“I know.” She could have snapped the statement at him, but she surprised him. The acknowledgement was softer, more thoughtful than anything else.
“And you don’t want to date me because…”
Her eyes shot up to meet his.
He pushed a little harder. “I think you don’t want to date me because you feel guilty. You don’t want to hurt your sister because she liked me. But the thing is, we had something going on before she got here.”
She shook her head. “It’s not as simple as that.”
“Then break it down for me.”
Lacey heaved a sigh and stirred her drink with her straw. She nibbled on her lip and sighed again. He might have laughed if he wasn’t so invested in finding out what she was about to say. Mack nearly lost his patience and told her to just spit it out, but then she finally spoke. “Okay, it might be as simple as that. She’s my sister. She had a crush on you when we were younger, and it only got worse as she got older. I think it would really hurt her if she found out you were interested in her little sister.”
Even in this lighting, dimmer in their corner, he could tell she was blushing. She avoided looking directly at him, and he had to wait for her to get up the courage to meet his gaze before he spoke.
“We don’t have to tell her anything… not right away… if that would help.”
She watched him, her expression unreadable. He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say.
Mack reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I want you to know that I really care about you. I want to be part of your life in whatever capacity you’ll allow me.”
Still, she seemed to hesitate saying anything to him. She was holding her cards so tight to her chest that there was no way he’d know what she was thinking until she gave him a clue.
He squeezed her hand. “And this is more than my feelings for you.”
Her brows pulled together, creasing at the bridge of her nose.
His throat threatened to close up as he fought to say what was in his heart. “I care about Bridger, too.”
Lacey’s eyes widened. It made him wonder if she’d ever given anyone a chance to get to know her son. More than that, had anyone admitted to caring for Bridger?
Not likely on both counts.
Her jaw trembled, and she looked away.
Uh oh.
At least she didn’t pull her hand from his grasp. She was still holding onto him. If anything, her hold on him had tightened.
Mack stood and moved his chair closer to her, so they were seated side by side rather than across from one another. She peeked at him and offered him a teary smile. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head, prepared to tell her once again not to apologize, but he didn’t get a chance.
“You’re something else, you know that?” Lacey whispered. “You were nothing like I expected.”
It was his turn to be surprised. Was she trying to tell him that she was open to something more? He shifted in his seat and leaned even closer, wiping at a stray tear she’d let slip down her cheek. “I can work with that.”
She laughed.
“Really, we can work through any issues—especially in regards to your sister.” He watched her carefully, holding his breath as he waited for her to turn him down once again.
But she didn’t.
Lacey pulled her lip between her teeth. Her nervous energy was palpable. But then she nodded.
Wait, was she saying what he thought he was saying?
He couldn’t bring himself to voice it, as if doing so would make her change her mind. And yet he couldn’t avoid doing just that. “Really?”
