“O-kay.” Maggie didn’t understand.
“Shannon was a dude.”
Comprehension dawned.
“Yeah. Nadia’s a little sensitive about being called gay because she’s been stereotyped in the past.”
“She has?”
“My sister has muscles bigger than Mack. She’s aggressive and has no problem cutting a guy down to size. Well, she’s dated some real assholes, and their clever comebacks are to tell her she should stick to lesbians and stop trying to pass for straight.”
“That’s rude.”
“And hurtful. I mean, my sister couldn’t care less about a person’s sexuality. She’s not biased against anyone But now she has this idea she’s not feminine enough, whatever the hell that means.” He sighed. “Of course, Amy had no idea and was only trying to be nice. Nadia wasn’t having it.”
“Oh boy. I wouldn’t want to get on your sister’s bad side.”
“I don’t either. Lisa tried to stick up for Amy, but then Amy turned on Lisa, saying how Lisa hated her and they were mean and blah, blah, blah. She never went back to visit.”
“Awkward.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He rubbed his head. “I love my family, and we were distant for a while. I would still visit, but the topic of Amy was off-limits. Things were strained.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “So you have my family and Amy not getting along. Then Amy starts talking to her loser ex-husband again. The guy ran out on them both when Rachel was just six. He never contacted them, divorced her, then dumped her. Then he calls out of the blue wanting her back.”
She could see the hurt had yet to leave him.
“I thought Amy and I had something, but I didn’t like the way he used her. And the way she let him. We argued. She’d cry, I’d feel like shit, then we’d pretend we hadn’t fought.” He looked thoughtful. “That went on for the last six months of our relationship, actually. But she stopped bringing him up, and we started to get along again.”
“Huh.”
“But the jerk eventually convinced her Rachel needed him. So, for her daughter, she went back to him.”
Maggie didn’t know what she would have done. For Emily, she’d move heaven and earth. And yet, a user and a deserter wouldn’t deserve her love.
“Amy wouldn’t hear me out. Wouldn’t take my calls or let me say goodbye to Rachel. She moved out one day, and that was that.”
That put a different spin on things. “You guys lived together?”
“She had nowhere else to go.” Reggie shrugged. “When Devon left her, he took everything. The rent money, the good car, all their stuff. She had a crap car and two suitcases of clothes. That was it.”
“So you stepped in to help and fell in love.”
“Yeah.” He huffed. “She moved in right away, but we weren’t a couple until a few months later. I didn’t want to take advantage of her or anything.”
Seemed to Maggie like Amy had been the one taking advantage, but she didn’t say so.
“I’ve done it before. Helped women in need. I don’t try to get cheated on or dumped. But it happens. My family gets pissed at me for helping. My friends tell me to not be such a sucker. But I can’t help it. I want to help.”
She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Is that what it is with me?”
He shot her a shocked glance. “Hell, no. You’re the prickliest, most independent woman I’ve ever met. Well, except for my sisters, but they don’t count. You won’t let me buy you anything, and you don’t need me for anything but Frank. And even on that note, you’ll figure things out. No, you are definitely no Amy.”
“Okay, good.” Still, a hint of doubt remained.
“Besides, my dad and sisters like you. So do the guys.” He paused. “But I can’t lie. Seeing you cave to Stephen has me seeing flashbacks of Amy all over again.”
