Page 36 of Mac (Demented Souls #7)

"I was just sending someone a message letting them know about a change of plans.

" Elyse set the phone aside thinking maybe it was for the best. If he met Mom now, he'd back off for fear of having to put up with her more frequently than he really would.

Maybe that was best, for Mac to decide this was over before she was in too deep.

The thought of him breaking up with her made her want to go get into bed and pull the blankets up over her head.

There, she'd be able to pick up hints of his scent on the sheets and remember the time they'd had together.

She pushed thoughts of Mac and that he would call an end to whatever this was after meeting Mom out of her head.

"What change of plans? Were you going out tonight? Partying instead of spending time with family." Mom shook her head and looked back to Dave. "And she's making the guest cook too. I thought I taught her better."

"She's not making me, Mom. I volunteered. I came in late and cost Elyse a good chunk of her sleep last night. I thought it would be nice to make dinner for her. I started it before she even got home."

"I don't know why you're staying here instead of with your father and me."

Dave didn't say anything, just glanced at Elyse, meeting her gaze. She knew without his saying a word why he was staying here over there. They all did, but no one was willing to say it to their mother's face.

Mom continued to harp on Elyse giving Dave the sweet end of her tongue, until the doorbell rang again.

"He's got good timing, this is almost done," Dave said as Elyse stood.

"He who? Who did you invite to dinner with me?"

Elyse went to get the door but heard Dave talking to Mom behind her. "He was invited before you showed up, without even a warning I'll remind you. And be nice."

Mom responded but Elyse didn't want to know what she said, instead she checked who was at the door this time, finding Mac on her doorstep, she opened the door, a relieved smile on her face.

"Hey, a thasgaidh, I considered leaving you to family, but I wanted to see you.

Make sure you're all right." He pulled her into his arms and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead as he stepped inside taking her backwards into the room with him.

She exhaled and let the tension and stress Mom brought out with the breath.

"I'm glad to see you too." She wished he'd give her a real kiss, one that would distract her from the pain in the ass in the next room, but it didn't come.

"Bring whoever that is in here to meet me." Mom's raised voice made Elyse cringe.

Still looking at Mac, she mouthed, 'I'm sorry.' Then dropped her forehead against his chest long enough for a single bracing breath before turning and tugging him along with her into the kitchen. She tried to paste on a smile but couldn't manage it.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Mac. Mac, this is my mom."

Mom looked him up and then down again before turning to Elyse.

"What slum did you find him in, and didn't I teach you better than to bring people like that home?"

Elyse stood open mouthed. They all knew their mother was a pain in the ass and mean to them, but this was the first time Elyse had seen her act like this to a stranger. She was dumbstruck and didn't know how to react.

"Actually ma'am. I live next door. I met your daughter in the front yard."

"I'm sorry," Elyse said to Mac.

"Don't apologize for me, girl!"

Mac looked at Elyse, and she could only guess he was asking how she wanted him to react. Before she could be sure though, Dave stepped in.

"Mom, knock it off. You're being rude."

"People like him don't know how to be nice." Mom waved a hand in Mac's direction.

"Actually, he's never been anything but polite to me." Dave thankfully didn't mention being held at gunpoint the night before.

"You've met him? How long has she been hiding him from us?" Mom turned back to Elyse. "That you had to hide him just proves you knew he's not good enough for you."

"Mom, enough!" Dave was apparently fed up with their mother's behavior too. "If you can't be nice, you can go home. This is Elyse's house and if you can't be nice to her, or her guest, then you can just as well get out. I'll come see you tomorrow while she's at work."

"Well I never!" She stood. "I thought I raised my children better than to throw me out while keeping trash like that around." She tilted her head toward Mac as she passed him in a huff. "Now I see why you haven't been coming around as much. This will break your father's heart."

"No, Mom. I haven't been coming around because I've been working my ass off.

I've worked until I had a migraine that lasted three days, making me call in.

" Elyse finally found her tongue and she wasn't going to let her mother run Mac off.

Not if she could help it. "As for Dad, Mac won't break his heart.

Dad will be happy I've got someone who makes me happy, no matter where I met him or what he looks like.

All Dad will care about is that he treats me like gold and takes care of me.

" Elyse followed her mother through the living room and opened the door for her.

"Unlike you, Dad's more concerned with our welfare and happiness than what everyone on the block or in town will think.

" Elyse waited until her mother was on the front porch then gently closed the front door, leaving her mother on the step.

Not slamming it took effort but made her point so much more eloquently.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she would do that," Dave said from the kitchen doorway.

"I can go." Mac stood between Elyse and Dave, his hands in his pockets as if not sure what he should do or where he should go.

"No. Stay. I'd rather see you, talk to you, spend even ten minutes with you than deal with another minute of her nastiness and judgement." Elyse went to him and pressed her forehead to his chest for a moment, just breathing in his scent and wishing things had gone differently.

"Dinner's ready," Dave called from the kitchen.

Elyse looked up to find her brother had disappeared from the doorway.

"I'm sorry," she murmured up at Mac. "I didn't know she was going to act like that. She's always been judgmental, but this was over the top, even for her."

"No worries, a thasgaidh, I've dealt with worse.

" He kissed her, and this time not a light peck on the forehead.

This was the kiss she'd wished for earlier, one where she lost herself in the feel of him, the taste of him, even if just for a few seconds.

When he pulled away, he stood, staring down at her for a moment. "Feel better?"

"Yeah but I'd be even better if my mother wasn't so insufferable." She smiled and tugged him with her as she headed into the kitchen. "Damn. I forgot there's only two chairs and three of us."

"I didn't. We can grab one of the chairs off the back porch or you can sit on my lap again," Mac said behind her.

Dave set three plates of pasta onto the table and without another word, disappeared through the back door, only to reappear a few moments later carrying one of the porch chairs.

"Here." He set the chair at the table with the others. "Mom was all I can deal with now, I can't take the two of you all over each other." He grabbed a plate of garlic bread from the counter and put it on the table before sitting. "Dig in."

Elyse glanced at Mac then sat in the chair from outside, giving Mac the other.

"I'd like to apologize for our mother. She's always been..." Dave paused, "challenging."

"A pain in the ass." Elyse spoke as her brother finished.

"I wouldn't go that far." He shot her a reproachful look.

"Of course, you wouldn't. Partly because you're too polite, partly because she's different with the boys. Ask Bailey, see what she says."

Dave watched her a moment as he continued eating. "I've never seen her like this. It was weird. She's never been so aggressively nasty before."

"To you. Wait, it still wasn't to you, but she's never done it in front of you either, has she?"

Dave shook his head. "That's why it took me so long to react. I was genuinely shocked by the amount of venom she was spewing at you." He set down his fork and watched her more intently. "Is she always like that?"

"Not always, but often enough." She wanted to say more.

She wanted to tell him about other incidents, other horrifying things Mom had said or done but she was trying hard not to be as bitter and narrow minded as their parent.

Just the one parent. Dad was nothing like what they'd just seen from Mom.

They were so different Elyse had wondered how Dad had put up with, had stayed with, Mom for all these years.

She was ready to put Mom's visit behind them. Turning to Mac she reached out and laid one hand on his arm. "How long till you have to leave? You said something about a meeting?"

"I do have a meeting at the clubhouse tonight, but I don't have to leave for almost two hours."

"Good." Elyse left her hand on his forearm and shifted slightly as she continued to eat. When her knee brushed against his, she stopped. That felt nice. It was nothing big, nothing overt, but the solid warmth of his knee against hers was reassuring.

"We haven't had a lot of time since you got here to spend together so tell me how you've been? How’s Hannah and her parents?

" She drew Dave into conversation. They spent the rest of dinner talking about her brother and his wife. Hannah was holding down the fort with her parents, who didn’t need a lot of care, but did need to have someone around just in case.

They also talked about what he'd been up to and what he planned to do while in town.