Chapter 46
n the Next morning, when Vi was curled on the couch, laptop open and fingers flying across the keys. The final chapters of her book were pouring out of her, and she barely noticed the time slipping away. A knock at the door finally pulled her out of her bubble.
She frowned. Sam had her own key.
When she opened the door, Mack stood there — casual jeans, plain black tee, and that quiet intensity in his eyes that always seemed to catch her off guard.
"Hey," she said, a little breathless. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?" His voice was calm, but there was something weighty beneath it.
She stepped aside. He entered, glancing around as if taking stock of the small apartment, the stack of baby things Sam had left in the corner, the papers scattered across Vi's coffee table.
"Writing?" he asked, nodding toward her laptop.
"Always." She tried to smile, but his serious mood tugged at her curiosity. "Mack, what's going on?"
He turned to face her fully, hands sliding into his pockets. For a moment, he just looked at her — the way he always did, as though memorizing every detail, as though she were the only thing in the room that mattered.
"Sam's going to need this place," he said finally. "Once the baby's here, she'll need the space, and the comfort of somewhere she already knows."
Vi blinked. "Yeah, of course. That makes sense."
He stepped closer, his gaze never wavering. "Which is why I want you to move in with me."
The words hung in the air, heavy and electric.
Vi's heart skipped. "Move in with you?"
"Yeah." He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "I don't want to waste any more time pretending we're living two separate lives. You're already mine, Vi. I want you in my space, in my bed, every damn night. Not halfway here, halfway there."
Her pulse raced. His words were so straightforward, so Mack. No hesitation, no games. Just truth.
"You're serious," she whispered, though she already knew the answer.
He gave a low chuckle. "I've never been more serious. I'm not asking because it's convenient, Vi. I'm asking because I can't stand the thought of not having you beside me. Sam needs this place, but me—" he tilted her chin up with his thumb "—I need you."
Vi swallowed, warmth flooding her chest and nerves tangling in her stomach all at once. "Mack…"
"Say yes," he murmured, his mouth brushing close to hers. "Move in with me."
Vi's lips parted, but no words came. Her chest rose and fell faster than normal, the sound of her own pulse roaring in her ears.
"Move in with me," Mack repeated, softer this time, like he could already sense her walls building.
Her throat tightened. She stepped back just slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. "Mack, I don't know… it's just—this feels fast."
He didn't look surprised. If anything, he looked like he'd been expecting her hesitation. He closed the distance again, slow and steady, never pushing but never giving her room to run either.
"Fast?" he asked, voice low. "Vi, it's been months. Months of me showing up for you, of you letting me in, of us fighting this pull until we couldn't anymore. I'm not asking you to guess who I am. You know me."
Her stomach twisted. "I do know you. And that's what scares me."
That made him pause. "Why?"
She took a shaky breath. "Because every time I think I can breathe, I remember what it was like before. How easy it was for someone I trusted to rip everything out from under me. I can't go through that again, Mack. I can't."
His jaw flexed, his eyes hardening — not with anger at her, but with fury at the ghost of her ex. He reached for her wrists gently, pulling her arms away from her chest and holding her hands against his heart.
"Look at me, Vi." His voice was a command wrapped in tenderness. She met his gaze, and his eyes burned with that dangerous mix of heat and devotion that always left her defenseless.
"I am not him," Mack said. "I'll never be him. I don't give a damn what he broke in you — I will spend the rest of my life fixing it if I have to. I'll never betray you. I'll never leave you. I'll burn the whole damn world before I hurt you."
Her breath hitched, tears stinging her eyes. He leaned down until his forehead rested against hers, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"You're already home for me, Vi. I just want us to make it real. Say yes. Come live with me. Not because it's easy, not because Sam needs this place, but because you and I are done pretending we're anything less than permanent."
Her fingers curled tighter against his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat grounded her, pulled her out of her fear and into the truth she couldn't deny.
She let out a shaky laugh, half tears, half relief. "God, you don't fight fair, Mack."
A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. "I don't have to. You're mine."
Silence stretched for a beat before she finally whispered, "Yes."
Mack exhaled, like he'd been holding his breath for years. And then his mouth was on hers, fierce and claiming, sealing the promise she had just made.