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Chapter 17
Dally
“You getting excited about going to Paris?” I ask Maisie as I take a bite of my burger that I had delivered to my office. Maisie and the food arrived at the same time. I knew exactly what she would want without having to ask her. We were roommates for most of our college days. There isn’t a lot we don’t know about each other. We learned to lean on one another during those days. Our bond continued even into adulthood. Her family back then was basically absent from her life. All of that family drama changed once her wife Star entered the picture. There is nothing that she wouldn’t do for Maisie and I’m pretty sure she strong-armed her family somehow since they suddenly became more active in her life. The Castiles are more her family than anyone. I am lucky to be surrounded by good people. Maisie is one of those friends that you hold on to. She is always there through thick and thin. She is loyal and trustworthy. She’s pretty much the best.
I’m happy with the friendships that I’ve made and kept over the years. The Castiles have become a part of that too. Through Maisie, I’ve found a makeshift family in them. Although Maisie’s family may not be around a ton, mine were missing in action. I can’t remember the last time my mom even bothered to call me. I don’t try and call her anymore. I always wind up disappointed so now I don’t even make the effort. It’s always the same story with her, one new number after another. I just wait for her to pop up randomly without a call. It’s been awhile so I’m sure she’ll pop up one of these days. I wish I had a mom like Luna. Someone that I could confide in and ask questions. Someone that could give me advice when it came to Mack. Don’t get me wrong, girlfriends are great but sometimes you need your mom.
“Of course. I love it there.” Star goes at least once a year to put on an exhibit. She and Maisie always stay for a few weeks. Last time I think they ended up there for a month. I love that she gets to do that. Maisie was always adrift until Star came along. They are good together. I’ll never tell her this but I hate it when she’s gone for any length of time. It’s hard not seeing her for that long. She is the closest thing I have to family. We normally meet up at least once a week for lunch or dinner. It has been a few weeks since we’ve gotten a chance with everything that has gone down. Mack is still healing. He is pretty much a hundred percent now but he is milking it. He thinks he’s pulling the wool over my eyes but I’m on to him.
“I thought we’d eat over at Mack’s for dinner tonight but lunch is fine,” she says. Her burger sits untouched as she wiggles in her seat. She’s fishing for information. I shrug, trying to play it cool. I want to spill everything about Mack and me but I’m not sure what to share. Is this still a fling? Do people say I love you during flings? Maybe we are the exception to the rule because we do love each other. We always have on some level before this even started. Above all else we are friends.
“I don’t live there,” I remind her. I thought lunch at the office would be best. I didn’t have to worry about messing with any lines. I know technically she’s Mack’s sister-in-law but I just can’t invite people over to his house. I’m not sure why I’m even staying there still. He doesn’t need someone to take care of him anymore. In fact, tonight I’ll probably stay home. My stomach turns at the idea of not crawling into bed with him before I go to sleep. I’ve grown used to his cuddling. Sleeping will never be the same again.
“You guys were awfully handsy at family dinner the other night.” This is true. Mack was all over me. He is starting to remind me of his father. I always laugh at how his parents are together. I think it’s adorable. I just never thought about being on the receiving end of something like that. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of myself being in any kind of relationship, to be honest. For years all of my fantasies have been about Mack. There wasn’t a drive to have sex with anyone else so I ignored it. I went about my life and focused all of my time and energy on starting my company.
“He was only using me as a buffer so everyone would leave him alone.” Everyone is still on high alert. It was the first family dinner since everything went down. Every person at that table was asking questions and wanting to hug on Mack. He put me in his lap and didn’t move, trying to use me as a shield against his own family. It is actually a little funny, now that I think back on it. No one looked shocked to see me in Mack’s lap. You would think that it’s a normal everyday occurrence. It’s almost as if they expected it. I’m going to say they were all still recovering from him being shot to think about why he was all over me.
