An older gentleman opened the door and peered out at him with curiosity. He cleared his throat and offered a kind smile. “I’m sorry, but whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested?—”
“I’m here about Lacey.”
The man closed his mouth, and his brows lifted. “Do I know you?”
Mack shook his head. “No, but I’m here anyway.”
“Who is it, dear?” a female voice called before a woman materialized beside him. Her curiosity shifted to recognition then became guarded. “You’re… It was Mack, wasn’t it?”
So she knew his name. Either Lacey had talked about him, or she knew it from those gossips in town.
“Yes,” he said evenly. “And I’m here to talk to you about Lacey. May I come in?”
She hesitated a moment, then she glanced up at her husband and gave him a curt nod.
The hardest part was over, right? He’d gotten them to invite him inside. The rest should be cake.
Unfortunately, not evenhecould convince himself that was true.
Their names were Alan and Briana. They sat in a pair of high-backed, upholstered chairs that faced the couch where Mack was perched on the edge of the cushion. Alan’s expression was unreadable and yet kind. Out of the two of them, he seemed like the one with a more level head. Briana remained guarded as she watched him. Occasionally, she narrowed her eyes, as if she couldn’t control the scowl she wanted to bestow on him.
Mack shifted uncomfortably. He just needed to dive into it. He was already here, and prolonging the inevitable wasn’t going to do him any good. He cleared his throat and set his gaze on Briana to show her just how little she terrified him.
Or at least that was what he hoped his eyes portrayed. “I know you’ve heard some stories about me, and while some might be true, others are not. I’d like to get that off my chest, first and foremost. Because I’d like to believe that you would give me the benefit of the doubt—seeing as you’ve never met me.”
She stiffened, and her husband gave her a look that indicated he wasn’t sure what they were discussing. When Briana didn’t outright ask him about anything, Mack continued.
“I’m not a perfect man by any means. I’ve made mistakes, and I probably will make more, but the most important thing is that I’m working to be a better man. Every day, I do what I can to make those I care about proud that they know me. And Lacey is one of those people.”
Alan leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees. “You and Lacey? You’redating.”
Briana made a scoffing sound, but her husband didn’t pay any attention to it.
Mack hated the instinct to lay it all out for the man. The more he watched this interaction, the more he wondered just how much Lacey’s father was involved in the situation. Rather than make a fool of himself if he was wrong, he lifted his chin and told the truth. “I’m in love with your daughter. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t want to be near her, to touch her, laugh with her, or simply have her in my sights. I’d do anything for her, and that includes making sure she’s never alone again. I love Bridger, too, and nothing would make me happier than letting him call me ‘Dad.’ Lacey and I have our issues. She’s been through a lot, and she has a hard time trusting people, but I’m not going anywhere. I won’t stop trying to build that trust until the day I die. One day, I’m going to marry her, sir. And I’m going to adopt that boy because I already feel like he’s mine.”
The room fell deathly still. The only sounds Mack could hear were the pounding of his heart and the rushing of the blood in his ears. He stared hard at both of Lacey’s parents, praying that his determination wouldn’t set Briana off on some rant.
Their focus shifted away from him in that moment to something behind him. He hadn’t heard the door open, but he definitely felt a presence at his back. Slowly, he turned around and came face to face with three individuals.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Lacey feltlike she was floating in some sensory deprivation chamber. She couldn’t feel or hear anything. Only him.
All she could see was Mack and his beautifully infuriating face. She’d stepped through the door just as he’d started talking. The second she saw his truck out front, she’d known something was wrong. Angela had called after her as she flung herself from the car and toward the house before Angela had put it in park.
How had Mack found his way here? In her head, a thousand possible scenarios played out, and she couldn’t get her heart to stop racing as she scrambled toward the door and prayed that he wasn’t doing something they’d all regret.
But then he’d said those words, and she couldn’t move.
Mack stared at her now, unflinching determination in his gaze. He wasn’t about to back down. She could read it in his posture and the set of his jaw. He’d come here without telling her, so there was no way he could have set this up to manipulate her.
Lacey’s chest ached, and she sucked in a sharp breath as she took a step toward him. She vaguely heard Bridger ask if Mack wasgoing to be his dad before Angela herded him back through the door with a chuckle.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get some ice cream.” The door closed with a soft click.
It was just the four of them now. Her parents. Herself. And the love of her life.
Eyes flicking to her parents, Lacey attempted to read the expressions on their faces. Her mother didn’t look thrilled, but she also didn’t appear to be any more upset than she’d been when they’d heard the gossip at the salon. Her father simply took them in with an inquisitive expression. Lacey hadn’t had a real boyfriend since she’d dated Bridger’s biological father. She’d shied away from dating when she lived under this roof, and she’d kept her distance from everyone else in Rocky Ridge.
