Page 158 of That First Flight

“Macey just walked in,” I tell Logan before I hang up on him.

“Hi.” She smiles. And I melt on the spot. Seeing that look on her face makes all the tension I have felt all night long evaporate into thin air.

“Hi,” I grin back at her.

“I brought home dinner and a few extra cannoli,” she says as she makes her way to the island and starts unpacking the takeout containers.

I walk up behind her, bringing my hands around her waist. My palm is flat to her stomach as I pull her back into my body. I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s here in my arms.

My breath tickles her neck and she lets out a giggle in my arms. “I’m happy to see you too,” she says.

“I’m just happy you’re good,” I tell her.

Macey spins around to face me, wrapping both of her arms around my neck while my hands stay circling her waist. Except now they are on the small of her back, holding her into me because I can’t let her go. I never want to let her go.

She pulls away to look me in the eyes. “I’m better than ever actually.”

My brows narrow at her. “Yeah?”

“I got some interesting news at work. Before you panic,” Macey says, gripping my biceps now. “Everything is what it is with my parents. At first I wasn’t going to go out there and give them that satisfaction. But apparently, life keeps telling me I deserve more so I stormed out there and had a lengthy conversation with them. They didn’t threaten me once and actually listened to me. You should have seen the look on my mother’s face.” She laughs. “They are leaving, Oliver. For good.”

I nod and release the breath I was holding.

“On a better note, Kevin had some news for me.” She waits for my reaction but I just stay quiet so she keeps talking. “I’m going to be the head chef at Frank and Mollie’s new location.”

“You what?” I practically yell but quickly cover my hand to my mouth because I don’t want to wake Mackenzie up. “You got a promotion?”

Macey grins so widely I can see the whites of her teeth. “I did.”

“Holy shit.” I pull her face to me, bringing my lips to hers for a quick kiss. “That is amazing.”

She releases me and moves to get the dinner ready for both of us. “I’m so happy, but also so nervous. I have a say in the menu. They want to make it similar but with my own unique spin on it so people will want to visit both,” Macey says as she moves around the kitchen. “I never in my wildest dreams thought this would happen. I was happy with my sous-chef position. I really was.”

“You deserve it.”

“And they want me to pick the name, Oliver!”

Her excitement is so contagious that I can’t wipe the grin off my face. No one in the world deserves all the good things in life like she does.

“My girl is a head chef!” I beam.

Macey pauses as if she’s never heard me call her my girl before. But I know I have. She’s been mine since she came into the city.

Which is why I spent the day sealing it over my chest.

She drops the dish and takes three long steps until she reaches me. Her arms around my neck and she throws her body into mine. I wince at the contact but do my best to try and hide it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t do very well.

“Are you okay?” Macey gasps as she takes a step away from me.

“I’m fine.” I rub the sensitive spot where the bandage lays.

She reaches for the hem of my shirt, and pulls it off me to assess what is causing me so much pain. Her eyes widen when she sees the white gauze layered with tape over my left chest.

“Oh my god,” she says, more worried than ever before. “Who did this to you?”

I bark out a laugh. “You’ve been reading way too many romance books from Peyton.”

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