feeling his touch again. The top of my head rested perfectly under his chin, and when he gently guided me to turn in his direction, I was powerless to resist, even if I had wanted to.

  “Sugar, there ain’t nobody else in the world I want but you.” He cradled my face in his large, calloused hands. “I love you, Kelly.”

  His words cut through my pain, lifting me out of my misery. With hesitation, I met his eyes. I feared seeing mixed messages in them, but my love for him drove me to search him for reassurance. His unwavering gaze had me reconsidering everything.

  “I’ve been afraid to talk to you about this. I put off telling you the depth of Patty’s problems. I told myself it wasn’t your baggage to carry, but honestly, I was scared you’d walk away. You’d see what M.J. and I had to contend with and decide that we weren’t worth the hassle.”

  I could see all of it in his pale eyes. The vulnerability, the exhaustion, the desperation for me to understand and believe him. The weight of Mac’s burden was soul-crushing, and I covered his hand with mine.

  “After I saw Junior living off ketchup and bragging about how he tucked himself in at night, I needed to tell you in person. It’s so…horrifying, I had to come to grips with it before I talked about it. I couldn’t…I could barely explain it to the lawyer, Sugar. It’s embarrassing that she played me like she did for as long as she did and that I fucking allowed it to happen.”

  “Oh, Mac,” I whispered. Real tears stood in his eyes, and my arms came up protectively around his neck. I was vaguely aware of the rest of the zip-liners passing us on the trail, but I never took my eyes off of his.

  His jaw twitched with tension, and his eyes shot upward toward the cloudless sky. “I failed him, Kelly. I don’t deserve him either. Maybe you should have turned me in for neglect after all.”

  “Shhhhh…” I urged, stroking his hair. The ache in my chest made it hard to catch my breath.

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore when you heard—”

  “Shut up, Mac.” I stopped his hurtful train of thought in its tracks with a deep and needed kiss. I poured everything into it, my pain, my relief, the gut wrenching love for him that refused to be suppressed. In seconds, Mac responded with equal fervor, backing me into the nearest tree. He held me in place by my hair as he tasted me, his tongue exploring my mouth with all the confidence of a conquistador. He knew exactly how I liked to be kissed, and as he pressed his body into mine, I moaned helplessly against his mouth. I’m not sure how long we were at it, but when we finally came up for air, I was overheated and in need of some serious shade.

  Gripping his face aggressively I pressed my forehead to his. “I need to be the first person you talk to, Mac. About everything. From now going forward, alright?”

  “So does this mean we’re not done?” He winced, and I released his face from my death-grip. He rubbed his jaw as if I’d been abusing him.

  “Yes. I’m giving you…like your second second chance…or something.” I replied which an overly dramatic sigh.

  “Are you sure?” His playful smile crinkled his eyes in that way that always left me breathless. “Isaac says you’re very popular with these Capers and Connections douchebags. Your future husband could be here today.”

  “Are you gonna stand there and make fun of me, or are you gonna take me home?” Unwilling to wait for his next snarky remark, I snagged his hand, and pulled him in the direction we needed to go.

  “I don’t know…” I whipped my head in his direction as he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it. “Are you gonna run away from me every time you’re mad at me? Because I gotta tell ya, Sugar. You’re fast as hell, and I’m gettin’ too old for that shit.”

  “IT’S TOO COLD, Mac. Can’t we just go home?” Kelly’s teeth chattered, and I flipped the seat warmer to high. She had just a hint of a whine in her voice when she continued. “I’m too tired to go on a hike. I just ran a marathon!”

  The frustrated look she shot me almost made me rethink my plan. It was late February, but it had warmed up a little over the past week, and after Thanksgiving in Denver, I had a new perspective on what cold actually meant. Determination won out; at the end of the day, this needed to be done, and it needed to be done before I lost my nerve. Fixing her with a smart-assed grin, I tossed a barb in her direction that I knew would get her in the right frame of mind.

  “Wuss.”

  The anger that flashed across her pretty face was quickly replaced by amusement.

  “Fine.” She pulled her winter cap
further down over her ears, as if she were the Southerner, and not the other way around. “But you owe me a full body massage.”

  “You say that like it’s an unpleasant proposition,” I drawled coolly, but inside I was hoping she’d be too excited to sleep when I was through doing what I was about to do.

  “Ugh! I still haven’t wrapped the twins’ birthday presents for tomorrow night! And we bought them so much stuff! Oh, shit! I forgot to pick up a plant for Molly’s office at the restaurant. You’re going to have to help me.”

  “I’m your Huckleberry.” I condescended, and she gave me a tolerant sideways glance. Quoting Tombstone was somehow always acceptable as far as Kelly was concerned. Maybe it was some cowboy fetish. I briefly considered borrowing Mason’s old hat, now that he was rocking the Bruce Willis look.

  “If I’m dead asleep at seven thirty, you have nobody to blame but yourself.” She decreed, in her sanctimonious schoolmarm voice. I decided she needed horn-rimmed glasses and lined stockings for her birthday, which wasn’t far off.

  I felt a sly grin spread across my face at the image. “Oh, I’ve got just the thing to wake you up.”

  She shook her head at me, and a sarcastic smile transformed her. “Do ya now?”

  “Umm hmm. I’ve got moves you ain’t seen yet, Sugar. A few tricks up the old sleeve.”

  “Yeah, well…I’m pretty sure that’s not up your sleeve.” Her eyes traveled in the direction of my belt buckle. I cocked an eyebrow, sliding my hand up the denim of her inner thigh. She sighed regretfully. “I guess I don’t need to be awake for that.”

  “It’s a lot more fun when you are,” I winked, and she laughed bawdily and rolled her eyes.