“So do you look down on Matt in your class compared to the rest of your students?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Do you pity him? Do you blame him for his problems?”
I walked to the window again, staring out and not seeing anything at the same time. “I see what you’re saying, but I can’t explain how it felt to know that we needed so much from all of you growing up. How it felt to watch my dad work himself to the point of exhaustion but still not have enough. I felt empty, lacking. Sometimes I still feel that way.” I took a breath, and the rest came out in a whisper. “I just wonder if that feeling would go away if I wasn’t in this town anymore.”
I felt Emma come up next to me. She slipped her arm around my waist and leaned her head on my shoulder. I put my head on top of hers.
“Maggie, you’re right, and I’m sorry I flipped. I don’t know what it was like for you. But what I want to be sure you do understand is that the town, my family, we were happy to help. No one looked down on you or your dad. My mom and dad were as proud as anyone else when he got his CDL license. And while it isn’t great that you don’t get to see him as much now, he seems to be happy, right?” She squeezed my waist.
“He loves trucking,” I said, my voice soft as I looked out the window. I hadn’t called him to tell him about the baby yet. I wanted to do it in person, but with long-haul trucking, that was sometimes tricky.
In the darkness, the window was practically a mirror. I looked into her eyes as she met mine.
“Babe,” she said. “I need you to remember we love you. When you love someone, you help them out if needed. No one blamed you for being poor, just like no one blamed your dad. My dad constantly said that your father was the hardest-working man he knew.”
My eyes widened. “Really?” It was something I had always felt, but didn’t know if others saw. My parents had both had high school educations but couldn’t afford to go to college right away. Their families hadn’t had much either, and their plan had been to take turns going back to school. My mom had been in college to become a teacher when her car was hit, ending her dream and my dad’s.
Their love story broke my heart. No happily ever after there.
“Really.” Emma met my eyes. “Maggie, I think you might want to give this some thought,” she suggested gently.
Now I was confused. “What?”
“Why you really feel this way. If you truly felt the town looked down on you, or if maybe you did.”
I started to protest the ludicrousness of that statement, but then she leaned over and kissed my cheek, whispering, “No bullshit, remember?”
I met her eyes and looked away. “Let’s go check on the guys.”
16
Assclowns
Sully
Standing on the back deck with Max, a beer, my dog, and a moonlit sky was good for the soul. I took a swig of beer and glanced up at the stars that were visible, counting my blessings once again that my parents had let me buy my grandparents’ house from them. There was nowhere I’d rather be tonight.
My mind flashed back to Maggie on the counter before our quiet night was interrupted or Maggie on the bed in my room, her body strainingnotto collapse back into mine. Well, I guessed there wassomewhereI’d rather be. More to the point, there were two people that I could do without right now.
“What’s the deal with you two?” Max interrupted my thoughts.
“She’s skittish,” I replied, trying to decide how much I wanted to share, how much I wanted to keep to myself.
“Looks like my bet on being in bed in a matter of days didn’t pan out,” Max said with a grin before tipping back his beer.
“Well, same bed, yes. Any action in said bed, nope.”
Max let out a huge laugh, filling the night with the sound.
Asshole.
Ranger glanced up from his spot lying on the deck with a hopeful look, but dropped his head when he saw that no one had a ball.
“What’s so funny, man?”
“I’m wondering how many showers a day you’re taking with her walking around your place in short shorts, tanks, and pregnant with your kid.”
