It was absolutely stunning.
“I’d already called my attorney on Friday,” she announced. “Before bullets and mayhem, I had a talk with Caleb. He doesn’t want to see Doug anymore. He’s feeling uncomfortable—he’s heard Josh make death threats against Doug and wants away from it. He also knows Doug’s game. Hell, Caleb’s the one who pointed it out. So I was already making moves to get his visitation taken away. After today? He will never get near my kids again. I will do whatever I need to do to make sure of it, and that includes taking Alec up on his offer to bury Doug.”
Macy stopped next to Alec and placed her shaking hand on his forearm before it slid down and her fingers wrapped around his.
Goddamn, that felt good.
Macy had never sought him out. It had always been him getting close, getting in her space, kissing her, never the other way around, and the simple gesture of holding his hand filled him with joy. Something he didn’t think he was capable of feeling after that day’s events.
“I think Jocelyn’s hungry.” Macy softened her tone. “I didn’t want to bring the kids down without telling you. Do you mind if I go through your kitchen? Find something for her to munch on?”
“Yeah, babe. Help yourself. McKenna, Kennedy, and Silver will be around soon to stock us up. They also wanted to know if you needed anything from the store. I told Nix to ask them to grab some girly shampoo and shit for you and Rory. Caleb should be good with what I have.”
Macy’s face gentled in a way he’d never seen. The change was so beautiful it took his breath. He knew what was behind all the barbs and walls was going to be worth it, but he didn’t know the reality of it would knock him on his ass.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“It’s just shampoo.”
“No, it’s not. You’re looking out for us.”
“Told you I would.”
“Yeah, you did. I’m gonna find something for Joss. Do you mind us eating in your bed?”
“No, baby, have at it.”
She nodded and turned to leave but Jonny called her name, stopping her.
“Can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re all safe,” Jonny muttered. “Fucking kills me, Macy, that it’s come to this. Whatever you need, I have your back. My parents, too. They love you and the kids.”
“Thank you, Jonny. If you want to help—find him before Alec does. I’m not saying that because I give a rat’s ass what happens to Doug, but I do care about Alec. And I don’t have it in me to try to talk him out of doing whatever he has planned when he finds him. So I’m counting on you to find the hole your brother has slithered into and tell him to stay gone for good. Because if he comes back here, I’m not asking Alec to stand down. Today, one of my children could’ve taken a bullet for him. The patience and kindness I’ve shown are history. Today, I teach my children a new lesson, and that is, once someone you love is threatened, you fight. And Jonny, my kids will know that their mother is willing to do anything to keep them safe—including unleashing the wrath of God on their father if he is what’s putting them in danger.”
With that, Macy squeezed Alec’s hand before she let go and sauntered into his kitchen like she’d belonged there, that she’d done it a million times and was comfortable doing it. It wasn’t lost on him how much he liked seeing it and he planned on making it so she never wanted to leave.
“You were saying?” Alec asked.
“Never thought I’d see the day Doug pushed sweet Macy so far she’d take the kids from him.”
What the fuck? Alec’s eyes narrowed and his muscles bunched.
“Not saying I hadn’t hoped for it,” Jonny continued. “He doesn’t deserve those kids and he never deserved Macy. But Macy’s Macy. Sweet, kind, loving, all about those kids and making sure they have everything they need. Including a dad, even if he jacked her around and treated her like shit. She’s not the type of woman to share that with her kids and turn them against their father. As pissed as I am that Doug’s finally broken the last of her generosity, I can’t say I’m not pleased as fuck to see it.”
“You do understand what pushed her was bullets flying through her home?”
“Yep. Pissed as fuck about that, too. But now those kids will be free of him.”
The man was not wrong—one way or another, Caleb and Aurora would be free of the dickhead. For good this time. No more extended periods of neglect only for him to come back and play mind games and spread his asshole cheer around. Doug Spencer was gone.
“I take it you didn’t see a car or the shooter?” Jonny asked.
“Negative.”
Alec spent the next ten minutes telling Jonny what happened. By the time he was done, Jonny was looking at his shoes. He hadn’t sugar-coated shit and knew Jonny was feeling it. The man was in a tough spot all the way around. He was a lawman with the job of catching the perpetrators, but also an uncle. With the added stress that his own brother was the reason behind the attack.
So, yeah, Jonny was feeling it. But Alec didn’t give the first fuck. His only priority was Macy and the kids. With that in mind, he filled Jonny in on what Caleb had told Macy, including that the boy had heard his father was headed to Florida.
“Doug’s got a buddy, Keith Worthmore, who lives in Florida. Keith’s a piece of shit—the town should’ve thrown a parade the day he decided to pack his shit and move to Florida.”
“This Keith guy got a sheet?”
“Yep. Started as a juvenile. Stupid shit, disturbing the peace, underage drinking. But when he hit majority, he opened himself an adult record. Breaking and entering. Burglary. Grand theft auto. When he got bored stealing shit, he moved on to possession with the intent to sell. Did six months for that. He got out and promptly went to his ex’s house, beat the shit out of her and found himself back behind bars for another year. Then he was picked up on suspicion of murder. He got out of that because the States Attorney refused to prosecute due to lack of a murder weapon.”
Christ. None of that was good, but the murder charge gave Alec serious pause.
“You think he was good for the murder?”
“Fuck, yeah. Didn’t happen in Kent County, next county over. But the deceased was a known associate of Keith’s. The man also owed Keith a lot of money and didn’t have it. As soon as the murder charges were dropped, Keith packed up and hightailed his ass down to Florida. Good fucking riddance.”
“I’ll have McKenna get a last-known on Keith,” Alec told him.
“You plannin’ a trip south?”
“Nope. Macy needs me here.”
Jonny gave him a tight nod. “I’ll be in touch. Headed to Macy’s now.”
“Right.”
Without another word, Jonny let himself out and Alec went in search of Macy.
They were all safe.
They were all under his roof.
And as fucked-up as the situation was, he’d made progress breaking through Macy’s defenses.
Thank fuck.
23
My nerves were shot. I needed a bottle of tequila and Becky, STAT!
I’d bitch, she’d listen. Then I’d get angrier and she’d commiserate. Then I’d break down and cry and she’d hold me together. Then once my tears had dried, she’d threaten bodily harm and make me smile.
That was Becky. Always there. Always breaking her back for those she loved.
But I didn’t have the luxury of a full-blown come-apart. Not right then while I was in Alec’s huge bed with a very scared Rory, a still-silent Caleb, and Jocelyn thankfully happily munching on a banana. I hoped Alec was truthful about me making myself at home, because I’d rummaged under his bathroom sink, then in a linen closet looking for a towel to put under Joss so he wouldn’t be sleeping in banana goo.
“I hate him,” Caleb whispered.
“It’s not nice to hate someone,” Rory meekly corrected.
“I don’t care. I hate him.”
“Who?”
I looked at my son’s face twisting in anguish, a
nd my muscles locked.
“Dad!”
One word. Guttural. The one syllable that sounded rough and painful.
Jesus.
My sweet baby boy who was no longer a baby, but a young man in pain.
“Daddy?” Rory shot back.
My eyes closed on a slow blink, my throat started to burn, going down to my lungs then into my belly where that burn turned into fire. A raging fire of regret and torture. The realization that I couldn’t protect my children from knowing the truth about Doug struck me like a two-by-four. It didn’t matter how badly I wanted to swaddle them and guard them—one day they’d learn who their father really was.
Caleb was already figuring it out. But my little Aurora—so young, so little, so innocent—did need to know.
Not now.
I was stuck in the middle of needing to keep the truth from Aurora and allowing Caleb to feel free to express himself and know I was listening. That I cared about his feelings. That he could trust me enough that he could tell me anything and I’d help him process and move on.
“Caleb—”
“You always defend him,” my son interrupted me and climbed off the bed. “I hate him. All of this is his fault!”
Oh no. No, no, no.
Had Caleb overheard the conversation downstairs?
My heart ached. Seriously fucking ached. I’d promised myself after Doug and I divorced, my children would never hear me speak ill about their dad. I’d gone to great lengths to make sure that happened.
“Son—”
“I’m not stupid,” he shouted, and Jocelyn jumped before she started to climb into my lap.
Poor Rory didn’t know what to say as she stared at her brother.
I needed to get my boy away from his sister so he could vent. He needed to get it all out but not this way, not in front of the girls. I wanted him to unload his burden and be free to say whatever he wanted. Just not here, not when Rory looked devastated, and Joss was crawling on me like she was frightened.
“Let’s talk about—”
“Everyone likes you,” Caleb declared, and to further his point, his hand came up and his finger jabbed my way. “No one would want to hurt you. This is all his fault. All of it. I’ve been thinking about it.”
Oh, shit, Caleb was putting it together and coming up with the correct theory.
Not good.
“I’m not stupid,” he repeated. “I heard what that man said, then dad takes off—like he always does—and then…and then that happens to your face and someone tries to kill us. I hate him. Me and Rory are never seeing him again. Ever. You can’t make us go!”
The bedroom door swung open, Alec’s large frame filled the space, and his deep-set frown took in the room, settling on Caleb.
“What’s going on?”
Before I could defuse the situation, which actually meant before I could come up with a bunch of bullshit to either deny Caleb’s accusations, meaning once again defending Doug, Caleb stood a little taller and faced Alec.
“Rory said you were gonna find the guy who hit Mom.”
“Working on it, bud.”
“After you do that, would you find my dad and tell him we’re never seeing him again? Neither of us. And he’s not seeing Mom either. That’s why you need to tell him. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
Alec gave my son a lift of his chin in acknowledgment then swung his gaze to me. There was nothing gentle about the man standing in the doorway. Gone was the carefully harnessed fire and back was Alec’s look of fury.
Oh, boy.
“Let’s take a walk, bud.” Alec’s deep rumbly voice confirmed his control was slipping.
I, in no way, thought he’d unleash his anger on my son. I knew that rage was in our defense. And somewhere deep that made me shiver. Alec’s desire to protect us was different than my dad’s or even Rob’s and I knew those two men loved us and would move heaven and hell to make us safe. But the way Alec did it was different. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it.
“Maybe—”
“Babe.” Alec’s tone gentled. “Caleb and I are gonna take a walk and cool down. Why don’t you take the girls downstairs? McKenna and her posse will be here in a minute and I got a hold of Rob. He and Becky will be here in ten. Chasin’s already out front, so we got a guard at the door. The house is safe. You and the girls are free to move around downstairs. It’s all good.”
There was a guard at the door.
We were safe and that was because Alec had made it so. Again he was looking out for us. A little more of my restraint slipped and I allowed myself to bask in the knowledge that, true to his word, Alec wasn’t going anywhere. He was sticking by my side in this latest drama. No, that wasn’t correct—he wasn’t just staying by my side, he went far beyond.
I wanted to jump up and hug him, tell him how thankful I was for his help. I wished there wasn’t a gaggle of kids in the room so I could kiss him. Hands down, I’d had the scariest day of my life and somehow only hours later, he’d wrung a miracle and made me feel safe. And now he offered yet another boon—taking Caleb for a walk and giving my boy what he needed to calm down while I took care of my daughter and his.
Even after Jocelyn had been put in danger because of me he still trusted me with her—a gift.
“Okay, Alec.”
Something moved over Alec’s face but it was gone before I could decipher its meaning.
“Caleb?” Alec called.
Then another miracle happened. My shy, untrusting son moved across the room, and when he got to Alec he stopped, stood close. Caleb looked up and waited.
“You got the girls, babe?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. We’ll be back.”
The guys left the room and I looked at Aurora.
Seeing her sweet little face full of confusion and fear made my mother’s heart shatter. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make this right for her. But what I did know was I’d do it, and it was time for me to stop protecting a man that was toxic.
“Mommy, why does Caleb hate Daddy?”
Oh boy, the line between the truth and what my six-year-old needed to know was so blurry I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find the right balance.
“Your brother’s feelings are hurt. And sometimes when your feelings get hurt you don’t know what to do with that icky feeling so it turns into anger.”
Rory was looking at me funny and I knew I was mucking this up. Fucking Doug! I was blaming this on him too, me having to explain to my baby girl—whose only worry should be playing with her stuffed animals—why her brother hated her father.
“Remember when Grammy bought you that unicorn shirt?” I asked.
“Yeah. With the rainbow and stars.”
“Yup, that one. And you were really excited about it and you loved it so much. But Caleb told you he didn’t like it and unicorns were fake?”
“Yeah.” Rory’s face crumbled at the reminder.
That had been one of the few times her brother had made her cry.
“Caleb hurt your feelings. You were really upset with him. Do you remember what you did?”
Aurora nodded and looked a little sheepish when she answered. “I told him I hated him and he was ugly and I pushed him.”
“Right. You said something you didn’t mean because you were angry he hurt your feelings.”
“So Daddy said something mean to Caleb and now his feelings are hurt?”
“Yes, honey. Your dad did something to Caleb that has hurt his feelings. But what I need you to understand is those are his feelings and he’s allowed to have them. He’s allowed to be mad, sad, hurt. And when you feel those things it’s best you let them out and talk about them. That’s what your brother’s doing right now, he’s getting all the ugly out so it doesn’t stay inside of him and make him feel worse. And something else, baby, it’s not for you to worry about.”
“Did someone really try to kill us?”
Damn it all to hell! Tears gathered in Rory’s eyes
and I absolutely had no idea how to answer that.
“I don’t know, baby. What I do know is that there are a lot of people who are working on finding out.”
“But Caleb said it was Daddy’s fault you got hurt and someone—”
“Aurora, sweetheart, I know this is confusing and scary and I’m so sorry, baby girl. Mommy is so, so sorry. But your dad’s problems are not yours and I don’t want you to worry about them.”
“He has problems?”
“Yes, sweetie he does. But they are his and he’s going to have to work them out. And while he’s doing that, you and Caleb will not be seeing him. Now let’s talk about today.”
Rory shook her head and her gaze slid away from mine.
“Honey. I need you to look at me. This is important. It’s one of those times when you need to get all the icky stuff out of your belly.”
Then suddenly Rory wasn’t sitting on Alec’s ginormous bed next to me—she was in my arms with Joss pinned between us. I shifted slightly so Jocelyn didn’t get smushed and I held my daughter and Alec’s as tightly as I could.
Rory sobbed. Jocelyn wiggled. And I thanked God we were all alive and breathing.
I was standing in Alec’s kitchen, Jocelyn was in her highchair, and Rory was spooning applesauce into Joss’s mouth.
It was after Aurora had let go a little of the icky and cried, but she hadn’t talked other than to admit she was scared. And not for the first time, I wished my parents weren’t on a cruise because my mother would know what to do. When I was a surly teenager, she was the queen of making me talk about things I wanted to keep buried.
I was seriously worried I was screwing this up. Rory had to open up and talk about the shooting, hell, she still needed to talk about what she’d seen the other day when I was attacked. Caleb did, too, and I hoped that was exactly what he did with Alec during their walk.
My head was in Alec’s fridge surveying the meager contents when I heard a door open.
“Is Alec like your manfriend?” Rory asked.
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