by Ann, Natalie
“Your neighbors are awfully loud,” she complained, a child’s laughter heard in the distance.
Zoe. Having a grand old time with Beth in the water. Their voices carried to the front of the house on the otherwise quiet summer day.
“Never mind. Your father wanted to see your house,” she repeated. “We are on our way to a short vacation in the Caribbean. Our flight leaves in the morning and he was adamant about flying out of Albany so he could stop and see you and Brooklyn first. We won’t keep you long as we have reservations for dinner at eight in Albany.”
He glanced at his watch. Six o’clock, enough time for a short visit and then close to an hour’s drive for dinner. Knowing his mother, she would want to leave earlier to get there with at least fifteen minutes to spare.
“Are you staying in Albany tonight?” he asked, crossing his fingers.
“Of course. Our flight leaves at seven. It’s much more convenient that way.”
“Well, come on in. Let me show you around,” he said reluctantly. He turned and noticed his father staring at his riding lawn mower, running his hand over the steering wheel like a caress. Mac had to bite his tongue to fight back the chuckle that was dying to escape.
Opening up the front door, he heard an immediate squeal and the pitter-patter of little bare feet slapping against the wood floors. “Dr. Mac, I got Mommy all wet.” Zoe giggled, then stopped when she saw the strangers behind him, ducking her head and hiding behind his legs.
He bent to pick her up and settled her on his hip in her damp yellow and white two-piece bathing suit. She hid her face in his neck, like he knew she would. He only wished he had somewhere to hide right now, too. Now or never. “Mother, Dad, this is Zoe Campbell.” He heard a loud clatter in the kitchen. Looked like Beth heard, too.
His mother stared at the little girl, her face wrinkled in confusion, likely trying to figure out what was going on. Mac hoped Zoe didn’t think of her as a witch from one of her princess stories with the scowl currently being sent the three-year-old’s way. He was almost afraid Zoe would slip and say something like that to his mother. Not on purpose, but not knowing any better either.
Then again, maybe it would be funny. No, definitely not funny. At least the ramifications of it wouldn’t be.
His father on the other hand was leaning in close trying to get Zoe’s attention. Trying to coax a look, if not a smile out of her by moving his face in and out of her view and raising his eyebrows up and down, almost like he was…teasing her. Now Mac really thought he was losing his mind. Either way, Zoe was having none of the large strange man in front of her.
“She’s shy around strangers,” Mac explained.
Beth finally dragged herself out of the kitchen. He could see she was just as shy as Zoe, especially standing there wearing nothing more than her bright purple bikini. “Hello,” she said, coming up next to Mac.
His mother took in the sight and scowled some more, a pained expression almost appearing across her lovely face. “Mackenzie?” she asked, waiting for an explanation.
“Mother, this is Beth Campbell, Zoe’s mother. My girlfriend,” he ended, surprising not only his mother with the title, but also Beth as well by the way she stiffened next to him. “Beth, my mother and father, Paula and Richard Malone.”
“Dr. and Mrs. Malone,” Paula clarified, her nose slightly in the air.
Beth looked uneasily between Mac and his mother. He tried to relax her a bit by pulling her close and placing his arm around her, showing a united front.
Richard broke the silence. “Nice to meet you. We won’t keep you long. We have plans and wanted to stop and see Brooke while we were here, too. Mac, do you have a minute to show us around?”
“I’ll take Zoe back down to the beach,” Beth offered.
Zoe, who had remained quiet and glued to Mac’s neck, pulled away at the offer of the beach and reached for her mom. Mac held on tight for a second, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then passed her off. “No more splashing Mommy unless she says it’s OK.” He grinned at her, tapping a finger to her little nose.
“OK, bye, Dr. Mac. Bye, Dr. Mac’s Mommy and Daddy,” she said bashfully and then buried her face in Beth’s neck after she was transferred to her arms.
“What a cutie,” Richard said with a smile as wide as Mac had ever seen. His mother on the other hand hadn’t stopped scowling. He would be expecting a call from her soon, hopefully not until they were back from their vacation.
***
Brooke and Lucas walked around the back of the house when they heard the splashing in the water and Zoe’s high-pitched squeals. “I got you wet, Dr. Mac.” Then more giggles and a shout of laughter out of Mac.
“He seems okay,” Lucas said quietly to Brooke before they reached the threesome.
“Mac always seems okay, but I’m sure he’s not. For once I think he got the brunt of it, and I expect it’s not going to end any time soon.” Brooke had been just as surprised when her parents showed up. They had only been to her house one other time, another visit that her father had insisted on. Thankfully, they’d stayed in a hotel that time, too.
Her father, once again warmer than he had been in a while, greeted her with a big hug and kiss. He asked how married life was treating her and seemed genuinely pleased to see her. Her mother was still giving her the cold shoulder over Brooke’s decision to have a small destination wedding, denying Paula the pleasure of planning and throwing a big lavish affair. Something that Brooke wanted no part of.
Unfortunately, rather than her mother ignoring her completely just now, which would have suited Brooke just fine, Paula spent the entire twenty minutes of the visit complaining about Mac and his choice in friends. No amount of convincing could be done for their mother to see otherwise. Brooke didn’t even bother to try after the first five minutes, only listened and tried to zone it out.
Zoe noticed them first and ran out of the water toward them, yelling, “Brooke.” She raised her arms high and Brooke swung her up, settling her close, regardless of Zoe’s wet suit.
Mac looked over and smiled at Brooke holding Zoe close, tickling her and making Zoe giggle even more. Lucas even got in on the act, pleading with Zoe to let him hold her, too. But Zoe, who was on to the game by now, played shy—not that she was around them anymore. But she kept her face hidden in Brooke’s neck. Finally with a dramatic sigh, Lucas announced his feelings were hurt, only to have Zoe reach for him and place a kiss on his cheek, asking, “Better now?”
“You OK?” Mac asked, his eyes searching hers.
“I was about to ask you the same question,” Brooke replied, looking between Mac and Beth.
“I’m fine,” Mac said, his smile never faltering.
But Brooke knew it was forced. Then she noticed Beth quieter than normal and tried to change the subject. She knew the right thing to say. “How about a childless night?”
“What do you mean?” Mac asked, noting Beth’s confusion, also.
“I mean, how about Lucas and I take Zoe overnight at our place. Tomorrow maybe? Give you guys a real date night, some alone time?”
Mac’s eyes lit up. He turned to Beth. “What do you think? Dress up nice and let me take you out on the town to show you off a bit.”
Beth hesitated. “I don’t know. Zoe has never spent the night anywhere without me. I’m not sure she will even want to.”
Lucas, still holding Zoe’s wet little body in his arms, looked at her face and asked, “Do you want to spend a night with Brooke and me? Maybe play with me tomorrow afternoon for a little while. I get awfully lonely over there,” he said in mocked sadness. “Brooke really isn’t that much fun.” He grinned and laughed after Brooke elbowed him in the ribs.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Zoe clapped her hands in glee. “I want to play with Lucas and Brooke. Can I go on the boat, please?” she asked. The boat had become Zoe’s new obsession.
“I think we can arrange that.” Lucas winked at her. “But only if you go play with Thomas and Michele, too. It
’s their boat, and you need to ask them. Do you think they will say yes?”
“I will ask,” Zoe said. “Thomas likes me.” She batted her eyelashes.
Brooke’s face warmed and her eyes softened just a bit. “I think everyone likes Zoe. Besides, having her overnight will give me some practice.”
Mac looked up sharply. His eyes narrowed in on Brooke and then Lucas, both of them beaming. “Practice?”
“Yes. Though, Zoe doesn’t wear diapers anymore. I guess I have to practice somewhere else for that pretty soon.”
“How soon?” Mac asked, looking down at her waistline.
“Oh, we’ve got some time still,” she said and saw Mac’s disappointment. “Only about eight weeks gone at this point.” She hadn’t planned on telling him now, or anyone for that matter, but after the last few hours she felt they both needed this.
Mac laughed and lifted her right off her feet, hugging her tight. “Congratulations! You’ll make a wonderful mother.”
“You think?” she asked, unsure. Neither she nor Mac had any examples of good parenting growing up.
“Absolutely. Plus Lucas will keep you in line.”
Beth took a protesting Zoe out of Lucas’s arms so that Mac could congratulate his brother in law.
***
Beth turned and hugged both Brooke and Lucas, and said her congrats. She really had come to care for Brooke in the short time they had known each other. And Lucas, well, Lucas was like Mac from what she could see. Always doing nice things for Brooke, helping Mac and her when they needed it and always offering to take Zoe on the boat or down to the water to play when Brooke and Beth were in the kitchen.
Both men were pretty special. She hadn’t known even one male like that existed and here she was faced with two. Yes, Lucas and Brooke would be great parents. Just like Mac. Now where did that thought come from?
Who was she kidding? Zoe had fallen in love with Mac the day he gave her the ruby ring. Beth realized she wasn’t far behind her daughter.
Night Out
“So. Mackenzie, huh?” Beth asked later that night while she was braiding her hair before climbing into bed.
“What?” Mac asked, obviously distracted by her standing there in a tiny white camisole and matching white string bikinis.
She smirked, threw back the covers and slid in next to him. “Your name.” She was still feeling a bit uneasy after the visit from his parents. His father seemed nice enough, but his mother seemed...annoyed, and almost angry. She didn’t understand how a mother could be angry with her child when she hadn’t seen him in a while. She would have thought his mother would’ve been happy to see him and excited to see his house.
Instead Mrs. Malone appeared to be turning her nose up at everything Mac showed her, not that Beth had stayed around to see much of it. She hadn’t, and his parents took off as fast as they could, but not before Beth heard Mac say, “Not now, Mother.” She didn’t want to know what it was about. And didn’t ask.
She was a bit disappointed that his parents didn’t know anything about her, didn’t even know she was dating Mac. Then again, it wasn’t like she talked to her own mother about her life, either, so who was she to judge.
Getting out of that trailer park hadn’t happened fast enough for her and Zoe. She didn’t even know what she was thinking when she moved back there pregnant and alone. Well, that wasn’t true. She thought her mother might relate to her situation of being alone with a child and actually want to help her. Her mom helped her, all right—asked her to split half the bills, and expected her to cook and clean the entire time. That was after working all day and caring for Zoe.
The only good thing about moving home was a childhood friend—one of the only two Beth actually had growing up. Lynn had offered to babysit Zoe while Beth worked, and she didn’t charge a lot either, another bonus. Three years was all Beth could take living there. It was two years and eleven months too long in her mind.
Still, she had her settlement saved from Derek. Not that it was a lot, but it was enough. The chunk of money she’d gotten by promising to never contact him again, or ask for any more money for Zoe, and to forget he ever existed.
And she did, she held up her end of the bargain. His court appointed support check was deposited into her account each week. Not much, but enough to keep the wolf from the door and give her breathing room. As long as she budgeted well and bought everything on sale. And her car didn’t break down, like it had in the past.
“What did you think it stood for?” he asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.
“Mac? I don’t know. I thought your name was just Mac. Or maybe Malcolm,” she added.
He wrinkled his nose. “Do I look like a Malcolm?”
“Well, no,” she said, chuckling at his indignation. “But you don’t look like a Mackenzie either. You look like a Mac to me. A pretty hot one, too. Major Hottie,” she said with a little giggle.
“Excuse me?” He lifted his eyebrows at the comment. “Are you teasing me?”
“Nothing. Inside joke,” she said, trying to brush it off. No way was she telling him that Mitchell had nicknamed him that. Or that everyone in the shop referred to him as such.
He let it go and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin and holding her close for a moment. “So, what do you say we dress ourselves up nice for tomorrow? I can make some reservations at a fancy restaurant. No children’s menus.” He laughed, when she looked up at him mildly surprised. “And no leaning over and cutting my food up for me, even if you get the urge.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
She hesitated. “How fancy of a restaurant?”
“I don’t know, suit and tie for me. You seemed to like it the other day.”
She blushed. A few days ago she told him to leave his jacket on when he stopped over for dinner after work. He hadn’t had a clue as to why, but did as ordered. Later that night she had undressed him, and did things to him she had never imagined herself doing. Having him all dressed up for her viewing pleasure alone had wound her up and spun her out like nothing before. He later confessed he would do anything she asked him if the results were as pleasurable as that night.
“I don’t have anything really nice to wear, only a few casual dresses, but nothing considered fancy. I’ve never been out to a nice restaurant before,” she said lamely, hating to admit something like that. It was just another reminder of the fact that she wasn’t good enough for him.
“Even better,” he said cheerfully. “We can go shopping first, and I can help you pick something out.”
***
“So what am I doing here for this special night out?” Mitchell asked, running a brush through Beth’s hair. She had called him frantic this morning, explaining the situation and begging him to do her hair and makeup. Well, she could have done her hair herself, but she knew Mitchell would know the right look for whatever she ended up wearing.
“What do you think?” she asked, valuing his opinion.
“Well, with that dress—which is killer by the way—I think leaving it down is your best bet. The dress is short and sleek, so I think your hair should match. I’m going to straighten it, make it look like silk falling over your back. Keep it simple. Make-up, hmm, that one I need to think on. Let’s get your hair done first, though.”
They had dropped Zoe off at Brooke’s after her nap earlier. Then when Beth would have preferred to go to the mall, Mac instead took her to an exclusive boutique. One that Beth had never stepped foot in before, and didn’t even know it existed, then tried not to cringe at the hit her credit card was going to take.
In the end Mac and the saleslady selected several dresses, never bothering to look at the price tags, and bringing them to the changing room for her to try on. A few hundred dollars for a dress might not seem like much him, and that was for one of the cheaper dresses, but for her that was the equivalent to a handful of bills each month. She started to reject them all without showing them how they looked, even though every sing
le one was gorgeous.
The saleslady finally handed her a short black dress that was sleeveless with a high neck that fastened in the back. It was clingy on, but not in a trashy way that she suspected when she first glanced at it. Rather, it was actually elegant. It stopped a few inches above her knees, though she suspected it was probably meant to hit the knees. But it still worked fine on her. She felt like Grace Kelly, simple, classic and elegant, yet modern at the same time.
She never thought of herself as wearing black before, but it looked good on her. Correction, it looked great on her. Her skin had a nice golden hue to it from all the time spent outdoors this summer regardless of the sunscreen she always wore.
Peeking down at the price tag, she sighed. Of course it was the most expensive one yet. Figures. Oh well, that was what dreams were for. She went to take it off and reject this one as well when the saleslady came in and asked if she could see. Reluctantly, Beth opened the door.
“Oh how lovely, that dress was tailor made for you. It’s stunning on your figure. And your shoulders look so lovely and graceful on display like that.” She handed Beth a shoebox. “I was asked to have you try these on.”
Beth took the lid off, saw the simple black pumps with the red soles and knew there was no way she could ever afford to pay that much money for one pair of shoes. She started to hand them back, but the saleslady stopped her. “Aren’t you going to try them on?”
“Sorry. I would rather not. I can’t afford them, so there is no use trying something on I can’t buy.”
“Humor me. Please?” the persistent saleslady encouraged.
