Page 157 of Bound in Darkness

Mackenzie bounces on her heels, clapping her hands together. But then her face falls. “But what if mom wants to come back?”

Mike looks at her, then at me, before his gaze goes back to Mackenzie. “Not unless she has a huge change of heart and accepts that the two of you are together and does a shit ton of groveling for the way she treated you.” His hand clenches into a fist on the table. “Nobody treats my daughter and her boyfriend like shit. Not even her mother.”

“Dad.” Tears are in Mackenzie’s eyes as she throws herself against him. He was smart enough to get out of his chair this time before she toppled them over. “Thank you.”

He smiles at me over her shoulder, giving me a quick nod. I hear him say, “You’re welcome, baby girl,” as I text Jeff.

I can’t wait to see the look on Mackenzie’s face when Jeff and Melody arrive.

89

MACKENZIE

Chase opens the box tied with a red ribbon and bow, studying my expression as he does. “I’ll bet it’s PJs, frozen hot chocolate mix, and a bag of popcorn.”

My face falls and I immediately know I gave it away by the victorious look on his face. “You brat.” My dad and Chase howl with laughter as I pretend to sulk, but really, I’m not mad at all.

It’s a Christmas Eve tradition the Collins family has been doing for years to exchange a box filled with PJs, a movie, hot chocolate or coffee packets, and some microwave popcorn. Although I added chocolate chip cookies and buckeyes in both of their boxes, knowing they love them.

Chase opens the box, a huge smile lighting up his face. “Christmas Vacation PJs! I love them.” Holding them against his chest, he digs through his box like an excited boy, pulling out the packets of different hot chocolate mixes and popcorn flavors I got him. As soon as he sees the cookies, he immediately opens the bag and takes a huge bite, making me giggle.

My dad laughs at Chase’s exuberant reaction before he says, “Give me one of those packets of hot chocolate. I’ll make you a frozen hot chocolate.”

Chase grabs one of the packets, handing it to my dad. “Thanks, Mike. You’re the best.”

My dad puts his hand on Chase’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re the best, Chase. Thanks for making my baby girl so happy. I’ve never seen her so radiant.” My dad winks at me as he leaves the room.

Chase tosses the box aside and lunges for me, pulling me onto his lap. I’m giggling and protesting as I straddle him, worried my dad will be back any minute.

“Stop worrying, angel.” His finger goes beneath my chin, turning my face to his. “Thank you for the gift. I love it.” He moves to kiss me, but I stop him, seeing the pain deep in the recesses of his eyes.

“Are you thinking about that Christmas with Elsie? The one where your dad destroyed the tree?”

He nods. “Yeah… A little bit.”

I tighten my arms around his neck, staring intently into his eyes. “I want to take away that memory and fill it with nothing but happiness and love. I wish I could bring Elsie back, but I can’t. All I can do is love you so much that it makes up for all the misery and sorrow you experienced that horrible Christmas. And I’ll do my very best to ensure that from now on, you only have happy memories this holiday season, and everyone thereafter.”

He cups my face. “You’re off to a helluva start, love. I’m having an amazing holiday with you.” He hugs me so tightly, he takes my breath away, before he pulls back. “I love you so fucking much, gorgeous.” Then his lips seal over mine, and I forget where I’m at as he kisses me senseless.

The beep of his phone causes us to finally pull apart. His lips quirk up in a secretive smile, and I immediately grow suspicious. “What are you up to?”

“I have a special gift for you.” He helps me to my feet and I giggle, pointing at his noticeable erection.

“Is that my present?”

“Later.” Winking at me, he stands, typing a response before grabbing my hand, tugging me against his chest. “Before I give you that surprise…” He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a small sprig of mistletoe, holding it over our heads. “Kiss me?—”

I don’t give him a chance to finish the words, throwing my arms around his neck and planting my lips against his, showing him how much I love him in a way I can never express with words.

When we finally part, we are both breathing heavy, our eyes shining with lust. “Damn, angel. That was incredible.”

I grin. “I never feel I can adequately express in words how much I love you.”

His hands slide to my ass. “You showed me with that kiss, angel. Honestly, you show me every single day. It’s in the way you look at me, the way you touch me, the tone of your voice when you say my name. There’s a million little ways you show me you love me every single day.”

My heart squeezes inside my chest. “Good. Because I never want you to go a single day without knowing you own my heart and soul.”

His phone beeps and Chase mutters curses as he pulls it out. “I need to move this along.” He pulls me over to the tree and reaching behind it, he pulls out a box, handing it to me. “Open it.”

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