Chapter 6 Mace
six
Mace
Tori was unusually quiet on the way to my grandmother’s house.
I chalked it up to nerves over the possibility of Niles being there.
But even now, as we sit around the table passing the food around without Niles or his father here, Tori is still quiet.
I place my hand on her bare leg, giving thanks that she wore another skirt today.
“So, you two left the bar fairly early last night.” It’s more of a statement than a question, but Mindy looks between me and Tori, waiting for our answer.
“We had a chance to relax and get some sleep,” I answer, trying to give Tori a buffer from my nosy family.
“Right,” Natalie adds. “All that you two did was relax and sleep. Then why does Tori have beard burn on her neck?”
Shit, I thought I was being so careful not to leave any hickeys on her that I didn’t even consider giving her beard burn. I squeeze Tori’s leg under the table, letting her know that I won’t let my family push her into talking about something she doesn’t want to talk about.
“Leave it alone, Natalie,” I warn.
“It’s okay, Mace. I think it’s time we told your family the truth.”
“Are you sure?” I hold her gaze, making sure she wants to do this. As far as I’m concerned, it's the perfect idea. Once my family knows the truth, I’ll explain to them that I really have feelings for Tori and that I hope she feels the same way about me.
She nods. “I’m really Mace’s assistant. We were at a work lunch, and my ex happened to walk into the restaurant and come over to our table. I panicked and told him that Mace was my boyfriend. Mace went along with it. But there was one problem with our story. My ex is Niles.”
With my encouragement, Tori goes on to tell them the whole story of her relationship—or lack thereof—with Niles.
A collective gasp erupts around the table when she gets to the part about Niles pressuring her to have sex. All except for Grandma. “Niles was always a little dickhead.” She says matter-of-factly.
“Mom.” My mother hisses at her.
“Come on, Nora. You can finally admit out loud that little prick is the reason you and his father divorced.”
“I mean, he had a lot to do with it. But this isn’t about me or Ted. It’s about Tori and Mace. You two really seem to like each other. It doesn’t feel like an act.”
Before I can open my mouth to answer, Tori beats me to the punch. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mrs. Hastings. Mace did me a favor by pretending he was my boyfriend in front of Niles, and I pretended to be his girlfriend in front of all of you.”
“I still don’t understand why you felt the need to lie to us, Mace.” The hurt look in my mother’s eyes almost guts me.
“It’s complicated, Mom.” How do I explain to my mother, grandmother, and sisters that I was so desperate after the kiss we shared to spend any amount of time away from the office with Tori that I was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen, even if it hurt someone in the process?
I lift my glass of wine to my lips, noticing Tori refilling her wine glass and staring out the window at the light, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky.
“We have all day, Macey boy. Now spill.” Having my grandmother use my childhood nickname in this situation makes me feel like dirt.
I take a deep breath and exhale before I start. I open my mouth to speak when Tori jumps out of her chair and runs out the back door.
“I’ll be right back.” I make a stop at the closet and grab two winter coats, one for me and one for Tori, before I head to the back door and find Tori sitting in the porch swing watching the snow fall.