15. Chapter 15
Talmage
M y nerves swirl around in my stomach when I get in the car with Mack’s parents to head to her dance recital. She had to be there early to get ready, so I’ll be alone with them on the short drive.
“Talmage. How’s it going?” her dad asks when I get in the car. Her twin sisters are blabbering away when I squeeze myself between their car seats to sit in the very back row.
Do her parents know Mack and I are in love? Has she told them anything?
I feel like it’d be pretty obvious with how much time we spend together, and the fact I’m going to her recital. But has she said it out loud? If she has, they’re a lot more chill than my parents. They wouldn’t be cool about it.
“I’m doing well, Mr. Thorpe. How are you?”
“No need to be so formal, son, Lyle is perfectly fine.”
“Sorry, force of habit.” I feel my cheeks redden.
“No need to be nervous, Talmage. We’re not going to bite your head off, I promise.
” Her mom, Angie, turns to give me a smile.
Mack got her wide smile and red hair from her mom, and it fills me with a little bit of comfort.
“Mackenzie told us you two were planning on singing together for your term performance, is that still the plan?”
“Yes, we have a practice scheduled with her voice teacher in two weeks, I think.”
“That’ll be so fun. You two are going to be great together, I just know it. Mackenzie’s been happier than ever since you two became such good friends.” Angie gives me a wink.
They have to know.
And they seem okay with it.
It makes me feel good, knowing Mack isn’t going to be in trouble.
I only wish my parents were as accepting.
I hope Mack’s okay with me showing up an hour early. In my hurry to get out of my parents’, I didn’t think about texting her, and the ten minute drive to her house passed in a blur.
Now, I’m sitting in the driveway of the little blue house, contemplating whether I should take Siren home or not.
Before I make a decision, the front door swings open, and two girls who look similar to Mack but with different colored hair stand there. One of them grabs the other by the arm and tries to pull her inside, but she’s too fast and yanks her arm from her then sprints towards me .
I’m not even fully out of my car before the one with dirty blonde hair starts hurling questions my way at a million miles an hour.
“Are you Talmage? You’re Lacey and Tim’s brother, right?
Your brother is so cute. Oh, shit, don’t tell him that.
Awkward. What do you do? How are you so fit?
Are you sure you want to marry Mack? Why do you want to marry Mack?
Is this like some Make-A-Wish shit because of the whole dead parents thing? Do you make thi—”
“Kinsley! Will you shut up?” her twin hisses. She turns to me, cheeks aflame and shakes her head. Her hair is more of a strawberry blonde than her sister’s. “I’m sorry about her.”
I open my mouth to speak when Siren barks once from inside my car, pressing her nose to the window like she’s trying to smell the twins through the glass.
Kinsley—the one with all the questions— squeals.
“Oh my God! Is this your dog? Hi, puppy, what a cutie-wootie!” She wiggles her fingers at Siren through the glass.
Harper cringes at Kinsley’s puppy voice.
I chuckle, opening the door and letting Siren out.
She immediately runs around the girls, sniffing their legs.
She’s trained not to jump up on people, but I can tell she likes them already by how rapidly her tail is wagging.
She lets out a little woof when she sniffs Harper before plopping down at her feet while Harper gently pets Siren’s silky fur.
“This is Siren. Do you think your sister will mind if I let her wander around the backyard? ”
Kinsley gasps, kneeling on the cold driveway and scratching Siren’s ears.
“No fur-niece of mine will be cast to the backyard like a commoner. She can come hang out in our room while you and Mack talk or… whatever you do.” Her nose crinkles like she smells something bad.
“You guys aren’t going to like, kiss and be gross all the time, are you? ”
My stomach flutters at the thought of kissing Mack again. I hope we kiss all the time. That would be a dream come true.
“I—”
“Kinsley, I swear to God. I’ll make you eat school lunch for a week if you’re bothering Talmage.
” The voice of my dream girl floats through the chilly air, sending a shiver down my spine.
Siren barks and runs up to Mack, giving her a thorough sniff-spection.
Mack squats and rubs behind Siren’s ears, a small smile on her face.
Kinsley rolls her eyes but heads back towards the front door. Harper and I follow.
“I wasn’t bothering our future brother-in-law. I was just making sure his intentions are pure. Harp and I are going to take Siren to our room while you two talk. C’mon, girl.”
Siren looks at me and tilts her head like she’s waiting for my permission.
“Go on, go get some attention from your new aunts,” I say as I reach the threshold of the door. As soon as Siren and the girls are out of sight, I let my gaze meet Mack’s.
She looks cozy in an oversized gray sweatshirt and leggings, her hair in a messy bun. She’s not wearing any makeup, and the bags under her eyes make my chest ache. I still think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, but I hate how tired and worn out she looks.
Not for long. My wife will be well-rested and rejuvenated if I have any say in the matter.
“Hey, Mack. Hope it’s okay I’m early.”
“Of course. Come on in.” She steps into the house, and I follow. I didn’t get to see inside when I picked her up for our date yesterday, and I’m eager to see what Mack’s space looks like. When we were teens, I never saw the inside of her house.
The door opens into a little entryway. To the left is a set of French doors leading to a space with a piano and shelves full of books, and to the right is what looks like a half bath.
We walk down the hall into an open-concept kitchen and living room.
There’s a plush looking brown leather couch, matching armchair, and a TV mounted to the wall.
More bookshelves hold DVDs, and pictures line the walls.
All the walls are painted a light gray, and the flooring is light oak.
There’s a large multi-colored floral area rug in the middle of the living room.
The kitchen lights are off, but from what I can see, the cabinets are painted a pale yellow with silver handles and matching stainless steel appliances.
The countertops are white and gray marbled granite that pair nicely with the color scheme.
It looks… bright. Happy. It makes me wonder if Mack picked it out or if this was her parents’ doing.
“Your house is nice,” I comment as she motions for me to sit down on one end of the couch.
Her smile is sad when she replies, “Thanks. They’d just finished remodeling the upstairs about six months before… well, you know. Mom was so happy to finally have her yellow kitchen.”
“I’m sorry, Mack.”
She shrugs. “Thank you. How did it go with your parents?”
I blow out a long breath. “Not… great. My mom is really upset, and I think it’ll take some time to mend our relationship. I also may have blurted out I was leaving the church, so…”
“Oh, no, Tal. I’m so sorry.” She reaches across the couch and grabs my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
I scoot a little closer to her and flip my hand over, intertwining my fingers with hers—a perfect fit.
My heart flip flops when I realize she’s wearing her ring. I like seeing it on her finger way more than I thought I would.
“It’s okay. I’m sure she’ll come around, and if she doesn’t, then… I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. If she can’t be happy for me, then I don’t need her in my life.”
Mack’s frown deepens. “I don’t want your family relationship to be ruined just so Harp can have better health insurance. I’m not worth all the pain and trouble.”
She doesn’t realize I’d walk over a bed of nails for her. I’d trudge through a building on fire with no gear, if I needed to, just to get to her. I’d do anything to keep her in my life and make her happy.
“You’re more than worth it, Mack. Like I said, I’m sure she’ll come around.
She just needs to get over the initial shock of…
everything. I would have to te ll her anyway when I eventually left the church—and it would have happened with or without you.
We would’ve had the same argument. The only difference is, now I have you. ”
Mack chews on the inside of her cheek. “For now,” she mutters.
Yeah, the reminder makes me itchy. I don’t like it. Not one bit.
I scoot even closer, so our thighs are touching. Then, I cup her cheek. “Then I’ll have to make the most of the time I’ve got.”
I start to lean in, but she turns her head. “I don’t think we should kiss again. Other than like, on our wedding day, you know? We need to make sure we don’t cross any lines so it’s not as hard when this ends.”
I scoot back, and instant regret floods my body. “Right. You’re right. Sorry. I got caught up in the moment.” I don’t agree with her, though. I think whether we kiss or not, it’ll be like ripping off a limb when we get divorced. It’ll feel like losing half of my soul.
“It’s okay. So, are we all set for the fifteenth?”
I nod. “Did you ask Lizzie if she wants to be a witness?”
“Yes. She said I didn’t have to ask because it’s the best friend law that she gets to be one. Are you asking one of your friends?”
“I thought I’d ask Enoch or Nathan.”
“Are you okay with Harper and Kinsley being there, too? Kinsley told me it was illegal for them to not be included since they’re my only family. She’s convinced me to get us all new dresses for the day, too. ”
“Kinsley’s a feisty one, isn’t she? Yeah, they can come for sure. I’m going to reach out to my siblings and ask if they want to come, too, but I don’t know if they’ll be willing to go behind my mom’s back.”
“Yeah, Harper may be the one in theatre, but you’d never know it because Kins has all the drama. I hope your siblings come.”
Me, too. It would be nice to have my family there for my only wedding—and it will be my only wedding if I have any say. Maybe once Mack realizes we’re kismet, we can have a big wedding do-over with the cake and the flowers and dancing surrounded by family and friends.
Hannah and Morgan had a small, intimate ceremony at the courthouse last year, and they’ll be having a party in April to celebrate their one-year anniversary. It’s not totally unheard of to have a belated celebration.
“Our appointment is for two o’clock. I’ll come pick you guys up at one-thirty, then we can go to an early dinner after to celebrate.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. I can meet you there, and there’s no need to—”
“There is absolutely a need to celebrate. Let me take my wife and sisters-in-law out. If you want to drive separately, that’s okay. I can pack up my stuff so it’s ready to move in that night, then get the rest on Sunday.”
“I think it’d be best to drive separately. Everything else sounds… good.”
“Perfect. Are you still planning on us sharing a room?”
Mack’s face heats up, turning red like an adorable strawberry, and I don’t understand why. “Yeah,” she says. “I have a king bed in my room downstairs, so it should be fine. We’re adults. We can share a bed and be cool about it.”
“Of course we can. Wanna show me? That way I can plan accordingly for what needs to be put in storage.”
“Sure. Don’t set your expectations too high, though, it’s nothing fancy.” She stands from the couch, and I follow her downstairs.
The basement is one large living area with brown speckled carpet and tan walls. There’s a TV on one wall and four bookshelves filled to the brim on another. A desk is set against a wall with a large office chair in front of it. I assume it’s where Mack works when she works from home.
“Are all these books yours?” I ask, inspecting the spines. Some are bright, playful colors with swooping lettering. Others are dark with crisp, clean words. Some have titles that sound like they’d be fantasy novels, while others are clearly rom-com types.
“Yeah. Books are the only thing I allow myself to buy that’s not a necessity, but I haven’t been able to buy any new ones in a few years—for obvious reasons. I usually stick to my Kindle.”
“Do you mind if I read some of these? They sound cool.”
“Ummm. Sure? You might not like them, though. They’re not just standard fantasy novels. A lot of them are romantasy.”
I shrug. “I’m not worried about a little romance in my fantasy.”
She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something but shuts it as if she changed her mind. “Okay. Well, enjoy. ”
She walks to the door on the opposite side of the living room and opens it, revealing a decent sized bedroom.
The walls are painted a soft pink, and the bed is covered in unmade floral sheets.
There’s still plenty of space, even with the king bed.
There are no pictures on the walls, though, just a mirror propped against it next to a set of doors.
I whistle. “This is nice.”
“Thanks. After the twins were born, my parents didn’t want me to have to keep going upstairs to use the bathroom, so they made this into another primary suite.
The bathroom is through that door, and the other doors are the walk-in closet.
I’ll clear out some space for you in there and in the dresser. ”
“Thanks, Mack. I know this is a big change. I can always sleep out on the couch if you need me to. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Mack shakes her head. “I don’t want to risk Kins or Harper seeing you on the couch if they come down here. It’ll all be okay.”
She sounds like she’s trying to convince herself more than me, and my chest pinches. I don’t like that she’s uncomfortable.
I make a vow to myself to do everything in my power to make her as comfortable as I can—to make this transition as easy as possible. I’ll prove to her I can make her life better and not be a hindrance.