The Summer He Came Home (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 1)
“Why are you standing out in the rain?”
Maggie made a noise, a soft painful whimper, and Cain stepped forward.
“Your mom was just coming in.”
“Oh.” Michael’s eyes were glued to his mother.
“Thanks for all your help today, buddy.”
Michael nodded, but his face paled as he stared at Maggie. “Are you all right, Mom? You don’t look so good.”
Maggie walked past Cain and enveloped her son. “I’m fine, honey.”
“Is Cain staying for supper?”
Maggie kept her head lowered and whispered, “No. Cain was just leaving.”
Cain’s mouth thinned at her words, but he remained silent. No sense in causing a scene in front of Michael. That would only alienate her more, and this sure as hell wasn’t the kid’s problem.
“Why?” He wriggled out of his mother’s arms and looked up at Cain, his expression serious. “Are you guys having a fight?”
He clasped the kid on his shoulder. Forced a smile. “I gotta run buddy, but we’re still on for Saturday, right?”
“I think so.” Michael glanced at his mother. “I want to play.”
Maggie nodded and Cain winked. “Good, I’ll see you then.”
He let himself out the back gate even though everything inside him screamed that he should stay and hash things out. But what was the point? Maggie needed to cool off, and hopefully she’d come around tomorrow.
He hopped into his truck and sat there for a long time, his thoughts whirling. What the hell had just happened? When Cain finally fired up the engine, it was dark. The rain had stopped, though everything was misted in a film of slick water.
He glanced in his rearview mirror. Fog crept along the road, and it mingled with the steam that rose in the air from the still-hot blacktop. The storm had brought a wave of cold air, and it had cooled things down considerably, though the surface still held the sun’s heat. Slowly he backed out of Maggie’s driveway and headed toward the main drag, which would take him back to the lake.
He felt empty, confused, and pissed off.
What a cliché. It had all the makings of a number one fucking hit.
Chapter 30
Maggie watched the glowing red of Cain’s taillights disappear, and though he was finally gone, it did nothing to make her feel better. She stepped back and let the silky fabric of the window covering fall back into place.
Her chest hurt. Her head. Her heart. Everything hurt.
All she felt was sadness. Incredible, bone-crushing sadness. The anger was still there, but it was burrowed beneath her pain and the impending feeling of doom.
In the space of a few hours her life had been turned upside down yet again, and this time there was no one to blame but herself. She’d known Cain Black was trouble the moment she laid eyes on him.
She should never have let him in.
And now Michael was going to pay for her mistakes, for her weakness and loneliness. For her selfish need to be loved by a man.
Maggie closed her eyes and tried to ignore the fact that she’d even thought of the word love in regard to Cain.
“Did Cain finally leave?”
Maggie moved away from the window and nodded at Raine. Her body felt like it was two steps behind. Like she was moving out of sync.
There was too much going on in her brain—thoughts of plans and backup plans—of leaving and getting as far away from Crystal Lake as she could. She slid into the large purple and green plaid chair that was kitty-corner to the sofa and picked at a bit of stuffing that had escaped the seam along the armrest.