After that stark confession, the only sounds were of Crystal and Mac touching and kissing. It was the single most beautiful experience of her life. When Crystal’s cell phone rang, breaking the spell, she heard Mac groan. A perfect moment ruined by technology. What else was new?
Crystal stirred at the familiar tinkling sound. She looked over at Mac and saw his frustration. “This will just take a minute, I promise,” she said as she reached for the phone on the table. “Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line sent chills down her spine. “What do you want, Richard?” Crystal tried to force a measure of calm into her voice, but found she was sorely lacking.
“Now is that any way to talk to your ex-husband, sweetheart?” Richard said, laughing.
“Don’t ever call me sweetheart again. You lost that right.” Now she was beginning to feel her temper. How dare he simply phone her after all this time and attempt to sweet-talk her? He was in for a rude awakening if he thought that tack was going to work. She was no longer a young innocent girl.
“I miss you. I’ve changed a lot since you left,” Richard said earnestly. “I know I made lots of mistakes by you, but just hear what I have to say, and then I will leave you alone. Okay?”
Crystal sighed and decided to let him say his peace and then hang up on the jerk. She turned and saw Mac looking at her with worry etched on his face. In her anxiety over hearing Richard’s voice, she’d forgotten Mac was still there. She leaned over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder in a gesture meant to say, I’m alright.
“Very well, get on with it, then,” Crystal said, getting more perturbed with every second she spent on the phone.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m in town. I thought it’d be real nice if we got together and talked about old times. What do you say? We could go to dinner and talk things through, figure out what went wrong.”
“I’m going to say this once, and then I’m hanging up the phone. I won’t go anywhere with you ever again. Our marriage is over, and I have moved on with my life. I suggest you do the same. Don’t attempt to call me again.” Crystal spoke with calm authority in her voice and then hung up the phone. After taking a deep breath, she once again turned to look at Mac’s worried face.
“What did he want?” Mac asked, his voice dripping icy venom.
“He says he’s back in town and wants to get together for old times’ sake.” Crystal went on with vehemence, “Can you believe the nerve of him to call and expect to just pick right up where we left off!” She was angry now just thinking of the whole thing. “What an idiot.” She scooted up next to Mac, pleased when his arm went around her in a protective embrace.
“I don’t like him calling you. Maybe you should change your number.”
Crystal stiffened and peered up at him. “I won’t hide and cower. Not again.”
Mac stared at her a few seconds before kissing the top of her head. “Okay, but if he calls again, you’ll let me know, right?”
“Yes,” she replied, loving that he cared so much. It was such a new experience for her. It was just the thing she needed to send her into a deep sleep.
Mac had no intention of sleeping. Whether Crystal would admit it or not, the phone call from her ex had shaken her up. She was so sturdy and determined, Mac didn’t think anything could bring Crystal down. But now, seeing her so fragile, he knew different. Richard. That son of a bitch had no rights to her. She belonged to him and Trent now. Richard was out of the picture. One way or another, Mac would keep it that way.
He carried her inside and locked the door behind him, then took her to her bedroom. He stood her on the floor and murmured, “Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s get you tucked in.”
She yawned and started to shuck her clothes. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“Because Trent and I have been keeping you up late, probably,” he said as he kissed the top of her head. Once she was nude, he slipped his T-shirt over her head and laid her on the bed. He quickly stripped and got in beside her, then closed his eyes. It was several hours later when Mac woke to the gentle feel of Crystal stroking his chest with her fingers. “Is it morning already?” he asked. The room was semi-dark with the shades drawn, and he couldn’t tell the time of day.
“Not quite.” She glanced at the clock at the side of the bed. “Three in the morning,” she said as she flicked his nipple with a fingernail. The little sting brought him around instantly.
“Keep that up and you’re going to be in trouble.”
Crystal pulled her hand away. “I really love waking up to you. Thank you for staying.”
He tipped her chin up and kissed her lips. “I could get used to it, too.”
“Tell me something about yourself,” she stated. “What are your parents like? I really want to know more about you, Mac.”
He shifted, uncomfortable with this conversation already. His parents weren’t exactly the Cleavers. “Well, my dad was very rigid. He insisted his only son toe the line, and if I screwed up, there was hell to pay. Mom followed whatever Dad said. His orders were akin to the law with her.”
Her hand came back to his chest, and Mac relaxed. “I’m sorry. I never knew my dad. My mom did her best to raise me, but I know it wasn’t easy,” she said.
He tucked an arm behind his head. “Parents make a huge impact on our lives. I remember my dad telling me once that I was too stupid to amount to anything.”
“God, that’s awful.”
Mac shrugged. “When I graduated from law school, he had to eat his words.”
Her head shot up and she stared at him. “You’re a lawyer?”