Page 46 of Faking With You

“Thank you,” he whispers against my skin as he lowers me to the bed.

“I’ll eat with you,” I say, trying to force myself to stay awake.

Small puffs of air brush my forehead as he laughs softly. “No need, love. Get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

He tucks the blankets under my chin before placing a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m sure. Go back to sleep.”

I hover between being asleep and awake, pulling the blankets closer to me as I bury myself deeper into the bed. It’s not until Mac joins me, his arm wrapped around me and pulling me close as his lips dust over my temple whispering words I can’t quite make out, that I’m falling asleep again.

I dream of him. But not in the present, in the future. The hair at his temples is now grey, and the wrinkles around his eyes are more pronounced. He’s sitting on a bench in a park as I watch him, but he doesn’t see me. He’s staring out into the distance, and it isn’t until his smile starts to grow that I realize what he’s looking at.

A little girl with long brown hair comes running towards him. “Daddy, did you see? Mommy sent me real high on the swing.”

He picks the little girl up and places her on his leg as he smiles at her, kissing her cheek and causing her to giggle. “I did see, and did you have fun?”

“So much fun, Daddy. Can you send me super high now?”

He smiles up at a woman. I can’t make out any of her features; the sun is too bright and makes her look like a shadow. Mac’s eyes shine as he stares up at her.

“Is Mommy done making you go high?”

When the woman speaks, I note she has a Canadian accent, but that’s all I can tell about it. I can’t pinpoint if it’s familiar, but I do note the reaction it gives me. My stomach tightens and turns as Mac looks at her with love shining in his eyes, their little girl perched on his lap.

“I think I can pass along those duties,” she says.

Mac pinches the little girl’s sides as he kisses her cheek and stands.

They make their way to the swings, and I watch them. So relaxed spending a day in the park together.

“Do you have any of your own?” the woman asks, appearing at my side. I can’t look over for some reason, unable to take my eyes off Mac and the little girl.

“No.”

I can hear the smile in her voice as she says, “Children really are a blessing. Do you want any of your own?”

I open my mouth to answer, but I'm unsure of what to say because I’m not sure I’ve actually made that decision yet. When words seem to find the tip of my tongue as though I’ve made a decision before my brain can process it, I’m pulled from sleep by the blaring of my alarm.

CHAPTER 34

Mac

I’m finding leaving Eliza every day difficult. I’ve woken up most mornings with her head resting on my chest and her leg over mine as though she’s willing me not to leave the bed. I’ve started setting my alarm for ten minutes earlier than needed so I can lie in bed and just watch her. To soak in this time I have with her. I hate that my father has me in the office late every day. By the time I get back to the flat, Eliza has made dinner and left me a portion and has passed out on the couch. I carry her to bed, placing soft kisses on her lips each time, needing some connection to her before I heat up the food and eat. She’s an amazing cook, I just wish I could enjoy these meals with her. Instead I’m leaving her here alone in this flat while I’m stuck in the office. I just hope that she’s been venturing out while I’ve been gone. The thought of her sitting her all by herself tugs at my heart.

Every night when I climb into bed and pull her close, she lets out a content little sigh that has me wondering if maybe she’s starting to feel more the same way I am. I don’t like the thoughtof going back to Vancouver and sleeping in separate beds, let alone separate flats.

I’m in a meeting when my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it’s a text from Eliza. The smile that hits my face is instant.

Eliza

I’ve booked us something for Sunday.

Mac

Consider my curiosity piqued.

Eliza