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afraid.
     
    * * *
     
    Maggie pulled into the driveway and eyed the blue van suspiciously. It was obviously brand new, the dealer invoice still stuck to the window, and she had absolutely no idea who it belonged to. Great, company, she frowned, climbing down from the truck. She was hot, tired, dirty and mentally exhausted; the last thing she wanted was conversation.
    Walking in the back door, she didn’t stop to remove her boots, but called out to the kids on her way through the house. Receiving no answer, she hurried toward the living room, the sound of the television drawing her. When she reached the doorway she stopped, taking in the scene. She knew why the kids hadn’t heard her. They were engrossed in a movie.
    The coffee table was covered with pizza boxes and sodas. Caitlin was firmly entrenched on Nick’s lap, and his shirt had several sauce stains on it that matched the mess on her face. Jason and Todd were on the floor, inches from the TV, something she didn’t allow. Absently, she did notice that everyone had their shoes off—a small concession given that almost every other house rule was being broken. She didn’t allow eating in the living room, no one had changed out of their school clothes, and not one coaster was in use. Great, she thought—at work and at home, I have no authority.
    Walking up to the couch, she finally spoke.
    “I’m home.”
    Three voices said “Shhh…” in unison and her hands came to her hips as Nick turned to look at her over the top of Caitie’s head.
    “Batman,” he whispered, sliding Caitie off his lap and standing up. His eyes registered her fatigue and grabbing one of the pizzas, he walked to her, motioning for her to go into the kitchen.
    Maggie turned and stomped away. His eyes had been incredibly gentle, and the sight of him and Caitlin snuggled up on the couch had softened her shamefully. After the day she’d had, she obviously couldn’t trust her emotions, so she forced herself to keep quiet until they were in the other room.
    Saying the first thing that came to mind, she looked him right in the eye.
    “There better not be pizza on my couch.”
    Nick almost laughed. He could sense how tense she was and controlled himself. Of all the things he’d expected her to complain about, that hadn’t been it. The fragile beauty in worn jeans and dusty boots never failed to surprise him, and he hid his grin.
    Maggie proceeded to the sink and washed her hands, trying to gather her thoughts. On a good day, Nick rattled her, but coming home on a bad one and finding him firmly ensconced with her kids was something else. Even with the sauce on his shirt he was sexy as hell. For some odd reason, what she really wanted to do was throw herself into the protection of his arms and tell him all about her terrible week.
    Jack’s face flashed into her mind. She shivered as Nick came up behind her.
    “Does my being here bother you that much?” he asked softly, his eyes dark with anguish. He’d tried to stay away until tomorrow, but the night had stretched long and bleak before him.
    Her whispered, “It’s not you,” had him instantly alert, and without thinking he spun her around so he could see her eyes. It was a mistake.
    “What’s wrong, Magpie?”
    The old endearment brought a grin to Maggie’s face; no one had called her that in years.
    “God, we’re old,” she told him, sliding out of his grasp and scrubbing at the tears.
    “Don’t change the subject,” he told her firmly, following her to the breakfast bar where she was helping herself to a slice of pizza. “This is more than your usual, ‘you’re a pain in the neck, Nick’ face. What’s going on?”
    Maggie chewed thoughtfully, almost tempted to tell him, but instead swung her feet up on the other stool and motioned to him with pleading eyes.
    Nick unlaced her boots, dropped them to the floor, and began to massage her feet as she sighed in ecstasy.
    “That feels heavenly,” she told him sighing between