“I’ll get that for you,” the other waitress offered.
Lacey sent her an appreciative smile as she filled up a second cup of water and slipped out onto the floor. She could feel Mack’s eyes on her the moment she moved up to the small family’s table. “Are we ready to order?”
“Not yet. Can we have a few minutes?” the young woman asked.
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Lacey tucked the tray under her arm, contemplating what would happen if she blatantly ignored Mack. She didn’t think she’d get fired over it. But then again, she’d been wrong about a lot of things lately.
Sighing in resignation, she turned on her heels and strode toward his table in the corner. “Good evening. I’m Lacey, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. What can I get you to drink?” She’d said these exact words so many times, they slipped right off the tongue without effort. Lacey avoided looking right at him and chose instead to stare at her pad of paper that she wrote her orders on.
“Lacey,” he murmured. “Are you going to look at me?”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, hating the conflicting feelings that stirred within her. “What do you want?” she said through gritted teeth.
“I want to talk.”
“I meant, what do you want to drink?”
He dragged a hand down his face. “Lacey, I’m really trying here. You won’t take my calls, and I did what you asked and stayed away from the apartment. Why are you pushing me away? And don’t tell me that it’s because I was a stupid teenager once.”
She shut her eyes tight, the fears and anxiety ripping through her. When she opened them, she glanced around the restaurant. “If I tell you, will you finally just… leave?”
Mack folded his arms, not answering.
Lacey sighed. It didn’t look like she had much of a choice. “When I had Bridger, my parents took care of him.”
He nodded.
“What I didn’t tell you was that they refused to let me have custody—even after I was legally an adult.”
This time he frowned.
“It tookyearsto convince them that I should be able to raise him on my terms. And even now, they still breathe down my neck—waiting for me to make a mistake so they can take him back.”
“That won’t happen.” Mack’s voice almost resembled a growl, and her eyes cut to his to find fury burning in their depths.
She took in a sharp breath at the sight of it but quickly pushed away the feelings his reaction elicited. “I’m not going to let that happen,” she said with conviction. “I can’t risk making even one mistake to draw their attention. Iwillprotect my child, and if that means never finding love, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
Mack reached out a hand toward her, and she shook her head sharply as she took a short step backward. The lines around his mouth tightened at her refusal. “Lacey…”
“I’m thinking about finding a lawyer.”
His brows lifted, and she was just as surprised as he was over her confession.
“I want to make sure that they can’t do anything to switch custody to their hands again.”
Mack leaned closer to her. “I’m sure that won’t happen.”
“But that’s not good enough. We don’t know what could happen. So that’s why I need you to leave me alone. My mom heard all about your past, and she’s the most judgmental person I know. If she thinks that Bridger is in any sort of danger, she’ll step in.” Lacey allowed her walls to drop as she pleaded with him to understand where she was coming from.
For a moment, it looked as though he understood. She could see a hint of pity in his eyes, but she was beyond feeling upset about it.
Then Mack straightened in his chair and shook his head. “I told you, Lacey. I’m not going anywhere. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
She let out a groan and tossed her head back with exasperation before turning away from him.
“I’ll have a root beer,” Mack called after her, but she didn’t acknowledge him. This was going to get so much worse before it got any better.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
