By the time I get back to the house, the boys’ trucks are already parked out front. I use my key to get in the door, and I can hear them all in the kitchen, having a heated discussion. Making my way closer, I catch them discussing me.
“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN INVOVLED!” John shouts, and I think his fist must hit the table because there is a sharp bang and a rumble of clattering as things fall.
“I wasn’t going to just stand by and let them talk to Maggie like that.”
“Haven’t you learned anything? Words are just words. They don’t mean a thing unless you take them to heart and make them a reality. When you hit that pitiful excuse for a man in the face, he won. He riled you up and got you to do something that could mess up everything you’ve worked for, for what? For honor? You think Maggie gives more of a shit about your honor than she does about your career chances. You’ve seen what she’s been like with the Cox situation. She’s put herself between him and Gordon twice to protect us from doing something stupid.”
“I couldn’t help it,” Sean says, his voice low and chastened.
“You could. You always can. You just have to take a moment to think through your actions rather than letting your fist make the decision.”
“I’ll talk to Coach. I’ll explain the situation.”
“Do you think he’s going to give a shit about any of that? Do you really think he’s going to care that some asshole was mouthing off about your girlfriend? He’s going to tell you that you’re an idiot too. You just better hope that douchebag who knocked up Maggie is embarrassed that he didn’t fight back and doesn’t report you. Hell, you could get arrested for assault.”
Sean doesn’t respond, and my heart breaks because, although I’m not happy that he put himself at risk, he showed an urge to protect me. Words can be easily spoken, but actions always say more.
“That guy was an asshole,” Gordon says.
“And that girl… she was a frickin’ gorgon… like something hell spewed out.”
“I can’t believe that Maggie let herself get involved with someone like that.”
“You can see how much she needs us in her life. That jockstrap is never going to step up to be the father that baby deserves.”
“What would she do if she had to go and face that?”
“She wouldn’t be able to. That would be too much for anyone.”
They’re talking so fast that it’s hard for me to work out who is saying what. My heart is thudding so hard with embarrassment and frustration. I’m about to stride into the room and tell them exactly what I think of everything when the doorbell rings.
Shit.
I look down at my wrist and realize how late it is. When I glance up, Sean is standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I turn on my heel, heading straight for the front door. Whoever this is, they need to leave. When I twist the handle and yank it open, Tristan Copeland is standing on the steps.
“Well, hello,” he says, taking a step up as though he’s expecting to be invited in.
“Who is it, Maggie?” Sean says.
“Tristan,” I tell him as he comes close enough to look over my shoulder.
“Maggie told me to come today to talk about my offer. She’s really enthusiastic about parting with the house.”
Sean’s head swivels, his wide eyes fixed on me. Behind, there is an audible intake of breath.
“That’s not what I said.” I fold my arms, remaining statue-like in the doorway.
Sean frowns as though he can’t quite believe what is happening. “But you did talk to him. You knew his name.”
“Get that asshole off our porch,” Daryl calls.
“We told you that we don’t want to sell. This was our dad’s home. He made it a home for all of us, and there is no way we’re ever giving it up,” Gordon says.
Sean is still staring at me, breathing slowly, his nostrils twitching. “But Maggie wants to,” he whispers.
“Maggie knows a good offer when she hears one,” Tristan says.
“You never told me what the offer was.” That’s as true for Tristan as it is for the boys. There are more secrets here than the Pentagon.
“You’ll never get a better offer. The only reason I’m prepared to give you above market value is that I’m buying your neighbors’ properties too.”
“What our neighbors do is their business, and it doesn’t make a damned bit of difference to us,” Sean says calmly. “Now, we’ve told you very clearly, more times than I can count, that we aren’t interested. Now I’m going to politely ask you to leave because I’ve already exercised my fist for the day, and I don’t want to do it again.” Sean flexes his right hand, and for the first time, I see the bruises that Justin’s face has made.
Tristan puts his hands up and takes a step back. “Listen, it was Maggie who told me to come, okay? I’m just here trying to do my job, and if the lovely lady wants to sell up, maybe it’s you who’s not being fair by not letting her have her voice heard.”
“I can assure you that Maggie’s voice is heard loud and clear in this house.” Sean steps around me and puts himself between Tristan and me. “Now, I’m sure you have other people to visit, and we have other things to deal with.”
Tristan shakes his head, his cheeks flushed with what I can only imagine is frustration and embarrassment. “You’re going to regret this,” he says. “This house is going to end up surrounded by a parking lot.”
Sean steps forward for the second time today, his fist balling, but this time he takes John’s words to heart. Tristan is off the porch and walking away shaking his head again, and when Sean turns to look at me, his jaw ticks. Slamming the door loudly, he shakes his head.
“What the fuck, Maggie? You’ve been talking to that asshole? Why? You want to sell this place out from under our feet?”
I clasp my hands in front of me, twisting my fingers. “He came to the door and told me about the offer. I was expecting you to tell me what was going on. This house belongs to me too.”
“So you do want to sell. All of this… all of what’s happened between us, means nothing. You just see this place as a meal ticket?”
“That isn’t what I’m saying. You have to understand that I have a baby to think about.”
“We know, Maggie,” John says softly.
“Yes, I know you know. I heard you discussing me like I’m a poor creature who can’t fend for herself. I heard you pitying me.”
“That isn’t what was said,” John says, reaching out to rest his hand on mine, but I snatch it away.
“I heard you talking about my unborn child like I would never be enough. You think you can just swoop in and make everything better. You punched my baby’s father in the face.” I point at Sean, the anger inside me bubbling so fast that even though I know I’m not being fair, it spills out of me anyway. “You think it’s wrong for me to weigh all my options. How can I trust you when you tell me you all want to be with me? It’s a fairytale, a pipedream. It’s a warped fantasy, not something that happens in real life.” Danna pops into my mind, but I push her out again. I have to believe what I’m saying, otherwise everything is lost. “You’re just telling me what you think I want to hear, so you don’t have to sell this house. You’re using me, manipulating me.” I’m back in the place that I know best—lashing out first, so my heart doesn’t get broken. Smashing any trust before it falters and breaks my heart. Would I have fucked Justin if he’d been truly available? Would I have wanted to share his bed if he had the capacity to love me? The answer is definitely no. And maybe that’s what I’ve been doing here all along. I’m a mess. A hugely confused mess that doesn’t know what’s good for me and what’s not.
I’m self-destructive, but knowing it doesn’t change it.
“I don’t understand this,” Sean says. “You said you wanted what we want. You said…”
“You don’t know what you want,” I hiss. “You think you want me, but when this baby comes along, you’re going to realize that you’ve made a mistake. You’re going to get your new jobs, and then you’ll want to leave this house and me behind if that’s even what you want. This whole thing has just been about keeping me sweet.”
“You wanted to sell our home!” Logan shouts. “You went behind our backs.”
“That isn’t what happened, but it doesn’t matter. I can see exactly what is going on here. Everything is clear.” I storm up to Harley and Hunter’s room, my feet thudding up the stairs. I frantically close my suitcase, and I’m tugging it out of the room when John appears.
“Maggie. What are you doing?”
“I’m going, John. I’m not going to stand around and get blamed when it’s you who’ve lied to me. You kept this massive thing from me while you tried to persuade me to stay here with you. Were you doing that so that I wouldn’t want to sell? Was that your plan all along?”
“No,” he says. “You’re getting this all twisted.”
“I know what I know. Just get out of my way so that I can get the hell out of here.”
My suitcase thuds all the way down the stairs, and at the bottom, the rest of the boys are waiting, but I can’t look at any of them. Sean puts his hand on the front door to bar my way, but when I look at him with fierce eyes, he moves away.
I don’t know where I get the strength to toss my luggage into the back seat of the car. I turn in the driveway so quickly that stones spray behind, churning up a cloud of dust. Tears burn in my throat but not for long. There’s no holding them back this time.
I’m on my way home with nothing.
