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“I see, but maybe you shouldn’t make such a risky decision. What if…you decide you don’t like the new house and want to go back to the old house but the house isn’t there anymore? And instead of saying, ‘oh I don’t like this new house’ you feel stuck with it because you don’t have any options anymore.”
I stop and grab Dally by the shoulders. Her eyes are fixated on my chest. I place a finger under her chin and gently nudge her head up until I can see her face. There’s concern with hurt curling in on the sides.
“What’s going on, darling?”
A tear slips out of her eye. I swipe it away with my thumb. “Darling, darling, what is happening?” My own heartrate picks up.
“Why now, Mack? Why after all these years have you suddenly decided that I’m good enough for your bed and how long is that going to last?”
“Why what?” I nearly fall back in surprise.
“I don’t want to be the house you choose because there aren’t other properties on the market or you think that this house is the one you should own because everyone else around you thinks it’s a pretty house.” The tears are coming faster, running over my thumbs and down the back of my hands. My throat starts to ache.
“Darling, yours is the only house I want. I… didn’t we talk about this before?” And then it strikes me that we did not because I got shot and after that, we decided we wouldn’t waste any more time and the explanations for my past behavior just slid right out of my brain to make space for all the dirty thoughts I had about her. “Fuck me, I’m an idiot.” I crush her hard against my chest and clasp my hand around the back of her head. “I’ve always been madly in love with you, Dally, but I waited for you to give me a sign that you wanted my attention. I never wanted you to feel like you had to choose me because Star was with Maisie.”
She pushes away from my chest. “What are you talking about?”
I raise my hands. “Everyone was throwing us together and it seemed like you weren’t going to have a choice. Plus, whenever I kind of made a move, you seemed sort of scared so I just kept it cool. I’d decided that if all I could have was your friendship that would be enough.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you serious? You were always putting me in the friendzone. ‘Hey, Dally, let’s get some beers together and watch the new Avengers movie. I hear there’s good shots of Evans’ ass,’” she says, badly mimicking my lower voice.
My brows crash together. “You couldn’t stop talking about Chris Evans’ ass for a good two months. You sent me text messages of it saying that his ass was the real super power.”
“That was because—” she shoves a frustrated hand through her hair. “Because I didn’t want to get hurt and so it was easier to pretend like I didn’t like you than open myself up to be curb-stomped.”
“So you liked me all this time?”
“Yeah.”
“And we could’ve been together all this time?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. I kind of want to beat my own ass.” I take her hand and fold her fingers into a fist. “Maybe you should hit me now. It’ll make me feel better.”
She looks at the newly formed fist and then my face, as if weighing her options. I decide to not wait for her this time. Instead, I fall to one knee, still holding the fist and look up into Dally’s glittering eyes. “Dally, I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. But I was a dumb man. I’m still pretty dumb but I like to think I’ve evolved a tiny bit. Will you please do me the great honor of marrying me and making sure that I reach my full potential as a human being? I know I can’t do it without you.”
Chapter 19
Dally
My mouth hangs open in shock as I stare down at Mack, who’s on one knee proposing to me. More tears fill my eyes as his words sink in. My heart is full, knowing that he feels the same way about me as I do him.
“That’s not the reaction I was hoping for when I popped the question.” He tries to tease me but I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. It makes me wonder how many times I’ve missed it before. He’s been in love with me this whole time and I didn’t know it. All of that time wasted. We could have been enjoying life together for so many years. Unspoken words and feelings have prevented that. I won’t wait another second to let him know how I feel.
“It’s happy tears, I swear,” I get out. I sniffle. I’m sure I look a mess. Maisie has a way of crying that makes her look adorable but it’s not the same for me. I tend to full-on ugly cry. There is nothing cute about it in the least. The way Mack is looking at me, though, you’d think I am the most beautiful creature to ever have walked this planet. He pulls me down to him so I’m sitting in his lap. Neither of us care that we’re on the sidewalk. People passing by are surely giving us strange looks but I don’t give a crap. Mack has just told me he’s loved me for years. That he wants to get married. That I make him a better person. I want to show him that I feel all the same things for him.
