Page 46 of Forever Enough
I was about to gently push her away when her cell phone rang. Mackenzie tore her mouth from mine and we both dragged in air.
“It’s my sister,” she said as she climbed off me and went to grab her phone. Drawing in a deep breath, she swept her finger across the screen. “Emily.”
I couldn’t help but smile. She sounded out of breath and her lips were swollen from our kiss.
“No, no, well, yes. I’m, well… I’m, you see…I’m…on a date.”
The sound of a woman screaming came through the phone, and I laughed. Mackenzie rolled her eyes and mouthed the word sorry to me.
“No, I’m not lying. We met yesterday. Yes, on Christmas, and we’ve had two dates…well, maybe it’s just one big, long date.”
I stood and made my way over to the table to start cleaning it off. Mackenzie covered the phone.
“No! I’ve got that.”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “You cook, I clean.”
Her eyes sparkled with desire. Did me cleaning a few dishes turn her on? I’d have to make a mental note of that.
“How have we had one long date? Um, well, Bradly took me out to lunch, then I got to see what he does for a living, and then I invited him over for dinner.”
I could barely hear the chattering of another woman as I busied myself rinsing a dish and putting it in the dishwasher.
“Yes, I made spaghetti.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I gave her a questioning look. She shrugged and whispered, “Okay, it’s all I really know how to make. Well, I can boil eggs. And make scrambled eggs. Oh, and French toast. No, I’m here, Em, I’m listening.”
She soon wandered off and into her bedroom. Her voice was muffled, and I was positive her sister had a million-and-one questions. I wasn’t sure if it would be rude to look through her cupboards for something to put the leftovers in, so I left the spaghetti and sauce in the pans and finished cleaning off the table. I saw where Kenzie got the plates from, so I opened that cabinet and found two smaller plates for the pie.
After cutting a couple slices, I placed them on the other counter near the microwave. Next, I found two bowls and decided to wait on finding an ice cream scoop. I had a feeling Mackenzie valued her privacy, and I wanted to respect that.
Still hearing her on the phone, I pulled out my own cell phone and pulled up my father’s number. I was struggling to process everything that had happened today, and especially in the last few minutes, with everything Mackenzie had shared about her past.
How could a mother allow someone to hurt her own children? Or say such horrible things about them? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I’d grown up in a completely different world. My mother and father would rather die before letting anyone hurt their kids. And the love Avery and I had received from the Shaw family was out of this world. They had always made us feel like we were family. My heart ached for Mackenzie and her sister.
Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. Would it be wrong of me to talk to my father about it? I really needed to ask Mackenzie how much of her story I could share with my parents. Shit. They were her bosses, and she had yet to give anyone any reason why she’d moved to Montana.
No, it wasn’t my place to say anything. I shoved the phone back into my pocket.
“I’m so sorry.”
I spun around and saw her standing there, looking like a beautiful angel. She was so breathtaking, I struggled to inhale. She had changed into sweatpants and a long-sleeve University of Georgia T-shirt.
“I hope you don’t mind, I got comfortable.”
“Don’t mind at all. Did you get to catch up with your sister?”
Her cheeks turned red. “She had a lot of questions. I think she’s surprised by how much I like you and how quickly it’s happened.”
I nodded. “I can understand that.”
“She’s for sure coming for New Year’s Eve now with her fiancé, because she said she has to meet the man who’s made her older sister lose her mind.”
Laughing, I said, “I can’t wait to meet them.”
Mackenzie started to chew on her thumbnail and look around nervously. I walked up to her, took her hand in mine, and leaned down to look her in the eyes.
“I don’t care about your past. Okay?”