If Jared and her sister were right though… Mackenzie’s stomach cramped. She staggered back from the tree. She couldn’t bear thinking about that. Couldn’t envision her life without Jared in it. Because she didn’t doubt that if she hesitated or pulled back now, she’d lose him.
Exhausted, she plopped down into a chair. The best-laid plans of mice and men…
She rubbed her forehead, feeling the twinges of a headache lurking there.
Her phone vibrated. The urge to hurl it across the room and watch it smash into dozens of pieces tempted her. Mackenzie pulled the phone out of her pocket, muttered a curse, and answered it.
“What?”
A silent pause, then, “Mackenzie?”
“Yes, Anna?”
“I just wanted to thank you for helping—”
“What do you need?” Pine needles littered the hardwood floor. She needed to vacuum.
“N-nothing. Are you okay?”
My almost-boyfriend left. I’m never going to learn Italian or hike in the Grand Canyon or get my house cleaned or this tree decorated because I can’t say no to you or anyone at the firm. And I have no one to blame but myself.
“No. I’m not. I’m on vacation.” If she said it one more time, Mackenzie would scream, and she might not stop.
“Oh, I forgot about that. Sorry.”
“I spent an hour talking with you and Phil on the phone. I’m not surprised you forgot. What do you need?”
“I wanted to run some things by you but it can wait. You’re on vacation. Why on earth did you call me this morning?”
“Bryce asked me to deal with your little dust-up.”
“You need to learn to say no, girl.”
Mackenzie stared at her phone in disbelief. “Okay. Anna, don’t call me.”
“No problem. Happy holidays!” Anna hung up.
Cautiously, Mackenzie put her phone down, half-expecting Anna to call back. Had she ever told Anna no? It felt liberating. When the phone remained silent for several minutes, she pushed up out of the easy chair and got the vacuum out of the closet.
One down, eight more to go. Not all the other conversations would go as smoothly. Beatrice and Harper shouldn’t kick up a fuss. She hunted down a ponytail holder and slicked her hair back into it.
While she vacuumed, she considered how she would deal with the others. She worked her way through the house, planning out conversations as she went. Mackenzie didn’t kid herself into thinking this solved everything. It would take time, way more time than she liked to think about, but at least she had a workable plan. Would she actually do it?
Yes. Not only would she say yes to herself, but she would also succeed. That knowledge and promise was another surprise Christmas present. A gift to herself, and one that Jared would reap the benefits of as well.
When Mackenzie stood before the Christmas tree again, instead of feeling numb, her nerves felt raw, electrified by unbridled enthusiasm, her skin felt too tight, her hands too unsteady to place delicate ornaments on a tree. Hoping to excise her excess emotion, she power-scrubbed both bathrooms. It felt cathartic but she needed to do more.
Stalking back into the living room, she found her phone and hit speed dial.
Bryce answered with a “What’s up?”
“Hey. I’m calling to tell you I won’t be answering my phone until I’m back to work on Monday.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Her pent-up agitation fizzed out. “Wow. I did not expect that.”
“Why? I hardly call you.”
“Hardly call me?” she sputtered. “Bryce, you text or call me at least once if not two times a day outside office hours.”
“You exaggerate. I don’t.”
Exaggerate? Was he kidding? “All right. Whatever. I’d like to set up a meeting with you Monday morning. I have a few things that we need to discuss. Check your schedule and email me a time that works for you.”
“Mack, what’s this about?”
“Just some things that I’ve been putting off. Don’t stress about it. I’ll see you Monday morning. Happy holidays.” The moment she clicked off, she headed for the kitchen. She needed a brownie.
Mackenzie cut a generous square out of the pan and warmed it up in the microwave. She scrolled through her recent history on her phone. Not only would she show Bryce tangible proof of all his calls and texts, for the foreseeable future every time she got an after-hours call or text, she’d remind him of his outrageous claim. Biting into the warm, gooey brownie, she smiled.
Tired of cleaning, she looked over her grocery list, made a few additions, and hoped that the grocery store wouldn’t be as busy as Juniper Creek had been.
It was worse.
It took her four trips from the car to bring in all the grocery bags. The Christmas tree patiently waited for her. “I’ll work on you tomorrow.”
Her energy completely flagged after she reorganized the refrigerator. There was something else she was supposed to do… She placed a call to her mother’s friend, Olivia, and invited her to Christmas dinner.
Mackenzie looked through the bottles of wine standing like toy soldiers on the counter. She chose a Syrah. As she opened the bottle, the blue icicle lights winked on outside. She poured herself a glass. Twirled the rich red wine around idly, inhaled its heady fragrance, then sipped. Heaven.
A knock on her front door startled her. Taking her wineglass with her, she walked out to the living room. The blue lights illuminated a black pickup in her driveway. Jared.
Pleasure bubbled through her like champagne, she opened the door grinning broadly. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
Same thigh-hugging jeans, this pair in black, and leather jacket, still looking like trouble but tonight he wore a sheepish grin and hid something behind his back. Carefully, he opened the screen door. Mackenzie took a back step to let him in.
“We have a date tonight,” he said.
“We do?” She took a sip of wine, and shifted sideways, curious to see what he held behind him.
Jared turned with her and kicked the door shut with his heel. “They say the memory is the first thing to go.”
“Are you calling me old?”
“Never.” Rocking back on his heels, he brought his hand around, surprising her with a bouquet of red and white roses.
“They’re lovely.” She accepted them, breathing in their aroma.
“They’re a peace offering. I’m sorry about this morning.”
Relief washed through her. “Apology accepted.” She almost told him about her decision but decided that in this case, showing him would work far better than making promises.
Jared waited until she set the vase down, then drew her into an embrace, and kissed her. “Hmm, wine-flavored kisses. My favorite.”
She held his chilled face between her hands, pouring all her hopes into her kiss. Finally, she stepped back. “We’ll work it out.”
“Yes, we will.” Hands free now, Jared shrugged off his leather coat. He glanced at the tree and raised his eyebrows in question.
“My day went sideways. But the house is mom-inspection clean.”
“Come here.” Jared tugged her over to the couch. “You’ve been talking about carpe diem and I’ve been thinking about all the things that I want.” He pulled her down to sit on his lap. “Everything boils down to you. You’re my carpe diem.”
Heart caught in her throat, hope soared through Mackenzie, high as a kite caught on a March wind.
“The phone calls irritated the shit out of me and, to be honest, frightened me a little. I don’t want to be brushed aside. I want you. I know you’re—”
“Working on it,” she finished for him. “Jared.” Mackenzie feathered a kiss over his lips. “I won’t back away.” She slipped sideways off his lap, then resettled herself so she straddled him. She indulged herself in another kiss.
Jared wound his hands through her hair, slanted his mouth, and deepened the kiss. Breathless, her fingers found the edge of his turtleneck
and edged it up. She wanted to touch him, taste him. Lifting her head back a few inches, she asked, “Could we have our date night tomorrow night?”
“No problem.”
Mackenzie tugged his shirt up, then stopped. “Jared?”
“Yeah?” Light sparked in his dark eyes.
“Do you have plans for Christmas Day?”
“I’m spending it with you.” He stroked his hand down her back.
“Perfect. I’m going to need some more chairs and maybe a table. You said you had some I can borrow?”
“I’ll bring them over tomorrow. Right now.” He nipped her lower lip. “I want to give you my Christmas present.”
Mackenzie skated her fingers under his shirt. “I love surprise gifts.”
Home For The Holidays - Stacy McWilliams
Chapter 1
Savannah
Christmas on Campus
It was two and a half months since I’d last heard or spoken with Hunter. Classes were fun, challenging, but enjoyable, and with finals almost over, everyone was in the party mood. My mom had called and asked me what my plans were for the holidays, but I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to spend as little time at home as possible.
My dad had been insufferable in the last few months and was constantly showing up to check up on me and make sure that Hunter stayed away. Eventually, I’d lost it with him when he showed up and dragged me out of my Introduction to Philosophy class.
He’d agreed after that to stay away and not bother me on campus, but the thought of going home again and pretending to be happy with his constant meddling was too much.
The morning of my last final dawned bright and cold. The snow on the ground was a few inches thick and it was slippery outside as I made my way towards my Ethics final. My head was swimming with Descartes, Plato, Aristotle, and Ross.
I was going over the definitions of ethics according to the three schools of ethics when someone stepped in front of me.
“Hey, princess!”
My eyes shot up to see Hunter standing there and my heart sped in my chest as I drank him in. He was buffer than before, and his blue eyes blazed as he stepped closer. His leather jacket hugged his upper body like a second skin and his hair, longer than it had been when I’d last seen him, was parted and tucked behind his ears.
“Hunter… wha… how…”
He smirked at me and my words died in my throat as he pulled me into his arms and held me for a moment before he brought his lips to mine and kissed me with all the passion that I’d been missing.
“God, I missed you, Savannah.”
His heart hammered as his arms wrapped tightly around me and for a moment I was back in the safety of his embrace, but I knew I had to end the moment. I had to break away. I had things to do.
“Hunter,” I whispered against his neck, feeling his cool skin beneath my blazing lips.
He didn’t move, or answer, and then he pressed his lips gently to my forehead.
“I missed you so much. As soon as my last final was over, my only thought was getting to see you.”
Oh my God!!! My final.
“I’m sorry. I have to go…”
I glanced down at my watch as I pulled away from him and began running towards the Ethics lab with Hunter hot on my heels.
“Savannah?”
I could hear him calling me, but I sprinted as fast as I could, and I just made it inside as the staff were beginning to close the doors. The girl taking attendance glared at me as she pointed to a vacant seat all the way across the room.
My footsteps echoed in the silent room as I made my way across and I could feel almost every single pair of eyes on me. As soon as I reached my seat, I rummaged in my backpack for my pens and my lucky charm that Yvette had given me the week after I started Yale.
I placed everything on my desk with shaking fingers as an older man approached and hissed at me.
“Turn off your cell and place your backpack by the wall.”
There was a line of backpacks against the wall to my left and I quickly rushed over to place my backpack with the others. As soon as I took my seat, the battle-axe at the front of the room began speaking and gave us our instructions.
“Turn your paper over and write your name on each booklet. Make sure you put your student ID number on each booklet too and use only black ink.
“There are three components to each paper. One is multiple choice; one is question and answer; and one is an essay. Choose only one essay question to complete. There are no fire drills expected, so if you hear the fire alarm, please leave via the nearest exit and gather outside for further instructions. You also may not leave before the final thirty minutes and you may only leave before the final fifteen minutes. If you finish after that, I suggest you read over what you have written. You have three hours, and your time starts now!”
My fingers scrambled with the sheets and I began reading. My mind kept wandering to Hunter and I wondered if he was waiting outside, but someone cleared their throat nearby and I quickly ignored the butterflies floating around my stomach at the thought of seeing him again.
The first two hours passed in a blur and I wrote furiously, choosing to answer the essay question first and then do the question-and-answer piece. My fingers were cramping as I began the multiple choice and the woman’s voice made me jump.
“One hour left. You have one hour left.”
My heart hammered as I answered all the questions and then checked and rechecked my answers to make sure I was satisfied with them.
“Fifteen minutes to go. Remain in your seats, please.”
I sat back, satisfied and glanced around the room at my classmates, seeing Damon and Serena sitting side by side. They were my best friends on campus, and I knew they’d spot Hunter as soon as they left.
They were the only people I’d told anything about him, and I wanted to ask them to ignore him. What was I going to do?
My head was swimming and my heart raced as I thought about the kiss we’d shared, but it was over. He’d shown up, staked his claim when I was out on a date with Kent and then left again. He had said he was my ending, but I didn't expect to see him again.
I sent him a message after he left and he never replied, so I left it at that. And although I missed him, I wanted to try and move on with my life. Being with Hunter was wild and he was my first, but he was also dangerous to my heart, so I wasn’t sure what he was here for, or if I even wanted him around.
I sat tapping my fingers gently on my legs as I thought about it and I’d just about decided to say no when the professor called time on the exam. I hurried to the front and handed in my papers before grabbing my backpack and sprinting for the door.
He was standing against the wall opposite, toying with some sort of chain that was attached to his belt, but he looked up as I left the classroom and walked towards me, reaching me at the same time as Damon and Serena did.
“Drinks,” Damon announced as he wrapped his arm around my waist and hugged me tightly. Hunter glared at him like he wanted to rip his arm off and Damon stepped back in shock as Hunter spun me out of his embrace.
“Princess, can I talk to you?” Hunter asked in a low voice and both Damon and Serena gasped because they knew all about Hunter calling me princess. Damon waved as Serena dragged him away and I watched them go with a bemused expression on my face.
“What is it, Hunter?”
My voice was sharper than I intended, and I saw him wince as I spoke.
“I missed you. Didn’t you miss me? What are you doing for the next few weeks?”
My eyes darted to his and away as I contemplated lying to him. I’d already told my parents I was staying on campus to get a start on my reading for the next semester, but the truth was I was staying on campus because I couldn’t take my parents watching my every move.
“I’m going home,” I told him, and he met my eyes with a sad look as he registered that I hadn’t said whether or not I was missing him.
“What day
are you leaving?”
“I’ll be leaving Friday at noon.”
It wasn’t true. I’d checked out getting home, but it was too much travelling and I had classes starting in early January that I didn’t want to miss.
“Can we spend the next two days together, then? Please, princess?”
I wanted to say no. I wanted to say I was seeing someone else which was a total lie, but I couldn’t do it. Not to him.
“Okay. I’m busy today, but we can go for dinner tonight. Meet me at my dorm at seven.”
His smile lit up his whole face, and before I could stop him, he pulled me back into his arms and kissed my forehead. As he released me, I wished he hadn’t, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was busy. It was Serena’s birthday, and I was going out for drinks with them to celebrate.
Damon had gotten me a fake ID and I’d only used it a few times, but it worked. I didn’t like to drink too much, but I needed to take the edge off today. I watched Hunter turn and walk away and my stomach flipped as he turned back and blew me a kiss before stepping back outside into the bitter New Haven cold.
I plucked my cell from my backpack as I walked out of the opposite door and sent a message to Serena telling her to wait at the dorm for me. Damon had texted me after they left, and his message made me chuckle.
Fuck me. He’s a total hottie Now I can see why you’re so hung up on him. Please tell me he’s going to sweep you off your feet and that you guys are going to spend Christmas together.
I laughed as I replied.
Catch you guys up in the bar. Going to get a shower and get ready. Be there in one hour.
I made my way to my dorm grinning the entire time as I thought about Hunter and how he wanted to see me. My heart was soaring—that was until I got to my dorm and saw my mom and dad standing there.
Fuck, I thought. I’m doomed. There was no way I could go out now, but I wanted to. I wondered if I could say I had another final later that day, so I could get out of spending time with them.
Christmas Wishes: A Christmas Romance Anthology Page 22
