More silence, and then Angela sighed. “Your relationship with him is still so new. I don’t want to rock the boat.”
“You won’t be?—”
“Yes, I would. I’m still a little… jealous. You know I had a crush on him back in high school. And all those memories came rushing back to the surface when I bumped into him again. I’m just… worried that if I’m there and he stops by, I’ll start resenting you again.”
Those words did something painful to Lacey’s stomach. At least Angela was being honest with her. That was more than Lacey could expect right now. Her sister was being the bigger person. She was starting the healing process. But that didn’t mean she was completely okay with how everything had turned out.
The bedroom door opened, and Lacey nodded more to herself than anyone else as Mack emerged. His eyes connected with hers, and his smile made her insides melt. One step at a time. That was all Lacey could hope for. She was willing to let the relationship with her sister heal for as long as it took.
“I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” Angela murmured.
“Yeah. We’ll catch up later,” she repeated.
The second she hung up the phone, Mack’s arms slipped around her waist from behind. Lacey leaned into his embrace and closed her eyes with a sigh. His nose nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “Who was that?”
“Angela.”
Mack stilled his movements. He wasn’t tense like she’d expected—more curious than anything else. “Oh?”
She nodded, turning within his arms to get a good look at him. The smile that tugged at her face was all the indication he needed to know how her conversation had gone.
He grinned. “So, everything is okay?”
Her smile slipped. “Not exactly. She said she was sorry about overreacting, but that she’s still hurting. While she’s not admitting it, I know she thinks that my keeping this from her felt like a lie.” Lacey leaned into him again, resting her cheek to his shoulder. “And she’s probably right. I shouldn’t have kept it from her. It would have hurt less if she’d been aware.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t change the past.”
His words wrapped around her in a peculiarly sinister way. It was an innocent enough statement. And on its own, she agreed with it wholeheartedly.
But something about it coming from Mack rubbed at her wrong. She couldn’t help the way her mind shifted to the unknown—to everything that others had alluded to.
He’s not who you think he is.
They don’t think I’ll make anything of myself.
… never thought I’d see the day when Mack would willingly take responsibility over someone else…
“Hey, what’s wrong?” His voice was low, concerned.
Dang it! She hadn’t realized she’d reacted. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the flicker of guilt from showing on her face, and she knew it from the moment she stared into his soulful eyes.
Mack’s brows narrowed as he continued to study her. “Lacey.” The note of warning sent chills crawling across her skin. “You can talk to me.”
“I know,” she blurted, pulling away from him. Then she waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Lacey…” he tried again, but she stepped out of his reach.
She ran a hand through her hair, turning her back to him as she regained her focus. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired. You must be tired, too.” Lacey faced him and prayed that her expression wouldn’t give her away. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t let her doubts get in the way. She’d fight tooth and nail to keep them at bay.
He continued to study her for a long moment. Just when she thought he’d push the issue further, he relented. “Then I suppose I should get going so you can get some sleep.”
Lacey nodded, grateful that she’d managed to dodge this one. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Mack nodded. His eyes delved into hers, and then he smiled. “I’ll be counting the seconds.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Washe always doomed to be a disappointment? To his parents? To Lacey? To himself?
