Mack Daddy(42)

“You saw me naked?”

Mack hesitated. “Yes.”

Covering my face, I said, “Oh, my God. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Believe me, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“This is not how I wanted your last day to be, both of us hungover.”

“Yesterday was the best day I could’ve ever asked for. It was like a hot mess I’ll never forget.” His words seemed sincere.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to go. We overslept. Now, I only have like two hours before I have to leave for the airport.”

I glanced over at the clock. “Shit. I wanted to make you breakfast, but I don’t think I can stomach the smell of food.”

“I’m not that hungry anyway. I’ll grab something at Logan.” Mack’s eyes landed on my lower body. “You need to look at your tattoo. You still don’t even know what you got.”

“I guess I should, huh?” I laughed, lifting myself off the bed as a fresh wave of nausea hit me.

Mack followed me as I walked over to the oval, floor-length mirror in the corner of my room. He came up behind me and slowly lifted my T-shirt up to just above my belly button. His taking the initiative to partially undress me seemed like a brazen move. But it was certainly indicative of a shift in our relationship after last night.

The closeness of his body sent shivers down my spine. For a moment, I felt self-conscious that he’d see me in my underwear, but then it hit me that he’d seen a lot more of me last night.

Slowly ripping the bandage off, he said, “I hope you like it.” The touch of his fingertips grazing over my lower back caused me to close my eyes momentarily.

I reluctantly turned my head around to look in the mirror. My mouth curved into a smile upon the sight of a beautiful blue flower about the size of a golf ball. It was better than anything I would have chosen for myself.

“It’s beautiful. What kind of flower is that?”

“It’s a lotus flower.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it. I just didn’t know what it was called. What made you pick this for me?”

“Well, that book I was reading said the lotus is a flower that’s born from murky, slimy waters.”

I raised my brows. “The slimy part reminded you of me?”

“No. Basically, the flower is considered pure because of its ability to emerge from the dark waters in the morning perfectly unscathed. What reminded me of you is the fact that from this murky water a beautiful blossom was made. You used to tell me you felt like a part of you just came from a black hole because of your father. And I know you walk around every day feeling like a part of you is missing. But whether or not you realize it, you’re a light to those who know you—to me. Just like the lotus, you’ve risen above the darkness to become something beautiful—a beautiful human.”

My eyes were starting to water. No one had ever said anything that poignant to me.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I wiped my eyes and asked, “What made you choose blue?”

“Actually, funny you should ask. There are different colored lotus flowers. And I read about each one. When I came to the blue…well, it was very symbolic of my experiences with you.”

“How so?”

“The book said that the blue one also represents mind over matter, in particular, the spirit’s control over one’s physical senses or compulsions—which heightens one’s spirituality by overcoming bodily temptations.”

Oh.

We both knew exactly what he was getting at. He didn’t need to explain further. Yet, he did anyway.

“The blue is my own personal badge of honor that I’ve basically stamped on you, Frankie.”

“What?”

“I’ve done everything I thought I was supposed to be doing when it comes to you. I’ve been fighting everything that feels natural for a very long time. So, there really is something to that mind over matter mantra. But what they don’t factor in is what happens when you lose your mind. I’m pretty sure I’ve just about lost mine. I’ve been trying to do the right thing, but it’s f*cking hard. And I realized last night that I don’t want to go against what feels natural anymore.” He placed both of his hands around my cheeks. “What would you think about my coming back sooner than the end of the summer, but staying for good?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I have to work some stuff out with Torrie and with my father when I get home. That’s going to take time, but I don’t want to be away from you all summer. I don’t want to be away from you…ever, really.”

Was this really happening?

“I don’t want to be away from you, either.”

“Things could’ve easily gotten out of hand last night. I’m pretty sure we would’ve f*cked the shit out of each other if I’d let it happen. But I didn’t want it to go down that way—drunken sex. When I finally kiss you, Frankie, when I finally make love to you…I want you to be able to know that I’m fully yours with nothing holding us back. And I want you to feel and remember everything. You deserve nothing less.”