Ghost followed.
An impulse flashed through his mind and was rejected at once: catch up to her, grab her by the arm, swing her around. He’d never treated her that way, and wasn’t going to start. Even if he was an asshole, some things were just sacred, and his wife’s aura of respect was one of them.
She went into the dorm reserved for them and he half expected her to slam the door in his face. Instead, she walked to the middle of the room and came to a halt with her hands on her hips, back to him as he shut and locked the door behind them.
Then she turned. “I don’t understand, Ken. Help me to understand. Because right now, all I want to do is throw a pillow at you and tell you to sleep in the parking lot.”
He folded his arms. “There’s nothing to explain. It’s like I’ve said a hundred times. He needs to grow up, and I’m running out of ideas on how to make that happen.”
Maggie dropped her head into her hands and sighed. “Kenneth.”
“What?” he snapped.
Her head lifted. “Were you grown up? When I met you,” she pressed, “were you perfectly mature and grown up?”
“It’s not the–”
“It’s exactly the same thing!” she said. “You were lost. Aidan is lost. But Sam is good for him. Sam is smart, and thoughtful, and classy, and–”
“But he’s–”
“No different from you,” Maggie said, tears shining in her eyes. “He’s going to have a hell of a time convincing her that he’s serious, but heneedsto convince her.” Her face softened. “He needs a mother for his child, and a keeper of his heart.”
“Well I don’t know anything about this chick–”
“Well I do,” Maggie said.
“Are you going to keep interrupting me?”
“Yeah, I am. Sam,” she pressed on, “is a nice girl. She’s not some groupie, or a harpy, or a spoiled brat. She’s in grad school with Ava; she’s a writer too, and she loves books, and wears glasses most of the time. She’sgoodfor Aidan,” she repeated.
Good for Aidan. How many times had he hoped someone like that would come along? Someone who could tame that restless, useless energy in him, keep him happy at home so he could finally get his head out of his ass.
“I never lied to you, though,” he reminded. “I told you straight away that I had a kid.”
“It would’ve been a little hard to hide an eight-year-old.”
“Mags,” he snapped.
“Kenny,” she returned, voice gentling. She stepped up to him, hands landing on his chest. Damn it, he couldn’t deny her a thing when she did that, and she had to know it. “Don’t take this as an insult, baby, but you were real screwed up when we met.”
He felt a grin threaten. “Not an insult, huh?”
Her smile was sweet. “Nope.”
“I wasn’t the jailbait trolling for bikers outside the liquor store.”
“You really wanna compare sins side-by-side?” Her brows lifted.
“Nah.”
She smoothed her hands across his pecs, little mindless circles. “My point is,” she said, “that sometimes a man grows up all on his own. Like Mercy. But sometimes, he needs a reason to grow up. Aidan’s got a couple of reasons now, he’s just having a little trouble with the transition.”
She slapped her palms lightly on his shoulders. “And you shouldn’t set out to beat up your little boy. Idon’t like it.”
“He’s not a little boy.”
“He willalwaysbe your little boy.” She kissed him, her lips as soft and coaxing as ever, but Ghost knew she hadn’t forgiven him yet. Maggie didn’t hold grudges, but she didn’t pretend things were fine, either.
