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Mac set down his dessert spoon and regarded her thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier, about your wedding to David.”
“Oh?” Kelsey took a sip of wine.
“If we’re going to do this—actually be married, I mean—perhaps we should have a proper wedding at some point. For Noah’s sake, and for appearances.”
The suggestion startled her. “You mean beyond what we did today?”
“Something more planned,” Mac clarified. “Something Noah can be part of. On the island, over the summer. We could invite friends, make it a real celebration.”
The image was unexpectedly appealing—standing with Mac and Noah on the beach, surrounded by people they cared about, making promises they intended to keep. But it also felt dangerous, like a step beyond their current arrangement into something more meaningful.
“That’s… thoughtful,” she said carefully. “But don’t you think it might confuse Noah? And complicate things when…” She trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence.
When you leave. When this ends. When we go back to being whatever we were before.
Mac’s expression shuttered slightly. “Just a thought.” He stood and gathered their empty plates. “No need to decide anything now.”
Kelsey felt a pang of regret at having dampened his enthusiasm. “It’s not that I’m opposed to the idea,” she tried to explain. “It’s just—”
“Complicated,” he finished for her. “I know. This whole situation is complicated.”
He moved to the entertainment system, tapping at a screen until soft music filled the room. The melodic strains of an old standard—Ella Fitzgerald—created a cocoon of warmth around them.
Mac extended his hand to her. “Dance with me?”
“What?” Kelsey blinked in surprise.
“Dance with me,” he repeated. “We didn’t have a first dance at our wedding.”
The gesture was so unexpected, so disarmingly sweet, that Kelsey found herself rising from her chair and stepping into his arms without further thought. Mac’s hand settled at the small of her back, the other clasping hers, holding it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm, steady and strong.
They swayed together. The city lights twinkled beyond the windows as Ella sang about stars falling on Alabama. Kelsey allowed herself to relax into Mac’s embrace, her head finding a natural resting place against his shoulder.
“This is nice,” she murmured, and breathed in the scent of him—expensive cologne layered over something distinctly Mac.
“Mmm,” he agreed, his chest rumbling beneath her cheek.
The song shifted to something slower, more intimate. Mac drew her closer, his hand splaying across her back. They weren’t so much dancing now as holding each other and swaying gently to the music.
“Kelsey,” Mac said, his voice low near her ear. “I know this isn’t how either of us planned things, but I want you to know—I’m not sorry we did this.”
She lifted her head to find his gaze intent on hers. “Neither am I,” she admitted. “Not if it brings Noah home.”
“Not just for Noah,” Mac said, eyes darkening. His hand moved to cup her cheek, and his thumb brushed across her lower lip. “For this too.”
He leaned down, closing the distance between them with deliberate slowness. It gave her every opportunity to pull away. But Kelsey found herself rising to meet him, her lips parting as they connected with his.
The kiss was different from their previous ones, at the fireworks and then at their wedding. Mac’s hand cradled her face as if she were something precious. His touch was gentle but confident. Kelsey sighed against his mouth, her arms winding around his neck, drawing him closer.
When they separated, both slightly breathless, Mac rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the day we met.” His voice was rough. “That day at the wreck when you changed your blouse in the truck. I’ve thought about that every day since.”
“Why didn’t you?” Kelsey asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.” His thumb traced the curve of her cheek. “If this was just business for you.”
Kelsey shook her head slightly. “It’s not just business. It’s complicated. I mean Mac, we just started dating, if that’s even what you want to call it… but it’s not just business.”
That seemed to be all the confirmation Mac needed. He kissed her again, deeper this time, one hand tangling in her hair as the other drew her flush against him. Kelsey responded in kind, her fingers finding the hem of his shirt, slipping beneath to touch warm skin.
