Page 59 of Last Resort

Maci startled at Chance’s voice. She’d been so stuck in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed him park. He stood next to her open door, waiting.

He held out his hand to help her out. “You ready?”

Not even remotely. But she nodded and got out of the car. At the door, Sheila Patterson stood with a smile on her face and her arms open wide. Even from feet away, Maci could see how much love she had for Chance.

She had that much love for all of her family.

“Chance, honey, good to have you home. Maci, welcome. You’re looking well.” Sheila wrapped them each in quick hugs before grinning. “There’s someone here to see you both.”

Chance smiled at his mom and took off for the living room, scooping the young boy from the carpet. Walker, Brax and Tessa’s son, was babbling his uncle’s ear off in unintelligible toddler language, but Chance didn’t seem to mind. He gave the boy his full attention, nodding and adding to the conversation as much as he could.

Maci’s heart turned to mush. What an amazing father Chance was going to be. She wished she could say the same about being a mother.

Walker continued to coo as Chance handed him over to Clinton. “Thank you for letting us stay for a while. We just need to get off-grid.”

Sheila smiled. “At this point we’re used to it. And you boys know this is your home too. You’re always welcome. You can stay in your room, and I’ve made up the guest room for Maci.”

“I have to get back to the office. There are some things that need to be handled immediately, but I’ll be back later.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and waved at his dad, who was getting an earful from Walker.

Then to Maci’s surprise, he wrapped her in a hug, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Get some rest.”

Well, it was obvious she wasn’t just an employee anymore.

The tension felt thick, despite baby Walker’s jabbering and giggling as Maci stood there with Sheila and Clinton.

“Why don’t I show you up to the room where you’ll be staying?”

Maci grabbed her small bag and followed Sheila. She showed Maci to a simple guest room, and Maci dropped off her stuff. The bed wasn’t very big, but it looked inviting. She wished she could crawl into it and pull the covers over her head.

“Bathroom is just down the hall.” Sheila turned and smiled as she opened a door to another bedroom. “And lest you think I’m completely old-fashioned or disapprove of you in any way, this is Chance’s room.”

Maci had to smile as she saw the twin bed and small desk. Sports posters all over the wall. There definitely wasn’t room for a second person. “Oh.”

“I know, I should redecorate. But I haven’t touched any of the boys’ rooms. They came in and made the space their own. For all of them it was the first bedroom that was truly only theirs.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Sheila shrugged and led her back downstairs. “I guess these rooms are a reminder that sometimes families are formed in nontraditional ways, but that doesn’t make them any less of a family.”

Families definitely weren’t Maci’s area of expertise.

Sheila walked back downstairs, blowing kisses at Clinton and Walker still playing in the living room before leading Maci into the kitchen. “It’s been a stressful day for you. How about some coffee? The boys got me one of the fancy espresso machines for Christmas last year. You like cappuccinos, right?”

“I, uh, I switched over to tea recently.”

Shelia spun to look at her. “You’re pregnant.”

Maci wasn’t sure what to say. “You got that from tea?”

“More that I knew the boys weren’t telling us something. I thought maybe it had to do with a case. But Chance’s protective hug clarified it all for me.” She smiled gently. “Although it was the tea that clinched it. You love cappuccinos.”

“I do miss cappuccinos.” Maci chose a tea bag from the tin Sheila held out. “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

Maci shrugged. “I don’t think anyone in the family even knew Chance and I were...together. Maybe you think I’m trying to trap him or something.”

It’s what Evelyn had done to Maci’s father... Gotten pregnant to force him to marry her.

---