Chapter 54
Mac
The sun was setting over Evergreen Cove, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The festival was winding down, families heading home, vendors packing up, but the main square was still alive with music and laughter.
Mac found Rachel near Sophie's café booth, helping clean up.
"Hey." Mac's voice came out slightly strangled. Smooth, MacKenzie. Very smooth. "Can I steal you for a minute?"
Rachel looked up, and something in his expression must have given him away because her eyes went soft. "You okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm fine. Great. Excellent. Possibly having a cardiac event, but that's normal." Mac took her hand. "Come with me?"
Rachel let him lead her away from the booth, through the thinning crowd, toward the gazebo at the edge of the town square. The same gazebo where they'd had their seventh date. Where Mac had rambled about hockey statistics for twenty minutes before Rachel had kissed him to shut him up.
"Mac, what are we—"
"Just... give me a second." Mac stopped at the gazebo steps, turning to face her. The fairy lights strung overhead cast a warm glow across Rachel's face, and Mac's heart jumped.
He'd had a speech prepared. He'd practiced it in the mirror for a week. He'd written it down, revised it, memorized it.
And now, looking at Rachel, every word vanished.
"Okay," Mac said, taking a breath. "I had this whole thing planned. There were going to be flowers, sunflowers, obviously, and I was going to say something eloquent about how you changed my life. Very romantic. Very smooth."
Rachel's lips twitched. "What happened to the flowers?"
"Jamie was supposed to bring them but he got distracted arguing with Sophie about booth placement and now they're probably collecting chairs somewhere.
" Mac ran a hand through his hair. "So this is going to be less polished than I wanted.
Which is probably fitting, actually, because nothing about us has been polished. "
"Mac—"
"I'm talking too much. I know. Just... let me get this out." Mac took both her hands in his. "Rachel, a few months ago I walked into a library with a decent amount of flowers and made a complete fool of myself in front of the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."
"You weren't a fool—"
"I knocked over an entire display of mystery novels."
"Okay, you were a little bit of a fool."
Mac laughed, but his eyes were wet. "And then you gave me a chance anyway. You let me take you to coffee. You let me into your life. You trusted me with your heart even though trusting was the hardest thing you could do."
Rachel's eyes were shining now too.
"We've been through hell together," Mac continued. "Derek. The breakup. All of it. And every time, we found our way back to each other. Because that's what we do. That's who we are."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
Rachel's breath stuttered.
"I bought this ring two months ago," Mac admitted. "I've been carrying it around like an idiot, waiting for the perfect moment. And then I realized, there is no perfect moment. There's just... us. Right here. Right now."
He dropped to one knee.
"Rachel Morrison. You are the love of my life.
You're my best friend, my favorite person, the reason I smile like an idiot every morning.
I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life.
I want to fight about the French press and argue about book organization and adopt way too many cats together. "
Rachel laughed through her tears.
"So." Mac opened the box, revealing a simple diamond ring that caught the fairy lights and sparkled. "Will you marry me?"
Rachel stared at him for a long moment.
Then she pulled him to his feet and kissed him so hard he stumbled backward into the gazebo railing.
"Is that a yes?" Mac gasped when they finally broke apart.
"Yes. Obviously yes. A thousand times yes." Rachel was crying and laughing at the same time. "Did you really think I'd say no?"
"I mean, statistically speaking, there was always a chance—"
"Mac."
"Yes?"
"Shut up and put the ring on my finger."
Mac's hands were shaking as he slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Of course it did, he'd enlisted Sophie to secretly find out her ring size weeks ago.
"I love you," Rachel said, admiring the ring, then looking up at him with so much joy Mac thought his heart might explode. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." Mac pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers. "Forever. I promise."
"Forever," Rachel agreed.
The news spread through the festival in approximately thirty seconds.
Luke was the first to reach them, pulling them both into a bone-crushing hug. "I KNEW IT! I knew he was planning something! I'm so happy for you guys!"
"Luke," Mac wheezed. "Ribs."
"Sorry! I'm excited!" Luke released them, grinning.
Cole and Ellie appeared next, Ellie already crying. "Let me see the ring! Oh my god, it's beautiful!"
"Took you long enough," Cole said, clapping Mac on the shoulder. "I was starting to think you'd chicken out."
"I don't chicken out of things."
"You chickened out of asking her to the Spring Fling."
"That was different. I had a cold."
"You had nerves."
"Same thing."
Rachel's mother arrived, her expression shifting from surprise to warmth. "Well," Linda said, pulling Rachel into a hug. "I suppose I approve. Since you already asked for my permission."
"That's the most enthusiastic endorsement I've ever heard," Mac muttered.
"Don't push your luck, young man." But Linda was smiling as she hugged him too. "Welcome to the family. Officially."
Leah squealed and tackled Rachel. "I'M GOING TO BE IN A WEDDING! I call maid of honor!"
"You can fight Sophie for it."
"I will. I'll win."
Mac's dad appeared, took one look at the ring on Rachel's finger, and nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You didn't screw it up."
"Thanks, Dad. Your faith in me is overwhelming."
"I'm proud of you, son." Tom MacKenzie's words came out rough, but he meant them.
Sophie
Sophie watched Mac and Rachel walk away from the gazebo, hands intertwined, so obviously in love it was almost painful to look at.
She was happy for them. She really was.
So why did her chest ache like this?
"Stunning proposal."
Sophie turned to find Jamie standing beside her, his clipboard tucked under his arm, his expression unreadable.
"It was," Sophie agreed. "Mac did good."
"He was panicking all week. I had to talk him off a ledge three separate times." Jamie's lips quirked. "Almost forgot the ring."
"Classic Mac."
They stood in awkward silence. Which was new. She and Jamie had never had awkward silences before. They'd been friends for years, easy, comfortable, constant friends.
But lately, something had shifted. Something Sophie didn't want to examine too closely.
"Leah is looking for you," Sophie said, nodding toward where Rachel's sister was chatting with Luke by the food stands. "She mentioned something about wanting to leave early tomorrow."
"Yeah." Jamie's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "She's got work Monday. Long drive back to Burlington."
"Long-distance is hard."
"It is."
Sophie should walk away. She should go help the vendors finish packing up. She should do literally anything except stand here, hyper-aware of how close Jamie was standing, how good he smelled, how much she wished—
No. She wasn't going there. Jamie was dating Leah. Leah was one of her closest friends' sister. Sophie was not the kind of person who developed feelings for unavailable men.
Except apparently she was. Because here she was, pulse jumping, palms sweating, very much having feelings.
"Sophie—" Jamie started.
"I should go." Sophie stepped back. "Lots to clean up. Congratulations to Mac and Rachel and everything. I'll see you around."
She fled before he could respond.
Jamie
Jamie watched Sophie practically run away from him and felt something crack in his chest.
This was getting unbearable.
He'd been dating Leah for four months. She was great, funny, smart, easy to talk to. On paper, she was perfect.
But she wasn't Sophie.
"Jamie!" Leah's voice cut through his thoughts. She appeared at his elbow, smiling brightly. "Ready to head out? I want to get some sleep before the drive tomorrow."
"Yeah." Jamie forced a smile. "Let's go."
But as he walked Leah to her car, his eyes kept drifting back to Sophie's retreating figure.
He needed to figure this out. Soon.
Before he hurt everyone involved.