Because of Low (Sea Breeze #2)(37)

“You haven’t been our age or lived our life. These things happen. A midlife crisis is very common. I understand it even if I don’t like it. Your father is letting the girl go. She won’t be working with him any longer. He’s coming home. We’re going to work on mending what has been broken. And I need both of you to stand behind me, us. Having you angry at your father won’t help me,” she swallowed hard and I saw the tears glistening in her blue eyes. “I want him to remember how good this family can be together. I want him to want us.”

I sat there unable to make eye contact with my sister. I knew she was behind this one hundred percent. I also knew my mom wanted this to work. Dad had given her hope. My getting angry and pointing out the multiple issues with this set up would only upset them. It wouldn’t change their minds. Nothing I said would change their minds. They wanted him that much. So I did the only thing I could do.

“Okay Mama. Whatever you want.”





Willow

Something had upset Marcus. He’d been his usual attentive, thoughtful self since he’d picked me up but I could feel his anger under the surface. It had to do with his family. He’d had dinner with them tonight. That much I knew. But I couldn’t ask him, not when I wasn’t willing to open up to him about my family problems. If he wanted to tell me, he would. My thoughts shifted to Larissa. I stared up at the ceiling knowing sleep probably wouldn’t happen for me tonight. As tired as I was my mind wouldn’t shut down.

The door opened slowly startling me and I sat up in bed expecting to see Marcus. It was Cage. Frowning I pulled the sheet up over Marcus’s t-shirt I was sleeping in. The last thing I needed was for him to have an angry fit in Marcus’s bedroom while he was no doubt drunk.

“Cage,” I hissed quietly, “wrong room.”

He didn’t listen to me and closed the door behind him before walking over to the bed and sitting down.

“I’m not that drunk. I know whose room this is.”

“Then what’re you doing?”

He shrugged and let out a sigh, “I missed you and going into my empty bedroom and getting in my empty bed sucks.”

“Well you can’t sleep in here.”

He frowned and I reached out and squeezed his arm.

“I know. Just wanted to see you. I thought you’d be asleep. I figured if I watched you a little bit I could go to my room and go to sleep with that image in my head.”

He could be so dang sweet. Cage didn’t do well with change. He never had. This was a change that was going to be really hard on him.

“I’m sorry but he makes me happy Cage.”

His frown deepened.

“Why?”

Why? That list could be endless. But I knew the one answer that would shut Cage down.

“I’m enough for him.”

Cage dropped his head into his hands.

“Why am I so screwed up Low? Why can’t I be like him? What the f*ck is wrong with me?”

My heart broke a little. Memories of the bruises covering his body and gashes on his forehead and cheek all gifts from his step-father flashed in my mind. He and I both had issues. Mine were just different.

“Our life hasn’t been easy,” I replied reaching out to run my hand over his head of black silky hair.

He pulled his hands down enough so that I could see his eyes, “But you don’t have issues with commitment.”

“No and no one beat me either.”

“But you were abandoned. By a man who was too stupid to know what an awesome daughter he had and even though your mom was there she wasn’t, not really.”

Larissa’s little face today as she cried because I was leaving her came back to me and a tear rolled down my face.

“Hey,” he reached out and caught my tear, “What’s this? I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

I shook my head and grabbed his wrist. “No, you didn’t. It’s Larissa,” I stopped myself. I needed to tell someone. I needed to talk about this. And Cage knew. He knew what I’d lived through. He’d understand.

“I met her father today.”

Cage’s eyes opened wider.

“Really?”

“Yep, and he’s married and old. Says he’s leaving his wife and going to come take Larissa and Tawny away from it all.”

Cage didn’t ask me what was wrong with this. He didn’t have to. He’d held me when I’d found out my father had skipped town with his real family.

“Aw, damn,” he whispered.

I nodded.

“Maybe he will Low. Maybe he won’t do to her what your dad did to you.”

I shook my head, “No, don’t you see. If he leaves his wife then Tawny has broken up a marriage. Someone else is heartbroken. He’ll hurt someone either way. He’s married. He’s already promised God he’d cherish his wife. Now he has not one but two families. One of those families will suffer.”

Cage blew out a long breath.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I looked past him toward the door and thought of Marcus sleeping out on the couch. I didn’t want him to catch Cage in here. He still didn’t understand the relationship Cage and I had. This would upset him.

“Thanks for listening to me. But,” I nodded toward the door hating to tell him to leave.