1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [89]
“O…kay,” he said, dragging out the word. “What about next week?”
“Mr. Harris is on vacation.” Her relief tumbled out with her answer.
Mack walked into the living room, picked up a few toys scattered about, then returned to the kitchen. “You don’t want to deal with this, do you?”
She could lie, but Mack was right. “No.”
“Because?” Again, he waited for her to explain.
“Because of all the reasons I’ve already brought up. Nothing has changed, Mack. David will do whatever he can to ruin my life. He doesn’t want me or Noelle, doesn’t want the responsibility of a child, but he’ll do everything in his power to make sure no one else can have us.”
“Let me talk to him,” Mack said through gritted teeth.
“No.” She couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow him to get into a physical confrontation with David.
“Why not?” he argued. “I’ll tell him I’m marrying you and that I want to adopt Noelle.”
“Do you really think that would help?” she cried. “You just told me how important it was that David not know our plans.”
Mack groaned, sounding frustrated and tired.
“Listen, Mack, it’s really late and we’re both upset. We should’ve waited for another time to talk about this.”
“No,” he countered. “Let’s discuss it right now, tonight. This whole thing started because you’re afraid I’m more interested in adopting Noelle than I am in marrying you. Correct?”
Reluctantly, Mary Jo nodded. It seemed so frivolous when he put it like that. Looking at him now, his eyes soft with tenderness, she wondered how she could have doubted his feelings for her.
“You do love me.”
His smile widened. “You’ve got it.”
“Okay, then let’s call it a night. Forget I said anything.”
“Okay.” Mack headed for the door, opening it forcefully before turning back. “Would you mind waiting just a moment?”
“Oh… Okay, I’ll wait.”
Mack tore out of the house and she heard him enter his own. Three or four minutes passed before he came back. She’d used that time to finish cleaning up.
Mary Jo looked at him expectantly as he hovered in the kitchen doorway.
“I want you to know I didn’t plan it like this, but I think the timing is right.”
“Timing? For what?”
“Maybe you should sit down.”
Puzzled, she sank into a kitchen chair.
Mack frowned and gestured at the living room. “Maybe the sofa would be better.”
“The sofa,” she repeated. Fine, she’d sit on the sofa.
As soon as she was seated, Mack paced in front of her. “I love you, Mary Jo.”
She smiled. “I believe we’ve established that.”
“Have we? Are you sure? I don’t want there to be a single doubt. Ever.”
“You’ve reassured me, Mack. Honestly, you have.”
“I wanted to talk to your brother first.”
“My brother?”
“To let him know my intentions—that I’m asking his sister to be my wife.”
Mary Jo blinked back tears as she understood exactly what Mack was doing. He was about to formally propose to her. Her hand flew to her mouth in shock—and yet she shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Mary Jo.” She stood, and when she did, Mack took her free hand in his. “Will you marry me?”
Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded.
Mack fumbled for something in his back pocket and brought out a diamond solitaire ring. “I realize most women like to choose their own engagement bands. I picked it out myself, but if you don’t like it I’ll exchange it.”
“It’s beautiful.” In truth she couldn’t tell what the ring looked like because her eyes had filled with tears that blurred everything around her. Mack’s sweet, wonderful face swam before her.
Mack slipped the diamond onto her ring finger. “Okay, now we’re officially engaged. Come what may, Mary Jo, no matter what happens with David and with custody of Noelle, you and I will face it together. As husband and wife.”
Unable to hold back her tears, Mary Jo threw her arms around Mack and clung to him.
He drew her into his embrace. “I didn’t expect you to cry.”
“I can’t help it,” she wailed.
That was when Mack started to laugh, and the only way she could stop him was to take his face in both hands and kiss him.