The Jaded: Reclaim Me Part 28

"What happened?"

I pull back from her and sit on the edge of the bed, still gripping her hand. I explain to her what I told Jaxon earlier. Surprise and some other emotion enter her face when I mention Shady's name. Her face turns hard with anger when I tell her that he and Tessa threatened T and myself.

"Who in the f.u.c.k does that to their own child?" She asks angrily.

"Someone that's completely f.u.c.ked in the head," I tell her honestly. There's obviously something mentally wrong with Tess. "I've got someone heading over to Shady's place right now to pick him up. With any luck, he'll be there, and we can get to the bottom of this."

She looks at me skeptically, as if she doesn't believe that it'll be that easy. I don't blame her. Nothing's ever that easy.

"Trent, Jaxon, and Bailey are outside waiting. I wanted to talk to you first. T's really scared and worried about what he did."

Mia grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, before saying, "I hope you know that I don't blame him. I could never blame him for trying to protect himself and you."

I give her a tender smile, not surprised at her words in the least.

"I know you don't. That's just one of the reasons why I love you."

After bending down and giving her a lingering kiss that has my blood pumping and my c.o.c.k twitching, I get up from the bed to let the others in. Jaxon and Bailey quickly step through the door and immediately go straight to Mia's side. T's steps are slower, like he's unsure he's welcome. The uncertainty in his movements have me angry all over again. Tessa did this to our son. She's made him scared and feel unwanted. That woman better pray to G.o.d that I have the strength to hold back from killing her when I get my hands on her. Shady as well.

"Trent," comes Mia's sweet voice.

T's frightened gaze flickers to me, and I smile and nod my head in encouragement. He takes a tentative step towards the bed. I watch as Mia gives him a smile and holds out her hand to him.

"It's alright, Trent. Come here," Mia says.

T walks the rest of the way to the bed and places his shaky hand in Mia's. Mia sits up in bed and pulls him into her arms. I see T shut his eyes, tears leaking out the corners. She pulls back and puts her hands on both of his cheeks, wiping away the tears.

My heart swells even more with love for this woman as she says, "Please don't be scared or worried. I understand. We all understand, okay? I don't know you that well, yet, but I've heard a lot about you. I know that you would never hurt anyone unless you felt you had to."

"I'm so sorry, Mia. I didn't want to do it," T says, his voice breaking at the end.

"I know you didn't, sweetie." She pulls him forward and kisses his forehead.

f.u.c.k. How in the world did I live the last ten years without this woman in my life?

I have no answer to that question. But the one thing that I do know is that I will do whatever it takes, take out who ever I need to, before I let anyone take her away from me again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Mia Her hands...

Mac's parents are due to arrive any minute now, and I'm a nervous wreck. Although this is Mac's house, not my own, and was pretty much cleaned all the way through, I still went on a cleaning binge. I scrubbed from top to bottom, side to side, even tackling Mac's gym in the bas.e.m.e.nt. I want everything to be perfect. I know that it's irrational to be so nervous, but I can't seem to help it. His parents already know me very well and have adored me in the past. Nothing's to say that would change, but I still feel the need to impress them.

It's been two days since I was released from the hospital and things have been going well. Ever since Trent finally opened up about what his mother and Shady were doing, he's changed dramatically. He's been such a sweet boy, always asking me if I need any help with anything or offering to get me things. I keep telling him he doesn't need to do anything for me, that he doesn't need to try and win me over. He's had me from the beginning. I harbor no ill feelings toward him. Any decent person would know that any eleven-year old child would have reacted the same way.

Mac explained to Trent that if he heard from his mother again that he needed to tell him. So far, there's been nothing. I don't know if that's good news or bad. Of course, I don't want Tessa to try and rope Trent into doing anything else, but it's also worrisome that she hasn't contacted him again to find out the outcome of my poisoning. You would think she would be chomping at the bit to discover if it worked or not.

Mac sat down with Trent and had a more in-depth conversation with him about what his mother asked him to do. It was then that we found out Tessa knew about mine and Mac's horseback riding and picnic the other day. The night Tessa had left Trent at Taekwondo, she had told him to call his dad and tell him she forgot him there. The whole thing was planned. Trent was to go to Mac's house, and he was to call her the first time Mia came over. He called her when we left for our picnic the next day, and she came rus.h.i.+ng over to Mac's house. That's when she got the spare key to my house out of my purse and was able to go in without breaking in and decimate the walls.

More disturbing news is that when the deputy went to Shady's house to bring him in for questioning, he wasn't there, and it looked like he hadn't been there for quite a while. We've asked several trusted people in the community to keep an eye out for both Shady and Tessa and that if they see them to contact Mac or someone at the station. Again, nothing so far.

While I was in the hospital, Mac had the same deputy that finger printed my house come in so I could make a formal statement. It was hard to witness, but Trent gave his statement as well. After we got home, Mac had Andrew come stay with me while he went to the courthouse to obtain warrants for both Tessa and Shady. I argued, telling him Trent and I would be fine, but he refused to leave us by ourselves. I relented when I saw the deep worry in his eyes. I didn't want him to worry more than what he needed to. Needless to say, with mine and Trent's statements, the judge agreed to the warrants.

It's been nice to see this different side of Trent. We've grown closer, and I cherish every minute of it. Mac and Trent have also grown closer, the bond they once shared back in place and stronger than ever. Trent may still have a lot of feelings to work through regarding his mother, but with the help of Mac, and hopefully me, he'll get through them fine.

I'm in the kitchen making a peach cobbler. Mac's in his office going over paperwork for the station, and Trent's in the living room playing a video game. I'm pulling the cobbler out of the oven when I hear a door slam from outside. I quickly put the hot pan on a dishtowel on the counter and nervously smooth down the front of my deep purple sundress. I don't wear dresses often, but felt the need to wear one today. I want to look pretty and proper for Mac's parents. When I came out of the spare room earlier, Mac just shook his head at me. He knows what I'm doing. He's tried talking to me about my nerves, but nothing he says helps. Only time will tell if I'm truly accepted by his parents again. And that time is now.

I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and take a few mouthfuls to wet my dry mouth, before walking out of the kitchen. The front door is open, and I hear Trent yelling, "Grandma and Grandpa!" Trent tries so hard to act older than his age at times, but underneath it all, he's still a child.

I smile at his excitement at the same time Mac walks out of his office wearing a pair of beat up jeans with holes in the knees and a dark grey Nirvana s.h.i.+rt. I meet him at the door, and we both step out onto the porch as we watch Trent hug Maryann and then Sam.

They break apart and make their way towards us. I glance down at my white flip-flops, not able to look them in the eyes yet. Mac wraps his arm around me and squeezes my shoulder. I feel him kiss the top of my head. "Stop stressing so much, Pix," he murmurs against my hair. "Everything is going to be okay."

I glance up at him and see him smiling at me. It helps a bit.

Mac releases my shoulders and meets his parents at the top of the steps. He pulls his mom in for a hug. When he takes a step back, she grabs his face and pulls him down so she can kiss his cheeks.

"Oh, my baby. It's been too long. I've missed you so much." Her eyes glisten with tears as she looks at her only son.

"Hey, Mom. How are you?" Mac asks her.

"Much better now that we're here."

She takes a step away so Sam can shake hands with Mac. Mac grabs his hand, but Sam yanks him forward and gives him a man hug with a thump on the back.

"It's good to see you, Son," Sam says when they pull apart.

"Yeah, Dad, you too."

The whole time Mac and his father greet each other, Maryann has her eyes on me, tears still in their depths. I start fidgeting, s.h.i.+fting from one foot to the other.

"Hey, Mrs. Weston," I greet her quietly.

I'm taken aback when she launches herself at me and puts her arms around me. As with almost everyone, she's taller than me by a few inches, so I can easily lay my head on her shoulder, and that's just what I do.

G.o.d! I've missed this woman so much.

She takes a step back from me, but keeps her hands on my arms when she gazes at me. "Don't you dare start that Mrs. Weston c.r.a.p with me, young lady. You know it's Maryann and Sam to you. That hasn't changed."

My body relaxes at her words. Why I ever doubted this woman is beyond me. I should have known all along that she would welcome me back into her arms. That's just the type of woman she is.

I smile at her and lean up slightly so I can kiss her soft cheek. "Thank you," I say in her ear.

Sam steps up next and pulls me in for a tight hug. "It's about d.a.m.n time y'all got back together. Welcome back to the family, Mia," he says when he pulls back.

I laugh at him, and the tense feelings I've been having since knowing they were coming, melts away. This right here is why I love Mac's family so much. Although they have every right to have hard feelings for me for d.a.m.ning their son, they don't.

Later that evening, I'm out on the porch sitting on the swing. I told Mac I was coming out to get some fresh air, but the truth is, I wanted to give Mac's parents some alone time with Mac and Trent. It's been awhile since they've seen them, and I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on.

Earlier, while Trent was outside, Mac informed Maryann and Sam of everything that's been going on with Tessa and Shady. Maryann, of course, was devastated and couldn't understand how someone could do that. To say that Sam was p.i.s.sed was an understatement. They both wanted to know what was being done. Mac explained they were both currently in hiding, but warrants were out for their arrest. Now, it's just a waiting game. Waiting for them either to show themselves or to make a mistake. I hated waiting.

I hear the screen door open and glance over to see Maryann walking my way. I smile at her as she takes a seat beside me. We both sit in silence for a few minutes.

"Mac told me you were worried that we wouldn't accept you back into our lives," she says softly into the darkness.

"Yeah, I had this irrational thought that you and Sam would hate me for not being there for Mac when he needed me. It's stupid now when I think about it. I should have known you wouldn't do that. You and Sam are some of the best people I know."

She reaches over and grabs my hand in hers. "From the very start we understood, Mia. It must have hurt seeing Mac in that position. There's no way you could have known that he was drugged and not acting of his own free will. Mac tells me that he knows you still feel guilt. You need to let that go, Mia. Just like he needs to let go of his guilt as well."

Is it any wonder why I love this woman so much? Besides my mother, she's the one woman that I would always run to if I ever needed advice. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. Just as she is doing right now.

I rest my head on her shoulder and tell her quietly, "I'm sorry I stayed away."

She pats my hand with her other one. "And we understood that as well. We knew that it would hurt to see us, and we accepted the fact that you needed to find your own way to cope. Don't get me wrong, we missed you so much, Mia, but we knew you would come around in your own time."

Tears p.r.i.c.k my eyes with what she said. I have no idea if what she said is the truth, but I want to think that it is. Until Tessa showed up pregnant, that is. Once that happened, there was no way I could be around them because I knew that Mac, Trent, and Tessa would be around as a family, and that I couldn't handle.

"I knew that once Tessa showed up pregnant that we had seen the last of you," Maryann continues. "It broke my heart, but I knew that being around Trent, and then Tessa, was something no woman would be able to handle. Especially with a love like you and Mac had."

"It hurt so much to know that Tessa had not only taken something that was always meant to be mine, but she also took away my dream of having a baby with Mac. Trent was just an innocent baby, and I'm so ashamed to admit that I feared I would look at him and see Mac and Tessa and resent him. I know that makes me a bad person."

"That does not make you a bad person," Maryann says vehemently. "It makes you a real person." She's quiet for a minute before she asks, "You know that I got pregnant when I was sixteen and gave the baby up for adoption, right?"

Yes, I knew. Mac doesn't talk about his older sibling much, but he has mentioned it a few times. I don't know many details, but I can tell it's a painful subject for him.

At my nod, she continues.

"What you may not know is why I gave him up for adoption." I look at her with a puzzled expression. I had a.s.sumed it was because she was so young and couldn't care for a baby on her own. Mac's grandparents didn't have Maryann until they were in their mid-forties, so they were getting on in their years. Their health wasn't the best and wouldn't be able to handle much when it came to caring for a newborn.

"This all happened before Sam and I started dating. I was a rebellious child, if you can imagine that." She chuckles, and I laugh with her. "I blamed it on my parents. They were so much older than the other parents were and never wanted to join in on the fun and games the other kids and parents were doing. So, I decided to have fun on my own. When I was sixteen and in tenth grade, there was this bad boy that intrigued me. He was a senior and very popular. He noticed my appreciation of him, and we started dating. Two weeks after we started dating, he started pressuring me into sleeping with him. I wasn't ready."

Oh, s.h.i.+t. Please do not tell me this is going where I think it is.

"I kept putting him off, but he became more persistent. One night, about a month after we started seeing each other, we were at a friend's house for a party. We were in the bas.e.m.e.nt where all the other kids were. He said he needed to show me something and pulled me into a room. Leaving out all the gruesome details, it was there that he raped me."

"Oh, Maryann, I'm so sorry." I wrap my arm around her waist in comfort. To think that someone would hurt this beautiful and sweet woman makes me want to hunt down the b.a.s.t.a.r.d and cut off his d.i.c.k.

Maryann's quiet for a few minutes, but I hear her sniffling. The pain that I know she must be feeling is unbearable to think about. The night of my attempted rape seems dull in comparison to what happened to Maryann. At least I had the drugs to help dull the pain. She had to withstand being raped sober, and by someone that she thought she could trust.

"I found out a month later that I was pregnant. By then Joseph was in jail for rape. The thought never crossed my mind to have an abortion. I knew that I couldn't knowingly kill an innocent child, but I also knew that I couldn't look that child in the face every day for the rest of my life and not feel the pain I did that night. I closed myself off so I wouldn't form a bond with the baby. When I finally delivered, I gave him up for adoption."

"I understand, Maryann. That would be hard for anyone to endure, especially with you being so young," I tell her quietly.

"My point, Mia, dear, is that we all find ourselves in situations that we're not proud of. I couldn't stand the thought of looking at my own baby because I would see Joseph in him. I now know that it would have been hard at first, but I would have gotten over it and loved my first son just as much as I loved Mac."

"Have you ever thought about looking him up?" I ask, wondering how Mac would feel about it.

I feel the swing move slightly as Maryann adjusts her position before the swing starts swaying. "Hmm...I thought about it years ago. Sam's supportive either way. However, I didn't want to uproot him and everything he knew. I think it's best to just leave it like it is. The adoption agency I chose is about five hours away in Cincinnati."

I understand her reasoning. Even though it must be hard to know you have a child out there somewhere, you wouldn't want to destroy his sense of security. For all she knows, the child's adoptive parents could have never told him that he was adopted. Finding out you were adopted, even as an adult, could be damaging to the person and their family.

We lapse into silence for a while before we both decide to go back inside. We walk in to find Mac, Trent, and Sam sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. I walk over to Mac and peck his cheek, telling him I'm going to get in the shower.

"Okay, baby," he says distractedly, obviously watching a big play on the screen.

A smile tugs at my lips, and I shake my head. Leaving the guys to watch the game and Maryann in the kitchen, I walk to the spare room and gather my clothes. To keep up appearances and to help keep Trent more comfortable, I'm still sleeping in the spare room. However, each night I either go to Mac's bed, or he comes to mine. We always wake up in our respective beds in the morning though.

After getting out of the shower and dressing, I grab my dirty clothes to take them back to my room. I'm a little chilly from the shower, so I go through my bag that's in the closet to find a hoodie.

s.h.i.+t. I need to do laundry. I only brought one hoodie with me, and it's dirty.

I throw my s.h.i.+t back in my bag and go to Mac's room to borrow one of his. Walking in his closet, I rifle through his clothes that are hanging up and pull a black hoodie from a hanger. After pulling it on over my head, something on the floor catches my eye. It's a box with two of the flaps open. I squat down and pull open the other two flaps. My hand goes to my mouth and tears gather in my eyes at what I see.

Gingerly, with shaky hands, I reach inside and pull out a gla.s.s jar with a purple lid. I hold the jar up to my face, but I already know what is written on the front.

The words, All the reasons why I love Mia, are written in Mac's manly handwriting. Inside the jar is a bunch of small different color slips of paper. Each piece of paper only holds a few words each.

When we were in high school, I, being the typical girl, would write Mac love notes. Mac had told me that he wasn't the type of guy that wrote love notes, something I already knew, but it didn't stop me from continuing to write them to him. One day when I went to my locker, I was surprised to find a folded up piece of paper. When I opened it, I immediately recognized Mac's handwriting. On it, it simply read, I love you. From that day forward, I received little slips of paper in my locker once a day, each one with a reason why he loved me.

I unscrew the lid, and with tears leaking out of my eyes, I pull one little paper out.

Her eyes.

I smile at the words and pull out another slip of paper.

Her laugh.

Again, I pull another one out, and then another, and another.

Her honesty.

Her sense of humor.

Her hair.

Her sweet nature.

Her tender heart.

Her amazing t.i.ts.