Chapter 18

Mac made himself leave Viv’s room, giving her time to herself to adjust. He really wished he could have called it their room, but he knew he had to give her time. He walked back to the common area, already filling out a grocery delivery order.

“What do you want for dinner?” D asked as Mac came into the room.

“I’m good with whatever. I want Thomas and Viv to pick, if it’s something that sounds good to them, then they’ll probably eat it.”

“I’m getting better,” Thomas said, hobbling back into the room. “The heavy-duty pain meds made me sleepy and I think I just didn’t feel hungry anymore. I bet Viv’s the same way, but she’s lost weight.”

They both had, Mac thought but kept it to himself. “I’ve got a grocery delivery order started, so let me know if there’s anything you want. I have just the basics right now.”

Thomas nodded. “Can I send you a list? I know what Viv usually gets. I’ll see what she wants for dinner.” He set his phone on the counter, typing a message with his good hand.

“That would be great. Do you guys mind if I sit out here? I wanted to give her some space,” Mac said.

“I’ll go sit with her, have some bestie time,” Thomas said, giving D a kiss on the cheek.

D watched his mate walked down the hallway.

“How’s it going with Viv?” he asked quietly.

Mac shrugged. “She seemed okay with me staying in the guest room on her side and she really liked her living space. I don’t know what to do to show her I need her, that I was stupid at pushing her away.”

“Ma probably has some good wooing ideas,” D suggested.

They placed the grocery and dinner orders and sat in the living room brainstorming until there was a knock on the door. D checked the camera. “It’s dinner.”

Mac waited until D shut the door to go tell Viv and Thomas that dinner was ready. As he entered the room, he heard her confess that she didn’t think he would want her anymore and it hurt his heart.

“Because you are beautiful and strong. You survived and you fought for your friend. You are loyal and loving and see the best in people. You want to help others and share your love of books and learning and reading with everyone. Because you were willing to move out of the apartment that had been your home to give your friend and his partner their own space. Because even on your bad days, you don’t take that out on anyone else. You’re smart. Those are just a few of the reasons I want you. It doesn’t matter if you feel sad, or feel broken, or angry. It doesn’t matter if you want to take it slow or tell me I’m just a friend. It doesn’t matter if the marks some assholes put on you leave scars. You’re still all the things I just said.”

Mac moved to crouch in front of her, making sure she could see his face and hopefully see that he meant what he said.

“I let my past haunt me and blind me to the gift I was given. My first mate tried to kill me, saying I was an abomination, evil, filth. You have never made another person or being feel that way in your life. It’s not in you to treat anyone like that. Believe me when I say my rejecting you had everything to do with me, not you. I was stupid. And if you let me, I will treat you like you deserve and show you how much I want you as my mate.”

Viv’s eyes met his and the disbelief and wariness in there killed him. She hadn’t looked at him like that until he so harshly said he wasn’t interested. At the time he had told himself that it was better for both of them; for him it removed any hope of her being interested in him and tempting him to give her a chance later, for her it meant forgetting about him and being able to find someone else she could love and settle down with. Mac should have realized even back then he was being stupid. Any free time he had had been spent watching over her. He paid more attention to conversations when her name was mentioned. He had been an idiot and hurt the one person he was supposed to protect above all others. D had tried to tell him, but his muleheadedness meant that it took her getting abducted to break through his walls.

Her eyes searched his for a minute until she looked over at Thomas, who gave her a slight shrug and head tilt in response. He wished he knew what that meant. Thomas would be the one person who might sway her opinion in his favor, but he could understand if he didn’t give his approval either.

“I will accept that you’re sorry. I will be open to spending more time with you and seeing where it goes. I’m not agreeing to anything beyond friendship right now. You were unnecessarily cruel the last time we spoke and while you may think you feel differently now, you might change your mind again once the shock of the situation wears off,” Viv said hesitantly.

Mac nodded, accepting her terms. He knew he wouldn’t change his mind, but only his actions and time would prove that to her. “I will agree to those terms. I know the only thing that will prove it will be actions.” He stood up, thinking he really needed to talk to D’s mom; even though she would probably yell at him, she would have some ideas from a female perspective.

“Dinner arrived. We got Chinese. When the groceries come, we also got the things to make milkshakes or sundaes for dessert.”

Mac helped Thomas off the couch; with a broken leg and a broken hand, it was hard for him to push himself out of the couch. He waited until Thomas was stable to help Viv up. She wasn’t as wobbly, but her ankle was still weak and in a walking boot. He let them go ahead of him, but stayed close enough to grab them if they lost their balance. Reaching the eat-in kitchen, he pulled out a chair for Viv.

“Thank you,” she said.

Mac grabbed her cup, filling it with her favorite coffee and creamer. “What do you like to eat?” he asked. “We got a lot of different things.”

“General Tsao and fried rice, if we have it, please.”

“We do. Thomas said it was your favorite. I can make you a plate,” he offered.

“That would be wonderful, thanks,” Viv replied with a small smile. Maybe he could do this, he thought. Little things would show her he cared.

The food was wonderful, and he thought this would be a new favorite restaurant. It wasn’t far from the house either, maybe a ten- or fifteen-minute drive. Viv and Thomas both ate an entire plate, which made Mac feel like celebrating. He was happy to see her appetite coming back. He and D had started clearing the table, when the doorbell rang. Viv’s whole body tightened, stress pouring from her, her face pale and her eyes darting to the door and back down to her bedroom.

Mac rushed over to her. “It’s the groceries. See, D is checking the cameras first.” He grabbed her phone and showed her the alert on her phone. “You can check all the cameras too; Thomas helped us put the app on your phone. The wards won’t let anyone who means harm in. You’re safe.”

He stood, standing between the door and the kitchen table as D opened the front door.

“Thanks,” he heard D say. Mac walked closer as the person turned around and left. Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to put the food away. They created a pile of things that went to the separate bedrooms, like shampoo. Viv started getting color back in her cheeks. He hated that she associated something like the doorbell with the attack; it made sense, but it was something that could happen every day.

“How about milkshakes or sundaes?” he asked. “We have chocolate and vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, cherries, nuts, malt powder.”

“Sundae?” D asked Thomas, who nodded.

“Do we have peanut butter? Can I have a peanut butter chocolate milkshake?” she asked.

“Yup. I love peanut butter too. There’s this place that makes an amazing peanut butter pie. I’ll have to bring some to you soon. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”

“That sounds good. Do they use creamy or crunchy peanut butter?” she asked.

“They have both, but I always go for creamy. I’m not much of a crunchy peanut butter fan,” he admitted. If she was, he’d just get a slice of each.

“Me neither,” she replied.

Mac smiled back before turning to grab the blender. They forgot to bring the one from the apartment, but they just added it to the grocery list. It wasn’t as nice as the other one, but it would do for now. Neither he nor D had wanted to leave the house tonight. Washing it out quickly, he added the ingredients for the shake, pouring it into a tall glass, finishing it with whipped cream and a cherry. He added a straw and handed it over. He made himself one as well but added the malt powder. He loved malts. He hummed happily as he took a sip. He set his glass off to the side, filling the blender with water and a squirt of soap, running it to help make cleanup easier.

He sat back down at the table, enjoying the evening. He could have had this the whole time if he hadn’t been so stupid and stubborn.