“Wrong about what?” she asked incredulously.
“About Mack. What if we’re wrong, and he’s not as good as we think he is?”
Angela’s bark of laughter sent birds flying from a nearby tree and Lacey startling in her seat. “Not as good as we think?Lacey. Compared to your ex? Mack is a saint. I can almost guarantee that if hehadgotten Kayla pregnant, he would have married her out of duty. He’s good with kids. He’s got a job.” She shrugged. “Sure, he still lives with his parents, but that situation is a little different because of the work they all do together.” She settled down in her seat again. “He’s perfect for you, Lacey. And I’m sorry I didn’t accept that sooner.”
Lacey watched as her sister squeezed her eyes shut in a grimace and let out a sad sigh. Her sister didn’t show this side of herself very often—the vulnerable one where she admitted to her own flaws.
“I really shouldn’t have overreacted like I did. I guess I got swept up in the possibilities of finding someone like that.” Her eyes opened. “He really is a catch. And if you don’t marry him, then maybe I’ll take another crack at it.”
That statement had Lacey laughing, and her sister joined in. Boy, it felt good to laugh again.
Angela leaned back in her chair and quirked a grin at Lacey. “But seriously, you should go talk to Mom.”
Lacey’s heart leaped into her throat, and a dizzying sense of dread filled her stomach. “I can’t?—”
“We can do it together. I won’t make you do it alone.”
That sounded more reasonable, and Lacey gave her sister a tentative smile.
“Stay the night. We can go over bright and early in the morning—or as early as we can after we inevitably have too much wine and binge all the best episodes of that reality TV show you like so much.”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “You mean, the showyoulike.” Her sister’s plan sounded like a dream. She didn’t know what she would say to her mother, but if Angela was by her side, then maybe she had a chance at fixing what had been broken.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Maybe you should just call a lawyer,”Noah murmured.
Mack shot his brother a scowl. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the money for it. Each of his brothers had invested the funds their parents had scrounged up and gifted them after high school graduation. It had been meant for college, and so far, Caleb was the only one who made their parents’ dream come true by graduating with a college degree.
But the fact of the matter was that Mack wasn’t sure Lacey would take kindly to him steamrolling over this situation and forcing her to take counsel from a lawyer he hired.
Knowing how fiercely independent Lacey was, Mack knew he had to tread carefully. He was on thin ice with her already.
Or rather, if anyone asked her, they weren’t even a couple anymore.
He groaned and tossed the document he’d been reading about a case that could be considered precedent. “I’m not getting anywhere with this stuff.”
“Hence the need to hire a real lawyer,” Noah quipped.
Mack sent him a seething look. “I don’t want to hire a lawyer if it’s not necessary. If this comes to that, then sure, I’ll make Lacey accept help in the form of the best lawyer this state has to offer. They’re not going to take Bridger away from her no matter what they think.”
Noah watched him like he was seeing something that Mack couldn’t.
“What?” Mack snapped.
Noah shrugged. “It’s just nice to see that you’re passionate about something. Funny how it took you falling in love with a girl to make that happen.”
Mack scoffed. Love. He’d thought he loved her. Heck, he’d thought she loved him. But even after he’d confessed as much, she still walked away. Maybe he didn’t love her the way she needed to be loved. Fear gripped him as he considered the possibility of that idea. If he wasn’t loving her the way she needed, then what hope did he have at getting her back?
Noah was still watching him intently, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. “It’s okay, bud. Vulnerability can be scary at first. And your heart will get used to caring about more than just yourself.”
“I care about things,” Mack snapped. “I care about a lot of things.”
His younger brother chuckled, leaning back on his chair where they both sat at the kitchen table. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Have you ever wondered why our parents pull you aside day in and day out to ask you about your future?”
Mack stiffened.
“While they seem to leave me alone?”
