Page 83 of That First Flight

I could tell it’s not something she’s used to with the way her body reacted to me.

I could also tell she’s never been praised properly.

“Now go get ready for work and tell Mackenzie that I’m going to kick her ass atMonopolytonight.” I laugh. “I mean, I’m going to let her win, but just leave that part out for me, will ya?”

Macey runs her fingers along her lips as if to zipper them shut. “My lips are sealed.”

She retreats to her room to get ready for work and I move quickly to get the board game out, two cans of orange soda and some chips. I’ve learned from hanging out with Mackenzie that she loves sour cream and onion chips so I make sure to keep some on hand at all times for her.

As soon as I set everything up and open the box to the game, both girls emerge from the hallway. Mackenzie throws herself onto the couch in her buffalo plaid checkered pajamas and a fresh braid on the side of her hair from after her shower.

Macey looks perfect as always.

She’s wearing her black kitchen pants and a button down chef shirt that has the restaurant's logo on it with her hair pulled back in a tight bun on the back of her head.

Macey surprises me when she walks up to me, wrapping her small arms around my waist and whispering, “Thank you,” into my chest. “I owe you one for this.”

“You owe me nothing. Have the best first night in the kitchen, chef.”

I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead.

Macey blushes before she’s out the door without a passing glance.

Mackenzie lets out a yawn from the spot next to me on the couch. She’s turning into quite the night owl when she’s with me at night.

Monopoly didn’t last long for us because I let her win. I love a good board game but who has the time and patience for this particular one? So I let her buy all the big name blocks and she won the entire game about an hour later when I went bankrupt.

“Why don’t you head to bed. You seem tired,” I tell her.

She groans, but stretches her arms out above her head. “I don’t want to go to bed. I’m not ready.”

“It’s almost ten.”

“But I like hanging out with you,” she admits.

Talk about making a grown man feel all the feels. Kids are so funny because they don’t hold back their feelings. When they say something, they usually mean it and they mean it with their whole heart. Hearing Mackenzie admit this makes the grip she already has on me only tighter.

“I like hanging out with you too, Kenzie,” I say giving her a little shoulder slug.

She laughs at that. “Can I tell you something, Ollie?”

“Anytime. You can always tell me anything.”

“Ihatewhen people call me anything other than Mackenzie.”

She what?

I’ve seriously been calling her a name she hates since the day we left the mountains and I’m just learning now that she actually hates that nickname? Fuck.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You should have said something the first time. I would have called you by your full name.”

Mackenzie shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t want you to.”

I stare at her, blinking as I try to understand what this means.

“You’re so cool,” she continues. “And the fact that you made that nickname sound so awesome made me want you to keep calling me that.”

“I think you’re pretty cool too,” I tell her the honest truth.

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