Chapter 12

Mac

Her laugh…

"COME OVER HERE, T," I call to my son, who's busy playing his handheld video game inside the truck. "It's time you learn how to change a tire."

He puts the game down and gets out of the truck. When he walks up beside me, I move out of the way and hand him the crowbar to loosen the lug nuts. I know he's not strong enough yet to loosen them himself, but I'll let him try it first. I already have the car jacked up enough to take the pressure off the tires. I show him how to put the crowbar on the lug nuts and which way to turn it. Once done, he strains and pulls with all his strength. Of course, it doesn't budge.

He looks up at me as if I'm stupid for giving him this job. "Really, Dad? You know I can't loosen these."

I fight back my chuckle, not wanting to hurt his pride. I step up behind him and place my hands just above his on the crowbar and together we pull up. We loosen all the lug nuts, and then I let him jack the car the rest of the way. Neither of us talks, opting to work in silence. T is a naturally quiet child, always has been.

I step back and let him finish taking off the lug nuts. As I watch him, I think about last night. When I saw Shady leaning over Mia, I wanted to rip his arms away and slam my fist into his face. Shady's always been someone I don't trust. He wasn't given the name Shady at birth. He earned that name. Even back in high school he did some pretty shady shit.

When Mia appeared to be no worse for wear, it didn't alleviate the rage running through my veins. I know there is more to what Mia said when I asked her about Shady's reminiscing comment. Again, not wanting to push her, I let it go, but I will find out what he was talking about. Mia may like to appear tough on the outside, but I know deep inside the old Mia still lurks. If I push too hard, she'll fold into herself, and there's no telling how hard it'll be to coax her out again.

"What next, Dad?" T asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"Watch your feet and try to pull the tire off the wheel base." He yanks and pulls until it bounces to the ground. I roll it out of the way and grab the other tire.

"Next, we need to line the holes on the tire up with the lug nut posts on the wheelbase." Nodding, he picks the tire up with my help, and we push it on the wheelbase.

"Start putting the lug nuts back on but don't tighten them all the way. Start with one, and then move to the opposite one until they are all done."

I watch as he does this. I haven't had many opportunities to teach him stuff like this. He lives full-time with Tessa. I get him every other weekend, some holidays, and half the summer. I thought it was best when we arranged custody for him to be with his mom for the majority of the time. Now, I'm wondering if I made a mistake. I thought things were going smoothly. Apparently, I was wrong.

"When we finish here, we're dropping the car off at Mia's. Afterwards, we're taking her to lunch. That okay with you?"

He stops tightening the lug nuts and looks over at me. He pulls his brows down in concentration before he answers, "Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, you do, T. You always come first. But…" I hold my hand up to stop him when he opens his mouth to talk. "Before you say anything, answer something for me. Why don't you like Mia?"

He doesn't answer right away, just goes back to working the crowbar. After he's finished, he turns to me and says, "I remember hearing you and mom arguing about her when I was little. There have also been some things mom's said about her."

It doesn't surprise me that he heard me and his mom talking about Mia. It was always a big issue between us. Anytime she was brought up, I tried to keep it quiet for fear of T hearing, but Tessa is a hot head and has a big mouth. I tried to shield him, but Tessa didn't care. What pisses me off is that she said something purposely to T. He's a kid and doesn't need to be dragged into our shit.

"What has she said?" I ask him.

"That Mia is the reason you and mom divorced," he says quietly, and looks down at his feet.

"Trent, look at me, son." When he looks up, I continue. "Mia and I dated before your mom and I got together. There was a misunderstanding, we split up, and then I got together with your mom. I always carried feelings for Mia, and your mom didn't like that. I understand why she didn't like it, but the feelings were still there. You'll understand better when you're older. There were some things that happened between your mom and me and that's why we divorced. Mia was not involved and had nothing to do with us splitting."

I won't give him the details, but I won't outright lie to him either. No, Mia was not the direct reason why Tessa and I divorced. We were married for six years before I just couldn't do it anymore. Tessa hated that I wouldn't sleep with her, and she was constantly bringing Mia up in our relationship. We shared a bed, but I never had sex with her again after that first fucked-up time. Just the thought of touching Tessa in that way made me sick to my stomach and my dick to shrivel up. I was faithful to her the entire time we were married. The same thing couldn't be said for Tessa. I didn't care. She could sleep with the entire population of Ohio, and it wouldn't have fazed me.

"Can you just give her a chance? You might find that you like her." It's important he does this. It may not ever happen for Mia and me again, but I would love if they could have some type of relationship. Mia is the only female, besides my mom, that I've loved.

"Yeah, Dad, I'll try," T says, and I ruffle his hair.

We finish with the tire, and I walk over to the flat to lift it to put in the back of my truck to dispose of. When I do, something odd catches my eye. I place the tire on the tailgate of my truck and take a closer look. What I see has my blood running hot and my gut clenching.

Who in the hell would want to slash Mia's tire? The first face that pops into my head is Shady. He was out late last night, and he did corner Mia, but it just doesn't feel right. Nothing in his demeanor from last night says he was up to something ill-mannered. Of course, I'll be stopping by Dax's house later to confirm he was there. Surprisingly, Dax is the one and only friend of Shady's I can trust. Yes, he's a hard-ass and a dick just like Shady, but I know he'll speak the truth. He's normally a loner, not getting into anyone's business, not covering for anyone. He's never been an issue in this town.

I throw a tarp over the tire and close the tailgate. I won't be telling Mia about the tire yet, not until I get some answers. As far as I know, Mia has no enemies. She's quiet and hasn't kept many friends over the years. Yes, she can be a bitch at times, but I don't see someone slashing her tires because she mouthed off a little. There's Tessa, but I know she's down in Tennessee visiting a friend.

I tell T to get in Mia's car, and I climb in myself. It doesn't take me long before I'm pulling into her driveway, no closer to figuring out who would sabotage her car. I get out, leaving T behind to sit in the car.

When Mia answers my knock, the breath gets knocked out of me. She's standing there in just a black camisole that shows off two hard nipples and tiny, skimpy, black boy shorts that showcase smooth tanned legs. The tattoos on her arms and chest are on full display. Her hair is tousled, and it looks like she just woke up. All I can do is stand there and fuck her with my eyes. It isn't humanly possible not to. I know she must see my reaction, but when I force my eyes from her chest to her face, all she gives me is a bored expression.

"Ah, fuck, Mia," I groan. "Please tell me you don't answer the door wearing that all the time."

"Not that it's any of your business, but I don't. I just got up when you knocked. I checked the peep hole and saw that it was you."

Not realizing I'm doing it and unable to stop myself, I take a step forward and reach out for her. Before I make contact, Mia slaps my hand away like a parent would an errant child.

"No touching. Don't make me regret opening the door for you," she scolds me.

"Fuck, Mia, what do you expect?" I ask in a pained voice.

"I expect you to be a gentleman," she says sweetly, with a smile.

"You would test any gentleman in what you're wearing, Pix. Either go get some damn clothes on or T's going to be sitting out in the car by himself for awhile."

She laughs and takes a step back before she replies, "Not likely, Sheriff."

"You don't want to test me right now," I say, taking a couple steps closer. "I'm really trying to control myself, but your sassy fucking mouth and delicious body are making it damn near impossible," I growl the last. My patience is wearing thin.

She huffs out a breath and turns around. I groan as I watch her ass sashay away to her room. I adjust my hard cock in my too-confining jeans. Her tiny pixie body is going to cause me to lose my damn mind, especially now that she's talking to me. My body has always reacted to her, but now that the animosity between us is gone, my body has taken it upon itself to completely unleash its desires toward her. I've always enjoyed riling her up because it caused her to show some form of emotion, but the sweet and funny Mia is going to undo me. Even so, it's a side I've missed.

I decide to wait out on the porch and try to rid myself of the image of Mia laid out on my bed while I feast on her beautiful, colorful body. I take a seat on one of the chairs and drag my hands through my hair. Fuck! She's going to drive me insane. It was easier before when she regarded me as a cheating bastard. Now that she doesn't look at me as if I'm the scum of the earth, it's easier to get sucked back in.

I hear the door open behind me and I get up. I almost groan again when I see what she's wearing. Yes, it hides more than what she was wearing before, but I still want to strip her bare and fuck her until she's screaming my name. She's switched her camisole for a dark purple tank top and her boy shorts for a pair of black capris that hug her tight ass. The flip-flops she's wearing show off her black-painted toenails, toe ring, and ankle bracelet.

I curse under my breath and shake my head. I swear she's doing it on purpose.

"Now what's your problem?" she asks, exasperated.

"You really know how to make it hard on a guy, don't you?" I ask her as we walk down the steps. Our fingers brush, and I'm tempted to grab her hand and hold on to it.

"Seriously, Sheriff? What the hell? I'm not wearing anything I haven't before."

I stop and face her, putting the car and T at my back. I take her hand and discreetly place it on my hard dick and lower my voice when I say, "That's very true, Pix, but now that I've tasted you after so many years, now that I've had my fingers in you again, and reacquainted my mouth with your tits and mouth, it's hard to think about anything else when I'm around you."

Her breath whooshes out, and her dark blue eyes flare and turn even darker. She licks her full bottom lip, and I barely stop myself from closing the distance between us and taking that lip with my teeth. She runs the pad of her thumb along my cock and gives it a squeeze. I have to close my eyes and take a deep breath or I swear I'm going to throw her over my shoulder and march right back in the damn house and take her against the fucking door.

She pulls her hand away, but takes a step closer. Her voice is low when she says, "You can always think about Mrs. Cranny and her grabby hands. That should soften you up a bit."

And that right there does it. An image of the crafty old lady in her floral nightdress turns me as soft as fucking cotton. Mia quirks up her lips and turns around to get in her car. She moves around to the driver's side, but I make it there before her. She reaches for the keys, but I don't give them to her.

"I'm driving," I tell her.

She doesn't lower her hand. "It's my car."

"Yes, it is, but I'm still driving," I tell her again, not backing down.

"Is this some type of alpha male ‘me man, you lowly woman' thing? Because I'm telling you, Sheriff, there are ways to bring a man down to his knees and he won't be the alpha anymore."

I cup my balls just in case she is seriously thinking about unmanning me and consider my words before I reply. Yes, it probably is some alpha male thing, but it's not because I think Mia is less than me. In fact, I consider Mia above anyone else, well, save Trent.

"Pix, it's not that I don't like you driving or that I think you're below me. Call it macho-man tendencies or whatever, but I just like to be in the driver's seat when a female is in the car. I like having control over the car. Like I can protect you from the idiots on the road."

Her eyes soften, as if she gets what I'm saying. It has nothing to do with not trusting her. It's a protective instinct that a lot of men carry. It's ingrained in us.

"Alright, Mac, I understand."

She drops her hand and walks around to the other side of the car. T has already gotten into the backseat and is sitting quietly, once again playing his game. I start the car and Mia looks back at T.

"Hey, Trent," she says.

He briefly glances up from his game and mutters, "Hey."

"What are you playing?" Mia asks, not deterred by his lack of interest in her. That's one thing I love about Mia. When she wants something, she doesn't let anything get in her way of getting it. Right now, she wants to talk to T whether he wants to talk or not. I think that's what T needs. He needs to see that Mia is truly interested in him. He needs to see that she isn't here because she has ulterior motives.

"Minecraft" is his one word reply.

"Oh, I've played that one before."

I watch in the rearview mirror as T jerks his head up. "You have?"

"Yep, sure have. Andrew and I play sometimes. Have you been to the End Portal yet?"

"No, I've found the portal but I don't have enough Ender Pearls yet." His words are gibberish to me, but I'm enjoying hearing him open up to Mia a little. She's found common ground between the two of them, something they can relate to.

"Maybe we can play together sometime, and I can help you find more." She looks up at me and smiles. I can tell by her smile that she's happy T is starting to open up a little.

"Yeah, sure, we can do that," he says lazily, like he doesn't really care, but I can see the spark in his eye. He's interested but doesn't want to make like he is.

Mia turns back around and sits back in her seat with a small smile in place. I take a chance, reach over, and grab her hand. She doesn't object when I lace our fingers together, just looks down at them with concentration on her face. When she looks up at me, the look disappears and is replaced with raised brows. I give her a shrug and smile before looking back to the road. Her car is a stick shift, so when I need to change gears I take her hand and place it on my thigh until I can pick it back up. She lets me do this, and I can't help but want to jump for joy. I'm not under the illusion that this means anything, but it still feels really nice to touch her again, even if it is something so mundane as holding hands.

None of us talk the rest of the way to Maggie's. T plays his game and Mia stares out the window while I concentrate on driving.

A few minutes later, we step through the doors and take a seat in a booth. T on one side, Mia and me on the other. Mia tries sitting by herself, but I slide in beside her before she can protest. Nitra walks up to our table, and the surprise is evident on her face at seeing the three of us sitting together, but she doesn't say anything. I'm sure we'll get that a lot.

"Hey, guys, how are y'all this morning?" she asks.

"We're good, Nitra, thank you. How have you been?" I ask, with a smile.

She smacks the gum in her mouth before replying, "I'm great."

Her eyes are darting between the three of us. I can see she wants to ask what's going on, but she holds her tongue. Mia doesn't, though.

"It's just lunch, Nitra, nothing more. No sense starting rumors," Mia says.

Nitra bristles as if she's offended, but we all know that her next move will be to pick up the phone that will eventually lead to every person in a five-mile radius knowing we are having lunch together.

"What? I wouldn't—" she starts, but Mia doesn't let her finish.

"Ha! Yes, you would. I see the wheels turning in your head. You can't wait to get on the phone."

She barks out a laugh and says, "Well, it is a surprise to see the two of you sitting together. You normally bite each other's heads off if you're in the same room."

Mia repeats herself. "It's just lunch, Nitra."

She smirks at her and turns her attention to T. "Hi, T. It's been awhile since I've seen you."

Trent smiles big at Nitra and says, "Hey, Nitra."

Trent has a crush on her. It's funny to watch his boyish attempts to flirt with her. He has good taste. Nitra is a very pretty woman with strawberry-blonde hair that she currently has pulled back into a high ponytail. She has warm brown eyes and wears minimal makeup. Even at work, she's always wearing classy clothes. Today, she's wearing a turquoise button-up blouse paired with black skinny jeans. Even her shoes are a classy pair of black strappy sandals.

"How have you been, handsome?" she asks, with a wink at him.

"Really good. Will you be working tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'll be here tomorrow evening. I'll save you a piece of the house pie if you're here for dinner."

He turns his head toward me and asks enthusiastically, "Can we, Dad?"

No way can I tell him no when he's this excited. Lately, it's not often that I see him truly happy. "Sure, T, we can eat here tomorrow evening."

He beams his smile back at Nitra. "We'll be here. Can you save me two pieces?"

She ruffles his hair and replies, "Yep, I can do that. So, what would y'all like to drink?"

She takes our drink orders and goes back behind the counter. I look at Mia, who has a grin on her face as she watches T watch Nitra. I reach under the table and grab her hand again. The move surprises her, and she looks at me. I ignore her look and pick up the menu, even though I don't need it. I really like this. It's almost like we're a family out for lunch. I know I shouldn't think this, but I can't help the thought from popping in my head. What I wouldn't give for this to be reality.

A few minutes later, Nitra brings our drinks and takes our order.

"So, Mac, I meant to ask you the other day. Do you still have Marabelle?" Mia asks, before taking a sip of her drink.

I look over at her and squeeze her hand. "No, she passed away a few years ago during childbirth. I have her foal though. Her name is Pepper."

Sadness enters Mia's face. She always loved Marabelle, who was her favorite out of all the horses my family had. Marabelle was the one she learned how to ride a horse on. From that first day, Mia refused to ride any other horse. When she passed away, my thoughts went automatically to Mia, wishing she was there with me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've missed her. I wish I knew," she says quietly.

Would she have come if she had known? I want to say no because of her hatred of me. But another part of me says yes. She loved that horse so much she would have put aside her feelings to be with Marabelle.

"Do you still ride?" she asks, after a few minutes.

"Not as much as I'd like. I take T out sometimes. You're more than welcome to come by and meet Pepper. She's a beauty. I think you'd like her."

She graces me with a smile and says, "Sure, I'd like that."

I love that I can put a smile on her face. It's been ten years since I've been able to claim that. They are coming more and more, and it gives me hope that we'll be okay.

"Do you like to ride, Trent?" she asks T.

He looks up from his lap where his ever-present game is. "It's great. My favorite is Drakar."

"Drakar? He must be new," she says, looking at me.

"He is. We don't have as many as we used to. When Mom and Dad retired to Florida, we decided to sell off most of them because I didn't have the time to spend with them like they needed. We sold all but two, and then I found Drakar. He had been badly neglected. The woman who had him had just lost her husband and couldn't care for him anymore. I took him off her hands."

Her blue eyes soften and she replies with, "That was very nice of you. I can't wait to meet him."

"Maybe you can swing by this weekend. We'll take Pepper and Drakar out. They're about due for a ride anyway."

"I'll let you know," she's says noncommittally, but I can tell she likes the idea.

Just then, Nitra walks up with our food. T does his attempt at flirting again, before she walks off with a chuckle. We make small talk throughout our meal. When we're done, I pay the bill, and we all file out and pile back in the car. The trip back to Jaxon's is short, and we ride in silence.

"Thanks for taking care of the tire for me and for breakfast," Mia says.

"It was T who did most of the work," I tell her, glancing in T's direction.

Mia walks over to him. He's shifting from one foot to the other, like he's uncomfortable with being called out on working on her car.

Mia holds out her hand and says, "Thank you, Trent."

He looks from her hand to her face before slowly putting his hand in hers and giving it a shake.

"You're welcome," he mumbles.

"Let me know when you want to get together and play Minecraft," she says, and releases his hand.

He nods and replies, "Okay, will do."

T gets in the truck while I walk Mia to her car. She turns to me when we reach her door.

"Thanks again."

I reach down, grab her hand, and bring her wrist up to my lips, where I place a kiss against it. She sucks in a breath at the action. It was something I did often when we were younger.

"Mac…," she begins, but I place a finger over her lips.

"I know, Pix. I'm not going to push, okay? But I'm not going to just go away either. It may never go anywhere, and I understand that, but I'm going to at least try. I have to at least try."

"I can't, Mac. I can't get the picture of you and her out of my head. I want to give us another try, but that's just something I don't think I'll ever get over. I barely survived last time. I can't go through something like that again, and I'm terrified it would go wrong somehow. I don't blame you anymore for what happened, but regardless of the circumstances and the whys, it still happened. I still see it so clearly, even after ten years." She says all this quietly.

The pain in her eyes nearly brings me to my knees. I put that hurt there. It was my lack of control that brought on this horrible, deeply ingrained pain that I see on her face. We were both hurt by it, but at least I have the haze of the drugs to fog my memory. Although Mia was drinking at the time, I know she wasn't drunk. The visions she sees are clear as day. I don't know how to help her. I don't think there is anything I can do to help her get over this pain, which leaves me feeling more helpless than I've ever felt in my life.

"I'm not giving up, Pix. I won't push, but I won't back away." I grab her hand and place it over my heart that's thumping in my chest. "This hasn't beat properly since that night. My heart hasn't been whole since that night. There's been a hole there that can't be filled without you. Just give us a chance."

I watch as her eyes glass over with moisture. They slide away from mine. I let her have her reprieve for a moment. She takes a deep breath and looks at me again.

"I'm sorry, Mac, but I just don't think I can." Her eyes plead with me to understand, and I do understand, but that doesn't mean I'm giving in. I know there is still something between us, and I will do everything I can to prove it to her. For now, though, I give her what she needs to hear.

"Okay, Pix. I'll leave it for now."

I take a step back from her and open the door. She slides inside, starts her car, and puts down the window.

"I really did have a nice time today. Thank you," she says, sadly.

"I did, too. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." I reach up and swipe my thumb across her cheek. She closes her eyes briefly, as if savoring the feeling.

"Goodbye, Mac."

"Bye, Pix."

And then she's gone, leaving me standing there with even more determination to prove to her that we can be us again. I don't know how I'll do it, but damned if I'll give up now.