Lacey wanted to bawl right there. She wanted to let out all her emotion and hug him for his innocence. “It’s not that easy,” she murmured, voice cracking.
“Yeah, it is. You just say you’re sorry.”
She shook her head, a sad smile on her face. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to. There’s nothing we can do to fix it… that’s just how it is. Mack has his own family, his own life, and he’s going to be spending time with them. We have our life, and we’ll just go back to?—”
“I don’t want to go back,” he blustered. “I want to play with Mack and see his horses and spend time with Uncle Caleb.” His voice was sharp and unyielding. If there was any hint that he’d found a kinship with Mack, this reaction was it.
Lacey framed his face with her hands, and a tear escaped unbidden. “You can still spend time with Uncle Caleb. And I’m sure you can still go for rides. Caleb and Mack work at the same ranch. You’ll be able to say hi to him?—”
“It won’t be the same. I want him to visit. I want to have movie nights.”
“I know, honey,” she whispered, broken.
“It’s not fair!” he snapped, climbing down from her lap and yanking his gorilla into his arms. “This is your fault. You got in a fight with him, and you won’t make up.”
Bridger’s words stung. They were a dagger to her heart, and the worst part was that he was right. She’d pushed Mack away. It didn’t matter that it was for good reason. It didn’t even matter that she regretted it.
The truth of the matter was that she couldn’t risk their future. This was the first time her mother had anything to disapprove of since Lacey’d gotten custody, and that fact terrified her more than anything. She wanted to believe that her mother wouldn’tbe so selfish to tear Bridger from his home over Lacey’s interest in dating Mack—but she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain.
She watched Bridger stalk off to the bedroom and flinched when he slammed the door. They were both miserable without Mack in their lives. It was clear to see that fact above all else. Bridger was young, though. He was resilient. He’d get through this bump in the road.
Lacey leaned over and placed her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. She cursed the day they’d gone to the salon. She wished she’d never gone. If she could go back in time, she might have even told Mack to steer clear of town. If her mother hadn’t overheard anything about Mack, then maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation.
She snorted a derisive laugh.
Of course she would be. She’d heard the rumors. Mack might have a kid out there somewhere—a kid he had abandoned when he was a teen. She hadn’t been able to bear the thought that he might have done such a thing, which was why she hadn’t been able to ask him. With everything she’d done to fight for Bridger, there was no way she’d be able to look past it if he had.
So, she’d ignored that part of the conversation and refused to ask Mack about it.
No. It was better this way. Right now, he could still be the good man she’d started to fall in love with. And if she was broken hearted over losing him, she could blame herself. She could let Bridger blame her.
Bridger bouncedin his seat in the back of the car. “Do you think we’ll see Mack?”
She glanced at him through the rearview mirror overhead. He’d been fidgety ever since she’d told him they were going to visit Sammie and Caleb.
Of course, Bridger would immediately think about Mack and being able to spend time with him. There would be no stopping him if he saw the man. Bridger would likely charge right up to the cowboy and give him a hug.
Lacey wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it if he did, and yet she was still pulling onto the property. Bridger had needed to get out of the house. Thankfully, this trip was enough to bring a smile to his face.
She couldn’t help searching for the familiar figure among the other cowboys, and she couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed when she didn’t see him. It was for the best. She had to remind herself of that fact constantly. If she didn’t, then she might cave and do something that she would really regret.
Taking Bridger’s hand in hers, she moved toward the front door of the new house where Sammie and Caleb now lived. Before she could knock on the door, it swung open, and standing before her was Mack himself.
Bridger lit up like a Christmas tree. He jumped into Mack’s arms with a shout, and all Lacey could do was stand back and watch like it wasn’t tearing a new hole in her heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Why won’tyou talk to me?” Mack hissed, following Lacey from the house and into the backyard. Caleb was showing Bridger a documentary about the African Safari and the animals who called it home. The kid would be distracted for the next little while, and Lacey had chosen this moment to slip outside for some air.
She whirled around, angry tears in her eyes. “You weren’t supposed to do that.”
“Do what?” he asked, exasperated.
Lacey threw her hands into the air and stormed farther into the yard, but if she thought that would stop him from going after her, she was sorely mistaken. “Forget it,” she muttered, emotion lacing her words.
His hand shot out, and he wrapped his fingers around her upper arm to force her to face him. “No. You can’t just say something like that and expect me to accept it.”
Once upon a time, her scowl would have seared him from the inside out. But now? He’d gotten so used to it that he’d managedto shield himself. They needed to work this out. If they could just do that, then maybe she would allow herself to trust him enough to accept him back into her life.
