Chapter 24
Sadie
W ith the first day at the Mackenzie’s beach house under her belt, Sadie felt herself relax some. Dinner had been so fun and casual that it felt as if she’d been having dinners with them for years. After dinner, they’d played volleyball in the pool before having s’mores around the firepit. By the time Sadie and Ellie made their way up to Ellie’s room, Sadie was exhausted.
Sadie had showered first, which meant she was currently lying on the trundle bed mindlessly scrolling on her phone and texting her mom. Delaney had wanted all the details, but Sadie had left out the part about getting caught kissing Ellie again.
How Isla and Vera seemed to have a sixth sense to know when they were kissing was beyond fascinating, and a little worrisome, to Sadie. Would they be able to kiss without being interrupted? Or were they doomed to constantly be interrupted by Ellie’s parents?
All Sadie knew was that she definitely wanted to kiss Ellie again.
And to know what she and Isla talked about on the beach.
When Vera had led Sadie back to the house, she was fully expecting a lecture on how she shouldn’t be kissing Ellie. But instead, Vera taught her how to make manicotti pasta and a homemade marinara sauce. They’d laughed in the kitchen with Alexis and Chase as they asked her questions about college and her major. Sadie was currently planning to be an education major with hopes of one day being a teacher and softball coach. The impact Charlie and her other coaches had had on her led her to want to be that person for the next generation.
Vera had mentioned that Ellie didn’t have a career path set yet, which surprised Sadie. Ellie was one of the most confident people she knew. And with her multiple connections to Broadway and natural presence on stage, Sadie had assumed Ellie would be heading for Broadway as soon as she could.
The bathroom door creaked open as Ellie stepped out in only a towel. Sadie felt her heart quicken and her palms begin to sweat as she tried to force her eyes to stay on her phone. Which was way easier said than done with Ellie’s damp hair, tanned arms, and long legs vying for Sadie’s attention.
“Sorry, I forgot my pajamas.”
“It’s okay,” Sadie tried to play it cool but knew she failed. Her voice was awkwardly raised as she suddenly wondered if Ellie was a cute pajama wearer. All Sadie wore was basketball shorts and an old T-shirt. Ellie probably had curated sets for each day.
And Sadie bet she looked amazing in them.
Focus, Baxter.
As Ellie went back into the bathroom, Sadie tossed her phone onto the bed and rolled over onto her back. The ceiling fan was whirling above her, which made Sadie thankful. She couldn’t sleep without the fan on, so was glad Ellie seemed to be the same way.
“Okay,” Ellie breezed out of the bathroom, walked past Sadie, and jumped onto the bed above her. Like Sadie, she was wearing shorts—although much shorter than Sadie’s—and a T-shirt from Eden’s current Broadway show. She rolled onto her side to look down at Sadie. “Hi.”
Sadie giggled, “Hi.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Um, yeah. Me, too.” Sadie didn’t know why she was trying so hard to play it cool with Ellie. Her tongue had literally been in her mouth a few hours ago. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Anytime.”
A knock on the door startled Sadie as Vera opened it and peeked around the corner. “Just doing a headcount before we set the alarm.”
“We’re here and accounted for.” Popping up off the bed, Ellie ran over and gave Vera a hug and a kiss. “Goodnight, Mama.”
“Goodnight, Care Bear. I love you.” Vera kissed her cheek before waving at Sadie. “Goodnight, Sadie.”
“Goodnight.”
As Vera left the room, Ellie walked back over to the bed and resumed her position of staring down at Sadie. It was odd seeing Ellie at such a weird angle and yet Sadie was still captivated by her. The way her hair hung loosely, framing her face with damp curls. How her brown eyes seemed to be the prettiest color Sadie had ever seen.
Oh, my god. Pull yourself together.
“Care Bear,” Sadie said with a chuckle.
“Hey, don’t make fun,” Ellie giggled, “Mama’s called me that since I was born.”
“I wasn’t making fun, I promise. It’s cute.” Sadie smirked. “I like it.”
“What nicknames do your parents call you?”
Sadie shrugged. “They don’t really have nicknames for me.”
“Well, don’t worry. Give it time and my parents will have one for you.” Yawning, Ellie pulled her pillow up under her and smiled down at Sadie. “I’m gonna call it a night. Do you need anything?”
“Nope, I got my pillow and blanket and a phone charger so I’m good.”
“Cool. If you need anything, just wake me up.”
“Will do. Goodnight, Ellie.”
“Goodnight, Sadie.”
Ellie turned off the lamp by her bedside as she seemed to roll over onto her side away from Sadie. Pulling the sheet over her body, Sadie turned to her side, facing Ellie’s bed.
Should I have kissed her goodnight? I should have. I’m such an idiot. I could do it now, but how weird is that? Ugh. Why is this so hard??
Sadie propped herself up on her elbow to see if she could see over the bed. She was beyond surprised when she came face to face with Ellie, who was slightly leaning off the bed. Even in the darkened room, Sadie could still see her smile.
“We didn’t kiss goodnight.”
“No, we didn’t.” Giggling, Sadie leaned in and kissed Ellie softly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Thankfully, Sadie quickly fell asleep with a smile on her face. She could have slept longer had it not been for the delicious smell of maple syrup wafting through the house. Picking her phone up off the floor, Sadie checked the time. It was after nine, and judging by the voices downstairs, most everyone was already up.
She checked the missed text from Ellie as she yawned.
Morning!! When you get up come downstairs! Mom made pancakes and has fresh syrup!!
Sadie’s stomach growled at the thought of breakfast. It was her favorite meal of the day, hands down. Stretching her arms over her head, Sadie pried herself out of bed. She had no idea if she should go to breakfast in her pajamas or change, so she chose the latter. Putting on her bathing suit first, Sadie picked out a white Tennessee T-shirt and orange shorts to wear. The white tee made her bright blue bikini top highly visible, but she didn’t care. Everyone had seen her in it already anyway.
Heading down the stairs, Sadie found Ellie, Alexis, and Isla in the kitchen while everyone else was gathered outside by the pool. Isla and Alexis seemed to be tag-teaming making the pancakes, while Ellie was sitting across from them on a bar stool. Sadie sat beside her, definitely not paying attention to the fact Ellie looked adorable with bedhead. They smiled at each other, making Sadie way happier than she ever thought possible.
“Morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep good?”
“I did, thanks.”
“Ellie didn’t wake you up snoring, did she?” It was clear by the mischievous grin on her face that Isla loved teasing her daughter.
“ Mom ,” Ellie dramatically groaned as she turned in her seat to Sadie. “It’s because of her genetically deviated septum that I snore.”
“So does Blake,” Alexis added with a smirk.
“And Mason,” Isla laughed. “And Brayden.”
“Everleigh is the only one who escaped it.”
“That’s because she’s your mama made over.” Isla sat a large plate of pancakes in front of Sadie. “Do you want whipped cream and syrup?”
“Yes, please.” Sadie heard her stomach growling again as she picked up a nearby fork. Alexis sat a bowl of homemade whipped cream in front of her and Sadie was sure she’d died and gone to heaven. She took a large spoonful of it and plopped it onto her pancake before taking a large bite. “Oh my god. That’s amazing. Who made this?”
Alexis dramatically raised her hand as she laughed. “That would be moi .”
“It’s amazing .”
“Thank you. I think I’ve perfected the recipe over the years.”
“I will watch your kids every day if it means you’d fix me this for breakfast,” Sadie chuckled as she added more whipped cream onto her pancake. It wasn’t until she was almost finished with her plate that she suddenly realized that maybe stuffing her face wasn’t the best thing to do in front of Ellie.
But the best thing?
Ellie wasn’t paying attention to how she ate. She got up and helped Isla and Alexis clean up while Sadie ate in peace. It was then Sadie realized the magic of the Mackenzies. At their house, everyone was free to be themselves with no judgment. They teased each other, yes, but it was obvious it was only out of a deep love for each other.
Sadie loved her mom and Charlie, she truly did. But it had been mostly the three of them for the last few years. Her dad had no interest in her, but Sadie had decided to work that out in therapy when she was older instead of confronting it now. And with no siblings and no cousins, Sadie had been used to growing up alone.
Sure, Chase was Charlie’s cousin and was around often. But it wasn’t the same. They hadn’t grown up together like Ellie and her siblings and cousins. She longed to one day have a big family like the Mackenzies.
“Hey,” Ellie walked over to her and leaned onto the counter, “I’m gonna go change into my bathing suit then go lay out by the pool. You in?”
“Yeah, as long as by lay out by the pool you mean lay under an umbrella because I burn easily.”
Across the counter, Alexis reached out and high-fived her. “Same, sister. Same. The Mackenzies tan like goddesses, but the sisters-in-law? Nope. Not at all.”
“Happy to be fitting in then.”
Oh, my god. Did you really just say that???
Oh, my god. You did.
Look at their amused faces.
Shit.
Ellie winked at Sadie. “I’ll meet you outside in a few.”
She watched as Ellie walked up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway. When she turned her attention back to Isla and Alexis, they were exchanging glances that seemed to convey an entire conversation Sadie couldn’t understand. She took her plate over to the sink with the other dishes before heading outside to the pool to wait for Ellie.