Page 27 of My Dearest Mackenzie

Opening a bottle of white wine, I poured a healthy amount into a glass and looked at Mack. He nodded, and I gave it to him. It was part familiarity I didn’t understand, and half weird as hell.

“Cheers,” he said, making himself comfortable on the sofa.

“It’s kind of weird you being here. Stalking me, I might add.”

He chuckled and crossed his ankle over his thigh.

I found myself sitting on one of the kitchen stools across from him.

“The picture. Time to tell me.”

“I was married.” I said it fast, ripping the Band-Aid off. My close friends knew about my past, and well, I didn’t welcome new people into my world very often. I guessed I’d brought Mack into my life unknowingly. “It didn’t work out, end of story. No happy ending, like my Paps. Maybe it’s the family curse. That was from my engagement dinner. I was so happy because I believed I was getting my fairy tale despite everyone saying it wasn’t possible. My Paps for sure knew otherwise. He pretended to be excited for me, but I knew he wasn’t. It was a bittersweet night. I was making one man happy and the other was miserable inside.”

Mack nodded but didn’t interject an opinion or pity.

“I got this apartment in the settlement,” I somehow felt compelled to add. “So, you’re right, it’s not entirely me, personality wise. And also correct in that I couldn’t afford it on my salary—originally.”

“I didn’t say that—”

“You thought it,” I interrupted. “It was a parting gift following the worst few months of my life.”

Again, he didn’t condemn. “What happened?” He spoke like he actually cared, his tone soft, deep, but compassionate as he asked me about the darkest time in my life.

“Why do you want to know?”

He took a slug of his wine. “I told you my mom named me after a soap opera star. I mean, what nice Jewish boy is named Mackenzie? None. Maybe it was on purpose, I don’t know. What I do know is I’ve not shared that tidbit with anyone. Why I picked you, I don’t know. There are a lot of things when it comes to you, Frances, that I don’t get.”

After gulping some wine, I spoke softly. The words came out of me as if he was a trusted friend. “He didn’t want kids. We didn’t discuss much more than that. We were young, having fun, and he was making a lot of money. We both grew up on Long Island, and we were living the good life in the city. If I’m being honest, I thought one day he’d change his mind. Everything took a very dramatic turn when I ended up accidentally pregnant. The minute he found out, he left. Walked right out that door and filed for divorce.”

I swallowed and looked up to find Mack on the stool next to me, his palm burning my bare thigh.

“I did what I could. Cried, tried to reason with him. But there was none of that. He was immovable on this issue. What’s crazy is we grew up with one another, and I don’t know how I never believed him when he said it.”

Mack spoke. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We signed an early settlement agreement based on him taking care of the baby up front with a lump sum, but not being personally involved. The apartment would go to me. He’d made a huge hit on a startup, and he’d bought it outright.”

“I’m glad you were taken care of.”

His gaze roamed the room, looking for evidence of a child. With his brow furrowed, I could see the confusion in his mind.

“I lost the baby. Twenty-five weeks. After my sister helped me deliver a stillborn, my Paps made sure I still got everything out of the settlement, including part of the lump sum, even though I didn’t have a child with him anymore.”

I felt the tears fall before I could stop them from flowing.

“Frances.” My name was a whisper on his tongue.

“It’s okay. I’m okay now. I was working so hard, trying to prove myself in my job, and so stressed over being a single mom. I don’t think I provided a very good home base for her. She rejected this life, and I’m at peace with it.”

He gathered me tight and held me. The soulless man who didn’t do commitments—that was who I poured my heart out to. Shows you, I never learned my lesson. Always trying to change people.

“No one deserves a happy ending more than you.”

“This is my ending. All I need to do is figure out what happened with Rosie and my Paps, and that’s it.”

He shook his head and took a sip of my wine before tilting the glass to me. “Then let’s drink to doing that.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of his sudden change in demeanor. I’d dropped a bomb in the middle of a war zone, and he was changing course. Maybe he was being sweet and diverting my attention. Or perhaps it was too much for him to deal with…

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