Lacey’s fury increased, and she rose to her feet, arms crossed. “Your parents made you come here for high school one year.” Her biting tone made it clear she didn’t like this information, but he couldn’t tell why.
“Yeah,” he drawled. “I did.”
“And it was because you got mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
His eyes narrowed. “I never said I hadn’t.” How was this a lie?
Lacey fidgeted, her eyes drilling into him like she wanted to say something more, but she was holding back.
Mack itched to launch toward her and force her to lay it all out. Something was telling him that this was a turning point in theirrelationship, and what happened in this moment would dictate their future. Another part of him could feel her slipping away, and that thought terrified him.
Looking at her now, he knew he couldn’t force her to speak to him. It would only push her away. He couldn’t risk losing her altogether. So, he bit his tongue and waited for her to tell him what was going on.
Then his stomach bottomed out as a new thought occurred to him.
If she’d heard about his year in Rocky Ridge as a teenager, maybe she’d heard about the scandal with his ex-girlfriend.
No. She couldn’t have. That story would have hit too close to home. Lacey would have said something. She would have been really angry about it. Did he want to risk bringing it up?
The answer hit him hard in the chest.
No. It wasn’t worth the risk. He didn’t have anything to hide. But that part of his life had altered him in so many ways. It still brought a pain to his heart that he wasn’t ready to reopen—at least not right now.
Lacey broke their staring contest and spun around. “You know I’ve always been overly cautious with how I’m raising Bridger,” she said quietly.
“Yeah. And I’ve told you how much I respect you for it.” Mack swallowed hard and moved closer to her but didn’t dare touch her.
She didn’t speak right away. He could see the goosebumps that rose on her arms, and that was when he realized she’d madea decision. Before he could circumvent whatever it was she planned on saying, she turned to face him with tears in her eyes.
“I can’t have someone with a grey past in my son’s life.”
He wouldn’t have been more shocked than if she’d slapped him clean across the face. His face burned with indignation. He was a kid. They’d both made mistakes as teenagers. But his hadn’t resulted in a permanent member of his family. Thankfully, his sharp tongue chose to remain locked in his mouth as his jaw tightened. After he’d counted in his head to calm himself, he muttered, “What are you saying?”
“You should have told me,” she whispered, a tear tracing down her cheek. “You should have prepared me for the possibility that this would come out.”
“What? Tell me what exactly came out?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Well, it definitelyshouldn’tmatter.” The snappy comeback shot from his lips before he had a chance to think it over. Lacey scowled at him, and he sighed, reminding himself this wasn’t the time to get defensive. “Who I was when I was a kid is not the same person as I am now. For all intents and purposes, I was a child. I was finding my way. And without those experiences, I wouldn’t be who I am today. That’s what should matter.”
Lacey threw her hands into the air. “We don’t live in a fairytale, Mack. We can’t just pick and choose the parts of our lives that we want people to see. You’re right. Your past makes you who you are today. But it doesn’t erase the poor decisions you made. I’ve chosen to live with the mistakes of my past. I wear them like a badge of pride because they remind me of what I overcame.”
There was a bite to her words, and he got the distinct feeling that she was judging him for something that he wasn’t privy to. Who was he kidding? Of course she was judging him for something he didn’t know. Lacey still wouldn’t just tell him what she was upset about.
He was about to tell her as much when the next words stopped him still.
“Do you think that a man who still lives with his parents, who has no plans for his future, and a past he’s ashamed of—does that sound like a man who would be a good role model for an impressionable child?”
Mack took a step back, his mouth falling open. So that’s what this was about. He had a past, but it was his present that she couldn’t get over. “I have… plans…” he mumbled weakly. After his conversation with his brother, he’d started looking into becoming a riding instructor for kids. It sounded like an amazing job, and one even his parents could get behind. He wouldn’t completely give up on his rodeo dreams, but that could become a hobby of sorts.
Lacey’s quiet voice sounded more beaten down this time. “I’m sorry, Mack. But if you can’t learn to stand on your own two feet—fight for what you want despite what your parents think—then I don’t feel you’d be a good fit to be in Bridger’s life.”
It was like she’d punched the air right from his lungs with that one. This time he really couldn’t breathe. His instincts had him raging inside, demanding he lash back at her and point out every flaw she had just to put them on even ground.
He didn’t.
Thank heavens he didn’t do something he knew he’d regret.
