“Sounds like it was meant to be.” I squeezed her hand. “And you never saw him again? Hawk?”
“No. He...vanished.”
I shook my head. It made no sense that this Hawk man wouldn’t have attempted to see such a sweet girl like Grace again.
Unless...
He had come back to Wild Heart, saw her with a kid, and...
Some guys were creeps. If that was the case, Grace was better off.
“I keep expecting to turn the corner and see him. But it’s been almost nine years and I’d always been too afraid to ask around, openly looking for the man who fathered my baby. A man I didn’t even know, a man I let have sex with me without a condom. I didn’t want to air my foolishness.”
I nodded. “I never even thought about it that way.”
“No one’s ever mentioned a Hawk. Trust me, I’ve been listening. Waiting to hear that name. To this day, I have no idea who he really is, or what he was doing in Wild Heart that night. This isn’t exactly a town people just casually pass through. For all I know he joined the military.” She became visibly shaken. “I keep thinking, he went into the service and... You know.”
I clutched my throat, thinking of all the wounded warriors in the VA hospital. Could Hawk be there, maybe horribly wounded?
Or worse, like Grace had feared...gone. Dead.
Chapter Eighteen
Logan
“Uncle Logan!” Maddie groaned, holding her stomach then doubled over in the backseat of my truck.
I whipped my head around. PTSD swarming me from all the worrying I’d done during her past surgeries. “What...what’s wrong?”
“I...I need a bathroom. Now.”
Of all the time to get the runs. Then again, she was sitting on my cloth seats. That’s what I got for not springing for the leather package.
I spotted the CVS I had my little bump and grind with Delsey before the shock and awe of last night and hid an ill-timed smile. “There’s a pharmacy. They have a bathroom.”
I pulled into a parking spot while Maddie futzed her way through unbuckling the seatbelt. The way she hobbled like she’d lost her center of gravity troubled me. “Mads, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
It starts.
The moodiness. The distance. The secrets.
Hell to the no on that one.
Maddie barely let the automatic door slide open when she rushed down the soda aisle and disappeared into the bathroom.
Now I had another problem because I couldn’t go into the ladies’ room. Sure, all the drunk girls during a football game could wander into the men’s room and get a hero’s welcome. One guy in need of a piss, or to find a crying girlfriend, or in this case, a grumbling niece in pain and I’d get stared at like a pervert.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. The moment struck me hard feeling helpless. What the heck could be wrong? I had no idea what was going on. We’d played pinball for about an hour after the guys left and she’d looked to be having a blast with Chloe before that.
In the truck, her eyes had been glued to her phone. Then an outburst. God, did someone...pick on her online? Say something about how she danced with her fake leg? Right there, I turned into a different person. A beast. No, I wouldn’t let her hide and deal with her pain alone.
Feeling anxious, I opened the bathroom door and the smell of vanilla attacked me. A nice smell usually, but the sudden blast of it choked me.
“Mads? What’s the matter? Are you hurt?” I said, searching under each stall for her.
“You can’t be in here, Uncle Logan.”
“Yeah, Uncle Logan,” a woman mocked me from a different stall.
My shoulders slumped and I swore under my breath. I marched to the door where her voice came from. “Just tell me what’s wrong?”
“I’m bleeding,” she said all edgy.
“Where? A nosebleed? Something with the leg?”
A short woman came out of the other stall, snickered, and left without washing her hands. Thanks a lot.
“It’s not a nosebleed, Uncle Logan. My...”
“Your what, Mads?” I ground out, frustrated, and then it floored me. “Oh. That...kind of bleeding.”
“It hurts,” she whined.
A firestorm went through me. She was in pain. Like all the struggles of losing her leg, the infections, and adjusting to the prosthetic, her agony sent me into a frenzy. Then the emotion kicked in. Here she was, having this special moment and she was alone in a dirty bathroom stall.
“It’s okay, Mads. We have aspirin and a heating pad at home. Come on. Just...wrap things up. You’ll feel better in your own bed.”
“I need...a pad.”
Oh dear God, right. “Um, you don’t have any at the house?”
“No,” she deadpanned like maybe that had been a stupid fucking question. “This is my first time. Can you buy them for me, please?”
The bane of a man’s existence. Buying feminine products. Having never been married or with a serious girlfriend, I felt woefully unprepared for this. My heart started to pound. But this was my chance to be a hero and get her through a normal, yet painful change in her life.
Don’t fuck this up.
My fingers itched to call Delsey and I hated how much I needed her. She wouldn’t be there for us when she went home to Houston, and so I couldn’t use her as a crutch. Maddie was mine. I was it for her. I had to fix this. “Okay. I’ll...be right back.”
I saw the aisle thanks to the overhead signs. Walking down it, I got a wicked déjà vu. I’d been in that exact aisle the night before with Delsey. They sold condoms and maxi pads in the same aisle. Shit. Last night, I’d gone raw dog with Delsey for a time.
I turned away from the rubbers and faced the row of shiny soft packages in every possible color that stretched on forever. What the ever-loving hell? It was a wadded-up whatever that goes between a woman’s legs? I rolled my eyes, fighting the obvious sarcastic comeback, the condom packages practically sniggering at me.
Get your shit together, Grady.
Exhaling, I scanned the packages looking for Maddie’s age, like pain medication has. Except, none of the little sacks listed an age on them.
They had a bunch of other labels, all right. Good grief.
What did the butterflies symbolize? The powder concept I got. Fresh. Thin. Mini. Maxi. Mini maxi. Thin maxi. Were they kidding? Daytime. Nighttime. Wings. Long? Sheesh, did women have to measure themselves? Single pack. Who needed only one? Heavy flow. Light days. Sport? How was getting your period a sport?
In that moment, I’d felt drowned in sheer helplessness. This problem would be better served by anybody but me.
The aisle started to spin and the fluorescent lights above blinded me. Giving in, I took out my phone and texted Delsey.
Having a small emergency. Can you call me?
A minute later, no response. No dots either.
Are you around? Please call me. Or come to the CVS. Yes, THAT CVS. No, not for...that.
No response.
Where are you?
I need you!
I swore under my breath, feeling useless and stupid. A part of me just wanted to grab every package and bring them into the bathroom, open them all, and let Maddie decide. Shouldn’t she know this stuff? But the more panicked it made me, the more scared and embarrassed she’d feel. Christ, this was her first period. I didn’t know everything about women, but I knew this was special and meant something.
A bonding moment for a mother and daughter. Except, Maddie got robbed of that. All she had was me.
Okay. Code red time.
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, I WILL MOVE OUT TOMORROW IF YOU MEET ME AT CVS RIGHT NOW. RED ALERT. LITERALLY. MADDIE’S 1ST PERIOD. WE WERE IN THE TRUCK. WHAT DO I BUY? THERE'S LIKE 10 FULL FEET OF SHELF SPACE FULL OF PRODUCTS I DON'T UNDERSTAND! WTF IS A DIVA CUP??
Delsey
“WHAT THE FUCK IS A diva cup?” I read the last line of the text and then scrolled up. Oh, hell’s bells, Maddie got h
er period.
Why were they at the CVS? Oh jeez, did the poor thing have an accident on the way home from The Whistling Frog? That poor girl was on the uphill climb of the hardest part of growing up. And she didn’t have her mom.
Grace had left moments earlier which was why I hadn’t run to my phone, we were neck-deep in land surveys and talking about Hawk, Owen’s dad.
I texted Logan back, OTW, and jumped in my Acadia.
Out on the street, I hit the gas to reach mine and Logan’s special occasion CVS. I blew through a yellow light that turned red and sailed through the intersection. I couldn’t help chuckle seeing Logan’s truck parked wonky with one tire up on the grass. I cut the engine and flew from my SUV.
Barreling into the store, I stopped dead in my tracks, nearly falling over. Logan stood in the corner behind the door with a basket filled to the brim.
“I’m out of my depth here. Like, seriously. I didn’t think this could get harder.” The man nearly broke down. “I’m ruining this. She needs me and I’m frozen here because I don’t know what to give her.”
My heart ached for him. This whole scene was just one giant metaphor for the real losses in Logan’s life. Another awful reminder of what had been stolen from him and Maddie. Glancing at the register, I whispered, “Why didn’t you ask them for help?”
“I did, and I got an angry lecture on how pads didn’t even have adhesive when she was young and something about a belt.”
Speechless, I spun around. “Where’s Maddie? Is she at home?”
“No, she’s in the bathroom. Alone.” His voice cracked.
With that, I grabbed the basket and steered Logan to the back of the store. “Please don’t tell me she’s in the...the men’s room?” I gagged, thinking the poor girl had endured her first menstrual panic attack smelling a urinal cake.
“No, the ladies’ room.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” I glanced in the basket. The sight of so many packages even overwhelmed me. I’d been using the same kind for years and I’d even gone so far as to have them auto-shipped. I suddenly understood Logan’s full-blown meltdown. Having to actually select something so important for someone else overwhelmed me, too.
Maddie was a tiny little thing, but first periods could be heavy. So, choosing would be tricky. Oh Lord, Logan was about to get an earful about female biology. By the time this was over, he may never want to have sex again.
Given I would eventually leave him all alone in Wild Heart, I was a-okay with that.
He pushed open the bathroom door like he didn’t care if he caught someone bathing in the sink. “Mads, I’m here. I have Delsey, too.”
“Hey, sweetie. Congratulations!” I said in an upbeat tone.
“Yay me,” the little voice droned from under the stall.
“Congratulations?” Logan narrowed his eyes at me. “How is this a celebration?”
“This means she’s now a woman,” I said, fumbling through the packages in the basket.
“Great.”
“Is this one of everything?” I asked him.
“Pretty much.” He leaned against the sink and his head fell forward, soft strands of his chestnut hair dangling in hypnotic blue eyes.
If my company made maxi pads, this was the exact commercial I’d shoot.
“Okay, this will work.” I put the basket down and tore into one of the mid-range packages. After taking a few out, I handed the opened package to Logan. “Go pay for this one and put the rest back.”
“No.”
“No, what?”
“I’m not leaving her again.” God, the sincerity and power in his voice sliced through me.
“Okay, then here.” I handed the several loose pads to Logan. “I’ll go pay. And don’t give me any cra... A hard time.”
“Not today, darlin’. Any day, but today.”
I took the basket and said, “Mads, I’m leaving you with your uncle, but I’ll be right outside. What do you say we binge on some chocolate when you get home?”
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
“Do you have a favorite, sweetie?”
“Um... Hersey’s Kisses.”
“Very cool.” I blew a kiss to Logan, who was red-faced and sweating. Okay, not the time.
Sailing out the door, I heard the harshness in his voice as he spoke to his niece.
“Mads, I’m gonna slip these to you under the door. Don’t be embarrassed. This is a big deal. Like Delsey said. A special day. I’m sorry you have to go through this here. But we’ll have candy and ice cream and whatever else you want when we get home. It’ll be okay, Maddie. I got you, honey. I’m staying right here. And don’t worry. This doesn’t bother me. I’m not letting you go through this alone.”
Tears trickled down my cheek listening to his heart-wrenching speech. And he’d meant every word. This rocked him and made his situation all the more real.
I stopped by the maxi pad aisle and put back the rest of the options, laughing that these had been there while we were making out in front of the condoms last night.
Assuming what I’d chosen would work, I pulled down a second package and strutted to the candy aisle. Hershey’s Kisses came in almost as many varieties as maxi pads. Despite the tension storming through me, my mouth watered at all the flavors I wanted on my tongue. Imagining a butter pecan ice cream sundae with caramel twisty kisses, not to mention eating it off Logan’s bare chest, a twinge hit my center, making me crave Logan like I’ve never craved a man in my life.
Paying for the ice cream, the Kisses, and two packages of pads, I held my tongue with the golden-aged ladies who wouldn’t help my Logan. Some people were just bitter, but judging by their ages, they probably were not privy to new period technology. Although, I’d have to look into that diva cup thing.
By the time I finished paying, Logan had appeared with Maddie under his arm. Her head buried against his chest, her hands around his waist. She clung to him and the vision made my legs weak.
I had to hold on to something. What I wasn’t expecting was for him to grab me, too. Like he needed my support because this incident had wrecked him.
“How did it go?” I asked as we made our way to the door.
“Good. Of course, someone came in to clean and started yelling at me,” Logan said.
I scoffed a laugh.
“It’s done.” He breathed. “And thank you for buying those. I’ll pay you back.”
“Sure, sure.” I sank under his free arm, the smell of his coat, so rich and musky soothed me. The ultra-masculine hero protecting his little girl.
Maddie was his.
Right there, I knew I loved Logan. How could I not?
Ambling through the parking lot, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You realize between last night and today, neither of us can ever come back to this CVS.”
Chapter Nineteen
Logan
After settling Maddie in the truck, I laid my hands on the glass. How does a man prepare for this?
“Here’s that open package of pads and one extra set. There’s a bag of Kisses and some ice cream.” Delsey’s voice woke me up, mostly because it sounded distant. “And I have something for her in my—”
“Wait.” I snagged her arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home,” she said with a curious shrug.
My heart pounded, thinking she meant Houston.
“To Nickel Song,” she clarified.
I sighed, but that shitshow of a goodbye was coming and it was going to tear me apart.
“Come back to the house, please,” I pushed out. “And it’s not because I need you. I want you there.”
“I want that, too,” she whispered.
I wanted to scream. Why was it so hard to admit that?
“I’ll meet you at the house,” Delsey said, handing me the CVS bag and I felt the distance again.
Not having that, I pulled her in and kissed her mouth. Soft, despite the harsh anxiety storming through me. I deepened the kiss
taking what I needed to feel whole again. To fix the broken pieces. Delsey moaned in my mouth, getting lost right along with me. But we were together.
The world returned to me after a moment, and I realized I was standing in the parking lot of the CVS, my truck ruining the grass. And I was kissing Delsey Mackenzie, the nerd I bullied for all of Wild Heart, Texas to see. I didn’t care. Except...
I glanced over my shoulder to find Maddie gaping at us with her eyes wide and her little cheeks blazing red. Her blue eyes rounded with amazement like when she’d caught two monkeys screwing in the zoo last year.
For a second, I brushed my hand across the front of my jeans to make sure I hadn’t lowered my zipper and sprang free my cock to penetrate Delsey right against my truck. My body rocked and all my nerves had lit up like Main Street during the holidays.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said to her and squeezed her arm. With Delsey as a distraction for the next couple of hours, I hoped to avoid having to explain what the heck was going on. Even I didn’t know.
The ride home was quiet, no word from Maddie in the back. Except, I saw she looked behind us a few times, checking on Delsey. Whether it was hoping she was coming to the house or not, I didn’t know. And wasn’t going to ask. I was the adult and it was my house, sort of. If I wanted Delsey there, that was my call. I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of having Maddie think she was in charge. That wasn’t going to serve her well in the real world one day. I’d love the hell out of her, give her everything she needed, but I was the boss.
My driveway sat on a busy rural road and Delsey’s loud and colorful SUV rolling in and out of my driveway was going to start to cause a stir. I didn’t play my trap game like the night before, my priority was getting Maddie into the house and settled.
With the immediate crisis averted, the long-term realization that I now lived with a woman was something I’d worry about later. Maddie stayed quiet when she climbed the porch steps, not looking at me or Delsey.
Inside the house, I felt a whole lot of awkward coming on.
The Cowboy's Rebel Heart: An Enemies to Lovers Second Chance Romance (Wild Texas Hearts Book 4) Page 18
