“I told myself that if I could just do well in school that you’d appreciate me. That if I behaved and never got in trouble you’d love me, but it never happened. When I was nine and you told me that you wished you’d never had me because I left you with a C-section scar, I tried to tell myself that you didn’t mean it that way but you did. And I understand that now. I accept you for the monster you are, Mother.”
Kyle looked at his family and they all bore the horrified look he had. This woman told her child she wished she’d never had her, because of a scar? She’d just told her child in front of others that she wasn’t as good as her sister because she wasn’t as pretty?
“How dare you talk to Mom like that!” Jane Marie spat out. “You’re jealous of us both. Jealous of what we have!”
“This is so ridiculous I wish I could laugh. Janie, I’m not jealous of you. I am happy you are lovely and have a nice husband and a good life. I won’t, however, let you or anyone else make me feel inferior anymore. I’m done with being the family scapegoat. You all enjoy your night and Thanksgiving dinner.”
Janie grabbed Maggie’s arm then and towered over her. “You think you can hold a man like Kyle Chase just by opening your legs for him? I was a virgin on my wedding night. Too bad you can’t say the same thing.” The ugly words came out in a hiss.
Maggie looked at her sister, shock clear on her face. And then she narrowed her eyes. Kyle knew what was coming so he sat back and waited.
“How dare you say that to me, Jane Marie? You of all people. You sure you want to go down that road? Rick isn’t the only one of us who knows that’s a lie,” she said in a voice so quiet and low that it made the hair on Kyle’s arms stand up.
“How dare you say that! I was a virgin. You are just, again, jealous that you can’t get a man to marry you or even to date you without putting out.”
Maggie sighed. “Okay then, why don’t we give old Charles a call, shall we? You remember him right? My old grad school advisor who was also my boyfriend? You know, the man who rucked your precious pleated Anne Klein skirt up around your waist and fucked you on my couch while you thought I was out on a walk? Don’t sell your bullshit about being a virgin to me, Jane Marie. I saw your legs wide open, to my boyfriend, so I know the truth.”
Jane Marie paled. “You...you saw? You knew and never said anything?”
“What could I have said, Janie? How could I have conveyed how betrayed I felt? I mean, my whole life people told me how much prettier you were, I convinced myself that you were. That I couldn’t hold a man if you were after him too. I know a lot better these days. I’m a different person now.”
“What is she talking about?” Rick asked.
“Now all of you go on and have a nice evening. I’ve said all I needed to say and I feel ever so much better. Just think, now you can have the family you always wanted, Cecelia. Since you already pretend I don’t exist, it shouldn’t be hard.”
Maggie turned her back and sat back down between Kyle and Polly, who both hugged her tightly.
“Don’t come crawling back when he dumps you,” Cecelia spat out and they all moved off.
“Oh good lord. Who needs a drink?” Edward drawled.
Maggie raised a hand and he took it and kissed it. “You got it, baby girl. One stiff bourbon. Be back in two shakes.”
Shane sat down as did Marc. Liv, Dee and Arthur, who had heard the whole thing, came over as well. Liv and Dee pushed in and each hugged her tightly. Polly looked over them at Kyle and her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“Good for you, Maggie. You should have said all of that a long time ago. I’m proud of you. By the way, how could you not tell me that Janie slept with your boyfriend?” Liv said.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not for a while. I can’t or I’ll lose it and I don’t want to. More and more people are showing up and I just can’t face being the focus of yet another town drama.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Liv sat down in an empty chair, conveniently next to Matt. Dee and Arthur sat across from them on Marc’s other side.
“Here you go, sugar.” Edward put the bourbon in her hand and she downed it in three big gulps. His eyes widened for a moment and he laughed and put the one he got for himself in her hand as he exchanged it for the empty glass.
“I think you and I need a dance, Red,” Kyle said.
She stood up, knocked back the second bourbon and set the glass down, looking back over her shoulder at Edward. “Thanks. I feel much better now.” He winked at her and watched as his son took her out to the dance floor, wrapping himself around her protectively.
“Our boy is falling in love with that little spitfire,” he said to his wife, who’d come to sit next to him.
“Yes, I think so too. It’s nice. She’s special. I can’t believe her family. My goodness, how awful to tell a child you didn’t want her. To compare her to the other child and say she’s lacking.”
Kyle looked down at Maggie and felt a protectiveness he’d never felt toward anyone other than his family. He felt possessive and full of admiration for the woman in his arms. “Baby, I’m sorry about all of that.”
Maggie was snuggled into his body and she just shook her head, not wanting to talk. When the slow number ended he led her back to the table where luckily everyone had moved on to another topic.
“You hungry, Red? Wait, stupid question. You want me to grab you a plate?” Kyle teased.
“No, I’ll come with. You’ll steal my food if I don’t guard it,” she said.
“Never come between Red and her food,” he told his family.
Despite the beginning of the evening, the rest of it was quite enjoyable. Maggie danced with every male Chase including hers, at least twice. She laughed with her friends and ate at least three platefuls of food. She saw Kyle talking to the DJ and then come back toward her, looking like the cat that ate the cream.
“What are you up to, Kyle Maurice Chase?”
“You know my darkest secret now.” He gave a quick look toward his mother. “My great-grandfather was named Maurice. I narrowly escaped it as a first name.”
She chuckled and then cocked her head as a slow number came on. One that she and Kyle had danced to at the Honky Tonk and later, had made love to. “Raining on Sunday” by Keith Urban.
“I’m beginning to think of this as our song. Care to dance with me, Red?”
She nodded and he led her out to the floor, pulling her snug against him. With a satisfied sigh, he kissed the top of her head before laying his cheek there.
* * *
Back at her house he drew her up the stairs to her room. “Let me love you, Maggie. Let me show you how special and beautiful you are,” he murmured.
“I’m yours, Kyle.”
He grinned. “I’m a lucky man.” He picked her up, gently putting her on the bathroom counter.
Watching her in the mirror he reached around to unzip the back of her dress. She shrugged out of the top of it while he pulled the rest of it off. Her nearly bare ass sat against the cool counter, her nipples tightened in her sheer bra.
“You look good, Red.” He popped the catch on the front of the bra and her breasts came free. He chuckled. “Now you look even better.”
She grinned at him, looking into his face. “What is it about being nearly naked when you’re fully dressed that turns me on so much?”
“That’s a coincidence. It turns me on, too.” One-handed, he pulled his pants open and his cock sprang free.
A gasp broke from her lips as he pulled her ass to the edge of the counter and she caught a glimpse of the flutter of colorful silk as he tossed her panties over his shoulder. The crinkle of the condom wrapper made her body tighten in response.
His fingertips brushed through the folds of her pussy, making sure she was ready. “God damn, so wet. Always so wet and ready for me.”
“Yes. Oh God, pleasepleaseplease, I need you, Kyle.”
“Yes, Red. On the way.” The fingers at her hip dug into her skin as he entered her hard, in one thrust. “Yesssss,” he hissed softly.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and turned her head, watching them in the mirrors. Saw a woman she didn’t recognize, small and sexy as a fully clothed man fucked into her. Watched that woman arch to take him in deeper. Listened to her pleas and orders.
“So beautiful. You’re so damned beautiful, Red. Look at yourself. See what I see every time I make love to you.” He met her eyes in the mirror. “Sexy. Those long legs wrapped around me. Your eyes, hazy with pleasure. Lips, shiny wet.” He leaned in and nipped her bottom lip between his teeth, causing her to gasp. “I love the way your breasts move when I’m inside you. Love the way your pussy is so tight that it hugs my cock. You have no idea how hot you are deep inside. It drives me crazy. Sometimes during the day I’ll be working and it’ll come over me suddenly—the sense memory of your pussy, clutching me, fluttering around my cock like it’s doing right now, just before you come.”
He wet his fingers in her mouth and reached between them to find her clit, swollen and slick. “I want your orgasm, Red. Show me how gorgeous you are when you come.”
Her eyes blurred as her breath caught. Endorphins flooded her as she came, eyes still locked with his in the mirror.
“Oh, yes. That’s the way.” He groaned as his own climax shot from the balls of his feet straight into her body in wave after wave until he could no longer stand. They stumbled back into the bedroom together, collapsing on the bed.
She fell asleep fairly soon and he covered her with a blanket before getting up to take his clothes off. He watched the easy in and out of her breath and wanted to kick the crap out of anyone who hurt her or made her feel lacking in any way.
* * *
The next morning they made time for breakfast together before each left for the day.
“Your mother invited me to your family dinner tonight, Kyle,” Maggie said as she put a mug of coffee in front of him.
“Good. I’ll see you at six then.” He flashed that sexy smile.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to barge in or anything. And I...well, I don’t want you to get tired of me, seeing me every day.”
“Red.” He hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her to his lap. “I am not going to get tired of you. I like seeing you with my family, they like you. I enjoy being with you. We talked about this. I thought you were okay with it.”
“I thought I was. Are you sure? There’s an awful lot of drama in my life these days. It annoys me, it must really annoy you.”
He sighed. “Sugar, I know how much of a number your mother did on you but you have to stop letting her influence you. Believe me, if I want some space I’ll say so. But I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?”
Silently, she nodded her head. Afraid to say anything because if she did, she knew she’d blurt out that she loved him.
“That settles it then. I’ll see you at six tonight.”
That night, she stopped by the grocery store to buy pecans and corn syrup for the pecan pies she was going to make for Thanksgiving and some lemons for the tartlets she wanted to try. On her way out she saw Alex Parsons come in and fear gnawed at her. He watched her warily and when it was clear she was leaving, he went back toward the dairy section.
She ran home and put away her groceries and changed, putting her hair back with a loose clip. Once she’d arrived at the Chases’, Marc came out as he saw she was walking up the front steps. “Thought I’d grab my hug and some sugar out here. Kyle’s crazy-jealous.” He gave her a kiss on the temple as he chuckled.
Grinning, she shook her head at his cheek. Once inside, Kyle saw her and got up to give her a hello kiss. “I saw that brother of mine out there, I suppose he accosted you.”
“A girl doesn’t tell tales,” she said before going into the kitchen to say hello to Polly where she helped set out the food on the dining room table.
“Boys! Dinner is ready,” Polly called out and they all came in rapidly. Edward held out Polly’s chair and Kyle held out Maggie’s. He settled in next to her and within minutes, plates were filled and people had eaten enough to take the edge off and begin talking.
“I saw Alex today,” Maggie said quietly.
Shane looked up at her with serious eyes. “Where?”
“At the market. I was leaving. He was coming in. He waited to see which way I’d go and then went in the opposite direction. I hope that means he’s going to obey the court order.”
“Did he say anything to you?” Kyle asked.
“No. He barely even looked at me, thank God.”
“If you see him again and he doesn’t leave or it looks like he’s come to bother you, call the cops immediately. I assume you have the order with you? We’ll get you the permanent ones after Tuesday when he’ll be back in court,” Shane explained.
“Yes, I keep it in my purse. I have one in my car, at work and at my house like you said. By the way, I’m coming to court on Tuesday.”
“Why?” Kyle asked.
“Because, I want to see it. To be able to speak if I can and to be sure that nothing else happens. It’s bad enough he’s getting away with it, I want to be sure he has to do all of the stuff I was told he was going to.”
“Maggie, honey, why don’t you let me go instead? I’m your attorney. I’ll speak on your behalf if necessary.” Edward looked concerned.
“Listen, I know I’m small and all but darn it, I won’t hide from this. It happened to me. I want to witness it to its conclusion. I want those pictures back, with the negatives, so I can destroy them myself. I want my clothes back, too.”
Shane sighed and looked wearily at Kyle, who just rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Fine, Maggie. But, Dad, I think you should be there too, just in case.”
“I’ll be there as well,” Matt and Marc said at the same time.
“Me too,” Polly said.
“Of course I will,” Kyle added, squeezing Maggie’s hand.
She tried not to cry—she’d been doing it so much lately—but she failed. “I’m sorry! I swear to y’all that I’m not usually so weepy. Anyway, thank you all so much. Honestly, I just don’t have words to express just how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
“Well, certainly a bit of cherry cobbler will cheer you up!” Polly winked and passed the large pan around the table.
At nine that night, a very weary Maggie said her goodbyes and Kyle walked her to her car. “Red, do you want to stay the night at my place?”
“I do but I shouldn’t. I have to go into work early tomorrow to get some more work done. I want to have all sixty-eight of my students’ term papers read and graded by Tuesday because we have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off school. If I go back to your place, I doubt I’ll get much sleep.” She grinned at him.
“Okay, but have dinner with me tomorrow then. I’ll pick you up at your house at six and we can grab a pizza.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Kyle. I’ll see you then.”
He bent down and captured her lips and as always, after one of his kisses, she felt slightly woozy, like she was drunk from his touch.
Chapter Eight
She’d finished the papers by the end of the day and put them in her locked cabinet and went home. Only to find her father waiting for her on the porch.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” she asked, unlocking the door and letting him inside. “I have a date, he’ll be here in half an hour.”
“Oh, honey, I failed you,” he said.
“Yes, you did,” she answered honestly. She gestured to the sofa and they both sat. “You see, I used to think that you did your best. That you tried to make up for how she was with our trips and the small indulgences you gave
me but now I think that you just tried to duck your guilt. It’s not right, but it’s over.”
“I’d like to say that I had no idea that she was that bad or that she didn’t mean to be as harsh as she was but I’d be lying. I made bad choices. I loved your mother something fierce. I loved her beauty and I made a choice—her over you. It was wrong and that love I had for her has slowly tarnished and died over the years. I don’t even recognize myself anymore, Maggie. I used to be such a strong man. I used to be a leader. I’ve run our family business for my entire adult life! People look up to me, trust me to take care of them and their families and they shouldn’t because I couldn’t even take care of my own.”
She sighed. “Listen, Daddy, if anyone can trust you to take care of them, it’s your employees. You’ve always done right by them. As for what you’ve become as Cecelia Wright’s husband, I can’t say. That’s yours to deal with.”
“I’m filing for divorce, Maggie.”
Shock froze her in place. “What?”
“I stood there and watched your mother and sister castigate you in front of a room full of people. I said nothing. When I heard you say your mother told you she wished you were never born, I felt the last bit of love I had for her die. I failed you but I cannot stay with that woman another day. I’ve moved out. Edward Chase’s brother is handling the divorce. The papers have been served.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Just let me try and prove that from now on, I can be a better father. Let me take you to dinner. I know you can’t on Thanksgiving because you’ll be with the Chases. How about Friday?”
Words escaped her as she thought about it. She should kick him out and never speak to him again but she couldn’t. She loved him. The part of her that was the little lonely bookish girl whose daddy took her to Philadelphia for her birthday because she so loved history—that part of her wanted to recognize what a big step he was taking. “All right. Let’s do it early though. I have a longstanding thing with Liv and Dee and I meet them at seven every Friday night.”
He smiled and squeezed her hands. “Thank you so much, sweetheart. How about you and I meet up at El Cid at five?”