by Elisa Leigh
I figured out not telling him was the wrong move when I called to see if he could come over after work today. When I told him why I needed him, he was furious. He became very short with me over the phone and said he’d be over in twenty minutes. Shit.
I would have gotten dressed in something other than my ratty pajamas, but I didn’t have the time. Bennett threw up all over himself, me, and the blanket that was on the couch a few minutes after I got off the phone. I was able to get Bennett back in a cool bath, the blanket in the wash, and get my t-shirt off before I heard someone at the door.
I answer the door in yoga pants, a black camisole, and my hair a tangled mess. Wrong move again… whoops. It seems I can do nothing right today. Reece is standing there with another guy. The man is tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and green eyes, and his gruff appearance puts me on edge. He is dangerous, and we all know it.
I can tell Reece is mad as soon as I open the door. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look this pissed. I hold the door open and signal for them to come in with a sweep of my hand. I close the door after them and follow the two giant men into the living room.
I walk up to stand in front of them, not understanding why he brought some guy with him.
“Maci Kate, this is Garret, a friend of mine. He’s one of the guys that helped open Panthera with me,” Reece says, and gestures to the man I had never met before.
I hold out my hand. He shakes it in a firm grip, and then releases me. “It’s nice to meet you, Maci. We’ve all heard great things about you and your little guy. Where’s this Bennett I’ve heard so much about? When I found out he was sick, I offered to come along and check him out, to be sure it wasn’t anything serious.”
“I’m sorry, what do you mean check him out?”
“Oh, I work at Panthera when I’m not at the hospital. Today, I was at the compound when your call came in. I’m a doctor.”
“Like, a real doctor? Like you went to medical school and graduated kind of doctor?”
He laughs and shakes my hand again. “Dr. Anderson. Nice to meet you.”
I laugh with him. “Nice to meet you, too, Doctor.”
“I did my residency at Sweet Briar General Hospital a couple of years ago and finally finished last year. I’m a fully-fledged doctor in the Emergency Room.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know what was going on. Bennett is taking a cool bath right now. He’s had a fever since last night and has been throwing up on and off since then. I’ve been giving him Tylenol every four hours and putting him in a cool bath. The fever hasn’t gone down, but it hasn’t gotten higher than one hundred three degrees.”
I get Bennett out of the bath and into some clean clothes. When I tell him Reece is here with one of his friends, he bolts from the room. Taking my time to get my head together, I pull on a new t-shirt so Reece will stop staring daggers at me.
I finally make my way to the living room and find Bennett sitting in Reece’s lap with Reece holding him close. It strikes me how much Bennett means to him. Anyone can say the words, but to see it and feel it means a whole lot more. Mom always said, “Actions speak louder than words.” I knew Reece liked Bennett, but that’s not difficult, since he’s a likable kid. The way Reece is holding him, though, is different. You can tell how concerned he is about his health, how much he cares about my little boy.
Garret is doing his doctor thing. He checks Bennett out by listening to his heartbeat, taking his temperature, looking in his ears and throat. Garret tells us that he probably has a strain of the flu virus, and that the only thing we can do is give him fluids and keep an eye on things for the next couple of days. He recommends that if things don’t get better, I need to bring him to his pediatrician.
We all sit and talk for about twenty minutes while Reece holds Bennett in his arms. Eventually, the poor kid falls asleep. Reece takes him back to his room and tucks him into his bed. Garret leaves shortly after that, saying he has to meet up with their friend, his roommate, Logan Cutter.
“Why didn’t you tell me last night that Bennett wasn’t doing well?” he shouts, the minute we walk back into the house.
“First, keep your voice down. I don’t need my son hearing another man speak to a woman like that. Second, he didn’t start throwing up until after I talked to you,” I quip right back.
Standing in the living room, I refuse to sit while Reece is still pacing around.
“Don’t be cute, Maci. We’ve talked several times since then. How am I supposed to take care of my family if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”
“I didn’t realize that would be something you’d need to know.” As soon as I speak the words, I want to suck them back in. The pain in his expression is enough to make me want to rewind the past twenty-four hours.
“I’m sorry, Reece. I shouldn’t have said it like that. It’s just that I know you’re busy at Panthera, and I didn’t want to bother you with something I had under control.”
“You didn’t want to bother me? Maci, I thought we were in this together. I thought we were driving down the same road, in the same fucking truck.” He says, punctuating his last words by slamming his hand down on the counter.
“We are, Reece. I want all of those things with you.”
“When I said I wanted everything with you, I meant every single thing. I don’t just want the fun and shiny parts of you. I want the ugly and hard. I need the dirty, the real-life shit that comes with being a husband and a dad. That means I not only want to take care of Bennett when he’s sick, but that I need to. You two are my priority, above all else.”
“I want that too, Reece, but I’m scared to want it. I’m scared that letting you in is going to ultimately push you away. Being a parent isn’t easy, and then you have my ex to deal with, too. I can’t help but think that it isn’t fair to you. You should get to start this journey fresh with someone, not tagging in at the end of the first quarter. I get so caught up in it. I don’t even want to give you the hard, because then you might leave or resent me for it.” I say, as the truth drips from my eyes in tears.
“That isn’t your choice, Maci, it’s mine, and I’ve already made it. I’m not going back on my word, and I’m never going to change my mind,” he says to me as I hear the sincerity of his words.
“You’re my dream, Reece. A dream I gave up on. Then, my dream came back to me, out of the blue, basically delivered to my doorstep. I’m scared to get wrapped up in my dream and wake up to the reality that I can’t keep you. I haven’t been all in because I was holding a little back for myself.”
He wipes my tears from my face and kisses my cries silent. When they turn to moans, he grabs my ass in both hands and lifts me, so I’m able to wrap my legs around his center. He carries me to my bedroom and lays me down in the middle of the bed. He lies on top of me and holds my face with both palms on the side of my head, so that I’m looking into his eyes.
“Give me that last piece, Maci Kate. You are my fucking queen, the only one who can rule my soul. I went into this with eyes wide open. I knew you had baggage before I even came to that barbecue. I went there with the intention to see you again, and hopefully get you to go out on a date with me. You, my girl, were my dream first. I want it all, do you hear me, Maci? I’m marrying you. I’m adopting Bennett, and we are facing all our demons together. You good with that?”
I’m stunned. Did he ask me what I think he did?
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
He grins at me and digs in his pocket for something. Then, he pulls out a little black box and opens it.
“No,” he says.
“No? But you just…and it’s…my God, Reece—”
“I’m not asking. We are getting married, Maci. When I found out that you kept the news about Bennett being sick from me, I knew I needed to make the place you both hold in my life clear.” He takes out the vintage looking white gold ring, centered with a round solitaire diamond, out of the box, and slides it onto my fourth ring finger.
&
nbsp; “And where’s that?” I whisper, stunned by the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen, and the profound meaning behind it.
“Beside me. You’re meant to be right beside me, always,” he says, before kissing me silent.
Thirteen
Reece
“You work everything out, Atwood?” Kingston shouts across the Den when I walk in the next morning. Owens looks away from his computer, and Spader stops reading the file on his desk to catch my answer. These guys are as bad as a bunch of women.
“So, did you ask her to marry you or not?” Owens asks.
I shake my head.
“What do you mean, no? You grabbed that black box when you were running out of here yesterday like it was the answer to your prayers,” Spader questions me.
“I didn’t ask. I told her we were getting married.”
They all start laughing and shaking their heads like I told a goddamn joke.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“And how did your woman take that?” Owens asks.
“Well, my ring is on her finger, so I’d say she took it fine.”
Owens and Spader roll their eyes and get back to work.
Kingston walks up to me, barely controlling his grin, and claps me on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”
I nod. “Thanks, Kings.”
“How’s little man doing today? What did Garret have to say?”
“Bennett’s alright. His fever finally broke by the time he woke up this morning, and he hasn’t thrown up since yesterday afternoon. Garret said it was most likely a touch of the flu, and he should be better in a couple of days. He’s staying home again today with his momma to get better.”
“You need to get home to them?”
I sigh. “Nope. As much as I want to be there, Maci is right. I have a job, and she’s got it under control.”
“Explain something to me—why were you so pissed yesterday?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know if your kid was sick?”
“He’s not your child, though, Atwood. He’s Maci’s.” I go to interrupt him, but he draws his palms up. “Shut up and listen to me for a minute. You’ve got to remember, she has been parenting alone for years now. She isn’t used to having to give up the responsibility for her son’s wellbeing to anyone, let alone someone she let back into her life recently.”
“I’m not just someone. I’m her fiancé. It might seem fast to a lot of people, but we grew up together. We have been a long time coming, and I’m not wasting any more time when we both know where this is headed. He might not have my blood running through him, but Bennett is going to be an Atwood. His sperm donor is a selfish asshole who’s not interested in being a father. I have no problem stepping in and claiming him as my own. In my eyes, he’s just as much mine as he is Maci’s.”
Hands held in front of his chest, Kingston makes a placating gesture. “Only trying to give you another perspective. Does Maci know how you feel about this?”
“I made it crystal clear yesterday. She wants this; she’s just scared I might change my mind.”
“Like that’s fucking happening. You’ve held onto the idea of you and Maci for years. Now that you finally have her, I don’t see you ever giving her up.”
“Exactly.”
“So, we’ve been watching the ex, and he’s one shady mother fucker.”
“Yeah, we knew that. Did you get something on him we could use when I go after him for custody of Bennett?”
His evil smirk makes me feel a bit better, knowing the reality of adopting Bennett has become somewhat more attainable. “I’ve had Owens tracking his movements. Seems ol’ David likes his girls young—”
“How young are we talking? Like, little kid young?” I ask disgustedly, picturing some slimeball putting hands on Bennett and immediately seeing red.
“Not exactly. The girls are legal, but barely. They’re still in high school. But get this— he’s trading sex for drugs,” Kingston says, interrupting my train of thought.
“You got a lead on where he’s getting them?” Spader chimes in, asking what I was about to. He walks towards us with Owens behind him.
“I’m still following the trail. I just got the copies of his texts and emails, so that should shed light in a direction for us to follow,” Owens says, nodding at his computer station. “I know I don’t have to say this, but keep a close eye on your family until we get the skinny on this guy. I’m not getting a good feeling about the pots he’s got his hands in. I’d hate to see him piss someone off and they come after your woman and kid.”
I tense, picturing that scenario, and I’ve reached my limit of bad shit for the day. “Shit, man, you had to put that in my head?” I run my fingers through my hair and pull on the ends, frustrated with the target Maci’s ex could be potentially putting on her and Bennett.
Kingston slaps me on my shoulder. “You know we’ve got you, brother. Anything you need, we’re there, whenever you need us. You are family; that makes them family.”
I nod, unable to voice what their immediate acceptance of the two most important people in my world is doing to me.
“You should just put tracking on them. That way, if things do go south, at least we’ll be able to find them quickly,” Spader suggests.
“That’s a great plan, but convincing Maci of it will be a problem. She’d think I’m crazy for even thinking she and Bennett are in danger.”
“Don’t tell her. Put it in her ring. For Bennett, you could get him a necklace or something that he won’t want to take off. I can do it fast if you could get me the pieces.”
“I don’t want to hide this from her, but it’s non-negotiable. I need to know that I can find her and Bennett. I’ll get you the pieces tomorrow,” I tell Owens and then go to my desk and get to work on my cases.
****
When I’m working a case, I usually zone out, but having Bennett home sick, my mind wandered many times to how he was feeling. Was he getting better? Worse? Did they need anything? I keep my texts to a minimum throughout the day, giving Maci the space and control she needs. When she texted me while I was shutting down for the day, I was thankful I was already about to head out.
Maci: Reece, David texted and told me he was coming by after he got out of work to see Bennett. I guess my mom saw him in town earlier and let him know that Bennett was sick.
Me: I’m on my way, baby. I don’t want him alone with you two. Wait until I get home before you let him in.
Maci: I’m not going to leave him waiting outside until you get here, Reece.
Me: Wait for me, Maci. Listen to me on this.
She didn’t respond and I knew she was cursing me, thinking I’m crazy. She can think I’m crazy as much as she wants, provided she and Bennett are safe. If she didn’t listen, she’d be getting another spanking—one not quite as enjoyable as the last.
I pull up to her house about a half hour later, and I’m happy that I don’t see David’s cruiser or personal vehicle in the driveway. I survey my surroundings as I make my way to the front door, but don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Before I can knock, Maci has the door open and is jumping into my arms, wrapping her body around me like an octopus.
“I’m so glad you’re here, babe,” she whispers into my neck, squeezing me tightly.
Stepping into the living room, I’m shocked to see the state her house is in. Dishes are filling the sink, dirty clothes and toys are littered across the floor, and something foul permeates the air. “Baby, what happened to the house?” I whisper.
Immediately, she unhooks her arms and legs from around me and slides down my body. She puts space between us, and that’s when I get my first good look of my woman in hours. She is a hot mess, her hair in a bun with hair sticking out all over the place. Her baggy shirt is stained, and she looks worn the fuck out.
Placing her fists on her hips, she glares up at me. “What do you mean?”
I hedge, realizing the mistake I just made. Clearing my throat, I loo
k around, trying to figure out the best way to say this, and come up with nothing. “Where’s my boy? Last time we spoke, you said that he was doing better.”
Her glare sharpens. “Bennett is in his room, sleeping. Just say it, Reece. Tell me what a disappointment I am. I’m doing what you wanted, letting you in, letting down my walls. This is what you wanted—all my parts.” Waving her hand around her house, she continues to look at me. “I’m a disaster seventy percent of the time, Reece. I’m not used to having help, and now that you’re here, I don’t know how or even when to ask for it. What do I ask for when I’ve conditioned myself to only reach out to my parents, and only when it’s necessary?” she asks, emotion thick in her voice.
“Why don’t you go and take a hot shower while I clean up the kitchen?”
“You want to clean my kitchen? That’s it? After everything I said, you’re going to clean the kitchen while I take a shower?” she says, heartbreakingly confused.
“You’ve been taking care of our son all day without a break. I’ve never done it, but I’m sure it’s exhausting. I love you, but you need a shower,” I say, and tap her nose.
She turns and starts to walk towards the bathroom, but I’m not quite finished. “And Maci? Thank you for breaking down those walls and showing me everything. It makes me so damn happy to get you completely.” She stops, hangs her head, but doesn’t look back. I’m unable to resist her and the defeated stance she’s holding, so I walk up behind her and pull her back to my front. With my hands flat against her stomach, her rigid body is closer to mine. I lean down and whisper in her ear. “If you’re a disaster, you’re my beautiful disaster, Maci. I love you and all your messy parts.” I kiss her on her head and shove her in the direction of the bathroom.