promise I’m okay.” I looked around, noticing we were alone. “Where is Miranda?”
“She had to pee so she raced inside. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I sighed. “Sometimes I just wonder if Hayes sticks around because he feels like he has to.”
Brad’s eyebrows bunched. “What the hell, Mackenzie? That boy loves you.”
“I know he does. I do. But I feel like I’m making him give everything up. He doesn’t get to have fun anymore.”
“I can promise you he is perfectly happy. You need to stop worrying.”
I looked to the ground. “It’s just—”
“Don’t you dare even go there.” He took my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. “You are good enough for him. You and Harley are all he wants.”
I nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just feel like I’m holding him back…with everything.” I shrugged. “Thank you for being here. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes as he hugged me back.
“I’m always going to be here, kiddo.” He released me, flashing a smile. “Now let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
Chapter 2
Hayes
After my morning class, I stopped by Carson’s apartment to talk to him about my plans for Mac’s birthday. I was happy. So fucking happy. But I still needed something more. I needed to be married, or, at the very least, engaged to Mac. And I needed help. I didn’t want there to be any problems.
“What time should I drive out there? Six?” Carson asked from the couch.
I thought about it for a minute. “Yeah. You can just say you have to do something at your parents’ house.”
“And where will I find everything again?”
I sighed and placed my ankle over my opposite knee. “I told you already. Everything I need is at my parents’ house. At some point during the party, I’ll help you take everything out of the garage and put it in your truck.”
“How much shit are we talking?” he asked, cramming his hand in a bag of chips.
“Not a lot. Just promise you’ll do this for me. I want this to be perfect.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, munching on chips. “You already live together. Why ask her to marry you?”
“Because, I just…want to be married to her, okay?”
“You’re terrified she’ll run?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I just want to marry her.” I stood up. “I have to go get Harley from the sitter.”
“I’m starving. Why don’t we pick her up and then go grab some lunch?”
“Fine.” I had no idea why I was so irritated with Carson. It was probably nerves over the proposal. I had racked my brain for a way to ask, and honestly, I had no idea why I hadn’t thought of taking her out to Kurt’s dad’s place in the beginning. The place where we both stared at the stars together for the first time.
Carson grabbed his wallet and opened the door. “Just for the record, I think you have turned into a pussy.”
I shrugged, not caring. So what if I was a pussy? I was happy. My world was right.
We climbed into my Jeep and pulled out onto the road. “You’re sure you can do this for me?”
Carson sighed. “For the love of God, yes. What is so difficult about setting up a blanket and some candles on a rock? I’m not a moron.”
“That’s debatable.” I laughed. “Sorry. I’m just… fuck …”
“You need to calm the fuck down, Hayes. She’s going to notice something is up by the way you’re acting.”
“I know.” I pulled up to a stop light and flicked the blinker on. “It’s just…I worry she’ll say no. It’s been a few months since we even talked about marriage and she hasn’t brought it up once. I thought girls talked about shit like that.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. I just fuck ‘em. No time for talking.”
“I hope to shit you wrap your dick up,” I muttered, turning down another road. “Look, I know I’m being an ass, but I appreciate you helping me.”
“When are you not an ass?”
“Good point.” I
“She had to pee so she raced inside. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I sighed. “Sometimes I just wonder if Hayes sticks around because he feels like he has to.”
Brad’s eyebrows bunched. “What the hell, Mackenzie? That boy loves you.”
“I know he does. I do. But I feel like I’m making him give everything up. He doesn’t get to have fun anymore.”
“I can promise you he is perfectly happy. You need to stop worrying.”
I looked to the ground. “It’s just—”
“Don’t you dare even go there.” He took my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. “You are good enough for him. You and Harley are all he wants.”
I nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just feel like I’m holding him back…with everything.” I shrugged. “Thank you for being here. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes as he hugged me back.
“I’m always going to be here, kiddo.” He released me, flashing a smile. “Now let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
Chapter 2
Hayes
After my morning class, I stopped by Carson’s apartment to talk to him about my plans for Mac’s birthday. I was happy. So fucking happy. But I still needed something more. I needed to be married, or, at the very least, engaged to Mac. And I needed help. I didn’t want there to be any problems.
“What time should I drive out there? Six?” Carson asked from the couch.
I thought about it for a minute. “Yeah. You can just say you have to do something at your parents’ house.”
“And where will I find everything again?”
I sighed and placed my ankle over my opposite knee. “I told you already. Everything I need is at my parents’ house. At some point during the party, I’ll help you take everything out of the garage and put it in your truck.”
“How much shit are we talking?” he asked, cramming his hand in a bag of chips.
“Not a lot. Just promise you’ll do this for me. I want this to be perfect.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, munching on chips. “You already live together. Why ask her to marry you?”
“Because, I just…want to be married to her, okay?”
“You’re terrified she’ll run?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I just want to marry her.” I stood up. “I have to go get Harley from the sitter.”
“I’m starving. Why don’t we pick her up and then go grab some lunch?”
“Fine.” I had no idea why I was so irritated with Carson. It was probably nerves over the proposal. I had racked my brain for a way to ask, and honestly, I had no idea why I hadn’t thought of taking her out to Kurt’s dad’s place in the beginning. The place where we both stared at the stars together for the first time.
Carson grabbed his wallet and opened the door. “Just for the record, I think you have turned into a pussy.”
I shrugged, not caring. So what if I was a pussy? I was happy. My world was right.
We climbed into my Jeep and pulled out onto the road. “You’re sure you can do this for me?”
Carson sighed. “For the love of God, yes. What is so difficult about setting up a blanket and some candles on a rock? I’m not a moron.”
“That’s debatable.” I laughed. “Sorry. I’m just… fuck …”
“You need to calm the fuck down, Hayes. She’s going to notice something is up by the way you’re acting.”
“I know.” I pulled up to a stop light and flicked the blinker on. “It’s just…I worry she’ll say no. It’s been a few months since we even talked about marriage and she hasn’t brought it up once. I thought girls talked about shit like that.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. I just fuck ‘em. No time for talking.”
“I hope to shit you wrap your dick up,” I muttered, turning down another road. “Look, I know I’m being an ass, but I appreciate you helping me.”
“When are you not an ass?”
“Good point.” I
Similar Books
