Brock: A Bad Boy Romance by Amy Kyle Page A

walk away and ever live with himself.  It would be too much on what already weighed deeply on his soul.
                  “What is your name?”  He asked her.  Finally bringing his mind around enough that he could focus on the reality of what was in front of him.
                  “Mackenzie, Mac for short.”  She said.
    Derrick studied Mac a bit closer.  He still saw a little bit of fear in her eyes, but not near as much, now that they were inside.    “That’s an odd nickname for a girl.”
                  “I grew up with three brothers and they treated me like a boy too.  So needless to say they gave me a boy’s name.  It stuck through the years, and I’m so used to it I never changed it.
                  “Why were you out on the road?”  Derrick asked, trying to not push her too quickly. Hoping he could learn enough about her that he would know he was making the right choice.
    She looked down for a second, he knew that look, it was the one where you were trying to consider what parts of a story to share, and what to hold back.  He watched her take a deep breath, and look up.  It had been his turn to study, he knew how to read people well, he had always known, but had gotten much better at it in these past years.
                  “I wanted too much from him.  He wasn’t willing to give it, he’s a bad man.  He really is, but I thought I could change him.  I should have listened, should have stopped pushing.  But I didn’t learn.  It was too much, too far, and he had enough of me.”  Mac said her eyes glazed over; Derrick was sure she was reliving the event.
                  “But why did he leave you on the road?”  Derrick asked. 
                  “I told him I wanted to get married.  If he didn’t marry me I was done with him.  I couldn’t do it anymore.”  Mac sighed.
    Derrick looked down, anger flooded his body.  “That’s not a reason to leave you in the rain.”
                  “He’s not a good man.  I already said that.  I knew it for many months now.  But I thought I could change him.”  Mac stated.  “But I guess it’s true you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
                  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know what to say.”  Derrick stated honestly.  He was never one who had lied much in the past.  So he found it difficult to know what to say to this young girl right now. 
                  Mac began sobbing suddenly.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do.  Where will I go?  I have nothing left.”  She looked down at her hands, which she clinched, open and shut repeatedly.
    Derrick took a deep breath in; he wasn’t sure what to do.  He could offer her pass with him on his bike?  But he didn’t need to invite another person into his life.  He did so much better alone.  His life wasn’t something that was normal.  He never stayed in one place for too long.
    He looked up at Mac and she was still crying her tears flowing down her cheeks.  It broke his heart to see those tears, even though he didn’t know her.  But she really looked so helpless, so small, so scared at that second.
                  “I guess you could go along with me for a bit.  Decide somewhere you want to go and stay there.  That’s really all I can offer.”  Derrick stated, trying to make it sound like a bad decision for her to make.  After all, if she was the one who refused, he wasn’t to blame from there.  He had offered, and she had declined.  That would soothe his soul a bit for the moment.
                  “Really, but you don’t know me.”  Mac said, her eyes showing a glimmer of hope.
                  “Yes.”  Derrick said slowly.  Wishing he could just take the offer back.  But the truth of the matter was deep inside he was too soft.  Always had been especially when it came to the