Page 16 of Choosing a Forever
I melt into her embrace—something that’s become a habit when we see each other. Hugging her is the best part of my day.
“I’ll never get tired of your bear hugs,” she says when she pulls back. “I should call you Bear, since you call me Firefly.”
“I feel like bears would scare fireflies. Maybe even eat them. Do you think they eat fireflies?”
Her friend snickers, and Mack’s cheeks turn red.
What did I miss?
“Um, maybe. I don’t know what bears eat.”
“Fair enough.” I hold my hands out and give her the newspaper wrapped package. “Merry early Christmas, Firefly.”
She gasps as she takes it. “Tal, I didn’t get you anything!”
“I don’t need anything. It’s not much, obviously, but I was hoping it’d make you think of me over the break.
“I always think about you, silly. But thank you. Do you want me to open it now?”
“No, you can open it when you get home.” I don’t need her to open it in front of her friends and see the private, sappy things I’ve written to her—abouther.
Or the drawings I’ve sketched of her as a princess again, only this time, I’m next to her, dressed as a knight.
My knee is bouncing uncontrollably, and my palms are sweaty as I wait for Mack inside Valley Baker.
I’ve had the biggest smile on my face since Wednesday night when she agreed to lunch. Enoch and Nathan have been teasing me mercilessly since our encounter at the grocery store.
Enoch pointed out that Mack looked… uneasy when we were talking, but if she were uncomfortable with me, she wouldn’t have agreed to come to lunch with me.
Right?
She’s probably hesitant because of our historyand—
My leg stops bouncing as realization hits me.
Does she feel obligated to meet me? Am I just bothering her and bringing up more hurt by asking her to have lunch?
Shoot. Am I a bad person?
I’m about to text her to tell her she doesn’t need to come if she doesn’t want to when the front door opens and…
A literal angel walks in.
The sun shining behind Mack makes her red hair glow like an ember—it’s how she earned the nickname “Firefly” when we were teens—and casts her in an ethereal glow. It may be chilly outside but seeing her makes my whole body heat up.
The breath is knocked out of my lungs—I need an oxygen mask stat.
I swear I’ve never seen someone so beautiful.
She waves at me with a tight-lipped smile, kicking me into gear. I shake off the way my pulse thunders in my ears and stride towards her, stopping myself short of wrapping her in a hug. I have the strongest urge to feel the curves of her body pressed against mine, but I have a feeling I need to take things slow so I don’t scare her.
“Hey, Mack. It’s good to see you. You look amazing.”
She glances down at her body, at the black skinny jeans and denim shirt she’s wearing underneath her winter coat, and she scrunches her nose in that adorable, familiar way. “Thanks? It’s good to see you, too.”
Gosh, she’s cute.
“Ready to order?” I motion to the counter, and she steps in front of me. Idon’tlook down at where the curveof her butt meets her thick thighs. Okay, maybe I do. Just quickly. Not in an objectifying way, I swear.
