Page 79 of Anchor Point

“I saw your TikTok a while back. When you showed up here that first day, I knew exactly who you were.”

She paled and swallowed again. “Mac, I can explain.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart. Quite the contrary. Everything you did set us up to find each other, and I’m grateful that you did.”

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.” She looked wide-eyed at Olivia. “Mom? Is there a ‘but’?”

I didn’t give Olivia a chance to respond. I needed to get this out in the open. “Rosie, it’s not bad. I promise. And I’m sorry I’m messing this up. What I’m trying, badly, to say is that…” I squeezed her hand again, drawing strength from the contact. “I love you, sweetheart. I love your mother. And I want to make this permanent. For all of us. So I asked your mom to marry me.”

Her wide eyes bounced from me to Olivia and back to me. “For real?” she squealed in delight.

I nodded, and then she launched herself toward me, abruptly bursting into tears. “Oh my God! We’re getting married? We’ll be a real family?”

Olivia bracketed our hug from Rosie’s back and said, “Well, not exactly. I turned down the marriage proposal. But I take this to mean you’re okay with it if I said yes?”

Rosie drew back, leaving my neck wet with her tears, but her legs were still clasped around my waist, holding on like she never wanted to let go.

“Mom, don’t be stupid. MacDaddy is a catch.”

I flinched at the term before she added, “You’d better say yes.”

Olivia didn’t immediately respond, and the old doubt clamored forth, but this time, I knew I had my daughter on my side, and it was only a matter of time before her mom came around.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mac

“Hey, Capt.” Nate’s voice came through the phone just as happy and chipper as ever early Sunday morning. Before I could even say a hello, he barged on. “Listen, I know it’s short notice, but we’re doing an impromptu cookout today. A little going away party for Cal since tomorrow is his last shift. My house around four.”

Even though I’d rather hang with my girls at home on a Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t really say no when we were paying respects to a brother.

“Oh, and make sure Chief Hawkins and Rosie know they’re invited too.”

I made a noise low in my throat, and once again, Nate continued, “Thanks, Capt. See you then.”

“Who was that?” Rosie called from behind her phone.

“Nate. They’re having a cookout this afternoon.”

Rosie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, cool! Can we go?”

My girl. Always ready to go and do.

I glanced over at Olivia lounging at the opposite end of the couch, book in hand. “Yeah, we need to.”

Olivia glanced up. “Do we go in separate cars?”

As much as that sounded like it should be the smart thing to do, I was done with the games. “Nah. We go together.”

“Oh my gosh, that dog is the cutest,” Rosie exclaimed as we rounded the corner of Nate’s house. The cookout was in full swing by the time we arrived—the grill smoking on the deck, and all of my guys milling around, no doubt talking shit. Their women were setting chairs up around a fire pit in the yard. Country music blared over hidden speakers.

“This feels a little like middle school,” Olivia quipped. “Guys on one side and girls on the other.”

I snorted. “It’ll be like this until the sun goes down and the couples start their dancing. That’s when I usually head out.”

“You don’t like dancing anymore? I seem to remember a time…” She winked at me.

“I do. I didn’t like being the fifth wheel when everyone else had a partner.”

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