“Ten minutes.” Mack took hold of Dean’s hand. Lucas slipped his small hand into her other one.
“Dean, your grandparents aren’t here. Some friends of theirs are going on vacation tomorrow, so they wanted to have a quiet afternoon with them.”
He looked towards Mack.
“Don’t worry, Dean.” She squeezed his hand, hiding her disappointment. “Let’s do this.”
They walked around the side of the house, which was huge. Mack very nearly walked into Dean, as he stopped, rather abruptly.
“Dean, what’s wrong?”
Too stunned to answer, he looked at his father. “Dad, we don’t have this much family!”
“I think your mother got carried away.”
“Auntie Mack, I need the potty,” Lucas announced, as he tugged on her hand.
“I’ll take you, Lucas. I could do with a bathroom break myself,” Thomas added, taking hold of Lucas’ hand.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where they are,” James said.
Mack watched Thomas and Lucas walk off towards the bathroom, and wished she could go with them. With a quick glance over Dean’s shoulder, Mack could see rather a lot of people, some of who were watching her and Dean together. She felt so nervous.
“Babe, come here,” Dean pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.”
She breathed his scent into her lungs and raised her head up to meet his eyes.
He lowered his mouth to kiss her. “Open for me, Mack,” he whispered against her lips.
She did as he asked, then all her worries just fell away. She reached up to take hold of his face and deepened the kiss even more. One of Dean’s hands traveled south and landed on Mack’s butt, which he squeezed, then pulled her even closer to him.
James appeared behind Mack and cleared his throat, which broke them apart, although Dean refused to let go of Mack. “Dad.”
“I think everyone gets the idea about the two of you now! Why don’t you go and introduce Mack?” James smiled and walked off to join the party.
“You okay?” Dean placed a quick kiss to Mack’s nose.
“No, I think you should show me your room.” Mack offered him one hell of a sexy grin.
“Christ, woman. Come on, let’s go and join everyone. I need a drink!”
They both laughed as Dean led Mack down to his ‘family’ and collected two glasses of orange juice on the way.
He introduced her to so many people, she couldn’t remember who was who. Up to now, she hadn’t met any of Dean’s family members, other than his parents. None of his uncles, aunts, or cousins were present. Apparently they were spread right across the United States, with a couple in Canada.
While Dean talked briefly with everyone, Mack kept looking around to try and spot Cynthia. She was really curious as to what she looked like, and wondered why Dean wasn’t interested in the woman.
Mack turned back to Dean and found a woman in a pink ‘something’ standing in front of her. She had no idea what to say, as anything she would have normally said flew out of her head. She’d never seen anything like it before, and had no idea what the woman was wearing. It looked to be a dress covered with feathers in different shades of pink.
“Hello. I’m Mack.” she held her hand out, trying not to be too rude and stare.
“Beryl. So you’re the woman who has my godson in such a spin, and his mother in such a bad mood.”
Stunned, Mack felt tongue tied, but Dean, thankfully, came to her rescue. “Aunt Beryl. I thought you were in England?” He leaned forward and placed a kiss to either side of her face.
“I arrived back two days ago to find your mother with her panties in a twist looking for you. Wanting to know the best time of year for you to get married.” When she saw the look on Dean’s face, she giggled like a fifteen-year-old school-girl. “Don’t worry. I told her you’d get married when you were good and ready, and not before, and definitely not because she wanted you to.”
Dean grinned and then sighed in relief that he had someone else in his corner. “Thank you for that. This is Mack. The woman I’m in love with.”
Beryl chuckled. “She introduced herself, although she left the love bit out of the introduction.”
Mack decided she liked Beryl, once she got over the shock of seeing her dressed in feathers. “I can assure you, the feeling’s mutual,” Mack added, taking hold of Dean’s hand.
“Well, it’s been interesting. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Beryl walked off towards another couple who had just arrived.
“Dean. I haven’t seen you for a while. How are you?”
While Dean had a conversation with a guy named Adam, Mack noticed two blonde women talking and looking in their direction, their faces covered with fierce expressions. Was it Cynthia and her mother?
Mack thought it best to look away so they didn’t come over. She looked back to Dean, who let go of her hand and put his arm around her waist instead. He just wanted her as close as he could get her and wanted her to know he was there for her.
She snuggled into Dean while she carried on looking around at the lovely tables covered with pale lilac table-cloths, vases overflowing with calla lilies along with an assortment of drinks and food. Even the trees around the garden had been decorated with lilac-colored ribbons.
She felt so out of place at Dean’s family home, and really wished she’d refused when he’d asked her to come with him. She’d only agreed so Cynthia couldn’t get her claws into him. But realistically, she trusted Dean to be true to her.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” Mack turned slightly as Dean sighed at the inevitable.
“Cynthia, Gladys, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Mackenzie Harper… Mack, this is Cynthia Brandon and her mother, Gladys.”
“Hello.” Mack held her hand out in greeting, only to be ignored, once again. Dean tightened his hold on her and stiffened.
“Auntie Mack!” Lucas shouted. A hush fell over the gathering.
Lucas saw he had Mack’s attention across the garden. “I need help. I can’t find my weenie!!” he shouted.
“Hell,” Mack whispered under her breath, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“I’m coming, Lucas,” she shouted back as she pulled away from Dean, ignoring Cynthia and her mother, who’d turned their back on them.
“Mack, I’ll come with you. Sounds like a guy thing.” Dean followed her, trying not to laugh.
Usually, Lucas never wore anything tucked into his jeans, in order to make it easier for him to go to the bathroom. When she’d gotten him dressed, she’d forgotten, and she’d put a shirt on him then tucked it into his jeans and made him wear a belt. She’d wanted him to look smart.
They finally reached Lucas and each took hold of one of his hands to lead him back to the bathroom. Once there, both Dean and Lucas stood their ground and refused to let her inside, making her wait outside by the door.
Mack giggled once they had both disappeared.
“Hey, what’s so funny?”
“Oh, Thomas. Lucas and his mouth again.” Thomas raised an eyebrow in question. “He just came out into the garden and shouted to me across the lawn ‘I can’t find my weenie’.”
Thomas was silent for a moment, then he roared with laughter, causing a few people to turn in their direction.
Lucas walked out of the bathroom and looked between the two of them. “What’s so funny?”
“Err, Thomas just told me a grown up joke!” Mack replied quickly.
Dean lifted his hand to caress the side of Mack’s face. “It’s the first time you’ve laughed today. Let’s go home. We can eat on the way back.”
“Yeah! Does that mean I don’t have to tuck my shirt in anymore?”
She didn’t know whether to leave or stay. “Thomas, would you mind taking Lucas over to get a drink for a minute please?”
Thomas and Lucas headed over to the refreshments, as she turned to Dean. “These are your family and friends, and I don’t want
you rushing away because I’m uncomfortable. If this is going to work between us, then I have to get used to them.”
“Babe, the only family here right now are my folks and none of these people are my friends. Hell, my sister isn’t even here. I know most of them, yes, but my friends help me relax, and I’m not relaxed here. All this isn’t me. I’m more comfortable shooting pool or in a cottage in Cape Elizabeth with the woman I’m in love with.”
He lifted his hands to Mack’s face and used his thumbs to wipe her tears away. “Come on, we’re leaving. I’ll talk to my grandfather and arrange a time to visit them.” He smiled. “I’ll tell him I want to bring someone special to meet him and my grandmother, which will guarantee they won’t go anywhere else.”
“Let me just wash my face in here.” Mack dragged Dean into the bathroom with her.
She walked over to the sink and washed her tears away, then used the towel Dean passed to her to dry her face. She opened her purse and applied some more mascara and lipstick, while Dean lounged against the door with his ankles crossed.
He suddenly realized Mack was up to something and straightened slightly, while keeping eye contact as she sauntered towards him.
She stood in front of him, moving in very close, and placed her hands on his chest, moving them upwards in a caress, “So you love me, huh?” she asked huskily, taking his face between her hands, bringing his head down to hers.
First she nibbled on his bottom lip, then moved up to the top one. She continued her assault on his senses and used her tongue to trace the seam of his lips. He opened his mouth and she sealed hers to his in an explosive kiss. Dean was lost. He took over the kiss and lifted her right up, towards him, then turned around to pin her to the door with his hips.
Mack wrapped her legs around his waist. He deepened the kiss even more, only to be abruptly brought back down to earth with someone banging on the door.
Breathing heavily, he rested his head against the door, his mouth attached to Mack’s neck, which made her shiver. “Yeah?”
“Are you about done in there?”
“No!” he whispered into Mack’s neck.
“Give me five,” Dean shouted to his father on the other side of the door.
“Okay, son, take your time. Tell Mack, Thomas and Lucas are sitting in the car.”
Mack began to unwrap her legs from around Dean’s waist, embarrassed James had caught them, very nearly going at it.
Dean laughed, placing a tender kiss on her nose. He edged Mack away from him, helped to straighten her clothes, then opened the door.
He took Mack’s hand and walked her over to say goodbye to his parents, then practically dragged her to the car, laughing.
“I’m sorry about my mother.”
She frowned and looked across at Dean. “Why are you laughing?”
“My father was embarrassed at catching us in the bathroom together. He doesn’t embarrass easily, so I can’t help but find it funny.” Dean helped Mack into the car.
“Auntie Mack, why did you pull Dean into the bathroom with you?” Lucas asked from the backseat.
“You saw that, huh?” Mack asked, glancing at Dean.
“Oh yes. We saw that.” Thomas replied.
Chapter 29
They made a quick exit from Dean’s parents’ house and headed back up the coast. Dean pulled off the interstate into the McDonald’s in Biddeford, at Lucas’ request, of course.
“What’s your pleasure, Lucas?” Dean pulled into a free parking space and turned to him.
“Mmm, can I please have chicken nuggets, fries and chocolate shake?”
“You certainly can, Lucas. Mack, Thomas, do you both want something from here?”
“I think I’ll have the same as Lucas, please.” Mack did the high-five with Lucas.
Dean turned to look at Thomas. “Now you’re not going to let me down, are you, Thomas?”
Mack rolled her eyes. “Men!”
He rubbed his stomach. “No, sir, I’m not. I’ll have a burger, fries, and coke, please. This is my first trip to a McDonald’s, you know.”
“Wow! You’ve never been to a McDonald’s before? But what do you eat, if you don’t go to McDonald’s?” Lucas asked, totally amazed.
“Real food.”
Dean laughed at Lucas’ expression. “Okay, you guys, want to eat here or drive a bit further to Fortune’s Rock where we can see the ocean? Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a parking place.”
All three replied, “The Ocean.”
<><><>
Dean grabbed the blanket from the trunk of the car, then headed over to the beach with a rather excited Lucas in tow.
Mack removed her sandals, then took hold of Dean’s hand as they carried on walking to find a perfect spot on the beach to watch the ocean, and some yachts that were further out at sea.
With the blanket placed on the sand, they all sat down and ate their McDonalds food. Mack had no idea she was so hungry, until she started to eat. She watched Thomas, who consumed his meal nearly as fast as Lucas.
“Well, Thomas, what did you think of your first McDonalds burger?”
“I enjoyed it, thank you, Dean. Not as good as the burgers I make, but good enough.” He ended on a burp, that sent Lucas into a fit of giggles.
“Auntie Mack, please can I go and play in the waves?”
“Give me a couple of minutes, okay? Then I’ll take you.”
Thomas stood up and looked between Mack and Dean. “I’ll take you, buddy. I could do with some exercise after eating all that.”
“Are you sure, Thomas?” Mack motioned for Lucas to come and stand in front of her.
“Of course I am.”
“Let me roll your trouser legs up, okay. Don’t get your jeans wet, as you have nothing to change into.”
“I won’t.”
“Are you going to roll my trouser legs up, too?” Thomas gave her a cheeky grin.
Not being one to back down from a challenge, she grinned, “Come here then.”
After rolling both sets of trousers up, Mack lay between Dean’s legs, resting against his chest.
“You smell delicious, Mack.” Dean started to caress her arms. “So soft.”
“Mmm.”
She moved in closer to Dean and could feel what she did to him. Loving his reaction, she wriggled slightly, then laughed when she heard him groan.
“You’re playing with fire, you know that?” He put his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight. “You feel so right, Mack, in my arms and in my life.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
With one of her arms wrapped around Dean’s waist, she snuggled in tight and started to drift off to sleep. She was snuggled against the man she loved.
<><><>
Thomas splashed in the chilly surf with Lucas and realized it was a lot of fun. Fun, something Thomas had only started having again, since he’d met Mack, Lucas, and Dean. When he was a boy, he used to spend all his free time either at the beach or fishing with Levi and Walt. What fun they used to have.
Thomas spotted some small pebbles as he looked down at the water around his ankles. He bent down to pick them up.
“What have you found?” Lucas questioned.
“Just some small pebbles. When I was a kid, Levi, Walt, and I used to spend a lot of time skimming pebbles across the water.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll show you.” Thomas stood to the side, moved his arm back, and then brought his arm and whole body forward and released the pebble, which bounced a few times across the water before sinking. He glanced at Lucas and started to laugh. He was just standing there with his mouth wide open. “I take it you liked that then?”
“Wow! Yeah! Will you teach me?”
“I will, but it takes a lot of practice, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t get the hang of it today, okay?”
“I won’t.”
After about half an hour of practice, Lucas finally manag
ed to get the stone to bounce twice before sinking, much to his delight and Thomas’ relief. He had visions of still being there at midnight with one very determined young man.
Chapter 30
Yesterday had been a tiring day, and Mack had been as tired as Lucas by the time they arrived home. Strangely, she hadn’t been ensconced in Rose Cottage all that long, but she was already calling it home.
Thomas had gone back to his cottage, and Dean had carried Lucas up to bed.
Dean and Mack showered together, before heading to bed, where Dean made love to her before they both fell asleep, entwined together, exhausted.
In the morning, Dean had gone home to shower and change, saying he would be back shortly. So, as she was standing in the kitchen waiting for him, she heard rustling at the back door. Mack turned in time to watch Thomas walk in with another bunch of flowers.
“For a beautiful woman!” Thomas held out a lovely bunch of carnations he’d brought for her.
She took the flowers from him. “They’re lovely. You’re already in my heart, you know, and I’ll still feed you, even if you run out of flowers.”
He winked at Mack. “I’ll never run out of flowers for you!”
“Are you trying to pinch my woman again?” Dean asked as he entered the kitchen, going straight over to Mack laughing. He planted a very possessive kiss to her lips, then asked, “Where’s Lucas?”
“Sitting room.”
Dean disappeared into the sitting room, no doubt to play on the Wii with him for a short while, letting Mack finish breakfast.
She started to stack the pancakes, letting Thomas sit and get lost in his own thoughts.
“After breakfast, Mack, do you think, Dean would look after Lucas for a time, so we can talk? I need to tell you what happened that night.”
Thomas had taken Mack by surprise. She’d hoped that Thomas would talk to her about the night Rose died, but she wasn’t expecting him to do that today. It hadn’t even entered her head this morning.
“I’m sure he would. Thank you, Thomas.”
With a nod of his head, he took his seat at the kitchen table.
She shouted Dean and Lucas through for breakfast. After everyone had washed up, they sat down to eat the feast she’d made.
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