The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(83)

He grinned at the memory. “We sure worked hard back then, didn’t we?”

“It was horrendous,” she said.

At first, right after Cee Jay left them, Mac was so hopeful that she’d just return, he worked his two jobs—four days a week as an armored car guard, four nights a week as a new cop, not one day of the week without a job to do—and since Lou was teaching, they filled the gap with sitters. Lou ran back and forth between her house and Mac’s, feeding, bathing, walking the floor, sleeping on the couch. Both of them were sleep-deprived and emotionally distraught. Finally Mac gave up hope; he and the kids moved into Lou’s small house. All three kids had one bedroom, Mac had one, Lou had one—but one kid or another crawled in with them every night.

And Mac had been so broken. He’d been in pieces.

It never did get easy, but Mac had to quit the second job even though they needed the money—Cee Jay had left behind bills that had to be paid. They did get into a routine once they had child care nailed down and their schedules were at least the same every week. Once they moved to Thunder Point and all the kids were in school, life became more manageable. Not simple or uncomplicated, but definitely manageable.

“Honestly?” she said. “I don’t know how we did it.”

“We worked together,” he said. “We had a common goal. Lou, please know I’ve never taken you for granted. I’m grateful for what you’ve done every day of my life. And you will never be alone or without a home. Never.”

“That’s very sweet, Mac. But if it’s all the same to you, alone for a while might be just fine. I can still help out with carpooling, et cetera, but a nice little house or apartment...?” She smiled and gave him a shrug. “That might be pleasant.”

“Gina and I have to talk to our kids. Everyone needs to have a chance to air their concerns. We have to get a consensus on how we’re all going to live together. It has to be unanimous. And everyone should have time to adjust.”

She just smiled at him. “You don’t want to wait.”

“I don’t want to wait,” he said. Then in a voice lowered to be private he added, “It took me so long to act on my feelings, Lou. I just want to wake up beside her in the morning. I don’t care how crowded it is or how complicated, as long as she’s by my side.”

She sipped her mojito and smiled. Mac might be her nephew, but she’d been responsible for him for ten years when he was growing up, another ten after his wife left. He was more of a son than nephew; his kids were like grandchildren. They were her life. “This is what I’ve always wanted for you,” she said, her eyes misty. “Cee Jay and I were like oil and water. I hoped she’d grow up and be the wife and mother you deserved. And now that you’ve been treading water for ten years, all I want for you is a life partner who loves and respects you as much as you do her. Mac, you’re still a young man—marry your girl. Build a life with her. Be happy.”

“You’re the greatest woman in the world, you know.”

She sipped her drink. “Yes, I know. About time you realized that.”

When they got home, the household was in full chaos. Ryan and Dee Dee were fighting over control of the Xbox, Eve was screaming at her little brother for making so much noise that she couldn’t hear her music, throwing couch pillows at him. Landon was sitting at the kitchen table finishing off a pizza with a tall glass of milk.

“You didn’t get dinner?” Lou asked.

“I had dinner,” Landon replied, stuffing another big bite in his mouth.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Mac thundered at his kids.

Lou walked serenely to her bedroom. She hung up her jacket and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She sat on her bed and hit the speed dial for Joe while simultaneously flipping on the TV. On her nightside table was her electronic reader and a couple of print books; on the other side of the bed, lotion, brush, lip balm and a glass of water from the previous night. Her cave.

She expected to leave a message, but Joe picked up. “Hey, babe,” he said.

“Hi, Joe. Well, I’ve been laid off. Mac wants to get married. As soon as possible.”

A low rumble of sexy laughter answered her.

* * *

There was just a week left of school and most of it was just a waste of time. There would be senior skip day, graduation rehearsal for seniors, a couple of tests and virtually no new assignments as the end drew near. Landon was determined to do very well on the last final of the year so he was hitting it hard, spending that last weekend studying. Next Friday night was graduation for the seniors. Juniors, like Landon and Eve, would celebrate by taking over the school as seniors in the fall.

The sound of the doorbell broke his concentration. He opened it to Eve. “What are you doing here? I told you I’d be over later.”

Her eyes welled up with tears. “I have to talk to you.”

He opened the door so she could come inside. “Are you breaking up with me?” he asked.

“No, but maybe I should. Let’s sit down. This could be bad.”

His heart skipped a few beats. “Spit it out,” he said, leading her to the couch.

“Remember that time a couple of weeks ago when we got a little carried away? When we got a little...close?”

“It wasn’t that close,” he said, but it had been. He was ready to grab the condom and go for it, but he held back the best he could.