It hadn’t been a surprise to me that I’d fallen for Maccon Allred almost instantly, but that was a card I needed to keep close to the vest for self-preservation.
The nagging knowledge that if Emerson freaked out about the situation, our relationship would be over before it could really get started pecked at the back of my mind while I curled my hair.
It’s going to be fine, I tried to reassure myself.
Slowly I ascended the front steps of Maccon’s house. Before I could even ring the doorbell, Emerson was flinging the door open.
“Ms. Rogers? Are you the special guest daddy told me was coming over for dinner?” She instantly lunged for me, wrapping her tiny around arms my waist.
Smiling down at her elated face, I nodded. “I think I am.”
Maccon strode into the doorway, kneeling down to his daughter’s level. “Em, what do we do when we have guests?”
She bounced on her heels, playing with the hem of her My Little Pony shirt. “We invite them inside.”
He kissed her forehead before looking up at me. “Would you like to come in?” he asked while getting back up onto his feet.
“I would love to.” I beamed at him, handing over the bottle of Malbec I had brought, not having known what else to bring as a gift.
Piper called out from the kitchen. “Dinner is almost ready. Hey, Kinsley.”
“Hi!” I hollered back. Over the year, Piper and I had become close friends. It was nice to have another female friend. Other than the ones I worked with, they were in short supply in my life.
She rushed in to give me a quick hug with aKiss the Cookapron tied tightly around her. “I am so glad we are finally able to do this.”
“Same here.” Maccon chuckled, pulling his daughter into his arms. “Wanna help me set the table?”
She nodded feverishly, wiggling out of her father’s grasp and darting into the kitchen.
Piper and I watched as Maccon fawned over his daughter, reminding her how to correctly set a table.
“I don’t know if that sight is ever going to get old,” I remarked to Piper.
She pursed her lips. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“Do you think she’s going to take the whole dating thing all right?”
Piper turned to me, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “She’s going to be so freaking excited. You’re the first one Maccon has ever let us meet. I think he knew pretty early on that you were worth it.”
I cocked my head to the side. “In over a decade, Maccon has never had an actual girlfriend?”
Piper winked at me. “You didn’t hear it from me, but yep.”
Dinner came and went in the most normal, uneventful way you could imagine. It was amazing and simple. I loved every second of it.
As Maccon scooped ice cream into a bowl for his daughter, he glanced over his shoulder at her. “Did you like having Ms. Rogers over for dinner?”
Emerson shifted in her seat. “It was the best!” she replied, clearly elated.
“Would you like for her to come over more?”
She nodded while throwing her arms in the air. “Yes!”
“That’s good, because I have something to ask Ms. Rogers.” He set the small bowl down on the table, and as the little girl dove into her treat, Maccon knelt down in front of me.
“Kinsley.” He took my hand as he stared up into my eyes. “You’re everything I could have ever asked for. I know this year wasn’t the easiest on either of us, but we made it. I love you.”
As he paused to pull a small box out of his pocket, my heart stopped.