by Amy Reece
He was silent on the other end for a moment. “Are you sure, sweetheart? I don’t want this to be a giant pain in the ass for you.”
“Mac,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “Stop worrying. I’m fine, and I am happy to fix dinner for your father. Are you happy he’s coming for a visit?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m dying for him to meet our daughter and you, but, well, I guess it means I can’t stay with you tonight and that kind of bums me out.”
She thrilled to hear him call her ‘our daughter’ but was less than thrilled at the rest of his news. “Well, that sucks. I just lured you into my bed and you’ve already found a way to escape?”
He laughed and she could imagine he was running his hand through his short brown locks. “Believe me, hon, escape from your bed is the last thing on my mind, but I can’t exactly hand Dad a house key and tell him I’ll see him in the morning.”
“No, I suppose that would be tacky. How tacky would it be to ask how long he’s staying?”
He chuckled. “Not tacky at all, but he didn’t say.” He spoke to someone on the other end, his voice muffled as if he’d put his hand over the microphone. “Listen, hon, I gotta go. At least let me pick up dessert, okay? I hate the thought of you slaving over a hot stove all afternoon.”
“I’m going to shove my mom’s lasagna in the oven and make a salad. There will be very little slaving involved. I love you, and I’ll see you tonight.”
Janey was confused when Izzy told her about their dinner guest. “But I already have a grandpa.” She frowned as Izzy buckled her into her car seat.
Izzy had never believed in shielding Janey from the truth of their situation: she was a single mother and had never been married. She wasn’t ashamed of it and certainly didn’t want Janey to feel there was anything wrong with the way she was being raised. Izzy had four brothers and a father to help make sure the little girl had plenty of male influence in her life. But Janey’s father was back, and things were different now. “Poppa Tony is my father, so he’s your grandfather. But Mac also has a father and he’s your other grandfather.”
Janey thought about this for several minutes as Izzy backed out of the parking spot and turned onto the street. “Does Mac have a momma? Is she my other grammy?”
“Mac’s mother died a long time ago, sweetie.”
“That’s sad, Momma. Did Mac cry?”
Izzy bit her lip as she watched Janey in the rearview mirror. Her daughter had such a tender little heart, often crying over small injustices the rest of the world seemed to callously brush off. “Oh, Janey. I’m sure he did, but it was twenty years ago, baby.”
“That’s a long time.”
Two hours later, the house smelled like an Italian bistro and Janey was setting the table, adding a specially chosen My Little Pony beside each plate. “Mac gets Big Macintosh ’cuz it sounds like his name. My new grandpa gets Prince Shining Armor. Momma, do you want Rarity or Fluttershy?”
“Hmm, tough choice. I think I’ll go with Rarity tonight.” Izzy set the salad on the table and checked the clock. Mac was due any minute and she was slightly nervous about meeting his father. What would he think of her, a woman who’d gotten pregnant after having a one-night stand with his son? She’d spent an inordinate amount of time choosing the perfect outfit and making sure her makeup was fresh, but still subtle. At that moment she heard a key in the front door and rushed to the living room. Mac entered, followed by an older man who was slightly taller than Mac with gray-brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked fit and was exceptionally handsome, a trait he’d clearly passed on to his son.
“Hey, beautiful.” Mac held a brown bakery box in one hand, but encircled her waist with the other and pulled her close for a kiss.
“Daddy!” Janey ran to him, throwing her arms around his legs.
He smiled at Izzy and handed her the box before bending down to hug Janey. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet, Princess.” He picked her up and turned to his father. “Janey, this is my dad. Dad, this is my daughter, Janey. She’s your granddaughter.”
Izzy wasn’t surprised when Janey hid her face against Mac’s neck, but she noticed her peeking out at her grandfather.
Mac let it go for the moment and reached a hand to Izzy. “Dad, this is Isabelle. She’s Janey’s mother. Izzy, this is my dad, David MacNeil.”
His father stepped forward and shook her hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Isabelle.”
“Please call me Izzy.” She shut the door and gestured for them to follow her to the dining room. “Would you like a glass of wine?” At his nod of assent, she poured them each a glass of the merlot she’d bought earlier.
“What’s that?” Janey, still in Mac’s arms, pointed to the brightly wrapped package David had set on the table.
David smiled. “Oh, it’s a present I brought for my new granddaughter.” He shrugged casually and sipped his wine.
“That’s me.” She squirmed in Mac’s arms.
He set her down and winked at Izzy.
“You know, I think you’re right. This present must be for you.” David sat and handed her the gift.
She looked to her mother for permission, then took the box from his hand. It contained a small stuffed dog, a chocolate lab puppy. Janey adored it, judging by the hug and kiss she bestowed upon it. She stepped closer to her grandfather. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“My other grandpa is Poppa Tony. What’s your name?” She took another step closer.
David frowned, as if thinking. “Well, I’m not sure. How does Grandpa Dave sound?” It was abundantly clear he’d put some thought into it beforehand.
“Okay. Do you want to come see my kitten, Grandpa Dave? My daddy gave her to me for my birthday and her name is Sophie.” She held her hand out for him, the stuffed dog tucked under her other arm.
Izzy was sure she saw his eyes mist as he took his granddaughter’s hand and followed her to find Sophie. “Come help me in the kitchen for a minute, Mac.” She tugged his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.
“Sure. What do you need—” He was stopped by Izzy’s mouth pressed against his.
“I need you, but I’ll settle for a kiss,” she murmured against his lips, then kissed him again. She opened her mouth under his and welcomed his warm tongue against her own. She moaned and stepped closer. “Are you sure you can’t stay tonight?”
“I wish, but it wouldn’t be very nice to hand my dad the keys and send him back to my townhouse alone.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close as he kissed her again deeply. “All right.” He set her slightly away. “We’d better focus on dinner for now or I’m going to end up dragging you into your bedroom so I can have my wicked way with you.”
She laughed. “That would be awkward with your dad and Janey here wondering what happened to us. If you’ll get the lasagna out of the oven while I slice the bread, we’ll be good to go.”
“Man, this smells great.” He found the oven mitts and lifted the casserole from the oven. “Janey did really well meeting my dad. I was worried.”
“The present helped. She’s shy around new people, but usually gets over it fairly quickly. Your dad is very handsome. Now I see where you get it.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart.” He winked at her and carried the lasagna to the dining room.
Dinner was lively; David was a fun guest and included Janey in the conversation throughout the meal, asking her about her preschool, her favorite foods, and her family. He seemed fascinated by the vast amount of aunts and uncles in her life.
“You are so lucky to have such a big family, Janey! I was an only child and so is your dad, so he doesn’t have any aunts or uncles or cousins,” David said.
“I’m gonna have a cousin soon. My Auntie Mel is having a baby. My Uncle Finn said it would be my cousin.”
“That will be nice for you.”
Janey slipped out of her seat and sidled next to David. “Can I sit on your lap?”
<
br /> Izzy smiled wryly as she watched her small daughter wrap her newly discovered grandfather around her little finger. “Who’s ready for dessert?”
Mac had brought a small berries and cream cake from Whole Foods. He sliced and served it while Izzy poured decaf for the adults and milk for Janey, who decided it was the best cake she’d ever had. Mac volunteered to help Izzy clear the table and stack the dishes in the dishwasher while David followed Janey to the living room.
“Do you want to play CandyLand, Grandpa Dave?”
“I would love to.”
Mac tried to get Izzy to sit while he did all the work, but she was having none of it. She felt almost back to her old self and needed to be busy.
“I love your dad.”
“Me too.” He closed the dishwasher and took the empty lasagna pan from her.
“Just let that soak in the sink.” She put the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator. “So, are you going to show your dad around Albuquerque tomorrow? It’s Saturday, so you don’t have to work, right?” She knew he typically had weekends off, but he’d said he sometimes had to go in if there was a pressing case.
“Um, yeah. I guess that would be a good idea. Where should I take him? You’re the lifelong Albuquerque resident.”
“Well, Old Town is always good. It’s kind of cold to take him up the tram; you might want to save that for a spring visit. Is he a Breaking Bad fan?”
“Yeah. We both are.”
“You could take him on a tour. There are official ones but you can also look up locations online and just drive around.”
He grabbed her hand as she passed and pulled her down to sit on his lap on a kitchen chair. He pushed her hair behind her ear and began to nibble her neck. “Let’s meet for breakfast and spend the day together, as a family.”
She shivered as his lips found an especially sensitive spot. “That sounds wonderful. We have a family dinner on Sunday to celebrate Seamus’s birthday. It would be great time to introduce your dad to the rest of my family.”
His hand slid under her sweater and up to caress her breast over her silky bra. “Good plan.” He found her earlobe and gently bit it, then soothed it with his tongue. “I love the taste of you. It’s my favorite flavor in the entire world.”
She wriggled closer, thrilled to feel his reaction against her thigh. “Mac,” she sighed. “Tonight will be endless.”
He nodded then retrieved his hand from under her top. “All right, witch. Enough of your seduction.” He swatted her lightly on her bottom. “Let’s go see if our daughter has found her way through the Molasses Swamp yet.” He’d been a frequent competitor in all of Janey’s favorite games over the past few weeks.
Since it was a Friday night, Janey was allowed to stay up later than usual. After her bath, she trooped back to the living room, wearing pink footie pajamas and cuddling her kitten. She curled up between Mac and David while they all watched the movie she’d requested, the latest animated animal hit which her Uncle Hugh had bought for her a few days previously. With all the excitement of the evening, she didn’t last forty-five minutes before she fell asleep. Mac scooped her into his arms and carried her down the hall to her bedroom.
David was looking weary, as well, after a full day of traveling and meeting his granddaughter, so he and Mac took their leave. Izzy locked up behind them and went through the house turning out lights and straightening up—anything to avoid going to bed alone. Oh, for heaven’s sake! You’ve only slept together three nights! You shouldn’t be missing him this much already! But her heart had different ideas, and when she finally slipped under her comforter, it was only to toss and turn for hours. His pillow still smelled like him, so she pulled it closer and finally fell asleep.
***
Mac
He couldn’t recall seeing his dad this happy in a long, long time. He and Janey had totally hit it off and she had insisted on walking beside him, holding his hand, as they strolled through Old Town, looking at the unique southwest architecture and the silver and turquoise jewelry sold by Native Americans sitting on blankets in front of the shops. They’d met for breakfast at Weck’s, one of Mac’s favorite places, and he’d introduced his dad to the amazing world of huevos rancheros: eggs, beans, and hash browns on a corn tortilla, smothered in red chile and cheese. When Janey got tired of walking, Mac and David took turns lifting her up to their shoulders. They had lunch at La Posada, an iconic restaurant in Old Town with a tree growing in the middle of the dining room, which fascinated Janey. After lunch they walked across the street to the Natural History Museum, Janey’s all-time favorite. When she got a bit cranky, Izzy suggested it would be a great time to make the hour-long drive to Santa Fe, so Janey could nap on the way and hopefully wake up in a sweeter mood.
It worked, for the most part. She claimed she was tired of walking around and looking at stuff and couldn’t they get a drink? Mac could see Izzy was starting to lose patience with their daughter, so he offered to take her to find some hot chocolate while Izzy and David explored the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continually occupied government building in the United States.
“We’ll meet you there in about an hour, okay?” He took Janey’s hand and led her across the street to a coffee shop. He was happy to take her; his back was stiff today and the slow pace of museum walking wasn’t helping. He hadn’t rested well the night before, tossing and turning for hours before finally falling into a restless sleep around three in the morning. He was thrilled his dad was there—he’d been trying to get him to come for a visit since he’d moved to Albuquerque—but he longed to hold Izzy in his arms. And he missed getting up to check on Janey in the middle of the night. He sternly told himself to man up and get a grip.
He and Janey enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate apiece and shared a slice of frosted gingerbread. She seemed to perk up and kept up a running chatter while they ate.
“Why didn’t you stay last night, Daddy? Sophie and me missed you.” She had an adorable chocolate/whipped cream mustache.
He contemplated correcting her grammar—Izzy surely would—but decided to let it go. “Well, Princess, I needed to be with my dad at my house. I didn’t want to leave him alone on his first night in town.”
“He can stay at our house too!”
Mac chuckled. “Maybe next time. Hey, your mom said tomorrow is your Uncle Seamus’s birthday, so why don’t we pick out a present for him after we finish here?”
Janey was amenable, so they looked in the shops nearby until Janey found a fireman action figure she thought looked just like her uncle and said he would love. They had it gift wrapped and Janey proudly carried the bag as they went to find David and Izzy.
It was nearly nine o’clock by the time he and his dad pulled into his garage at the townhouse. Both were weary as they set their various packages of souvenirs they’d found on the kitchen table.
“You want a beer, Dad?” Mac opened the refrigerator and offered one to his father.
“Sure. I was wondering if I could also get a spare key to the house? If you don’t mind.”
“Of course.” He shut the fridge and went to rummage through his junk drawer for the set he remembered stashing there. “It will keep you from being housebound when I’m at work Monday.”
“I was actually thinking it would enable you to go back to Izzy’s house tonight.” He watched his son over the top of his beer.
Mac could feel the heat creeping up his neck, much like when his dad had found a box of condoms under his bed when he was seventeen. “Oh, um, no, Dad. That’s not necessary.”
“Will, I’m not judging.” David smiled. “The cat’s already out of the bag that you’ve slept with her, you know. A five-year-old daughter is a dead giveaway. I just had no idea how close you are now. I was too busy meeting Janey to notice yesterday, but I’m awake today and aware. I could hear you tossing and turning all night. Go be with your family, son. They need you.”
“Are you sure?” He wanted to, of course, and was barely able
to keep himself from grabbing his car keys and flying out the door.
“Positive. If you’re smart, Will, and I think you are, you’ll marry that girl as soon as possible. She’s a keeper.”
Mac grinned as he shrugged back into his jacket. “She sure is. Good night, Dad. Why don’t you come over to Izzy’s for breakfast tomorrow?”
The best feeling in the world was letting himself into Izzy’s house ten minutes later and stepping into her arms. Janey was already asleep, but they walked to her bedroom hand-in-hand to check on her before retiring to Izzy’s bedroom. He locked the door and then took his time stripping off her clothes, kissing and tasting each square inch of skin as it was bared to him. He took it slow and made sure she found her pleasure twice before reaching for a condom. When he was finally inside her, he rolled them so she was on top and in control, letting her set the pace of their loving.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are today, love?” He smoothed his hands over her warm skin.
“I don’t think you mentioned it.” She leaned down and took his mouth in a deep kiss. “Shh,” she whispered against his lips. “No more talking.” Then she began to move and he forgot how to think.
***
Sunday was wonderful, starting with breakfast at Izzy’s—he taught Janey how to make French toast—and ending with the birthday celebration at the DeLucas’. The family seemed much more relaxed about him, although Finn did give him the evil eye when he first walked in, holding Izzy’s hand. Mac simply ignored him; the whole DeLuca clan had better get used to the idea of him being around from now on. If they didn’t like it, they could just go…whatever. He knew he needed to find a way to be charitable toward his future in-laws.
“This is quite a family, Will.” His dad spoke quietly as they stood together at the rear of the group watching Seamus open his gifts. “It’s good to know Izzy and Janey had such a good support system these past few years.”
Mac closed his eyes as he nodded, acknowledging the hit of guilt. “Yeah. I would have been here if I could have.” And if I’d known her name.
