SWORN TO PROTECT: An Everyday Heroes World Novel

by Readnour, Kimberly

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Nate

  “My feet hurt.”

  Mackenzie looks down at Nick and shakes her head in that disapproving way moms have perfected. “I told you not to wear those sandals.”

  “But they’re my favorites.”

  “Yeah, but they’re not for running.” Mackenzie tries to reason with Nick, but she lost that battle before it even began. The moment he showed me his new Aquaman flip-flops, I knew he’d never take them off. Not when he equates Aquaman to his dad.

  I wait for the wave of guilt that usually accompanies thoughts of Ethan, but it never comes. The pang of remorse stems more from his loss than me wanting to be with Mackenzie. His marriage was over a long time ago. I’ve changed my mind. He had to know since the papers were waiting for his signature. Ethan sent me to his family for a reason. I’m clinging to the fact he wanted me with her.

  “I love them, though, but my toe hurts.”

  Uh-oh. “Let me see.” I bend down to check on him, but it’s not hard to guess why he’d be hurting. It only takes a glance to confirm my suspicion. A blister has formed between his toes where the divider rubbed his skin raw. “Okay, big guy.” I pick Nick up and set him on my shoulders. Then I snatch the lawn chairs and carry them under my arm. “I think this is all a ploy for a free ride.”

  “No.” Nick giggles while his little hands grip my hair. I shoot a glance to Mackenzie to ask if she’s ready to leave but pause as I absorb her look. The deep appreciation of her stare. The soft smile coating her face. She’s so beautiful. She was sexy while lying naked beneath me, but this beauty is different. She exerts a peacefulness about her that draws me in and makes me believe we could have more. She has given me a taste of acceptance that I yearn to savor indefinitely.

  “I can’t wait until our soccer tournaments.” Liam’s exclamation snaps me from the thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking. He looks up at me with nothing but excitement. “You’re still going, right?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” His tournaments begin in November. I hadn’t planned on staying in town that long, but I vowed to stay while they needed me. I intend to keep that promise. I sneak a glance at Mackenzie, and she’s walking with her head down, biting her lip as if she’s contemplating something. I wonder if it’s me on her mind. I don’t want anything clouding her memory about last night. It was too perfect.

  “Yes! Because we’re going to kick butt. Did you see that one goal I made? It was a beauty.”

  “I did. You played awesomely.”

  “Oh, Mom, I need to tell Toby something about school next week. I’ll be right back.” Liam takes off as we congregate underneath a large oak tree.

  “He’s excited about school starting.”

  “I am too,” Nick says, kicking his feet.

  “I bet you are, buddy. Learning is always fun.”

  Mackenzie presses her lips together to keep from smiling. She may think I’m bullshitting, but I was serious when I said I liked academics.

  “You know, Liam is impressive on the field. He definitely needs a more challenging league. He’s too far advanced. Which reminds me, I need to check into what’s available around here.”

  Her head snaps to mine. “Can you? I keep meaning to search out a year-round league, but by the time I get home and start supper, I run out of time. The spare minutes I have are spent studying. It’s a vicious circle.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. To help lessen the burden.”

  Her little smirk causes my dick to twitch. Yeah, I’d like to think she’s thinking about how much burden I lessened last night. She felt so right, so natural. We’re definitely not stopping after one time.

  “Mom. Mom.” Liam sprints over to us. “Toby told me all about a Harvest Festival. They have a carnival and games. It sounds like fun.”

  “I want to go to a festival,” Nick pipes up. “Do they have penguins?”

  “No, it’s not a zoo,” Liam says, exasperated.

  “But I want to see penguins.”

  “I want to see them too, but this will have a Ferris wheel,” Liam says as if the ride is better.

  “Ooh, I want to ride a Ferris wheel.”

  Mackenzie eyes me. I can tell she’s trying to stifle a laugh. These kids are the funniest little things I’ve ever heard.

  “Are you going to go with us?” Liam turns to me and asks.

  “When is it?” I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. It shouldn’t matter when it is. And by me voicing the question without any thought validates what I already know—our time together has an expiration date.

  “Toby said it’s the weekend after our tournament.”

  “Okay. Then it’s a date.”

  “Like what you had with Mommy?”

  I choke at Nick’s words.

  “Ew, Nick, that’s gross.”

  “Is not.”

  “Who told you we went on a date?” The squeak in Mackenzie’s voice makes me cringe. Does she not consider our outing a date? I know I didn’t officially call it that, but she doesn’t need to sound so embarrassed.

  “Grandma. She said you got all pretty for Nate. She said it was because you had a date. But Uncle Jordan was mad. He didn’t want you going out. But Grandma told him to go lie down.”

  “What?”

  “No, she said to lay off.” Liam gives his head a frustrated shake. “She thought Uncle Jordan was ridiculous.”

  I don’t know whether to laugh or cringe. The distraught look on Mackenzie’s face has me doing neither.

  “Well, I’m so glad they’re concerned about my well-being.”

  This conversation is upsetting her, but I don’t know how to fix it. I try steering the subject back to the festival. “Anyway, I meant I’ll be here to take you guys to the festival.” That earns me a collective round of yays.

  “Oh, you’re coming to my birthday party, right? It’s in a few weeks.”

  Liam’s steel-blue eyes peer up at me with eagerness. I would turn the world upside down to keep that look on his face. “I sure am. Do you have any requests for a present?”

  “No. What I want no one can bring.” Sadness etches his tone as that shiny brightness in his eyes dull.

  Well, crap. So much for moving mountains for the kid.

  Mackenzie reaches over and pulls him into a side hug. “I bet you’re going to have a great birthday.”

  “Yeah, but I wish Dad were here.”

  “Me too, buddy. Me too.” Mackenzie shoots me a glance. It’s both pained and stressed. I’m sure the kids didn’t know about her plans to leave him. And it wouldn’t do any good to tell them now. But damn if the whole situation doesn’t sting.

  We walk to the truck in silence. I’m placing the lawn chairs into the truck’s back when Mrs. Morgan waltzes up beside Mackenzie. My back stiffens. Mackenzie had pointed her out earlier. Even though she didn’t say so, I could tell she worried about this encounter.

  “Mackenzie, dear, I wanted to say hello.” She eyeballs the boys and cracks a smile at them. “My, my, have you boys grown. And you”—she places her hand under Liam’s chin—“look so much like your father. It’s uncanny.” She gives me a glare, which I return with a smile. She rips her attention back to the boys.

  “Are you ready for school next week?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I’m going to be in kindergarten. I’m all set,” Nick chimes in.

  “My, yes. And, Liam, you’ll be in my little Toby’s class. How exciting.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Well, family should always stick together.” She turns and gives me another glare. This lady doesn’t know me but hates my guts on principle. Maybe she has an inner lie detector, and it’s going off on full blast.

  Fuck, what am I doing?

  Am I wrong to think Mackenzie and I could have something short-term? That everything will be okay? No wonder this lady gets under Mackenzie’s skin. She has a way about her that conjures every self-doub
t. Fuck this shit. I won’t let her harm Mackenzie’s self-confidence anymore.

  “I agree. Family is important. That’s why I’m touched they included me in their outings. And I’m available to help as much as I can, especially since Mackenzie goes to school. It’s important she finishes so she can provide for them. Since you’ll want what’s best for them, I’m sure you agree, yes?”

  “Well, uh, of course,” she sputters.

  “Then I guess we better get going. Building a better home for the kids won’t happen on its own.”

  She stands there with her mouth agape. I think I silenced her. Thank God.

  “Bye, Mrs. Morgan. I’ll see you around town.”

  We hop in the truck, and Mackenzie turns to me with a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

  And at that moment, I know I’d do anything for her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mackenzie

  What could’ve been a sad day didn’t turn out so bad. The only thing left to worry about is my brother’s present. Or should I say lack thereof?

  Nate sits beside me on Mom’s sofa as we watch Liam open his gifts. The back of Nate’s hand brushes against my leg, making it hard to concentrate. I feel more like a lovesick puppy than a grown woman with two children. I’m not sure the direction we’re heading, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the ride. He’s stayed for supper practically every night these past few weeks, even bringing a few takeout meals to give me more time to study. He has helped make sure the boys get their homework done.

  I slip a glance his way, and that warm, sexy smile he gives me awakens my insides. We haven’t had too many moments alone. It’s hard when the kids are always around. He has yet to stay overnight, but I plan on changing that. Mom is keeping the kids tonight, so it’ll just be the two of us.

  “Whoa, this is the coolest gift.” Liam turns to face me, all smiles and bright eyes. Wrapping paper and birthday cards stuffed with money surround him, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the kid happier. “I have tickets to see the San Jose Earthquakes. Thanks, Nate.”

  “You’re welcome. We’ll have to study what the big leaguers do.” Nate winks as Liam beams. “There’s one more gift, though.”

  “There’s more?”

  “Yep. I needed you to open that one first.” Nate hands him a wrapped shirt box he hid behind the couch.

  Liam rips the wrapping paper off and tears into the box. The gleam in his eyes matches his smile as he holds the Golden Strikers jersey. “Sweet! Does this mean I’m going to be on the team?”

  “It sure does. Think you’re up for the challenge?”

  “Yes!”

  “Oh, wow.” My head whips to Nate. He wouldn’t tell me what he got him, and now I see why. The suspense was worth the wait. I can’t think of a more thoughtful gift. The admission price to join the traveling team was too steep, and I made him promise not to tell Nate. “That’s too much.”

  Nate holds my gaze. His face stoic as he says, “Nothing is too much for you guys.”

  I feel my face flush from Nate’s offer. He’s way too kind. I reach down and squeeze his hand. He laces our fingers together as I shift focus back to the man of the hour.

  “What are you going to do with all of your loot?” Stan asks as he settles into his recliner. He’s making great strides in his recovery progress. If it weren’t for his cane, no one would know he had surgery.

  “I’m going to save it for a house.”

  “A house?” Mom asks.

  “Yeah, I want one big enough, so I have my own space.”

  My gut twists. I know he didn’t mean it as a dig toward me, but that’s how I take it. I knew Liam wasn’t happy sharing a room, but I didn’t think he hated it that much.

  “I think you’ll be needing a lot more of those greenbacks.” Nate chuckles.

  “Yeah, someday when I’m a big soccer star, I’ll have tons of money. Then I can buy Mom a huge house.”

  “Oh, that’s nice, sweetie.” His words almost bring tears to my eyes. I didn’t realize he meant the house was for me. “Does that mean you plan on living with me forever?”

  “Where else would I go? I have everything I want right there.”

  My shoulders shake as I process his words. I guess I’m not doing too awful of a job raising them. “Maybe I should start making it more disciplined. I hate you getting too comfy.”

  “What’s disciplined mean?” Nick asks.

  “Stricter rules, which you boys definitely don’t need.” Jordan rolls his eyes. “Are you ready for my gift? You need to come out to the porch for it.”

  “Yeah.” Liam jumps to his feet.

  My blood runs cold at my brother’s words. “He better not have done what I think he did,” I murmur to myself as I stand. Nate’s gaze slides to mine, trepidation coating his features.

  “What is it?” Liam races to the front door with Nick on his tail.

  “Something you’re going to love. I promise.”

  Nate flanks my side and places his hand on the swell of my back. He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Are you all right?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” I answer. Mom’s sigh resonates through the house. A warning for me to stay calm. But who is she trying to fool? There’s no way I’m going to remain calm if he bought him that damn dirtbike.

  When everyone files out the door, Jordan skips down the steps and ducks around the side of the house.

  The rev of the engine is the first sound that registers. Liam’s high-pitched squeal is the next. My entire world turns red as rage races through my veins at warped speed.

  “Oh, boy,” Nate says as I watch in horror as Liam runs to a dirtbike.

  A dirtbike.

  It’s blue and silver with scratches and black marks down the side. What poor sap did he finagle? He’s always doing shady deals, but this takes the cake. How dare he defy my wishes? He knew, knew, I was against him buying one. I march right up to him and hold nothing back as I lay into him.

  “How dare you buy this?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t even try that smirk with me. It won’t work. Liam, you can’t keep this.”

  “Ah, Mom. I really—”

  “No! Your uncle stepped over a line he had no business crossing.”

  “Mackenzie, it’s just a dirtbike.”

  “I know what it is, and he’s not keeping it. You’ll take it back to whatever fool you suckered it from.”

  “Come on. There’s nothing wrong with dirtbikes. The statistics are low for him getting hurt.”

  “It is a rather nice gift.” Mom steps forward, and I whip my gaze to her, silencing her with a glare. She steps back. Good. She best stay out of this, considering she didn’t help talk him out from buying it.

  “I said no,” I manage to say between clenched teeth. I try to appear calm, but inside I’m seething. I want to rip this bike to shreds and send the pieces to the scrapyard. Toss whatever money it’s worth into Liam’s house collection.

  “You’re acting like a crazed bitch.”

  My gaze cuts to Jordan. And I lose it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nate

  There comes the point where reality becomes suspended. It’s a fragment of time right before all hell breaks loose. That is where we are right now.

  “What did you call me?” Mackenzie’s words come out slow and demanding. Her pale skin is puffy and red as if any moment she’s going to blow. She fists her hands at her side in what I can only imagine is an attempt not to slap him. But of all the insults he could’ve slung at her, calling her the same derogatory name Ethan used crosses a line. If it weren’t for Nick hugging my leg as he watches the shitstorm unfold, I’d kick the motherfucker’s ass myself.

  “You’re being ridiculous. It’s just a bike. He’s eleven years old now. It’s time you quit coddling him.”

  “Coddling him? How is not letting him have a dirtbike coddling him? I’m trying to protect him.”

  “He’s not your little egg
to roost on anymore. Let him be a man.”

  “How is Liam getting on a deathtrap being ‘a man’?” She makes mock air quotes with her fingers. She’s so mad. I think she’s about to punch him.

  Nick grips my leg tighter as if sensing his mother is on her last nerve. Despite wearing the attached baggage, I step forward, but Mackenzie’s mom places a hand on my chest, stopping me. I can’t believe this is happening. So much for coming clean with my lies tonight. I certainly can’t tell her after this.

  “It teaches him to take risks in life. He’s not learning life lessons being cooped up in the house all day long.”

  “He isn’t cooped up all day. He’s in sports. He goes to school.”

  “All stuff for little pussies. Let him have fun for once. What is driving around on dirtbike going to do? Nothing bad is going to happen.”

  “That isn’t for you to decide.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. Let the kid live a little.”

  “I’ve already buried one family member. I’m not burying another one.”

  And that promised shitstorm just imploded. A collective gasp breaks the silence surrounding their powwow. Mackenzie stands there numb, as if she can’t believe she uttered those words. Jordan looks sorrowful for once. But it’s the kids’ expressions that get to me.

  The wail that comes from Nick is enough to shatter anyone’s heart. I pick him up, and he lays his head on my chest, sobbing. “I don’t want Liam to die too.”

  “He’s not, buddy,” I reassure.

  Mackenzie’s body deflates. She turns to Liam, who stands off to the side, shocked into submission. Tears line his cheeks. She turns her streaked face toward the rest of us until her gaze lands on me. I can see right when she reaches the breaking point, and the fight leaves her. I nod in reassurance. A silent plea that everything will be okay. But we all know nothing will be okay.

  “Liam, honey, come here,” Mackenzie’s mom says with her arms extended. He waltzes over to her, and she embraces him in a hug. I clear my throat to get rid of the emotion bubbling inside. What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and correct the mistakes made. The past is unchangeable, but maybe I can fix the future.