Page 68 of The Gingerbread Bakery
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Annie found herself on his doorstep that night full of nerves and excitement and uncertainty.
She was certain about only one thing.
‘Mac,’ she breathed when he opened the door, looking surprised and a little rumpled. His hair was messy like he'd been running his fingers through it. He had on a pair of old sweats and a stained lacrosse T-shirt which should have been good payback for him seeing her in her reindeer onesie, but of course he still looked far too hot and not at all ridiculous.
‘Hey, Annie.’ He winced a little. ‘I wasn’t expecting you.’
‘Yeah, sorry, I probably should have texted you. I just…’ She paused, sucking in a deep breath of cold night air, stealing herself with what little courage she had left. ‘I just really wanted to see you.’
His face softened and he didn’t say a word, just stepped out onto his cold front porch barefoot and messy, and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. Henuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, his breath warm on her skin.
‘I really wanted to see you, too,’ he said.
He held her like that for a long time like he needed to be close to her.
‘Is something wrong?’ she asked after a while, not wanting to break the moment but starting to get worried.
Mac sighed, setting her down. ‘Not really. But I finally told my parents I’m leaving.’
‘How did it go?’
He laughed a little, though there was no humor in it. ‘Not great. My mother basically told me I was breaking her heart, and now she’s at church, probably praying for me to change my mind.’
Annie winced. ‘Yikes.’
‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘but I’m really glad you're here.’
‘You’re not mad at me?’
‘Should I be?’
‘I kind of ditched you today.’
Mac shrugged. ‘I guess we’re even. I ditched you at the Christmas market.’
‘True,’ Annie said with a smile. ‘So… Can I come in or are you going to make me stand out in the cold all night?’
Mac grinned ‘You can come in. I've been thinking about your idea.’
‘My idea?’
‘Don't pretend you already forgot, Annabelle. You propositioned me for sex this morning.’
Annie's face got hot. ‘That’s not why I came. I really did just want to see you.’
She followed Mac into the house through the kitchen and down to his basement bedroom.
‘So, the offer is off the table?’ he asked, turning to face her.
‘I didn't say that.’ Her voice lowered to a whisper. ‘I still want to do that with you.’
Mac blew out a sigh of relief. ‘That’s good.’
‘It is?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day.’ He stepped closer, putting a hand on her cheek, his thumb sweeping across her cheekbone. ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you at all.’
