Mack Daddy(14)

“What?”

“Honest. It says Frankie means honest.”

“What do you make of that?”

“It’s freaky, actually.”

“How so?”

“I think if there was one word I had to pick to describe you based on first impression, it would be that. You’re a little different but you own up to it all. Just like you didn’t even try to pretend that it wasn’t you who cut the cheese. You could’ve pinned it on Moses or denied it. But it’s not in your nature. What you see is what you get. You’re a lot of things, but ultimately, you’re honest about it all. See…I knew the name Frankie fit you.”

Mack ended up devouring his eggs. That was the first of several morning classes I’d “accidentally” skip in order to have breakfast with him.

And he never referred to me by my real name again.





She was late. Either that, or I was being stood up.

On my second cup of coffee, the caffeine was starting to give me the jitters. I wasn’t nervous so much as energized and determined.

When Frankie finally walked through the door of The Gourmet Bean, my heart started to beat faster as I stood up to greet her.

She unraveled her scarf then settled into the chair across from me. I took a moment to just take her in as I sat back down.

Fuck, she looked beautiful.

Static from the cold outside had caused pieces of her pin-straight, red hair to stick up in the air. Her pudgy little nose was red, too. She was so freaking cute, still Frankie in every way despite everything that had happened. An ache developed in my chest because there was just so much I wanted to say.

“Sorry, I’m late. I got caught up talking to the principal after school.”

“It’s okay. I’ve just been meditating.”

Ruminating. Same thing.

“What can I get you?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m just going to have coffee. I’ll go up and order.”

I held out my palm. “I insist. Stay here. Take a load off. You’ve had a long day. You still like hazelnut with extra cream?”

“Yes.” Her smile was hesitant. “I’m surprised you remember.”

I remember a lot of things you probably wish I would forget.

“I’ll be right back.”

In line, I would turn around from time to time to sneak peeks at her. Her back was to me, but I could see she was rubbing her palms together nervously. I hated that she was uncomfortable, hated the idea that she might have been dreading this.

When I returned to our table with the coffee, she took it but stayed looking down into the steaming cup. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Look at me, Frankie.”

Her tone was curt. “What do you want to talk about, Mack?”

“I have to explain more about why I’m here…on your turf.”

“You’re here for Jonah. You think I would be a good fit for him. You already said that.”

“No, Frankie. It’s not just that.”

“What is it, then?”

I let out a slow breath to gear myself up and vowed not to be a *.

“I’ve never stopped thinking about you. All of these years, they feel like a blur. I look at you sitting in front of me right now, and I’m feeling all of the same things I did when we were together.”

“We were never together.”

Hearing her say that caused me to snap a little, because there was no way she could deny what we had.

“The hell we weren’t together. We never f*cked, maybe, but we were connected in every other way that two people could be. You can’t deny that. I hurt you. I know that. But deep down, I know you understand why I did it.”

“That didn’t make it hurt any less when you left.”

“God, don’t you think I know that?” I had raised my voice a little too much and made a conscious effort to lighten my tone when I asked, “This guy you’re with…what’s his name?”

“Victor.”

“He takes good care of you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really love him, or is it that you feel safe with him, because he’s older and kind of like a—”

“Don’t say it.”

“Well, I have to say it. You have a daddy complex, Frankie. You’re living with a man old enough to be your father because you have abandonment issues.”

“I don’t remember my father abandoning me.” She raised her voice. “I do, however, remember the day you left very clearly.”

Her words felt like a slice to my throat. She was right, though. For the first time since reconnecting with her, she had managed to silence me. It was also the first time I realized just how badly my leaving hurt her.

She must have sensed what I was thinking when she said, “I’m sorry, Mack. That was unfair. I shouldn’t have said it like that. This is just really hard for me.”

“I know it is. That’s why I’m trying to talk to you. I don’t want things to be weird between us. I miss you. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by when I wasn’t wondering what you were doing, what you were thinking about, whether you were hating me for leaving. When most people say stuff like that, it’s an exaggeration. In my case, it’s not. Every single day, Frankie.”