Mack Daddy(47)

“I didn’t think I’d be bringing you here today, didn’t have time to hide the evidence of my science fiction collection.”

“Do you really read them?”

“I’ve read all of them. It’s been sort of my little secret. At first, it was just a way of connecting with you all these years when I couldn’t do it any other way. Over time, though, I found that I actually enjoyed them. I guess I was a latent geek all along.”

The fact that he’d used books to remember me was very touching.

“I still read weird stuff,” I admitted.

“I love to hear that. I figured you might.”

In the corner of the same shelf sat the Buffy the Vampire Slayer boxset I’d bought him years ago. “You still have this, too?”

“Of course. It’s my favorite gift that anyone’s ever given me.”

I smiled, remembering how excited and nervous I’d been to give him that present. “We had some really good times.”

“We did.” His gaze fell to my neck then met my eyes again. “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the upstairs.

A small hallway on the second level contained the bathroom and three rooms. The first room on the left was where Mack worked.

“This is my office.”

A wooden desk sat in the corner. The apple at the back of his Mac laptop was illuminated. A small desk lamp provided the only other light.

“Nice laptop.”

“Well, once you go Mac, you never go back.” He winked.

“That was cheesy even for you, Morrison.”

He snickered.

Running my fingers over his desk, I said, “It’s nice that you can work from home.”

“I’m usually cooped up in here most of the day. I get antsy for air sometimes, so I’ll go get lunch and bring it over to Mrs. M.’s house.”

“I love that.”

He led me back out into the hall. “I’ll show you Jonah’s room.”

His son’s bedroom was sky blue with one solid red accent wall. There were toys everywhere in addition to lots of wires and game consoles. It was cluttered but seemed to be an organized mess.

“Wow. This room looks lived in for years.”

“Yeah. He spends so much time in it when he’s here. I filled it to the rim with everything he had back in Virginia and then some.”

“You spoil him, don’t you?”

“I do, but he doesn’t act spoiled, if that makes sense.”

“Oh, it does. I see that first hand. He’s a good kid.”

“I wish I could do more to make him happy. But I can only do so much. There are some things I just can’t change.”

A photo on the desk caught my eye. It was of Mack and Torrie with Jonah, looking like one big happy family on Christmas. An unwanted feeling of jealousy started to creep in. Mack noticed I was looking at it before I had a chance to say anything.

“That was taken a couple of years ago. I feel like it’s important to keep stuff like that around for him, so that he doesn’t think his parents were always miserable around him or with each other.”

“You’re right. It is important.”

“I’m sorry. If I were more prepared, I would’ve put that picture away. You don’t need to see that.”

“Mack, please. Don’t be silly. Hiding a photo doesn’t change anything.”

He nodded, seeming unsure as to whether my comment was meant to be simply factual or slightly bitter. I wasn’t sure I even knew.

“Let me show you my room.”

My heart beat a little faster as he led me across the hall into his bedroom.

Mack’s room was everything I would have imagined it to be. I looked around, quietly absorbing its understated masculinity. His amazing smell filled the airspace. A navy comforter sat atop the king-sized, dark cherry wood bed that was fitting for a man of his size.

Sitting down on the edge, I bounced lightly on the bed and ran my palms across the plush fabric. Being alone with him in here was definitely making me tense.

He leaned against his bureau, crossing his arms and quietly observing me.

A thought crossed my mind. I wondered if he’d been with anyone else besides Torrie. Mack was definitely a sexual person. I wondered how he could have possibly stayed celibate even in the short time he’d been in Boston. I honestly didn’t want to know if he hadn’t and chose not to let my mind go there.

“This room is really nice.”

He raised his brow. “Really? Then why do you look like you want to flee?”

“It does make me a little nervous being in your room.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“No.”

“Okay.” He sat down next to me, leaving only a few inches between us. My body tensed up in an effort to fight my attraction to him.

He touched his index finger to a spot on my lower neck, sending chills down my spine. “What happened to the little mole that used to be there?”

“I got it removed years ago. I was afraid it was cancer. It wasn’t. You know how paranoid I can get about things. I’m surprised you even remember that I had it.”

He was looking into my eyes for a while before he said, “I remember everything, Frankie. I remember that you were wearing a Punky Brewster T-shirt the day we first met. I remember the way your hair always smelled. I f*cking use the same shampoo—Finesse—just so I can smell you every day. Smelled every bottle in the store until I could remember which brand it was. I remember the last show we ever watched together—a rerun of Friends, the one where Phoebe found a human thumb floating around in her can of soda. You were laughing at the show, and I was just staring at you, wondering how the hell I was going to deal with not seeing you for an entire summer. I remember the way the sun caught the red in your hair at that outdoor bar during our last day together. And I’ll never forget the look of sadness on your face when you knew I was leaving Boston and not coming back. I remember everything, and depending on the day, that’s either a curse or a blessing.”