Page 28 of That First Flight

“All you have to do is say yes.”

If I wasn’t in the position I’m in, I probably would say yes in a heartbeat. But the list of people I trust is very small, so small I don’t even need all the fingers on one hand to count how many people.

I have one very important person to think about when making decisions now.

I swallow past the lump clogging my throat. “What about Mackenzie?

“What about her?”

“I can’t go to the city without her.”

Oliver takes two steps towards me, closing the distance between us until he’s only inches from me. My body ignites at his proximity and I feel myself gravitate towards him as if he’s going to embrace me in his thick arms.

“You think I’d tell you to come to the city with me and leave your daughter behind?”

I shrug a shoulder before Oliver places both hands on each of them, bending down low enough to where his eyes are level with mine. His breath directly on my face takes over my senses with the strong smell of peppermint.

“Clearly we need to spend more time together because you’ve lost your mind if you think for one second that she isn’t coming with us.”

“Lost my mind? When I told you about her last night you barely said three words about it. No thoughts are equivalent to negative thoughts, Oliver.”

“I was a little shocked.” He grins down at me. “But believe me when I tell you, I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I left. From the few minutes I spent with her, I can tell we’ll get along great.”

“Nowyou’velost your mind. Plus, you’re a hot, single guy.” I wave my hand up and down his body silently saying what I’m thinking about his looks. “You don’t need a little girl in your house.”

He holds up his pointer fingers. “First of all, it’s an apartment.” Then he brings up his middle finger with it. “Second of all, you think I’m hot?”

“That’s not the point I’m making here.”

“Third of all,” he continues, ignoring my comment, and bringing up his thumb to join the other two fingers. “She’s a part of you, which means I like her already.”

I don’t have the words to reply to that.

I don’t have any more argument in me that this is a terrible idea.

I made a promise to myself when the ball dropped, that I would make this our year…the year of opportunities and to finally go after what’s always been mine, to live out the dream and make a better life for us.

Am I really considering his offer right now?

I do one last sweep of the cabin before I load my things into the enclosed truck bed. I turn off all the lights, make sure the water is shut off and lock all the doors and windows.

I’m not ready to head back to the city if I’m being honest. I just love it up here. But I’m also not about to get stuck up here in this cabin alone when the snow storm hits any day now.

It’s about a two-and-a-half hour drive back into the city, so I first stopped by Samuel’s house to drop off the disc of photos I was supposed to deliver yesterday. No one was home, so I just dropped it in the mailbox.

Once I pulled out of that driveway, I made the executive decision that I should probably eat before I hit the road to avoid unnecessary stops. Whenever it’s time to leave somewhere, I battle the urge of not wanting to go and also the feelings of ‘just get me the hell home’.

I’m downright exhausted too.

I barely slept the last two nights while my thoughts were consumed by Macey.

Itwascrazy for me to ask her to come back with me. I know this.

But why wouldn’t I use the connections I have to get her a step in the right direction of the goals she has for herself.

Once I step foot inside, my eyes immediately find Macey standing off to the side of the bar, talking with Samuel who gives her a hug and whatever he’s saying to her has the biggest smile plastered on her face.

God, that smile.

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