Page 110 of Forever Enough
Lynn laughed. “I said yes! I didn’t even need to think about it.”
“And we were married three days later by a justice of the peace, and Lynn headed out on the road with me and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.”
Jessie leaned down and kissed his wife’s lips.
“And it keeps spinning out of control,” Lynn said as she rested her hand on the slight swell of her stomach. “We’re expecting our first baby.”
I reached for Lynn’s hand as I said, “Congratulations.”
Mackenzie let out a small squeal. “How exciting for you! Congratulations to you both!”
“Thank you so much,” they both said at the same time.
“It’s going to be a challenge, no doubt about it, but I want to travel as much as I can with Jessie, even after the baby is born,” Lynn said before she turned to Mackenzie. “Lots of wives travel with their husbands. Don’t let anyone fill your head that they’re all out partying and hooking up with buckle bunnies.”
Mackenzie pressed her mouth together and nodded. Little did Lynn know, we wouldn’t have to deal with any of that.
The elevator doors opened, and the four of us walked out. Jessie and I fell into a conversation about tomorrow’s championship, while Lynn was telling Mackenzie something about her morning sickness that lasted all day.
Right before we entered the restaurant, I heard someone yell out Mackenzie’s name, and she suddenly stopped, jerking me back.
I turned to see her frozen in place, her face white as a ghost. I reached for her hands and leaned down to look into her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard before she whispered, “It’s him.”
“Who?” I asked as I glanced up and looked around the lobby.
Her entire body started to shake. “My stepfather.”
My blood instantly boiled as I searched the busy area. Seeing a couple striding toward us, I frowned. The man was maybe in his late forties, built, with slightly graying hair. The woman next to him caused my breath to catch in my chest. She was an older version of Mackenzie. The first thing I noticed was the expression on her face.
Where the man wore a look of anger…she wore a look of absolute fear.
“Mackenzie,” the man said again as he drew closer. When he tried to reach for her arm to pull her toward him, I stepped between them.
“May I help you with something?” I asked. I felt Jessie move in next to me.
“This has nothing to do with you, cowboy. This has to do with me and my daughter.”
Mackenzie glared at the man. “I am not your daughter,” she said, her voice low. “What are you even doing here? How did you know I was here?”
The man shot daggers at Mackenzie as he spoke. “You poisoned your sister against us, and she wasn’t taking your mother’s calls. We flew up to New York earlier this morning because we had a feeling something sneaky was going on. We followed Emily to this fancy hotel. I see you’re spending your money foolishly, just like I said you would.”
Mackenzie took a step toward him, and I wanted to pull her back, but I kept my feet firmly in place. “You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do with the money my father left for me.”
“It belongs to your mother!” he shouted.
People started to look our way.
“Maybe now isn’t the time, George,” the woman, Mackenzie’s mother Anna, said quietly. She placed her hand on his arm, and he jerked it away, causing her to flinch back. Mackenzie made a small move forward, then stopped.
Clearing her throat, she spoke in a calm voice. “George, Mom, I need you both to leave now before you cause a scene. Have you forgotten about the restraining order?”
“You don’t talk to me that way!” George lunged forward so fast, no one saw him coming. He grabbed Mackenzie and pushed her hard, making her stumble to the floor. A voice from somewhere behind screamed out for someone to call the police.
Rage instantly filled my entire body. I grabbed George and quickly had him up against the wall, my arm over his neck. How would he like being choked?
“You don’t ever touch or talk to her again, motherfucker.”