Page 5 of The Engagement
This apartment building is secured, which means delivery persons aren’t allowed to come up to the units. They have to leave deliveries at the front desk. And in my case, Shane McIntyre made arrangements that building staff members will bring my deliveries to my door so I don’t have to go downstairs. If Mack were here right now, he’d go down and get the food himself, but he’s not here. And the front desk knows it.
Yes, I get special treatment. I wish I didn’t have to, but I’m not comfortable going down to the lobby alone. Not after what happened.
“Our food’s on its way up,” I tell Haley. “I’ll get us some drinks.”
Haley follows me to the kitchen, and we grab two Cokes from the fridge. A moment later, just as we’re settling back on the sofa, the doorbell rings.
When I answer the door, our order is sitting on the welcome mat.
I bring the huge bag in and set it on the coffee table and start removing the individual cartons. “Dinner is served!”
We put YouTube on the TV and watch guilty pleasure videos while we eat. Halfway through our meal, a knock on the door makes me jump practically out of my skin.
“Are you expecting someone?” Haley asks as she puts down her chopsticks.
“No.”
She stands. “I’ll get it.” She walks to the door and peers through the peep hole. Then she turns to me with a huge smile on her face. “It’s Philip!”
“Let him in,” I say, feeling both relieved and excited. I love playing the role of chaperone with these two love birds. Philip lives in our building, on our same floor, and somehow whenever Haley stops by, he seems to know.
Haley opens the door, and Philip walks in. Haley is tall for a girl, probably five-eight, but Philip towers over her. He’s a clean cut, handsome boy-next-door-type with his brown hair and eyes.
“Hi, Hale,” he says as he reaches out to snag her hand. “How’s it going?”
He pulls her close for a hug. As she lays her head on his chest, one of his hands slips up to cup the back of her head. It’s a short, sweet, and poignant hug.
I have a lot of respect for Philip for honoring Mack’s wishes. Yes, he and Mack are friends, and yes they work for the same company. But Philip seems to be going out of his way to abide by the letter of their agreement. I think it’s because he really cares about Haley, and he’s thinking about the long term, not just the next few months. He doesn’t want to injure his relationship with Mack, who might end up being his father-in-law one day.
Mack once told me, “If Philip really cares about Haley, waiting a few more months for her to graduate is nothing. I would wait a decade for you if I had to. Hell, I’d wait forever.”
“Hi, Erin.” Philip gives me a wave as he releases Haley. “How are you?”
“Good,” I reply. “Would you like to join us for dinner? I ordered plenty, so there’s more than enough.”
“Thanks, but no,” Philip says. “I’ve already eaten.” He reaches for Haley’s hand. “I heard you were here,” he says to her. “I just wanted to pop in to say hi. I’m actually meeting Liam and Jason upstairs in the penthouse so we can do some sparring in the ring. So, what are you girls up to?”
“We’re browsing for dress ideas,” Haley says. “For Homecoming.”
“Just five more weeks,” Philip says as he squeezes Haley’s hand. “I’m counting the days.” After giving Haley a kiss on her cheek, he leaves.
Haley floats back to the sofa on cloud nine. She is obviously crazy about him, and I can’t blame her. Philip’s not just handsome, he’s also a sweetheart. He’s as tall as Mack, built like a tank, and made of solid muscle. But where Haley is concerned, he’s just a giant puppy dog.
“It won’t be long now,” I say.
“Until what?” Haley asks.
“Until you graduate high school. And then Mack and your mom will honor their agreement, and you’ll be able to date Philipwithouta chaperone.” I wink at her.
Haley sighs. “It feels like we’ve been waiting forever.”
They have been waiting a while, ever since they met last year at a McIntyre family event. It seems like it was love at first sight between them.
“My dad is so overprotective,” she says with a sigh. “All the girls at school have been dating since middle school, and a lot of them date older guys.”
“Yes, but they’re not Mack Donovan’s daughter. He just wants to protect you, honey.”
Haley drops down onto the sofa with a huff. “I know. It’s just so frustrating. We can date without having sex, you know. But they won’t even let us do that.”
