Page 36 of Choosing a Forever
I mean, she’s already agreed to marry me, but still.
What if this is too much?
I open the little, gray velvet box for the hundredth time to inspect the ring. I have the shape memorized, but I can’t stop looking at it. I knew exactly what I wanted to get her. I saw this ring in an ad when I was looking at more collars for Siren andknew.
It’s a kite cut moss agate—it reminds me of her eyes—surrounded by tiny diamonds and leaves. I have a matching band I’ll give her on our wedding day that really ties the whole ring together. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel, and the leaves remind me of Mack’s tattoos.
I hope she likes it. I messaged Lizzie and asked for her ring size, and Lizzie was a bit too eager to help. I’m glad Mack’s had her in her life. I get the feeling Lizzie would do anything for Mack and knowing she hasn’t been alone all these years brings me a small sense of relief.
Siren trots over and sniffs the box in my hands. I close it and put it in my jacket pocket before rubbing a hand over her head, stopping to give her ear scratches.
“What do you think, girl, hm? Do you think she’ll like it?”
Siren huffs and licks my hand, and I take it as an affirmation.
“In a few weeks we’re going to have a whole backyard for you to play in. You’ll have the twins to give you attention, too. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Siren woofs quietly, wagging her tail and panting.
Mack’s concern for Siren’s well-being was so endearing, it made me fall even harder for her. I already know Siren’s going to get attached to Mack and the girls, and it’ll be a harder transition to leave than it will be to move in.
But that’s a problem for another time. Who knows how long it’ll take for Mack to get a job with better benefits. It could be a while.
Selfishly, I hope it’s a while.
I need time to show her I don’t want her for a blip in time.
Which I know sounds crazy. Absolutely insane, but I can’t help it.
I can’t explain the burning in my chest or the way my stomach erupts when I think about her. It’s like all the feelings I had as a teenager—the ones I thought werelong gone—have multiplied tenfold in the last decade, and now I can’t imagine a future without her, even if I’ve only had her back in my life for a month.
Even if she seems hesitant about opening up to me. I get the sense she’s guarded her heart for so long, it’s going to take a lot more than a month and a marriage born of necessity for her to trust me with the delicate organ.
Good thing I’m patient. I’ll wait as long as it takes.
I give Siren one more good belly rub before I put her in her crate with a peanut butter treat andBlueyon the TV so she’s not lonely.
“All right, girl. Time to go ask Mack to officially be your mom.”
Mackenzie Thorpe isgorgeous.
The sky is blue, the grass is green, fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to burn, and Mackenzie Thorpe is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
These facts are ingrained into my psyche—things that will never change.
Mack is beautiful in jeans and a T-shirt. She was beautiful in her sparkly, purple choir dress and the shapeless, black dresses she had to wear for chamber choir. But she was a teenager then. Now, she’s a woman.
And in a black dress that hugs every dip and curve of her body over an olive green lacy long sleeve shirt andpaired with black tights and black boots that look like they were made for stomping on hearts?
Someone might need to cut off my oxygen because I’m about to combust.
I’ve been struggling to breathe since the moment she opened the door.
Her hair is down in sleek waves, one side tucked behind her ear, showcasing all of her shiny piercings. Her eyes are winged with eyeliner, her lashes dusted with dark mascara, and her lips…
Holy moly.The maroon lipstick contrasts so beautifully with her pale skin.
Smudge-proof lipstick is a thing, right? I wonder if it’s what she used. I wonder if she’d let me test it… just a peck. To make sure it’s as advertised.
