Chapter Four

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Paige squealed looking down at her white blouse as it stuck to her skin, wet with soap from the bucket she’d been using to wash the car. “I’m gonna kick your ass for that June!”

 He chuckled and propped his hands on his hips in a cocky manner. “I’d like to see you try. You couldn’t kick my ass if it fell into your foot…”

 “What?!” she giggled. “Oh my God… That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth… So far…”

“Oh, so now I’m stupid?”

She cocked her head back at him. “That’s not what I said and you know it.”

“Yeah, well ya know what… As soon as I catch your fine ass, I’m gonna show you exactly how stupid I’m not…”

He took off at a run, laughing as she circled the car and ran towards the back of the house, exactly what he’d wanted her to do. “I’ve got ya now Mads!”

“Don’t call me that! Got me how?” she asked as she came to a quick stop and turned around, yelping as Dale picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder and walked to the edge of the pool. “Don’t you dare, Dale Jr!”

“Or what? What are you gonna do?”

He reached up and grabbed her waist with both hands and prepared to throw her in, not expecting her to grab hold of his hands and pull him in as she went.

They both surfaced, gasping for air in between their laughter and he quickly wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to the side of the pool. “I got you…”

“Now what are you gonna do with me?”

Dale just smiled and leaned towards her, placing his lips on the sensitive skin of her neck, lightly sucking on her soft flesh.

“Give her a chance Dale…”

“Huh?” He leaned back and looked into Paige’s green eyes. “What?”

She cradled his face in her hands and gently trailed her thumb over his bottom lip. “Give Macayla a chance… for Kellen…”

Dale sat up in bed, tossing aside the soaked sheets that stuck to his body, then went into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. It wasn’t even midnight and already he was having dreams. It wasn’t the first time he’d had them. Normally it was just a past memory, replaying in his mind. Tonight was the first time she’d said something to him that wasn’t part of it.

That day in the pool had been the day Kellen was conceived. He hadn’t dreamed about that moment since she died and it hurt to know that not only was she gone but now Macayla was invading the few fresh memories he had.

He growled as he threw open the bedroom door and stalked downstairs to the kitchen pouring himself a glass of milk, topping it off with a little whiskey. A little trick he picked up from his mother. It put him to sleep faster than anything else could.

“Can I get a double shot of that?”

Dale looked up to find Macayla leaning against the bar, her short hair in spikes around her head. “Can’t sleep either?”

She shook her head and slid onto the closest stool, watching as Dale took out another glass, filling it with milk before adding the same amount of whiskey that he’d added to his.

“No double shot. You’re supposed to be watching my kid…” he growled. Looking at her strangely when she gave a soft laugh. “What?”

“Why don’t you like me?”

He watched her for a few moments, her brown eyes meeting his without falter, before looking down as his glass. “It’s not that I don’t like you. I just don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone with my child.”

She shrugged. “That’s understandable.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. I mean. From a parents standpoint, yeah. No one can be as good to your child as you can. No one can provide for him better than you. No one can love him as much as you. No one can protect him more than you can.”

He watched her quietly, surprised by the emotion that clouded her face as she continued.

“Look, Dale. I’m sure you already know this, but I lost my husband about 3 years ago. But I also lost my son. He was 5 months old. And no matter how much you protect them, or how much you love them and trust someone to take care of them when you can’t…” she shrugged. “In the end they aren’t yours, they’re just on loan from God until he’s ready to have them back, just like any body else in this world. I love my son so much. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and wonder what he would look like now. I can’t forget his smell. I can’t forget the sound of his laughter. The way he felt in my arms…”

“I just want you to know that as much as this is a job for me… I want to help you keep your son safe and protect him the way I couldn’t protect my own. I’m here to help you, not take your son away. And I’m not asking you to trust me, just to give me a chance to prove myself to you, that I’m fully capable of doing this. And maybe we can at least build a friendship out of it…”

Dale sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then drank his milk. “I’m going back to bed… Make sure you shut off the lights before you go back up stairs.” He placed his glass in the sink and left the room, leaving Macayla behind.

She watched him disappear around the corner and stared out of the back window. “Got any more suggestions?”

---

“Martin Lee! Get your ass up! We’re late!” Dale yelled, pounding on Martin’s bedroom door at 7 the next morning.

Macayla groaned and rolled out of the bed, padding into the nursery to check on Kellen before Dale burst into the room. “Morning…” she muttered, backing away as he stepped between her and the crib.

She watched as he lowered the side enough to lean in and kiss Kellen’s cheek. He brushed back his soft hair and smiled at the soft coos that he made as he slept. Slowly lifting the rail until it locked back into place he turned and walked from the room, leaving the door open as he went. Never acknowledging her presence.

She followed him out into the hallway, unable to hide her smile as Martin tripped out of his room with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth as he put on his shoes. “Hey…”

He greeted her as he threw back his head and stomped his foot down, then bent to tie the lace. He took the toothbrush out of his mouth and ran down the stairs and out the front door, spitting on the lawn.

“Martin! Stop doing that, it’s disgusting…”

Macayla shook her head as she watched them get into Dale’s truck then shut the door, leaning on it for support. “What do I do now?”

---

“Macayla?!” Kelley called an hour later as she let herself into the house. “Macayla?”

When she didn’t answer she climbed the stairs and went to the nursery, finding the door open but Kellen wasn’t in his crib. She walked through the bathroom to Macayla’s room and found her sleeping soundly with Kellen curled up at her side.

“Macayla…” she whispered, smiling at how comfortable her nephew was with her.

She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, then opened one eye. “Oh… Kelley… I’m… I’m just…”

Kelley shook her head and smiled. “It’s quite alright sweetie. I’m gonna take Kellen downstairs. Why don’t you get up and get a shower. I’m taking you shopping.”

Macayla sat up and shook her head. “I don’t need to go shopping.”

“Hey… don’t argue with me. I’m your boss… well sort of, and if I say I’m taking you shopping. Then I’m taking you shopping.”

---

“So how’s my brother treating you?” Kelley asked as they drove through the parking lot trying to find a spot.

Macayla gave a short laugh. “It hasn’t gotten any better since we met, if that’s what you’re asking. We had a little talk, or I thought we did last night. Neither of us could sleep so we both ended up in the kitchen. I tried to talk to him, thought I was getting through to him and in the end all I got out of him was ‘turn of the lights before you go back to bed’ and he didn’t even acknowledge my existence this morning when he came into the nursery to kiss Kellen goodbye and I was standing right there.”

Kelley sighed. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help or to get him to understand this but… it’s not happening.”

“Well… I have Martin there. He’s standing up for me and butting heads with Dale a little as well. It’s just nice to know I’m not alone though.”

“Well, I think you’ve got Kellen on your side too,” Kelley added. “I’ll be honest with you, aside from me, mama and Theresa, he hasn’t taken well to any women so consider yourself lucky. That worries me though, because if that baby has too much of his daddy’s influence or Martin’s, we’re all gonna be in trouble.”

Macayla laughed. “All I want is to take care of him and do my job. I wouldn’t mind trying to help Dale through this either but I don’t think that’s going to happen. But he’s got friends and family and that’s the one thing I didn’t have. I was alone. He needs to at least appreciate that. At least he has Kellen… he has a little piece of Paige. I don’t even have that.”

“Well, sometimes my brother can be a selfish B-A-S-T-A-R-D.”

“So I’ve been told… at least that he was one… not necessarily a selfish one.”

“Martin?”

“Martin.”

Kelley noticed the small smile that came to Macayla’s face as Martin’s name was once again brought up. ‘You like him…”

“What?! No…”

“Yes, you do…”

“Who?

“Martin…”

Macayla waved her off and looked out of the passenger side window. “I do not…”

“He’s single.”

“Good for him… I’ve got a job to do…”

“He loves Kellen and I’m sure he’d be happy to help you with that job when he can…”

She turned sharply to look at Kelley. “What exactly are you getting at?”

“I’m just saying… You’re single. He’s single. You both love kids… Kellen, to be precise. And it’s about time you try to have a life… I know I don’t know you that well, and I’m not trying to be presumptuous but…”

“Okay… Fine, I’ll admit that I like him. And he’s really the first guy that’s even peaked my interest since Daniel died… but I’m not going there. Not right now, anyway.”

Kelley pulled into a spot and turned towards Macayla laughing. “I didn’t say right now. I’m just letting you know there are options. Now lets go buy you plenty of clothes on my brothers money.”

-next-

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