'Why?” Rose said. “You're engaged. Talking about the wedding is exactly what people do when that happens.'
'Oh,” Macy said, not knowing what else to say.
'All we need is someone to perform the ceremony. What's the name of that man from the church down the road, Gerald?'
'Tim?'
'Yes!” Rose said. “He can do it, I'm sure, and we can do it here, in the house. Your family is already here.'
'Uh, yeah,” Macy said.
'What about them?'
'Well, uh… we'd want them to be here as well,” she said, smiling at her quick answer. She glanced at Sean, and nudged him with her elbow. “Right, honey? We'd want our friends here.'
He nodded too rapidly. “Yes. Our friends and… and a church wedding! Macy has always wanted a big wedding.” He leaned back in his chair and draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. “I couldn't possibly deny her that. It's been her dream.'
'Oh,” Rose said, waving a hand in the air to dismiss their response. “You can still have that. We can plan the biggest wedding Charleston has ever seen for later in the year. No one has to know you've already done it. How would they?'
What turned out to be a slight suggestion snowballed into a full-blown arrangement within minutes. Her mother and sister-in-laws went straight to work, hashing out details like something possessed. Macy watched them while her heart raced in her chest. She was too scared to move. To blink. She saw Sean out of the corner of her eye and the shock on his face matched her own. He was just as blown away as she was.
When he turned his head to look at her, she mouthed, “Sorry,” to him before shrugging her shoulder. She didn't know what to do now.
He inhaled deeply and stood, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the front door. He helped her with her coat, slipping his own on before they darted out the door. Once outside, they nearly ran to the woods and to the clearing she'd shown him a few days before. Surrounded by the stillness of the forest, they stared at each other, speechless.
Macy was the first to find the ability to talk. “What do we do now?'
'I have no clue,” he said, rubbing a hand over his head.
Her shoulders sagged. She was hoping he'd have an answer. “I'm sorry.'
'For what?” he asked.
'For dragging you into this.'
The corner of his mouth twitched into what she assumed was supposed to be a smile. “It's not all your fault, Macy.'
'Yes it is.'
'No. I'm just as responsible,” he said. “I agreed to this plan to begin with. Hell, it was even my idea to ask you to marry me.'
She stared at him, watching him turn his head before sighing. He started pacing the forest floor, long laps that disturbed the pine needles and leaves. He didn't say anything for long minutes but when he stopped and turned to face her, she saw hope shining in his eyes.
'Regardless of what they say or do, we can't get married without a marriage license, right?'
Macy nodded her head at him. “Yes. We have to apply for one.'
'Both of us or just one?'
'Um, I'm not sure,” Macy said, shrugging. “I've never bothered to check the laws.'
'Well, we can't get married without a license. That much I do know. As long as we don't apply for one, the marriage won't happen.'
Macy smiled for the first time in over an hour. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They couldn't get married without a license and she sure as hell wasn't going to go get one. And neither would Sean.
When they got back to the house and went inside, the sight of her family preparing for the wedding that wouldn't be didn't make her nervous now. It saddened her, instead. They were planning an event that wouldn't take place. She felt bad for lying to them then. For getting them excited over nothing. They were happy because her little white lie had snowballed into a glacier big enough to disrupt their world. They were giddy over the prospects of their baby girl getting married. Married to a man who volunteered to help her out of the goodness of his heart. A man she'd trapped. She turned her head and frowned up at him.
'Don't say it,” Sean said. “Don't even think about it.'
'I can't help it,” she whispered. “I feel terrible.'
'And how terrible would you have felt telling them you'd lied to them? That we planned this behind their back? You would have ruined their Christmas.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, turning her to face the room before lowering his head to whisper in her ear. “Look at them, Macy. They're happy. Let them have this moment.'
She sighed and leaned into him, comforted by his presence. His grip on her shoulder tightened. When he placed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, “Every thing will be okay. I'll make it all okay,” tears filled her eyes. This wasn't even his mess and he was willing to fix it for her. She not only pulled her parents into her deception but she was doing the same to him. Using him to make herself look less pathetic. She shook off his hold. “I can't do this,” she said, before bolting out of the room and back out the front door.
She heard Sean yell her name moments later and she picked her legs up higher trying to run in the snow. It was still falling, snowdrifts climbing the side of the house and trying to bury their cars. The tears were cold against her cheeks and she was tired before she made it to the back of the house. Sean caught her as she reached her father's workshop, grabbing her around the waist before turning her to face him. One look at the concern etched across his features and the dam broke. She cried, burying her face into his chest when he pulled her to him, his arms wrapping her tight against his body.
He whispered words she couldn't hear clearly into her hair and stroked the back of her head with one hand. When the last tear spilled over her lashes, she sniffled and looked up at him. “I'm being a baby about this, aren't I?'
He smiled. “Not wanting to hurt your family doesn't make you a baby, Macy. It makes you human.'
She sighed and studied the front of his shirt, toying with the buttons running down the length of it. “I just wanted them to stop worrying about me,” she said. “That's the only reason I ever told them I had a boyfriend. When they asked who he was…” She shrugged her shoulder and lowered her head. “I didn't know many people then and you're the first person I thought of. I didn't know you very well but I knew enough about you to make it sound like we were a real couple.'
'You don't have to apologize, Macy.” She glanced up at him and looked away a moment later. “Truth be told. I'm flattered.'
She snorted a laugh. “Flattered some crazy woman has been carrying on an imaginary affair with you for two years?'
Sean lowered his head, leaning down toward her. “Especially flattered at the affair part. What man wouldn't be flattered a beautiful woman has been fantasizing about him for two years?'
'I never said I had been fantasizing about you!” Macy said before laughing.
'So you didn't fantasize about me then? Hmm… how disappointing because I have to admit,” he said, “The thought is too tempting to just let go.'
'Stop trying to embarrass me, Sean.'
'I'm not. I'm just discussing this affair we've had going on,” he said. “Tell me, since you have something to do a comparison with, was the fantasy me as good as the real thing?'
'Oh Lord,” Macy said, shaking her head. “You're impossible.'
He grunted, softly. “That doesn't sound too promising. At least tell me you enjoyed it. I'll be sadly disappointed if my fantasy self wasn't pleasing you the way he should.'
Macy looked up and grinned. “You're enjoying this way too much.'
'Maybe,” he said. “But those tears have dried up.” To prove his point, he ran the back of one finger down her
