He pulled her close again, and this time she didn’t fight it. Her breathing softened, her body melting into sleep. Mac stayed awake, watching moonlight drift across her face.
He was in love with her.
Completely, irrevocably, terrifyingly in love with her.
And she was hiding something. Something that involved Derek Matthews and her ex and whatever had happened one year ago that still had the power to make her shut down completely.
But tonight, she was here. In his arms.
Puck eventually slunk into the room, giving them both a certain look before claiming her spot at the foot of the bed with an indignant meow.
Mac smiled, pressing one more kiss to Rachel's temple before letting himself drift off.
Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow.
20
Mac
Mac stopped by Cole and Ellie's house the next afternoon to finalize wedding details. As best man, he had responsibilities: speech writing, ring holding, making sure Cole didn't have a panic attack before walking down the aisle.
Ellie answered the door in yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, her amber hair in a messy bun. "Mac! Perfect timing. Come in. We're in the middle of seating chart hell."
Cole was at the dining table, surrounded by papers, color-coded charts, and what appeared to be a detailed floor plan of the reception venue. He looked up with the expression of someone who'd been arguing about table arrangements for too long.
"Help," Cole said dramatically. "Ellie has very strong opinions about where people should sit."
"I do! Seating matters! You can't put your college teammate who talks about nothing but protein powder next to your aunt who's vegan and has strong opinions about nutrition."
"My aunt Carol doesn't hate protein powder, she just has concerns."
"She has a blog called 'The Evils of Processed Food.' That's not 'concerns,' Cole. That's a vendetta."
Mac laughed, pulling out a chair. "Should I come back later when you two have sorted this out?"
"No, stay. We need your input on something important." Ellie shuffled through papers. "Rachel's coming, right? As your date?"
"She is."
"Perfect. I'm putting you two at the head table with us, Jamie, and Sophie. The family table will be next to us, and we will alterate during dinner. Is that okay?"
"More than okay." Warmth spread through his chest at the thought of Rachel sitting beside him, officially his date, in front of everyone they knew.
Ellie's expression turned knowing and soft. "Mac, I'm glad you found Rachel. You two are good together."
"I happen to think so too," Mac said with a lop-sided smile.
Cole looked up from the color-coding system. "By the way, did you see Matthews is supposedly coming to Vermont? There's an article saying he's 'consulting' with some regional teams."
Ellie's coffee mug hit the table hard enough to slosh. "Derek Matthews? That asshole is coming back?"
"Apparently," Cole said grimly.
Mac's stomach dropped. "I saw. Actually, I need to talk to you both about that."
"If he thinks he's getting anywhere near our training facilities again—" Ellie cut herself off, her jaw tight. "After the shit he pulled last time, questioning my methods, acting like semi-pro PT work is beneath him—"
"He's an arrogant prick," Mac said flatly. The memory of Derek Matthews walking through their facility a few months ago still made his blood boil. The way he'd dismissed Ellie's rehabilitation protocols, made condescending comments about 'local-level' sports medicine, treated their whole team like they were playing beer league hockey instead of working their asses off.
