by Amy Knupp
“Mackenzie,” he said, and his voice came out gravelly. He swallowed and grabbed on to the courage he needed. “You’re right. I have issues. I’m one screwed-up guy. I’ve never claimed any differently, and I was always fine with that…until you. You came along and penetrated my thick, selfish skull and my deep-buried, wussy heart.”
She let out a quiet laugh, the sound warming said heart, and she said, “It’s a good heart.”
“Good but chickenshit.” He flashed her a sheepish smile. “But hopefully it’s not too late to change my ways. I’m working on it.”
“I know.” She grasped his hand that was still holding on to her other one and squeezed. “I know how big of a thing it was to take that job.”
He nodded, her words sending another wave of emotion through him that had him clearing his throat so he could say more. “Yesterday I went to Cole and Sierra’s new house, and though I think it’s been building for some time, everything just hit me like an aluminum bat to the head. I’ve been miserable without you the past week and a half. I think about you all the time, miss being with you, miss waking up next to you… I miss hearing about your latest work details and watching you negotiate on a client’s behalf on the phone like a badass and arguing with you about your penchant for junk food. Something happens to me during the day, and it’s you I want to share it with. Something shakes my confidence while I’m at work, and it’s your encouragement I long for. You make me want to be a better man. You make me want things I’ve never wanted before. You make me want a future, a stable—to use your word—settled future, with a full-time job, a full-time house, and a full-time partner who will help me handle all the hiccups that life will inevitably throw at us.”
Her eyes were wide and filled with moisture, and Drake couldn’t be sure, but he thought his were watering too. He plowed on anyway. “I flew to Houston yesterday to make peace with your brother.”
“You went to see Ez?”
“Do you have other brothers I don’t know about?”
“If I do, I don’t know about them either.”
“I love you, Mackenzie, and I told him that.”
She inhaled on a sniffle and pressed her lips together, staring into his eyes. “What did he say?”
“Something like, my best friend and my sister, I can’t think of anything I’d want more, but if you ever hurt her, I’ll string you up by your balls. Paraphrasing there.”
She sniffled loudly as she smiled.
“I want all of that stuff and more with you,” he continued. “The house, the jobs, the weekends and nights and every other spare minute together, the partnership. Someday, the kids and the dog and the yard. I’m a work in progress, but…” He shifted so that he was on one knee and the other was bent in front of him as he rustled through the pocket of his athletic pants and grasped the little box. He let go of her hand long enough to fumble with the box and open it, then took her hand again as he held up the box, where the ring was nestled in velvet. He gazed into her eyes as they veered down to the ring. “Will you marry me, Mackenzie?”
She squeezed his hand as her mouth fell open and her eyes got even bigger. And she laughed or cried or both at once, letting a bunch of pent-up something out, staring at him for another never-ending, excruciating few seconds as he began to wonder if he’d dived in too soon.
He lifted his brows in question, and she lurched forward and threw her arms around his neck and laugh-cried and said, “Yes. To all of it. Yes.”
He laughed too and managed to stand without untangling their bodies, letting the ring and the box fall to the chair. He picked her up, her legs swinging around his middle, and he spun her around, holding her close, trying to convey that he would never let her go.
Intoxicated with happiness, he spun until he started to get dizzy, and then he took her to the couch and collapsed down on it with her straddling his lap. “So I did a thing,” he said.
“It sounds like you did a lot of things.”
He laughed again. “That’s true. But today when I got home from Houston, I called the Realtor of that home you said was your dream home.”
“The one that’s double my budget?” she asked.
“That’s the one. On Cranberry Street. Hear me out,” he said in a rush, not wanting to say this wrong or ruin anything for her. “I know your offer was accepted on the one you found, and I would be perfectly happy to make that our home if you want.”
“You haven’t even seen it.”
“I don’t need to. I would live in a barn or an igloo with you if that’s what you wanted.”
“I don’t.”
He laughed. “I thought that was a safe bet.” Sobering, he said, “I don’t want to buy you a house, Mackenzie. I know how you feel about being in control of that, and I understand why and I respect it. But I wanted to throw out a second option to you.”
Her fingers were playing with his hair as she studied him, eagerly waiting for him to go on.
“The house on Cranberry is incredible. I think you would love it. I love it. So while I meant what I said about being absolutely willing to move to the house you already found once we’re married, I’m wondering if you’d like to go through the one on Cranberry and see what you think. Because if you wanted, we could buy it together.”
“The bonus room above the garage is good?” she asked.
“You’d have room for a big, badass, girly desk and a couch and a worktable and whatever else you wanted to put in the Nashville To the Stars office.”
“Is the backyard as nice as it looks in the pictures?”
“Even better. It’s full of spring blooms right now and has room for a swimming pool and a barbecue area and still would allow for a good game of catch. If we were ever to have kids.”
“Do you want kids?” she asked, running her finger over his jawline now.
“I love kids. Though I’m not quite ready yet, I definitely want kids with you. If you want them.”
“Someday. Yes.” With her eyes big and sparkling, she nodded.
“So what do you say? Do you want to look at the house to see what you think?”
“Maybe,” she said, drawing the word out. “But first, I want my ring.”
He laughed and stretched his arm to the chair to grab it where it’d fallen. He clutched the box and brought it over and held it out in the scant space between them.
Mackenzie took the ring out with a squeal, held it up and admired it, then extended her hand for him to slide it on. He let out a breath when he saw that it fit perfectly.
“I love it, Drake.” As soon as she tore her eyes from the bling on her finger, she leaned in to kiss him, her ringed finger sliding over his cheek and her other hand burrowing into his hair, urging him into her, ensuring he wouldn’t pull away. Apparently not understanding that there was zero chance of that.
“Second,” she said between kisses, “I want you. Naked. I don’t care where. For the rest of the night. The house can wait until tomorrow.”
He lifted her with him as he stood, locking their lips together for several more seconds. “I couldn’t agree more,” he managed in a husky voice as he carried her off to his bedroom.
Epilogue
Two weeks later
The air in the lofted upper level of Clayborne’s vibrated with laughter and good feelings. Glasses and tumblers overflowed with spirits. A long table by the wall brimmed with scrumptious appetizers as well as cupcakes and pastries galore, supplied by Sugar Babies. With Drake by her side and his ring on her finger, Mackenzie was the luckiest girl at Sierra and Cole’s engagement party.
“Are you having fun?” Drake asked as they walked away from his mom, Aunt Liz, and Geraldine, who sat with Hunter Clayborne’s parents at a table in the corner.
“So much fun,” she said honestly. Sierra and Cole were adorably blissful and in love, and it was impossible to see them, be with them without being happy for them.
“See anyone else you’d like to be introduced to?” he asked, his hand possessi
vely at her waist.
Mackenzie glanced around at the people she’d started getting to know in the past few weeks, many of them Sierra’s ties who lived or worked on Hale Street—Kennedy and Hunter, who were hosting the party, Sierra’s parents, who’d flown in from Arizona, Sloan and Micah, Gin and Tucker, Asia and Jackson, and a couple dozen more of their closest friends, plus, of course, all the Norths, brothers, cousins, and moms, except for Zane. She realized she knew most of the people present and didn’t feel like an outsider. She felt…like she belonged, in a way she hadn’t ever before. Sure, she’d had people in LA, a social group she was a part of, who she liked, who accepted her, but this group seemed more cohesive, more intimate, more genuine somehow. It fit her better. She fit it better.
“I’m good,” she finally replied, meaning it in every sense.
Ezra was in Toronto, but they’d talked multiple times, and now that Drake had made his commitment to Mackenzie known, her brother was on board, verging on enthusiastic. He’d promised to make a stop in Nashville soon to take them out for a celebratory dinner.
“Hey, pretty girl. Do you need another drink?” Hayden sidled up to Mackenzie on the opposite side from Drake and spoke close to her ear to be heard over the steady roar of the party, holding her own glass of wine in front of her.
“That depends,” Mackenzie said, winding her free arm through Hayden’s. “Are there party games?”
Hayden laughed and shook her head. “It was one of Sierra’s conditions. No games. She and Cole just wanted to bring all their friends together to eat, drink, and celebrate. Low-key.”
“I approve. This is perfect.”
“So no games at your own party?” Hayden asked with a wicked grin. “Because I know some good ones.”
“I can’t decide whether to be intrigued or scared.”
“Intrigued for sure. Can you imagine watching all these big, tough North brothers on a plastic ring hunt or designing fabric squares for a couple’s quilt?”
Mackenzie laughed. “Tempting. I don’t know if we’re having a party. We haven’t talked about it.”
“You,” Hayden said emphatically, “are having a party. Sierra and I will plan it if no one else is. And I bet Sloan would help.”
The dark-haired entertainment manager for Clayborne’s was smiling as she and Micah walked up to them, even though she couldn’t have heard what Hayden had just volunteered her for.
“Sloan what?”
Hayden filled her in as Mackenzie greeted Micah.
“Oh, yes, definitely!” Sloan practically bounced on her toes. “We have to celebrate all the good things. I’m in. It’s official. You’re having a party. It’s good to see you both again.” She brought Drake into the conversation.
“You too,” Drake said. He shook hands with Micah, and the two men started their own conversation as Hayden and Sloan threw out ideas for an engagement party, making Mackenzie laugh again.
“You two are serious,” she said, unable to keep in the widest grin ever. She was overwhelmed by their kindness and enthusiasm. With a nudge to Drake’s side to include him, she said to the girls, “Would it be improper to have it at our house? If all goes well, Drake and I will close in two weeks. I’m moving in right away. He’s not until after the wedding, but it will be ours in every sense of the word, and it seems fitting to have our first get-together in our home be our engagement party. Yes?” She looked up at Drake to get his take.
“Hell yes,” he said, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
“Screw improper,” Hayden said. “If that’s what you want, that’s what you shall have. I can’t wait to see the house.”
They’d gone with the “dream” house on Cranberry. It hadn’t been a hard decision. Once they’d gone through it together, Mackenzie had jumped on board easily because it felt, well, perfect for them. Like, long-term perfect. Her only regret had been pulling out of the original deal, and she’d lost a chunk of money doing it, but it was too big of a purchase not to go with her heart—and Drake’s.
Hayden and Sloan jumped right into planning as Mackenzie listened, her own enthusiasm growing. She couldn’t wait to fill Drake in later, afterwards, when they were back at his place alone. He’d returned to his conversation with Micah, and then Gabe, Lexie, and her fiancé, Raleigh, joined them. Mackenzie tried to make eye contact with Lexie to get her to join the girl talk, but Lexie kept her gaze to the floor, and it seemed like she and her soon-to-be husband might be the only two in attendance who weren’t in a celebratory mood. Mackenzie made a mental note to pull her aside to see if everything was okay.
A few minutes later, Drake squeezed her hand, and she dragged her attention away from Hayden and Sloan.
“I think it’s about time,” he said.
“Gift time?” Mackenzie asked.
“Just need to find Mason and Mom.”
As she started to skim her gaze over the room, her attention was pulled across the way, to the top of the stairs, where Lexie and Raleigh now stood face-to-face, glaring at each other, and then Raleigh said one last thing, some cutting comment judging by his body language, and took off down the stairs.
“What do you think’s going on?” Drake asked, and Mackenzie realized he and Gabe had witnessed Raleigh’s exit as well, as they both stared in the same direction. Mason walked up to them then, also glancing toward Lexie, as if trying to figure out what they were gaping at.
“Shit,” Gabe said. “He’s been an ass all night. He couldn’t have made it more obvious he didn’t want to be here.”
“I didn’t think Lexie looked happy,” Mackenzie said. As she spoke, Lexie looked in their direction, saw them all staring with expressions varying from confusion to concern.
Lexie did her best to force a grin on her face, but it wasn’t convincing. She mouthed the words Be right back and darted down the stairs, and before Mackenzie could decide what to do, Gabe swore again.
“I’ve tried to like that guy, but he makes it impossible. I don’t have a good feeling about them at all.” Without another word, Gabe headed off after her.
“Gabe to the rescue,” Mason said with a hint of a smirk. “Again.”
Drake pulled Mackenzie into his side as they seemed to be thinking the same thing—that Lexie’s wedding was less than a month away.
“He’s not going to go after Raleigh, is he?” Drake asked. “Do we need to follow him?”
Mason shook his head. “He’s all about making sure Lexie’s okay. Always has been.” The last he sort of mumbled, but Mackenzie was close enough to hear.
There was a world of meaning in the statement, one that she’d have to think about later, but just then, Faye, her future mother-in-law, came up to her other side.
“Earl Clayborne rounded us up a mike,” Faye said to all of them. “He says we can do this whenever we’re ready. I’m ready anytime.”
“Are you doing okay, Mom?” Drake asked with enough concern that Mackenzie was fully prepared for the reaction from Faye.
“I’m doing fine, Drake,” she replied with conviction and a good dose of built-in scolding. “I’ve been waiting for weeks for this. Years. Maybe even decades.”
“As soon as Gabe comes back, we’ll do it,” Mason said, taking the helm as Mackenzie had noticed he so often did.
Gabe rejoined them within a couple of minutes, without Lexie, who he said was in the restroom, had insisted he go back to the party, and would be up momentarily.
The five of them made their way to the corner with the microphone, and as Mason tapped it to see if it was on, Sierra and Cole, who were nearby, talking to an older woman named Winona and her significant other, exchanged a confused look and then shot a questioning glance—at the same time—to Mason, who merely grinned.
“Hello,” he said into the mike. “May I have your attention?”
When Mackenzie looked again at Sierra, Sierra made eye contact and mouthed, What’s going on?
Mackenzie merely laughed and shrugged.
“For those
who don’t know me, I’m Mason, Cole’s oldest brother. Thanks for coming out tonight to help us celebrate Cole and his prettier half, Sierra.”
There was a round of laughter, cheering, and approval. Cole’s loving expression as he looked at Sierra said he definitely agreed.
“I believe, on the invitations, it said this party was no gifts, but we Norths don’t always follow the rules, and the six of us—including Zane, our mom, and Mackenzie, who is another soon-to-be North—have a little something for the lovebirds.”
Cole frowned in confusion and Sierra tilted her head.
“Why don’t you two join me over here so we can embarrass you thoroughly,” Mason continued, and the crowd parted to allow the couple of the hour through. As they made their way forward, Mason continued, “As some of you know, Mackenzie runs the Nashville branch of a company called To the Stars, which is a honeymoon planning company. After hearing about the trips Mackenzie plans, and knowing how busy Cole and TV star Sierra are”—Sierra, who now stood beside him, nudged him at that—“my brothers and mom and I decided to go in together and take care of the honeymoon of your dreams, whatever that entails.” The last he aimed at Cole and Sierra.
Sierra’s mouth gaped open, and she whipped both hands up to cover it, but her wide eyes continued to give away a mix of emotions. Cole had narrowed his eyes at Mason as if he didn’t quite believe him and was waiting for the punch line.
“You’re serious?” Cole said.
Mason smiled, seeming to enjoy Cole’s reaction, and he held up a folder with the printouts of the formal presentation Mackenzie had put together. “It’s all here, in black and white…and full color. Your beloved at one point said the word beach, and we ran with that. Mackenzie has put together three detailed beach options for you—one in Malta in the Mediterranean, one in Jiva in the South Pacific, and one in the Seychelles off the coast of Africa.”
“Oh, my God. Best surprise ever,” Sierra said, and Cole threw his head back and laughed in what looked like pure joy.
