Page 92 of Dreaming of Dawson

“It was nothing to do with Stevie,” I say, interrupting her before she gets too deep into ideas that have nothing to do with my train of thought. “I don’t know exactly why it didn’t work out with Stevie, or why she went looking elsewhere. She never explained it, and I don’t care anymore. I doubt it had anything to do with the fact that she and I weren’t together 24/7. We worked well together when she was here, but I never felt the need for her constant presence in my life.”

“Then why were you resistant?” she asks, looking up at me, like she’s desperate to know.

“Because, unlike with Stevie, your constant presence feels like a necessity.”

“Because you don’t trust me?” she says, frowning.

Trust? Jeez… it’s been one of my biggest hang-ups… one of my biggest barriers to getting involved again. Like I said to Tanner, though, I haven’t even given it a second thought. What’s more, I don’t need to.

“No, Mace. I never thought I’d be able to trust again, but I do. I trust you completely.”

“Good, because you know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?”

“Yes. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. It’s like an instinct, and my reaction just now had nothing to do with any of that.”

“What was it about, then?”

“It’s just that being with you makes everything brighter. You make me feel good about myself for the first time in a very long time, and I don’t wanna give that up.”

“You’re not. I’m only going to work with Peony for a few hours,” she says.

“I know. And I get it. It wasn’t that I wanted to stop you from doing something that makes you happy. It was just… just some of my insecurity creeping in. I’m sorry.”

She rests her hand on my chest. “You don’t need to be sorry. And you have nothing to feel insecure about.”

“I know. At least, I know it when you’re here.” I place my hand over hers and dip my head. “I’m so in love with you, Mace. I can’t believe how quickly you’ve turned my life around, and I guess I’m just a little scared of letting you go, now I’ve found you.”

“You’re not letting me go,” she says. “I’m coming back.”

“Good,” I whisper, and kiss her. Deeply.

Macy’s gone downstairs to fetch her hairbrush, and the coffee’s still brewing, giving me a moment to mull over that brief interlude of insecurity. The last thing I wanted was to come across as a possessive idiot, although I think I may have done. I think that’s why she asked her question, and that meant I had to be honest. I had to tell her how I felt, even if it meant letting her see me at my most vulnerable. She understood… thank God. Our kiss proved that, because it almost turned into something more. Again. It seems we’re good at that, but we remembered just in time that we’d promised to have breakfast together, and finished getting dressed before temptation got the better of us.

I’m keeping things easy, and just fixing some toast to go with our coffee. It’s not the most exciting of breakfasts, but who cares? It’s the company that makes the meal special.

Macy comes back upstairs, brushing her hair, just as I pour the coffee.

“Did you realize we left the lights on downstairs last night?” she says, looking over at me.

“No… although I honestly couldn’t care less.”

She smiles and glances at the coffee, darting toward the bathroom. “Give me two minutes,” she calls over her shoulder. I don’t even get the chance to reply before she’s gone, but I don’t mind. I like how relaxed she is around me now, and I wait for her, smiling when she comes back into the room, empty-handed. “Sorry about that,” she says, sitting at the table opposite me. “I’ve left my hairbrush on the shelf. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” I offer her some toast, marveling at how perfect this feels.

“You were gonna tell me about Tanner’s wedding night,” she says, sipping her coffee before she butters her toast.

“Yeah. I was, wasn’t it?” It feels like hours ago that I woke up with Tanner’s name on my lips, but it seems Macy hasn’t forgotten.

“So, what’s it all about?” she asks. “What’s the plan you want to put right for him?”

“It’s to do with Nash.”

“What about him?”

“Well… thanks to Tanner’s ex, Nash is gonna have to stay with Tanner and Zara over the weekend of their wedding.”

“The entire weekend?”

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