Page 76 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Thirty-Six
~ Mack ~
“Idon’t know what thehell we were thinking,” Mack muttered to herself, looking over her hefty to-do list. Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for nearly a dozen people? It was right up there on the list of brilliant ideas with fostering a K9 recruit who hadn’t quite made the cut. Clearly, Nick’s repeated and arduous attentions had addled her brain. He’d learned quickly that when he gave her that crooked smile, her resistance (and good sense) melted.
The cunning devil came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, his four-legged partner in crime at his heels. “Thanksgiving is all about family, Mack. Yours. Mine.Ours.”
Mack didn’t feel the sense of panic those words would have brought on only a few months earlier. Every day she fell more in love with the man, and no longer wasted energy on worrying about whatmighthappen. They justfit, two halves to an even better whole. Mack wasn’t the type to get overly sappy or romantic, but shewasincredibly happy.
“Yes, but...”
He bowed his head and nibbled at the sensitive area just below her ear, laying waste to her defenses. “No buts. Except this one, right here.”
He pressed his hardness into her backside, a gentle, rhythmic thrust that had her ready to abandon her list and spend the rest of the day in bed with him instead.
“Are you two at it again?” Jay teased, coming into the kitchen with Marcus.
“Says the man who hasn’t kept his hands to himself all morning,” Marcus quipped, leaning over to give Mack a kiss on the cheek. He held out a baking dish, then searched for a spot on the already-loaded countertop. “You’ve got enough food here to feed an army. Just how many are you expecting?”
“My dad and his wife, Catherine, are flying out from the west coast,” she told them, “and Nick flew his parents up from Florida. Plus Nick’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Miles, and stepson, Brandon.”
“No Delilah?”
“No. We invited her, but she said she had other plans.”
“Yeah, neither of us is too broken up over that,” Nick said, planting one more kiss on her temple then taking advantage of her momentary loss of focus by stealing two fluffy vegan biscuits (her own special recipe) — one for him and one for Kato.
The Shepherd-Labrador mix, who’d been on kitchen Hoover duty, caught the biscuit and offered a doggie smile. The ‘five second rule’ had become obsolete since he’d come along.
“What other plans?” Jay asked, frowning slightly. “She’s not spending Thanksgiving alone, is she?”
“She didn’t say and I didn’t ask.” Mack did wonder, though. Maybe Dee was still upset with her mother for booting her out of the nest. Or maybe she was still pissed at Mack for tossing her out on her ass. Regardless, that was one less thing Mack had to worry about. Where Dee went, drama was always sure to follow, and meeting Nick’s parents had Mack nervous enough.
Nick kept telling her she had nothing to worry about, that they would love her. She hoped that was true.
If they were half as nice as his sister, things should go well. Mack and Nick had had dinner with Liz and Miles several times and Mack liked them very much. At first she’d been afraid she wouldn’t, conjuring images of stuffy, very proper types after Nick told her proudly that Liz was a big deal in a local software engineering company and that Miles had been a successful, international businessman. She needn’t have worried. They were nothing like her preconceived notions. Intelligent and well-traveled, yes, but also very down to earth, unpretentious, good people.
In just a few weeks, Liz was turning out to be more of sister than Dee ever was. Liz had even invited Mack to a “girls’ night out” with her and her friend, Holly, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Holly wrote romance novels for a living, wasn’t shy about discussing her ‘research’, and dropped the f-bomb almost as often as Mack. When Liz told Holly aboutSeize, both women joined up, so Mack got to see them several times a week. The pair were a riot and never failed to make her laugh and brighten her day.
On the other hand, she didn’t worry about Nick meeting her dad, not at all. They were going to get along just fine. Both were strong men with solid foundations and a love for the outdoors (and, Nick told her, a shared love forher). As for Catherine, well, Mack didn’t really care what she thought.
The doorbell rang and Nick grinned excitedly. “They’re here!” He noticed Mack’s momentary panic and said, “Relax, Mack. They’re going to love you, just as I do. And word of warning: my motherwillwant to help.” Nick turned to Jay. “Keep her from bolting, will you? Sit on her if you have to.”
Jay laughed. “He’s a keeper, baby girl.”
As if she didn’t already know that.
The murmur of voices and excited, happy greetings drifted into the kitchen. Mack smoothed her apron and tried to look casual and welcoming, but nothing could completely stop the flurry of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in her stomach.
“Relax,” Jay said softly, draping his arm around her and giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Nick’s right. They’re going to love you.”
As if sensing her unease, Kato came over and sat down at her feet, leaning against her leg. She reached down and petted him, the action calming her almost immediately.
A few minutes later, Nick re-entered with his sister and an older couple. The man was tall and broad, an older version of Nick; the woman was much shorter, with snowy white hair and the same kind, laughing eyes as Nick.
“Mom, Dad, this is Mack — Heather MacKenzie. Mack, my parents, Ed and Lynnette Benning.”
Mack found her voice. “Mr. and Mrs. Benning, it’s wonderful to meet you. I’m so glad you could make it.”
