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DILLON
Over the last few days, Macy had been walking around, seeming as unable to settle into herself as she had been before we’d taken that fateful hike that had completely changed the dynamic between us. I couldn’t tell whether it was entirely due to her on-and-off sickness or just the fact that she really missed her mom, since she told me that she really wanted to talk to her and I’d advised against it.
I’d asked her a few times if there was anything I could do to help her feel better, and every time, she’d told me that there was nothing—that she was just feeling off and she just needed to wait for it to pass. I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps her cabin fever might’ve been building up again, and I needed to relieve the stress.
That morning, she was flitting around the kitchen, seemingly unable to sit down for a second. Her inability to relax was making me feel unsettled, and I felt like if I could just get her to calm down for a second, then things might feel better.
“You sure you should have another cup of coffee, Macy?” I asked, looking over at her.
“I couldn’t really sleep last night,” she said, filling the mug to the brim with fresh hot coffee. Knowing how strong Macy made the coffee, she would probably be bouncing off the walls for the rest of the morning.
I got up from my desk and went over to where she was standing at the counter, setting my hand on her shoulder. “I’m gonna head into town right now. Do you need anything?”
She shook her head, keeping her hands clenched. I could feel the tension throughout her back as I ran my hands over her shoulders.
“I don’t need anything. Thanks, though.” She looked up at me, and when she raised her eyebrow, I knew she meant trouble. “I might read on the porch. If that gives you a conniption, you might want to consider finding some restraints.”
I blinked. We’d become accustomed to ragging on each other a lot, but she hadn’t been as salty as this for a while. I needed to find a way to cut through it.
“Macy, the only way I’ll ever restrain you is if you ask me to. Alright?”
I knew it was the right thing to say by the way the color started rising in her cheeks, and when she bit her lip and looked down, I felt satisfied that we were in a better place with each other than we had been. And it had been a gamble since I knew what she’d been through with Alex.
But… when that light appeared in her eyes, I couldn’t help grinning back at her.
“I’m not going to tell you to do anything, but I’ll leave my second cell phone with you, and I’m letting you know that I’ll check in on the cameras that I have trained on the outside of the house. Is that okay with you?”
She nodded. “Fine. I’ll agree to that.”
I reached down and kissed her, quickly but deeply, and was satisfied when I felt her mouth open under mine. She moaned a little bit, reaching around to clutch my arm. I pulled away, feeling good when she chased my mouth with hers.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said, pressing her to me once more before heading out.
Alex was nowhere to be found in town that day, in spite of the fact that I drove everywhere I could think of to look for him. Maybe he’d finally given up and moved on. But I didn’t think that was the case. I had a bad feeling about the fact that I couldn’t find him, but I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I was anxious to get back home, particularly now that Macy had outright told me that she would be spending time outside today.
Honestly, she had a point about me being controlling, and I knew I couldn’t be hounding her all the time. The only real power I had was the power she’d given me by allowing me to help her, and I wasn’t interested in abusing the privilege, unlike the scumbag who’d broken her trust.
And yet, none of that changed the fact that my awareness of her was heightened to a degree I’d never experienced in my life. Not only did I want to be able to protect her, but I wanted her to think of me as worthy of protecting her.
As I hit all of the usual stops throughout town where I’d gotten used to seeing Alex, I decided I should text Hank to keep an eye out for him. I made my last stop at the grocery store, picking up a few things to take back home with me before heading back.
When I got home, I was relieved to see that Macy had gone inside and was walking around the kitchen, evidently not having been able to relax. I shook my head, grinning, as I walked inside with the bags from the store. She turned around to see me, giving me a tight smile, and I went over to wrap my arms around her.
“You doing, okay?” I asked, looking down at her.
She nodded. “Just restless, I guess.”
I nodded. “Well, I have an idea for something we could do that might cut through that.”
“What’s that?”
I grinned. “How about you let me take you out on a date?”
* * *
Looking at Macy’s relaxed face in the sunlight made the risk completely worth it, and the flashes of light playing over her hair, turning it rosy and ruby and maple-colored, had me hypnotized. She reached down to the picnic basket and pulled out a slice of bread, spreading a layer of the creamy cheese over it and laying a slice of salami over that. She’d looked shocked when I’d asked her on a date, but when I told her what we were doing, her answering smile had been enough to light up the entire town of Singer’s Ridge.
“How did you find this spot?” she asked, gesturing out over the view in front of us. We were at a little overlook about half a mile from the cabin, shaded in by trees that were so overhung with moss it looked like they had their own hairdos.
