The Summer He Came Home (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 1)

Maggie stared at her son in silence. “Okay.”

“Are you mad at me?” His voice trembled, and she grabbed him to her chest in an instant. His arms slid around her waist, and she held her son as if he was her lifeline for as long as she could. Her chin rested on his curls and she whispered, “No, I’m not mad at you. I’m proud that you’re brave enough to tell the truth. But I have to tell you something.”

Maggie exhaled and set Michael back a bit so she could look into his eyes. “There are more pictures inside that magazine, honey. Pictures of private stuff…of Mommy and Cain. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Like the one on the cover? Of you guys kissing?”

Her cheeks flushed red, and she nodded. “Kind of.”

Michael shrugged. “Mom, that’s not a big deal, not for adults anyway. Bobby Terio’s sister has tons of pictures of herself on Facebook, kissing pictures and some in a bikini.” Michael’s face wrinkled into a comical grimace. “They’re gross.”

“Oh, so you’ve seen them,” Maggie asked, not too impressed.

“Well, just once. But we got caught, and Bobby’s mom disabled the Facebook, so now his sister can’t show off her kissy-face pictures anymore.”

Maggie stared at her little boy in awe. He didn’t know the whole story, of course, but still she felt so much better knowing he hadn’t been freaked out at the sight of her and Cain together.

Of course, he hadn’t seen the center spread, but judging from his reaction, Michael would be more grossed out than embarrassed.

“Okay, but this is a little different. Someone took those pictures without my knowledge and put them in that magazine. Honey, that magazine is sold in most grocery stores. They even have a television show on every night. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Your friends might see them, and some of them might tease you tomorrow.”

“My friends all think you’re pretty. They won’t care.” Michael looked away, and his hands fisted into tight little balls at his side. “You’re afraid of him, aren’t you? That he’ll see.”

At first Maggie didn’t know what Michael meant. “Cain? No, honey, that’s silly. And trust me, he’s already seen them.”

“I meant my dad.”

Cold spread along her body in rapid flashes that left her shaking. Maggie’s heart broke as she stared at her son. It broke into little pieces. That a seven-year-old boy could be that intuitive was astonishing. She thought of Cain’s confession the night before, and her heart swelled again as she thought of that last night in Savannah.

And of what Michael had witnessed and never shared with her. Her little boy had dealt with all of that on his own. She felt…defeated.

“I don’t want to leave Crystal Lake, Mommy.”

She didn’t know how to respond. Michael was much too observant and smart for such a young boy. Maggie didn’t want to lie, so she remained quiet.

A soft knock echoed into the house, and they both jumped.

Michael recovered first and ran to the living room, and by the time Maggie cleared the kitchen, Cain stood in the middle of her house, his dark eyes upon her, his hand on Michael’s shoulder.

Her son leaned into the man the same way she did when he was next to her. As if their bodies needed him in order to function.

He looked tired, her musician. His clothes were dirty—no doubt from a full day out at the field—but it was his eyes that grabbed her attention. They looked haunted.

Maggie swallowed and felt her throat tighten. It was like looking in the mirror.

He turned to her son and ruffled the curls on top of his head. “Hey, is it all right if I talk to your mom for a bit?”

Michael nodded. “Sure. I have a book I wanted to read anyway.” Michael glanced back at her. “Is that all right, Mom?” She nodded, still unable to speak, and watched him disappear down the hall toward his bedroom.

“I tried calling, but you didn’t pick up.” Cain ran his hands through his hair and stared at her.

“Oh.” She finally found her voice. “With everything that happened yesterday, I forgot to charge my phone.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I came over.” He took a step closer to her. “I know you told me it was over last night and to stay away, but Maggie, I—”

“Cain, I don’t know if I can do this.” She was so confused.

He held his hands up. “I won’t take long. I have to get something off my chest, and I need for you to know where I stand. Because I sure as hell don’t have a clue as to where your head’s at, Maggie. Maybe you’ll share that with me soon, I hope you will, but for now I just want you to listen.”