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Strangely, a thrill of exhilaration shot through me when that thought should’ve scared the shit out of me. Because Macy was beautiful, complicated, and—if I was being honest—a little bit broken. Plus, I hadn’t had that much dating experience and she was way out of my comfort zone.
Yet here I sat on her couch, and my number one desire was to protect her and make her happy.
Fuck.
That sounded really, really serious.
I sure as hell didn’t want to cause this beautiful woman any more pain. And she did have a valid point—how was this going to work? Would she consider California long-term? Would she be willing to leave Peachtree Grove? What about her sister? I certainly couldn’t see myself staying here—I had a career to get back to and soon. Plus, my mom would have an absolute fit. She’d raced out of Peachtree Grove as soon as my dad died, hell-bent on giving us more “opportunity,” as she’d put it. I doubted she’d be too thrilled about me moving back here, even to help out family.
My head whirled with these questions, blood whooshing loudly in my ears. Zero percent of my attention was on the movie as my heart raced with future possibilities. A week ago, Macy and I were strangers, and now I couldn’t see my life without her in it.
Macy’s light, melodic giggle caught me off guard, pulling me back to reality as she leaned her head on my shoulder, snuggling into me. I pulled her closer, dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head, breathing in her sweet, citrusy scent. A flush of warm contentment washed over me as Macy laced her fingers with mine, her body curled up against my chest, our breathing in sync.
Macy was one-hundred percent perfect for me. Deep down I knew it, surer about her than I’d been about most things in my life.
The word ‘love’ bubbled up in my throat, hovering just on my lips. Which was totally crazy, but felt so, so right.
“What? You guys started without me?” Everly’s strong voice cut through the darkness, shattering our perfect moment. Macy sprang away from me faster than a jackrabbit on speed, moving to the complete opposite end of the couch.
Everly slammed the door behind her, then stared at us. First, she glanced at Macy, then at me, then back again at Macy, her eyes narrowed. Even in the dim light from the television, Macy’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson as Everly chewed her bottom lip, hands on hips, sizing up the situation.
“Hold up. Are you two, like, together?” Her head swiveled back and forth almost comically, her lips pressed together in a tight, thin line. The movie rolled on in the background and I focused on the screen for the first time all night, skillfully avoiding Everly’s accusatory glare.
“Uh...” Macy paused, pulling one knee to her chest.
I stayed silent, figuring it best to stay out of the sisterly confrontation. I desperately wanted Macy to say ‘yes,’ to acknowledge the relationship out loud, but didn’t want to push her into anything she wasn’t ready for.
Everly opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, closely resembling a guppy on land. Macy sat perfectly still, and I avoided eye contact, my gut clenching as the silence dragged on.
Well, this was awkward.
I cut my eyes at Macy, trying to gauge her feelings. She’d be really great at poker because her face gave away absolutely nothing.
She sat up straighter, rolling her shoulders back. “Yeah, we are. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I’d planned on it, but then Betsy called and you ran out...” Her voice trailed off, but she held her head high, her posture perfectly straight.
She was so damn sexy. I wanted to scoop her up right then and there, whisk her away to my apartment, and try for a more successful round two. Heat surged in my pants, my cock throbbing, oblivious to his bad timing.
“Rude,” Everly scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.
Macy shrugged and Everly threw her bag down on the floor, squeezing in next to her sister at the end of the couch. Macy shifted over, making room for Everly, moving back to my side. She nestled against me, taking up the exact same spot she’d been in before, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Crisis averted.
At least we had approval from one side of the family. And I knew where I stood with Macy, so a double-win for me. We still had more challenges ahead of us, that was for sure, but for now, I was taking the ‘W.’
12
MACY
“Order up for table six!” Stanley slid the plate of scrambled eggs towards me, along with a side of corned beef hash, and I balanced the food on my tray, praying I wouldn’t drop anything. I’d only had a few hours of sleep, thanks to movie night with Liam, and I really felt it now.
“You working a double shift today?” Annabelle asked as I stifled a yawn.
“Not today,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m working at the Rowdy tonight, though.”
“You better get some rest then. You look rough.”
“Gee, thanks, Annabelle. Just what I wanted to hear.” I squeezed past her with my tray, heading across the diner.
