Dirty: The Complete Series (Secret Baby Romance Love Story) (159 page)

“Only if you’ve stopped kissing her,”
Landon said with a giggle. “Otherwise I won’t be able to understand you.” I
snorted, picturing Landon’s idea in my head. It felt good—and right—between
Mack and me again. I was glad that Jess had made me clear the air and make the
big, romantic gesture—I was glad that Mack had happened to see me with Jess so
that we could get things straight between us. I was still nervous about meeting
her parents, since I knew it was a big step, but I was ready for it.

I got to Joanne’s parents’ place as
quickly as traffic would let me, and my heart started beating faster as soon as
I had given Landon a kiss goodbye for the night. I knew I’d be thinking of him
while I was with Mack, but if she couldn’t handle that then it would just mean
that things would have to run their course and the relationship wouldn’t go any
further than it already had; but I thought I could count on her, of everyone I
had ever dated, not to mind that I was thinking of my son while I was with her.
I pulled out of my in-laws’ driveway and sped down the road to make sure that I
could get to Mackenzie’s apartment on time. If I was lucky we might even have
time for a kiss and a hug before we had to get back on the road or risk being
late.

Chapter Five - Mackenzie

By the time I heard Patrick’s knock at my
door I was almost in a frenzy, I was so anxious. I had spent most of the
day—once I’d gotten out of work after lunch—getting ready, and my parents had
called three times to confirm that I was coming and that I was bringing a date.
I’d rushed home from the clinic and immediately started a hot bath while I took
out all the things I’d planned to wear for the evening. My parents liked to see
everyone dress up a bit for New Year’s, but it wasn’t quite a completely formal
occasion; so when I’d known that I was going to be bringing Patrick with me,
I’d taken the time to find the perfect dress, along with a great pair of shoes
to go with it, and a little bit of jewelry.

I had made sure that everything went
together perfectly and put all the pieces where I could get to them and then
I’d slipped into the hot bath, soaking in the fragrant water for almost an hour
with a conditioning treatment in my hair. I’d pulled the plug and took a
shower, rinsing the treatment out and scrubbing myself from head to toe. I
wasn’t always as good about shaving in the winter as I was in the summer. I
wore jeans or tights and long sleeves almost all the time, and until I’d met Patrick
a few weeks before, I hadn’t been dating anyone. But I wanted to be as flawless
as possible for the party, so I went over everything with the razor twice and
made sure I was silky smooth everywhere.

Once I finished in the shower I wrapped
myself up in my thickest, fluffiest robe and slathered lotion everywhere that
would show with my dress. I blow-dried my hair and took a minute to gulp down a
cup of coffee and eat some toast to keep my stomach from going sour, and then I
was back to getting ready for the big night. I did my makeup more carefully
than I had in weeks, and pulled my hair back into a style I’d looked up while I
had a lull at work.

By the time I hurried to the door at the
sound of Patrick’s knocking, I was as flawless from head to toe as I could
possibly be: perfumed, made up, my hair done, and in a dress that fit me just
perfectly. I’d be a little bit cold going to and from the car, but I had a long
coat to wear and it wouldn’t be too long before I was in the warmth again.

It was all worth it when I opened the door
and saw Patrick’s reaction. For a moment he stood in my doorway, staring at me
in obvious amazement, speechless. I took in the sight of him in the suit he’d
chosen, and I realized that he’d either found or bought a tie that would go
perfectly with my shimmery blue-and-green dress; it was the same colors, but
without the sparkle. Then I noticed that he had a box from a florist shop in
his hand.

“You got me a corsage?”

Patrick shook his head quickly, the surprise
disappearing from his face as he smiled. “I know it’s corny, but I thought you
might like it
because
it’s corny,” he
admitted. I blushed, and Patrick opened up the box to reveal the corsage: it
was a white rose in full bloom, with ferns and baby’s breath tied to it.

“Pin it on me,” I said, tingling all over.
Patrick took it out of the box and carefully pinned it to the front of my
dress, and I took advantage of how close he was to kiss him quickly, barely
remembering not to press myself against him or else I would crush the flowers.

“I bought a bottle of champagne to bring
with us, too,” Patrick told me, taking my hand in his. “Are you ready to head
out?”

 
I
kissed him again and nodded. “Let me just grab my purse really quick and then
we can go.” I locked the door behind me and pulled my coat tight as we walked
down the hall and then made our way to where the SUV waited outside. I was so
excited—and so nervous at the same time—that for a minute or two all I could do
was shiver in silence, waiting for the heat to come up in the car as Patrick
pulled out of the parking structure attached to my building and got onto the
road.

I’d told him that we needed to be there by
seven o’clock sharp; technically the party wouldn’t start until seven-thirty,
but I wanted to have a chance to introduce my parents and siblings to Patrick
before everyone started to arrive. “Landon didn’t think the party sounded too
exciting,” Patrick told me, adding with a grin, “Of course any party without a
ball pit or a clown would be boring to him.”

I laughed. “There’s going to be lots going
on,” I told Patrick, settling in the seat as the heat started to kick on in
earnest and the chill melted away from me. “My parents have had years to come
up with a bunch of silly traditions that they
have
to do on New Year’s Eve.”

“Traditions are great!” Patrick pulled
onto the highway, headed out of the city. “What kind of silly traditions are we
talking about here?”

“Everyone has to put their resolution down
on paper and put it in a fishbowl,” I told him, shaking my head as I remembered
when my parents had first come up with that particular tradition when I was
about ten years old. “Then, before midnight, they read out the different
resolutions and everyone has to guess which one belongs to who.”

“That sounds like fun,” Patrick said,
smiling. “Good way for new people to get to know each other.”

“They also do this thing where they do
joke awards for the people attending the party,” I said. “Like, most likely to
get arrested in the New Year or most likely to have a new kid, things like
that.”

“Does everyone get a ballot?”

I smiled. “I’ll help you fill yours out,”
I told him. Patrick got up to cruising speed and reached over to take my hand.

“There is one thing I want your help with
tonight,” he told me, bringing my hand up to his face and kissing my palm; it
was just enough contact to send a jolt of heat through my body.

“What’s that?” I asked, once I was able to
breathe again.

“I want to call Landon just after
midnight. Do you want to be in on the call? I think it’d be really special for
him.” Patrick glanced at me quickly. “Normally I’m with him—and my in-laws—for
New Year’s Eve, and this is the first year since he was born that I haven’t
been there.”

“You should have told me!”

I felt a flicker of guilt for taking
Patrick away from a tradition with his son.

“He can spend this year with just them,”
Patrick said firmly. “And assuming we’re still together this time next year, we
can work out what we’ll do for the night all together. But would you want to be
in on the call?”

“Of course!” I smiled. “If he’s still up
that late, I’d love to tell him Happy New Year’.”

“I assume I’m going to be your New Year’s
kiss, right?”

I laughed and made a face at Patrick. “Of
course. Why else would I have asked you to come with me to the party?”

“Landon very specifically said he wanted
me to call after I’d finished kissing you—I wanted to make sure that was on the
schedule too.” I felt my cheeks warming up, but I was too happy to be
completely embarrassed at the question.

“As soon as we’re done kissing, then,” I
said. “I can show you where it’ll be quiet enough to actually hear him.”

We made small talk the rest of the way to
my parents’ place, and I felt myself getting more and more excited. Everyone in
my family was going to meet Patrick, and I couldn’t imagine any of them not
falling completely in love with him the way that I had. I wanted to see the
looks on my siblings’ faces, the way my parents would approve of him
immediately. I couldn’t wait for midnight to come, when I could give Patrick
the first kiss of the New Year, and then we could call Landon together.

I directed him onto my parents’ street and
as we got closer to the house I saw that even though we’d gotten there early,
there were already a few people at the party.
Oh well. It’s not that important. He’ll still get to meet the fam
before everyone starts coming, and it’ll save you the trouble of a few
introductions,
I told myself as Patrick found a place on the street to
park.

“Are you sure you’re going to be warm
enough for the walk to the door?”

“As long as we make it fast, I think I’ll
live,” I said, though as soon as I opened the door I felt the goose bumps break
out on my legs. I took a deep breath and climbed out of the SUV, tugging and
rearranging my dress to make sure it fell the right way. I handed Patrick the
bottle of champagne he had brought in the car, and he kissed me quickly on the
lips before taking my hand. It wasn’t quite enough to keep the chill off of me,
but I still felt a little warm as we walked up the street and then along the
walkway leading to my parents’ front door.

I knocked on the door quickly and then
just opened it and stepped inside. “Hey, everyone!” I called out, leading
Patrick in behind me. He closed the door and I looked around, letting go of his
hand so that I could take my coat off. “If I’d known people were going to come
early I would have spent an hour less getting ready.”

I heard a shout from the living room, and my
parents appeared first, leading my siblings and the few guests who had already
arrived to come and greet me. “Mom, Dad—everyone; this is Patrick, my
boyfriend.” I took Patrick’s hand and tugged him a little closer to me, looking
at everyone to see their approval. I saw Alex, John, Evie, and their spouses;
Evie looked almost envious at the sight of Patrick, and I felt a little gush of
pride at my gorgeous boyfriend. I saw one of the neighbors
 
and one of my mom’s former coworkers, and
smiled at each of them.

Someone else came out of the living room
to join the rest of the party, and I peered closely at the approaching figure.
All at once he stepped into the light and my heart stopped in my chest for just
a moment. I looked at my parents in shock as I recognized who it was, and my
hand must have tightened on Patrick’s because he gave me a quick, concerned
look. My parents had invited someone I hadn’t seen in years; they’d invited my
ex-boyfriend Noah—the first guy I’d ever fallen in love with seriously, when
I’d started at college.

Chapter Six – Patrick

I was nervous enough when we got to Mack’s
parents’ house. When she started introducing me to everyone, I started to feel
at ease; but when I felt her hand tighten on mine and saw the look of shock on
her face, I wondered who her parents could have possibly invited that would
make her look almost afraid. “You’re our daughter’s new boyfriend,” an older
man said, coming up to me. I let go of Mack’s hand and took stock of the guy;
after a moment or two I could tell that he was definitely Mackenzie’s dad—there
was something similar in the face, in the hair.

“I hope so,” I said, grinning wryly. “I
guess that depends on how well I do tonight.” The man laughed and I shook his
hand, holding the bottle of champagne up to offer it to him. “I figured you
would have plenty of drinks on hand to toast the New Year, but I didn’t want to
show up empty-handed to meet Mackenzie’s parents.” A woman who looked even more
like Mack than her father stepped up and took the bottle from me.

“That was so thoughtful!” she gave me her
hand and I shook it as well. “I’m Mack’s mom, Kate; and this is her father,
David.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” I said,
nodding. “As Mack already said, my name is Patrick.” I looked over at the woman
I loved; she hadn’t quite recovered from whatever had shocked her, but she was
pretending to be okay, talking to one of the other women gathered in the
entryway. “Is there someone here Mack wasn’t expecting to see? She looks
stunned.”

“That…” Kate looked a little embarrassed,
glancing away from me at a tall, slim guy; he’d been the last to come in, and
he was dressed in a rumpled suit, with his dark hair combed back off of his
face, brushing his collar. Kate grimaced and gave me an apologetic smile,
leading me into the living room as everyone started back in that direction.
“I’m really sorry—I made a bad decision this week.”

“Is that so?” I glanced at Mack again; she
was starting to lose the flustered, flushed look, but I wanted to ask her what
was wrong nonetheless.