It didn't take but a moment to see how close Macy was with her family and he'd be damned if he'd let a little white lie ruin her holiday. “Why don't we just do it and be done with it?” he said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do what?'
He grinned. “Get hitched.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder when she laughed. “Come on, Macy. You know you want to marry me. Every woman does.'
She laughed and those tiny lines around her mouth disappeared. Her eyes filled with mirth and the smile she gave him made his ignorant mistake seem all right. “You are insane, Sean. You can't ask me to marry you.'
'Why?” he said. “No one has to know it's a show, now do they? Your family won't be any wiser to it. They'll get their Christmas wish. To see their baby girl get proposed to by the most dashing man they've ever met.'
Macy laughed, loudly, holding her stomach as her eyes watered. “Sean…'
'What? Do you deny the fact?” he said, grinning. “I've seen the way you look at me. Say what you want, but we all know I'm a great catch.” She didn't look miserable anymore. Her face was lit with laughter. She looked happy and radiant and… beautiful. And he wanted to kiss her again. To feel her in his arms and feel the bliss he knew she could give him.
When her laughter was under control, she looked up at him. “You can't be serious.'
'About me being dashing or proposing to you?'
She giggled and said, “Both.'
'Oh, I'm very serious. Come on, what's it going to hurt? Come the New Year you can tell them I turned out to be a controlling, jealous jerk and you dumped me on my overbearing ass. No harm done.” She was still smiling and from the look on her face, she was contemplating it. “Come on, Macy,” he prodded, giving her a light shake. “Marry me. Be my wife… my ball and chain.'
A gentle shake of her head and a goofy grin followed. “All right,” she said. “But I want it done right.'
'Right?” he said raising a brow. “There's a wrong way to do it?'
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Don't you watch movies at all?'
'Not those chick flicks you girls are so fond of.'
'Well, I have, and I want the fairy tale. I want you on bended knee, being all romantic and schmoopy.'
'Schmoopy?” He laughed. “Is that even a word?'
'I don't know. It is now,” she said. “Oh! And propose in front of the tree. It'll just add to the setting.'
'All right. One proposal, on bended knee, in front of the tree. Anything else?'
'No,” she said. “The mushy stuff should cover it.'
'Okay. When do you want this to go down?'
'Surprise me. If I know when it's going to happen, I may not be able to pull it off. I'll be too nervous.'
'Fine. One surprise proposal, coming up before the end of the week.'
Two days later and Macy was a nervous wreck. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sean hadn't given her any indication to when he was going to “pop the question,” and as each new day dawned, fear they'd be found out for the conniving little liars they were mounted. By the time her Grandma Avery arrived, she was ready to ask Sean instead, just to get it over with.
Everyone was still giving her little looks. Looks that said they knew something she didn't. Hushed whispers went silent when she walked into a room; coy glances and beaming smiles were met with almost everyone she looked at. If Sean didn't do this sometime soon, she was going to bust.
She crossed the room to him, stopping once she reached his side and grabbed his arm, angling her body close to his. “I can't wait any longer.'
'Wait any longer for what?” he asked. Macy gave him a peeved look and raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh! You mean the…'
'Yes. Do it now,” she whispered.
His eyes widened. “Now?'
Macy nodded her head. “I'm tired of all the looks. I feel like a circus freak. They all know and they're just waiting. The sooner we get this over with, the better off we'll be. Things can go back to normal. Er, well, as normal as they were.'
She saw him glance around the room and when he looked back at her the look in his eyes scared her breathless. “They're all watching us,” he said. He smiled and she knew it was for their benefit. He raised his hand, pushing her hair away from her face before leaning toward her and lowering his head. She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her and was disappointed when he didn't. “Just look confused,” he whispered in her ear.
When he straightened, Macy thought her heart would burst from her chest. The twinkling lights from the tree caught her attention and it was then she realized they were standing in front of it. She suddenly couldn't breathe. Each breath squeezed her lungs before it was wheezed out in shallow pants. Sean winked at her and grabbed her hand before turning to face the room.
He smiled and said, “Can I have everyone's attention?” The silence that followed was damn near eerie. Not a single sound was made. Even the kids stopped what they were doing. Every eye in the room was on them and Macy remembered what he said. “Look confused.” She turned her head to look at him, scrunching her brows.
Sean cleared his throat before saying, “I'd like to apologize for not making the time to meet you before now but there is a reason I cleared my schedule to make this trip.” He turned to glance at her and the smile he threw her way caused her heart to skip a beat. “I'm in love with your daughter,” he said, turning to look at her parents. “She's the best thing to ever walk into my life. I don't know how I ever managed before she stumbled into my clinic and I plan on seeing that she's there for a very long time to come.'
When he looked back at her, Macy didn't have to fake anything. The sincerity in his voice as he spoke to her family shocked her and she almost believed him. When he bent to one knee in front of her, the audible gasps from those in the room was drown out as the blood rushing through her veins whizzed past her ears. He smiled up at her, her left hand firmly in his.
'I love you, Macy Carter,” he said, softly. “I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you. The moment you smiled at me I knew. I knew you were what I had been waiting my whole life for. The one person placed on this earth for me and me alone and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To see your beautiful face every morning when I wake up and know that when I close my eyes at night, you'll be right there by my side.” His hand tightened on hers, his voice lowering a fraction as he stared into her eyes. “Marry me, Macy. Be my wife.'
By the time he stopped talking, tears filled Macy's eyes. He looked so sincere, his words doing more to her than they should have. The room was still silent and Sean was looking up at her expectantly. She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping her voice didn't tremble. “I'd love to marry you, Sean,” she said, the tears filling her eyes escaping when she realized she meant it.
The room burst into roaring shouts and laughter. Sean stood, his gaze never leaving her own. When he kissed her softly on the lips, Macy knew the bittersweet taste of loss. For when Christmas came and went, her dream would be over. She'd once again be Macy Carter, secretary for a veterinarian clinic, not the fiance of Sean Mathis, a man who made her fall in love with him in an instant when he bent to one knee and made her believe for a brief moment that his words were heartfelt.
'Oh, Macy!'
Macy turned at the sound of her name, watching her mother cross the room with tears rolling down her face. Taking in the scene around the room, they'd been successful in their little ruse. No one was the wiser. They all seemed happy and even her grandmother was crying. Macy smiled when her mother released her and grabbed her hand, pulling her across the room to the women who had gathered to offer their congratulations. She glanced at Sean, watching the men gather around him, offering him the same treatment.
An impromptu party ensued then. Wine glasses were dusted off, and filled, and toasts rang out in rapid succession. Two hours and three bottles of wine later and the atmosphere in the room was one Macy had never seen. Her family was giddy. She'd never seen them so happy.
She glanced over at Sean. He was watching her while her brothers talked his ear off. The look on his face caused a shiver to race up her spine. His gaze roamed the length of her body and heated her skin from across the room. He took a drink of his wine, his eyes locking with hers over the rim of the glass. A tiny smile lifted of corner of his mouth when he lowered the goblet and if she didn't know any better she would swear he was thinking naughty
