Page 144 of The Chance

Instead of a shake, he gathers me into his arms and squeezes.

“Thanks for coming back. And I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I wouldn’t accept you,” he whispers, then releases me. “Now get to fucking work, kid.”

More nodding. More blinking.

With my chest swelled to near bursting, I leave security’s apartment.

And when I open the door to Mac’s place across the hall, he’s standing just on the other side like he was watching for me through the peephole this whole time. With my cat perched on his damn shoulder like a parrot turned guard dog.

It’s the second-best thing I’ve seen all day.

Chapter Eighty-Two

Jordan

“Today’s the day, baby!”he calls out and tosses the sticks onto the bed he woke up holding this morning.

He was fidgeting, unable to chill out with the impending appointment, and instead of just waiting for him to fall on his face in his sleep again, I gave him the sticks.

He pattered all night long with his eyes closed.

But his ass stayed in the bed right next to me.

I nod and smile at Mac as he hobbles his way into his pants. He almost trips three times before plopping back on the bed and shoving his feet through.

For the last six days, Mac and I have been inseparable. Hanging out around his apartment, binge watching movies like our life depended on it, and making out when the temptation was too much. Just as we were before everything got all messed up, minus the sucking face, and I would be lying if there wasn’t some part of me that was nervous to change it. To challenge it.

But the bigger part of me?

Well … it can’t fucking wait to make this shit official.

The doc calls it progress on my part. I just think its impatience.

Now that I’ve had him, I don’t think there’s any universe in which I’d evernotbe his.

“We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up.”

Hopping up, he scares the cat when he blows past to find his shoes that he left in the middle of the hallway.

Or, at least, that’s where he thinks they are.

Meanwhile, he jets right past me even though I’m holding them in my hand.

Smirking, I follow his trail into the living room and hold up the Chucks. “Looking for these?”

“Dammit.”

He snags them, bends to shove his feet in, then straightens and smacks a kiss on my lips. He’s even running with them untied, nearly trips again, and bangs into the door with a laugh.

Watching him like this … it’s like I’m meeting him again, some of the years gone by shaved away, his luminance following close behind him like a trail of star dust.

I snicker with a patter to my heart and follow the chaos, keys in hand.

God, I missed him.

The drive is short and, thankfully, uneventful but the second the back of the hospital building comes into view, my nerves kick in.

All the what ifs roll through my mind, terrorizing me with the possibilities that this is too soon. That something’s gone wrong. That maybe … with a second chance at life, Mac won’t want to spend it with me.

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