"G.o.d, they seem just like us." Jake sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah."

"You ever think about having kids?"

Cain stopped playing. He glanced at Jake and set the guitar down once more. To say he was surprised at the turn in conversation would have been an understatement.

"No, never." He scratched the stubble along his jaw. "Natasha wanted one before the ink had dried on our marriage license, but I was dead set against it." He kept his eyes on the boys. "G.o.d, if we'd had a child together, it would have been a disaster." He eyed his friend closely. "You?"

Jake's face was hard. "Nah. That's one h.e.l.l of a commitment, which is why..."

"Why what?" Something was up. "What the h.e.l.l's going on, Jake?"

Jake scowled. "Raine wants to have a kid."

"A kid." Cain let that settle a bit. This was serious s.h.i.t.

"A G.o.dd.a.m.n kid." Jake shook his head. "She's clearly nuts."

Cain couldn't lie. He was shocked. "Raine wants a baby? With who?"

Jake ignored his question. "The girl can't even look after a f.u.c.king cat. How the h.e.l.l is she going to raise a kid on her own?"

"Back the truck up." Cain swung his legs over the side of his chair. "Who the h.e.l.l is she having a kid with?"

"Jesse."

Cain was dumbfounded and confused.

"Jesse froze his junk before we shipped out last time. It's all he talked about"-he snorted-"having a kid with Raine. He made me promise that if anything happened to him, I'd look after her." Jake shook his head. "It's like he knew he wasn't coming back, and he just dumped this c.r.a.p on me anyway."

"s.h.i.t." Cain didn't know what else to say.

"Exactly." Jake exhaled, his eyes still on the boys.

"Is that why you're not going back to Afghanistan?"

Something changed then. The energy around his friend darkened. Jake's hands were clenched, his body no longer relaxed. The eyes that turned to Cain were flat-emotionless.

"I'm not going back because I'd be a detriment to my unit. The s.h.i.t that happens over there, it changes you. Makes you crazy. Do stupid things."

Cain didn't push it. He wasn't clear on the circ.u.mstance surrounding Jesse's death. All he knew was what Mac had confided. That Jake had witnessed Jesse's death, but that was about it. His friend was in a dark place, and considering his feelings for Raine, he wasn't hopeful Jake would snap out of it anytime soon.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked instead.

The boys ran along the beach like crazy people, their hands weapons as they pretended to shoot each other. Michael glanced over, and the smile on the kid's face did something to Cain. His chest swelled with an emotion that was becoming a little too familiar. It was warm and fuzzy and protective all at once.

s.h.i.t. This must be some of that consequence Jake was talking about.

"I gotta do something. All this downtime is driving me crazy. Too much time to think." He paused and then muttered, "Too much time to remember." Jake looked out over the lake. "I'm thinking of diving into the construction project for the new football field and stadium. They want a state-of-the-art facility, and Dad's company won the bid." He shrugged. "I've always been a hands-on kind of guy. Mac might be on board to design the thing."

"That's not what I meant."

Jake glanced his way, his eyes narrowed, his mouth tight. "I didn't think so," he said drily. "I don't know what I'm going to do about Raine. She's stubborn as h.e.l.l, and personally I think she's crazy to even consider having a baby on her own." His eyes darkened, and a bleak look crept into his features. "I don't know if I can be the one to be there for her."

Why the h.e.l.l would Jesse put that on his brother? He had to have known Jake's feelings for Raine ran deep. Or maybe that was the reason.

"What about you?" Jake asked, the heaviness of the moment gone. It was eerie how the man could switch gears so quickly. "You gonna tell me what the h.e.l.l Barcelona was about?" Jake stared at him expectantly. Cain saw no reason to sugarcoat.

"Blake was f.u.c.king Natasha."

"s.h.i.t, that's low."

"Yeah."

"You should have given him the boot after decking him."

Cain leaned back. "Agreed." He paused. "She called a few hours ago-Nat."

"What did she want?"

Cain shook his head, still surprised as h.e.l.l himself. "Said she'd made a mistake about Blake and the divorce. All of it. According to her, I should give her a second chance, 'cause apparently we're soulmates, she just didn't know it till now."

Jake grimaced. "I hope you told her where to go."

"I did."

"Good. So what are your plans?"

Plans. The future. Cain had no clue.

"I'm here at least until after the Fourth of July. Not due back in the studio until the fall."

"So, you're heading back to LA after the big"-Jake made quotation marks with his fingers-"stadium show?"

Cain's thoughts turned to Maggie. Was he? Could he leave just like that? Did he even want to? The idea left him more than a little unsettled.

"I'm not sure what my plans are. I need to get some new material written or..." He ran fingers along his temple and sighed.

"Or what?"

"I'm screwed...the band is screwed."

Jake grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. "Well, you better get your a.s.s in gear and get writing."

If only it were that easy.

"Cain! Look what I found." They both turned as Michael came running up the beach, a large ba.s.s dangling from his hand. The little guy stopped inches from them, his small chest heaving and his face flush with excitement. He pushed wet curls from his face with his free hand and shoved his prize up high. "Look how big it is! I never saw a fish like this. What kind is it?"

"Dude, that would be a dead fish." Jake chuckled.

Michael frowned, wrinkled his nose, and giggled. "I know its dead. It stinks worse than Shelby when she's wet."

"Who's Shelby?" Jake teased. "I sure hope that's not your girlfriend."

"Nope." He giggled. "I like Kristen Blake. Shelby is Luke's dog," Michael answered.

"Who's Luke?"

"Jansen. He's Maggie's neighbor." Cain offered.

Jake's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Jansen...fullback Jansen from football?"

"That'd be the one."

"He's a paramedic, and he gets to drive a big red and white truck." Michael inserted. "He likes my mom."

"Really?" Jake's smile was now wide.

"Yep, but I don't think she wants him to be her boyfriend. She likes Cain." The kid grinned shyly.

Jake snorted, but Cain ignored him. "It's a ba.s.s, Michael."

"It's really cool." Michael waved its scaly hide in the air. The dead eyes looked like round black b.u.t.tons that had been dried out. "Bigger than the ones we caught the other day."

"Maybe we should toss it up into the bush." Cain tried to hide his grin but wasn't totally successful.

"Sure." Michael yelled to his friend, "Tommy, we got a mission!"

Cain watched the two boys scamper off toward trees that surrounded the cottage and picked up his guitar once more. His fingers ran along the strings, picking out an upbeat melody. The acoustic sang beneath his touch, and he changed the rhythm slightly, incorporating a bluesy feel with some heavy fills.

"That something new?"

He nodded. "Yeah, been working on it for few days."

Jake sat back into his chair. "Sounds good, so what's the issue?"

"I've always been the melody guy, ya know? I just...I don't do lyrics."

"You've got to suck it up and focus." Jake's voice was matter-of-fact.

"Yeah."

"You'll get it done."

The two of them settled into a certain kind of silence that only they could enjoy. It was full of ease and a comfort that had been years in the making.

Cain grabbed some snacks and watched the two young boys indulge to the point he knew he'd be in trouble. He somehow doubted Maggie would be impressed with the chips and soda he'd provided.

Mac rolled in around three thirty, and Cain jumped up. He wanted to pick up Maggie when she was done at work. She'd be finished around four, and he intended to get there before she hopped the bus.

He pulled a T-shirt over his head and slipped into a pair of sandals. The woman had been stubborn this morning, insisting she'd take the bus as always-refusing a ride-but he was determined she ride home in style.

She was at Rebecca's, and he knew exactly where the house was located. According to Jake, she and Bradley Hayes had bought the house at the end of Maple Avenue. It had once belonged to the mayor of Crystal Lake and in its day had been a real showpiece. He was quite sure with Hayes's family money it had been restored to its original splendor.

His mouth tightened at the thought of Maggie working for Bradley Hayes. He'd always been a d.i.c.khead, and his wife, Rebecca Stringer, was a grade-A b.i.t.c.h. He didn't want to think about the abuse Maggie sucked up in order to survive. She was right. He couldn't relate to her day-to-day life.

His gaze wandered to Michael. Years ago, if someone got in his face, he'd told them off and moved on. End of story. There was no groveling, no sucking up in order to make some cash.

A sobering thought, that. He wasn't sure he was a big enough person to deal with some of the c.r.a.p she did.

"I'm off to grab Maggie. You guys watch the boys till I'm back?"

Mac saluted him. "Sure can do."

"Not me, I'm outta here." Jake stood and stretched out his legs. "I feel like I've been standing still for days. I'm gonna hit the gym, burn off some energy. What are you guys doing later? Thought I'd swing by the Coach House. Ran into Salvatore the other day, and he said Texas Willie's in town."

"Texas Willie?" Cain laughed. "Tell me how it's possible that son of a b.i.t.c.h is still alive."

Jake shook his head. "I have no clue. I'm sure his brain is fried, though it hasn't affected his guitar playing any." He shrugged. "According to Sal."

"I'm in." Mac threw a football toward the water. "Let's play fetch, boys." Michael and Tommy took off at a run, their legs and arms pumping hard.

Cain started toward his truck. "You guys mind if I bring Maggie?" He didn't wait around to hear their answer. He didn't care. Texas Willie, his buddies, and his girl. Sounded pretty d.a.m.n good to him.

Fifteen minutes later he pulled up to Rebecca Hayes's house and cut the engine. The driveway was a fair size for in town, with majestic oak trees lining either side, providing enough shade to keep the blacktop as dark as the day it had been paved. He supposed the leaves were a b.i.t.c.h in the fall, but that was a small sacrifice.

He took a moment to savor the place. The grandiose style had been refurbished to suit the period in which it was built, the late 1800s, and Cain would give credit where it was due. Bradley had done a great job. It was one of the oldest homes in Crystal Lake, and when he was a teen, it had been an abandoned wreck-a flophouse for drunken parties and the go-to place to bring your girlfriend for s.e.x. Well, that and the Wyndham place.

He exited his truck and glanced around. There was some new money on the street. Most of the homes were in great shape, and he noticed a lot of minivans and SUVs in the driveways. The sound of children's laughter echoed from someone's backyard.

It was...nice.

He turned. A brightly colored ball rolled toward him with a little girl fast behind it. He scooped it up and threw it to her.

"Thanks." With a quick smile she darted back to where she'd come from.

A male voice cut through the gentle quiet, and he turned back toward the house. Bradley was walking down the drive toward him, waving furiously, as if they were long-lost buddies. Cain gritted his teeth and nodded to him as he moved up the drive.

"Cain! What the h.e.l.l? This is a surprise. Come in for a beer." Hayes was dressed in swim trunks and nothing else. His ruddy complexion was in dire need of sunblock, and sweat beaded his forehead. He'd grown soft, his body reflective of a life of leisure. Bradley looked just like his father, down to the slightly thinning hair and accompanying paunch. "Rebecca didn't say anything about you swinging by."

"I'm good, thanks, and Rebecca didn't know." Cain nodded toward the house. "Is Maggie done?"

Surprise crossed the man's face but was gone just as quick. His eyes narrowed slightly, and Cain didn't care for the calculating look that crept into them. A slow grin spread across his face. "So it's true." He laughed and shook his head. "Didn't doubt it for a minute."

"Sorry?" Cain's eyes narrowed. He knew what was coming even before the words left Bradley's mouth.

"Dude, you're banging the maid."