Page 83 of The Me I Left Behind

She reached for Carol’s hand. “It’s okay. Back then, I felt I had no choice. I’d made my bed, so it was time to lie in it.”

“Nans and Pops would have helped.”

Sure. Right.“Sweetheart, Nans and Pops could not help. Besides, Nans and I never really got along. Me coming home to stay at twenty-four with a baby wouldn’t have been pleasant for anyone—and definitely not a suitable environment for you.”

“Nans can be a little bitchy.”

“Right.” Her parents might live in California now, and Maggie was grateful for that fact, but her mother’s reach was far if she wanted it to be. “But sweetheart, I want to ask you about something else. Can we talk about Logan?”

Carol pushed up, her back straight against the headboard. “Sure. I wondered when that would come up.”

Maggie twisted around to face her. “It’s just that I don’t know him very well. He has spent little time around us, just pops in and out, or you run out to meet him in the driveway. I wish I knew him better. I would feel more comfortable.”

“Why? He’s my boyfriend, Mom. I know him. You don’t have to.”

“I think I do, Carol. I want to know that he’s going to be good to you. Good for you. Treat you right. Keep you safe. Not do stupid, dangerous things in that big, loud truck.” Memories of her own past came flooding back.

Carol huffed and rose off the bed, crossing the room. She grabbed a hoody off her vanity chair and shrugged into it. “You don’t have to worry about any of that, Mom. Logan is older and responsible, plus he’s very protective of me.”

“Possessive, you mean?”

Carol glowered. “Protective, is what I said.”

“He likes to keep your circle small. You said that, too. Honey, that’s exactly what your dad did to me. Kept me home and away from my friends. He wouldn’t let me go back to work after you were born.”

Laughing, Carol sat and pulled on her tennis shoes. “Mom, seriously? Logan works hard and he’s tired when he gets off work. He doesn’t want to hang out with my friends and honestly, I don’t either. All I need is him. I’m past all the high school shit.”

“But what about Sophie…?”

Carol shrugged off that notion. “Sophie is too needy, Mom. She bugs the shit out of me. We’re not really friends anymore.” She headed for the door.

“Where are you going?”

Carol glanced back. “Out. Logan gets off work at ten. I’ll meet him out front.”

Maggie pushed off the bed and followed her. “But it’s a school night, and it’s already late.”

“I’m not going anywhere. We’ll just talk in his truck in the driveway. Besides, I’m not going to school tomorrow. It’s Senior Skip Day. Unofficially.”

“You’re skipping?”

Carol glanced over her shoulder at the top of the stairs. “Maybe.” She bounced down a few steps.

“I thought you were past all that high school shit.”

Pausing, her daughter glanced over her shoulder, then continued down the stairs.

Fifteen

The next morning, Maggie turned into her driveway after dropping the kids off at school, noticing Julia’s SUV parked in front of the house. She pushed the button on her garage door opener, pulled into the two-car garage beside Max’s Escalade, then met Julia outside the house.

“Is that Max’s vehicle?” Julia asked, peering inside.

“It is. He doesn’t like long-term parking at the airport. Good thing, huh? That bill would be astronomical by now.”

Julia snorted. “Hmm.”

Maggie knew that look. Wheels were turning inside her friend’s head. Coupled with that “hmm” comment meant Julia was pondering something.

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