Page 68 of Payback
SACKED OUT ON THE SOFAwith Mac, we’re on hour three of an epic Fortnite marathon. I’m pretty sure my ass is numb at this point.
“Aye, I told you not to shoot that guy!” Mac bellows, tossing his controller on the floor. “I needed him to complete one of my challenges!”
“Sorry, you looked cornered over there!” I respond defensively, setting my controller down and stretching out my hands. “We need to take a break anyway. We’ve been playing an embarrassing amount of time.”
Mac growls and gets up, mumbling expletives under his breath as he walks into the kitchen to fetch us a couple of beers. He returns, handing me an amber bottle before dropping back down on the sofa with a heavy sigh.
“So, tell me, how are things with the wee lass?” he asks, prying the top off his bottle and handing me the opener.
I remove the cap off mine as well and take a cool drink. “They’re good.”
Mac huffs out a laugh. “More than good I’d say. You barely spend any nights apart.”
My shoulders lift. “When it’s good, it’s good.”
He eyes me speculatively. “It must be more than good because you’ve passed your four-week cut-off point, haven’t you?”
I shrug noncommittally and take another drink of my beer.
“So, what does that mean?” Mac asks because he’s a nosey bastard.
I roll my eyes and hit him with a flat stare. “If you’re asking if we’re in a relationship, the answer is yes. We made it official last week.”
“You WAG’d yourself properly?” Mac hoots with a shit-eating grin. He slaps me on the leg. “I called it, mate! I so fucking called it. My wee boy finally got himself a WAG.”
He throws his arm around me, yanking me in for an overly aggressive hug that I shove away from. “Would you shut up already?”
“No! This is cause for celebration. Let’s order a pizza and have the church bells rung.” He turns like he’s looking for the takeout menus, but I know he’s just having a piss.
“This is why I don’t talk to you about shit.”
He gets a wounded look on his face. “What are you hiding from me? Don’t you know I have pure brilliant enthusiasm coursing through my veins on a regular basis? My maw always said it was my finest feature!”
“Your maw is a liar,” I reply with a laugh and then pause when a thought hits me. I set my beer down on the coffee table before turning to face him. “Tell me if this idea of mine sounds crazy,” I say, gesticulating with my hands so he knows I’m being serious. “I’ve been thinking about surprising Allie with a trip to Cape Town to meet my mom.”
His brows lift in shock. “What do you mean by surprise?”
“Like, not tell her we’re going there until we get there.”
“It’s an eleven-hour flight,” he deadpans.
I roll my eyes. “I’m aware.”
“You haven’t been home in two years.”
“I’m aware of that as well. But flights are cheap right now, and I think it would be a bit of a jol to show her my home.”
His eyes go wide and his face gets an odd, tender look on it. “For fuck’s sake, man, you’re not just WAG’d. You’re in love.”
I jerk back defensively. “I’m not in love.”
“Aye, you are. You guys have been together for what? Five weeks? And you already want her to meet your mum?” His eyes grow wider as he continues, “You’ve never introduced a girl to your mum. Not once. You told me that when we first met.”
“I know, but Allie is just…different,” I shrug, reaching back and squeezing my neck at the bone-chilling truth to that statement. “And next season is going to be mad, so I’m not sure when I’m going to get home to visit again.”
He nods, his teasing mannerism slightly fading. “I can see that Allie’s different. You’re different around her, too. Nothing like the other women you’ve dated. You’re more yourself and less Roan DeWalt, the soccer player.”
I frown at his remark. “I’m a different person around other women?”
