CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
June rolled through Cuervo like a blast furnace.
Jake felt every blistering degree of it, too. When his second crew broke ground at the techpark, he was out there sweating his balls off along with everyone else. Maggie kept the air conditioner at the bakery on high just for them. Around noon, the crew migrated over there and stood panting underneath the vents. Then he’d drag Maggie around back where nobody could see them and make out with her.
When she wasn’t busy, Maggie went online to look for hard-to-find items for the Regal, like vintage lampshades, old popcorn carts, even a wildly expensive chandelier from the 1920s, which was the size of a boat. She taught him how to win online auctions and he was impressed by her ruthlessness.
But nights were Jake’s favorite because he had Maggie all to himself. Except for the first few times at her apartment when Gus stood outside the bedroom door and howled. Maggie finally had the idea of turning on Animal Planet in the living room, so now Gus just yapped at that instead.
Despite the sweetness of life right now, Jake kept holding his breath. Happy felt as unnatural to him as a rented tux. He kept fiddling with the sleeves, trying to get them to fit right. He didn’t tell Maggie how anxious he felt. And he refused to tell her about Todd or his mother. These were things he would deal with by himself.
After their chat at the Regal, Todd worried him. Jake knew he had to be up to something. So with the Fourth of July coming up, he decided it was time to get Maggie out of town again.
If Maggie wasn’t here, Todd wouldn’t be able to mess with her.
“Let’s go somewhere next weekend,” Jake said one night after an hour of mind-blowing sex next to a bunch of scented candles.
“But you’ll miss the Fourth of July parade,” she told him. “We’ve got tractors and livestock and bad baton twirling. Last year one of the twirlers broke a window at the church.”
“We could go to New York. They’ve got livestock there, too, only it’s on a plate.”
“What about Coralee? Last time she went crazy with all those cake orders.”
Jake agreed with Priscilla when she told him that Coralee’s cornbread wasn’t done in the middle, but he didn’t tell Maggie that. “It’s Fourth of July weekend. Just close the damn bakery.”
Maggie cuddled against his shoulder and sighed. “I can never say no to you. It’s kind of annoying.”
“I’m a bad influence,” he told her, nuzzling her hair. “But there’s no point letting all that badness go to waste, is there?”
* * * *
Maggie felt as though she’d baked eight million cakes in one week. She spent all day buttering cake pans, restocking the cooler with bottled drinks, and drizzling pink glaze over the Ladies Auxiliary doughnuts. The creak of the oven hinge and the chime of the bell above the door went off so many times during business hours, she was starting to hear them in her sleep.
But when Friday finally came around and she set her overnight bag on the bed to pack for her weekend getaway, Gus started sulking. The head tilt alone was enough to break her heart.
“Don’t you start with me,” she said. “I’m only going to be gone till Sunday. Besides, Grandma’s coming to pick you up.”
His tail went thump thump thump.
“Gus loves him’s Grandma, doesn’t he? Grandma doesn’t believe in diets for pudgy pugs.” Many more of these holiday weekends and poor Gus was going to bust out of the sweaters Maggie knitted for him.
She heard Jake’s knock on the door. With Gus barking at her heels, she ran to open it. Todd stood on the landing with a crying Abigail and a glum-faced Sawyer peeking out from behind his legs. And it was actually Todd who looked as though he needed soothing the most.
Maggie reached for little Abigail, who was red-faced and shrieking. She’d never seen the baby so upset. “What happened?”
He stalked into the living room, dragging Sawyer with him. Maggie stared at them, speechless, while Abigail writhed in her arms. “You gotta help me, Mags,” he said. “I’m fixin’ to run Ma up to the hospital and there’s no one to watch the kids.”
“What about your sister?” Maggie asked him, already tense, already knowing this wouldn’t end well.
“My sister’s laid up with the flu. Ma needs a doctor right away. You know she’s got the sugar diabetes, so when she gets sick, it hits her hard.”
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Maggie said, jiggling the baby. “But Jake and I are heading out for the weekend. I’m not going to be here.”
Todd looked stricken, like any father at the end of his rope. She felt bad for him, but what other choices did she have? She patted Abigail’s diaper to see if it needed changing. Then she remembered the pacifier that Todd kept in the diaper bag and dug it out.
“Please,” Todd begged her. “Let me get one of my brothers to drive down and take the kids off your hands. Until then, will you watch them? I know I’m askin’ a lot.”
Maggie pressed Abigail’s head to her shoulder. “I told you,” she said. “I can’t. Call somebody else.”
“What if I dropped Ma off at the hospital and came right back?”
“St. Joseph’s thirty minutes from here,” Maggie told him. “You can’t just leave your mother and run. You’d be better off staying.”
Todd grabbed the pad of paper she kept by her phone, scribbled something on it and then handed the paper to her. “There’s my number. Call if you need me.”
Maggie stared in shock as he ran out of her apartment and then went pounding down the stairs. “Todd!” she shouted. “Todd!”
Oh, my God. No!
She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. How would she explain this to Jake? Their weekend was ruined. Maybe she should have been more forceful with Todd. Slammed the door or called the police or screamed. She felt a headache coming on.
When Todd got back, she was going to kill him.
Then she saw Sawyer on his back giggling. Gus danced around him, frantically licking his face.
Maggie’s heart melted like butter in a microwave.
Screw Todd. She had to do what was right by the kids. They were the victims here, not her. And if they needed a warm, steady hand, it was up to her to provide them with one. Jake would understand. Of course he would.
It might even be fun having the children all to herself. She could put the baby down in her bedroom and then cook dinner for Sawyer—just like any other mother. Once Abigail was up from her nap, they could all take Gus for a walk. And when Jake came over, he could see how great kids were.
The racing panic inside her chest subsided. She went to the bedroom, set a blanket on the floor and then gently laid the baby on it.
What a little angel she was. Maggie spent a few minutes finger-combing her auburn hair and petting those plump, irresistible cheeks. She could feel all of her mommy instincts going wild. For the millionth time she wished she had her own little baby and a husband to love. Reluctantly, she pushed that thought aside.
When she emerged from the bedroom, she found Sawyer sacked out with Gus snuggled up next to him. Another Hallmark moment. She got her phone and took pictures of him sleeping. Then she texted Jake to tell him about the babysitting emergency and how she was watching Todd’s kids. He’d understand.
She scooped up Sawyer, carried him into the bedroom, and then tucked him into bed. Gus followed, looking bereft because she’d deprived him of his new friend.
Maggie tiptoed out of the room and made Gus come with her. How amazing to have these two little souls under her roof. Her heart felt as though it would bubble over. She would have done anything for them—taken a bullet, thrown herself in front of a train.
To give herself something quiet to do while the children slept, she picked up her knitting. For the next few minutes all she could hear was the clicking of her needles.
Then she heard a knock at the door. This time it had to be Jake. She couldn’t wait to share her happiness.
* * * *
That redneck sonofabitch.
Jake gritted his teeth and knocked louder. He could hear that mutant dog barking and Maggie shushing him.
Goddammit, what was taking so long?
It infuriated him that Todd had won. That motherfucker had found a way to screw him after all. Jake had to hand it to the guy. Todd knew Maggie’s weaknesses better than he did. He’d obviously given her some bullshit sob story and she had actually been dumb enough to buy it. Jake never thought she’d roll over that easily.
Maggie opened the door and her smile faded.
“What the hell, Maggie?” he said.
She glanced around and then turned on the porch light because it was dark outside. “Please keep your voice down. The kids are sleeping.”
Oh, sure. The kids. They weren’t even fucking hers. She didn’t invite him in. Instead, she sat on the top step. There was no way he could sit right now, so Jake braced his hands on the railing. He couldn’t speak, he was so angry.
Maggie glanced up at him. “What’s wrong? Why are you mad?”
Calm down, he told himself. Calm words. Calm voice. Sweat beaded his forehead. He wiped his arm across it, wondering why he was so angry and why he couldn’t do anything about it.
Well, at least it was a good time to tell her what a fucking asshole her ex was.
“That douchebag whose kids you’re babysitting,” he said acidly. “He came to the Regal a few weeks ago.”
“What for?”
“He told me I was no good for you and to get the hell out of town.”
Even in the light of the one naked bulb above her door, Maggie’s eyes were lovely, soft and long-lashed. He tried ignoring it, but her beauty pulled at him. He turned away.
“He had no right to do that,” she said.
“He’s been after you since the minute I got here, Maggie. He’d do anything to get you back, so it can’t be a complete surprise. But tell me. I gotta know. What crap story did he use to get you to watch the kids?”
“His mother,” she said tonelessly. “She was sick and he took her to the hospital.”
Jake barked out a laugh. “That’s perfect.”
“You think he’s lying?”
“I think you’d be lucky to see him again by next week. I can’t believe you were actually stupid enough to fall for it.”
Maggie went deathly quiet.
Jake felt sick. Why had he said that? Her hurt silence seemed to go on forever. Don’t look at her. If you look at her, you lose.
“Maybe Todd is right,” she said in a chilly voice Jake didn’t recognize. “Maybe you aren’t good for me. At least with Todd I know what I’m in for. But with you—I had no idea you thought so little of me.”
“That came out wrong.” Christ, it was hot out here. Sweat was just pouring off him. “What I can’t believe is that you’d let him use you like that.”
“The kids need me,” she said. “It’s not their fault. What was I supposed to do—leave them on the corner and take off with you?”
Jake pounded the railing. “Goddammit, you were supposed to say no!”
His voice echoed across the courtyard. It echoed inside his head. It would never stop echoing.
Minutes passed and all he heard was the sound of his own harsh breathing.
“He was out the door before I could stop him,” she said. “But that’s not what’s really bothering you, is it?” She stood and moved next to him, her eyes searching his face. He didn’t want her looking at him. He didn’t want her to see what a broken, miserable human being he was. “It’s the kids, isn’t it?” she said. “You just hate the fact that I want them.”
Jake clenched his jaw to keep from saying something else that would hurt her. He was about to ruin the whole fucking relationship. He was about to doom himself to being alone for good.
“Admit it.” Her voice had an edge to it like a razor. “Admit it!”
“Fine,” he said. “I don’t want a family. Not now, not ever. I’m not bringing more fucked-up people into this fucked-up world, Maggie. If that means I’m not the man for you, so be it.”
She physically recoiled. He watched, horrified, as she backed away from him into the apartment. It felt as though miles had opened up between them. Miles.
“Miss Maggie?” came a small voice behind her.
She spun around. Todd’s kid was there, rubbing his eyes. Maggie went to him, leaving Jake alone with the sickening reality of what had just happened. Of what he’d done.
He couldn’t stand it. He turned around and ran down the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Maggie called to him and when her voice broke, a part of him broke, too.
“I’m leaving Cuervo,” he said. “And I’m not coming back.”