Page 27 of I Got You

“Hmmm. Let me see.” Her hands move to rest on her hips. “Maybe because I was with him when I got the APB, you didn’t come home when you were supposed to. Then, when I expected you to text me so that I knew you weren’t lying on the side of the road, kidnapped, or being used for your good looks, he offered to come with me to search all of the greater Denver areas to find your way too smug for tight pants ass.”

She takes a breath, and so much of me wants to laugh because this little lady should be the coach.

“Now, you have a choice to make. You can get your tail out to his truck right now, or you can stay here. I suggest the former, but if you think you’re responsible enough to drink and smoke and not make sure your phone is charged, you better find whoever owns this house and let them know you’re moving in.”

She grabs my hand, pulling me back out the way we came. When we hit the front yard, she drops it and takes a deep breath. “I seriously think I might kill him. Do you have an issue with hiding a body?” She paces. “And if Miss Boobs sat on his lap one second longer….”

“Hey, take another breath.” I watch her pace like a caged tiger. “He’s fine, just testing the boundaries.”

“Well, I’m glad you can be so calm.”

“Uh. You were scary calm in there. Don’t think I didn’t want to pull the little punk out of that chair the way he was talking to you.”

Maggie’s head tips back with a laugh, and I’m not sure if she thinks I’m joking. In the next second, Hank walks down the lawn toward us and says nothing as he climbs in the back of my truck. Maggie and I join him, and the silence as I push the start button is deafening.

I can’t help my curiosity in seeing how Maggie handles this. My brothers and I would’ve taken to the front yard and knocked some sense into each other.

Maggie turns in her seat to look at Hank. “Were you drinking? And don’t even think about lying to me because we’ll head straight to the clink, where I’m sure they’d be happy to administer a breathalyzer.”

“No,” he huffs, keeping his eyes down. “Why were you with him? Are you dating him?”

Maggie makes some kind of snorting noise. “I’ll be asking the questions right now, but you should thank him. If I’d been home and you’d been five minutes late, I would’ve had time to plan a scene so extravagant, you’d go down in high school glory.”

“Because it was so much better to have you stomping your way through there with him.”

I want to pull the truck over and let this little boy know he’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I never handled the smart-mouth rookies with gentleness.

Maggie turns in her seat a little further. “Are you high because I think you’ve lost your ever-loving mind?”

From the rearview, I see him cross his arms over his chest and stare out the window.

Maggie looks at me. “Would you pull over when you can?”

I do as she asks, and we find ourselves in a shopping center parking lot.

Maggie unbuckles and turns around in her seat to face him. “First of all, you aren’t going to do the man of few words routine. I want to know what you were thinking. I’m not your mother but don’t think for one second that every time you set foot outside the house, I don’t worry about you and all the things that could happen. You could’ve told me you wanted to go to a party.”

“Yeah, like you would have said ok.”

“You’re right, at least not that party, but not because I don’t trust you. Despite what you showed me tonight, I know you aren’t dumb enough to drink, get in a car with someone who has, or do anything else that would jeopardize your spot on the team. But you sitting there not doing those things might not be as innocent as you think.”

She holds her hand out and gestures toward me. “Would you like to ask Shane, or we can call Cole and have a nice chat about what would happen if your handsome face showed up online at a party thrown by some high schooler where alcohol and pot and whatever else is flowing freely. You think anybody will give two shits when you say you weren’t partaking?”

She gives him a second. “Hank, you know better than that, and half of the team and their parents would like nothing better than to see your butt on the bench. You work too hard and have too much to lose to not be using the brain I know you have.”

I wish I would’ve had a Maggie in my corner fifteen years ago. The dynamic of their relationship is certainly something I’ve never experienced. Each moment I spend with her, I find myself curious about who this woman is, and I already know she’s something.

Hank finally looks at her and speaks softly. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to hang out with my friends. For one night, I didn’t live up to the Matthews level of perfection.”

It’s the last part he throws out like a jab, and it’s then that I turn in my seat. I have a small amount of patience, but none for disrespect. Maggie puts her hand on my arm and leaves it there. It’s warm and calming and…new.

“Seriously, Hank. Let’s be real. We both know that living up to Dad and Cole is impossible. They suck, and I’ve never wanted their boring, uncomplicated, suffocatingly mundane way of doing things. You know me better than that. I’m pretty sure I’m screwing up every second of every day, and the four of you will have therapy bills that are so excessive they’ll bankrupt you by the time you're thirty.”

Hank tips his head to the side unamused, but Maggie doesn’t skip a beat.

“I’m so far from perfect, and I don’t want to be. When I was your age living in New York, don’t think for one second that I didn’t make some really stupid decisions. Things that Dad and Cole would’ve called my ass to carpet for, and they would’ve been right.”

Maggie takes a deep breath, letting that sink in. “Hank, I don’t expect you to not make mistakes or want to have fun with your friends or have your head up your ass sometimes. Just be smart about how and when you’re choosing to do it. And I expect you to tell me where you’re going and what you’ll be doing. I won’t lie to you, and I expect the same.”

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