The next day and a half went by quickly. Mac ended up spending the night with her on the couch once again, watching old movies on TCM. It was the most relaxed she had felt in months. He even got up early in the morning, went shopping, restocked her fridge with food, and cooked her food. He may have done it because if he hadn’t, she would have passed on eating altogether, but it was still sweet.
And then his phone rang. Something about the way he was nodding and frowning told her it was work-related. He got off the couch, headed off into the kitchen, talked low, and left Marissa on the sofa with Ellie cuddling alongside her. Glancing down at her phone, she looked at the time. It was still considered early in the day.
When Mac returned to the living room, he shoved his hands into his sweatpants’ pockets. Before he could say anything, Marissa sighed. “Work?”
“Work.” He nodded, running his hand through his hair. “I have to fly out later today and meet with my boss. Bennet and I need to make our case on why leaving would be a mistake.”
Marissa got to her feet reluctantly. “If you can’t stay…”
“No. We aren’t going over this again.” He shook his head. “You are still in danger, so I will be back.”
Marissa studied his stubborn face and stared into his eyes before nodding. “When do you have to leave?”
“I need to get everything together now and head to the airport.” Marissa must have looked disappointed because he took a step toward her. “But I promise, I will be back before your birthday,” he said gently.
“You remember my birthday?” She hadn’t meant to sound so surprised, but she had barely remembered it was coming up except to tell Brian she would be spending it alone.
“Of course.” He almost seemed offended by the question, but she just blinked at him. He remembered the way she liked her coffee. He remembered all her favorite things. Of course, he had remembered her birthday.
Marissa looked down at her feet for a moment before glancing back up at him, taking another step toward him so she was standing directly in front of him, forcing him to look down at her. She bit her lower lip before pushing up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. At first, she was hesitant, but as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, she welcomed the fierceness with which he kissed her back.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she felt him reluctantly pull away from her, looking as breathless as she felt. He gaped at her, wide-eyed, and she could see the confusion written all over his face.
His mouth opened and closed several times before Marissa finally took a deep breath, resting her hands on her chest. “You have to go. Just … hurry back. And we’ll figure things out then.”
Blinking at her, he processed her words and slowly nodded his head. Marissa couldn’t help but smile at his confusion, gave him another quick kiss, and laughed lightly as she pulled back.
“Now get out of here and call me when you land. Go.”
She had to urge him out the door and watch him walk across the street. Once he reached his door, he stopped and turned to her, giving her a grin, before disappearing on the other side. Touching her lips with her fingers, she smiled and closed her door behind her, Ellie staring at her expectantly.
Sighing heavily, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest, but for the first time in months it wasn’t in panic. It was like their lips had been magnetic; it had been the most natural thing in the world. She was so overcome with surprise and emotion; tears had begun falling down her cheeks without her noticing.
As promised, Mac called when he landed in D.C. It seemed he’d thought as much about that kiss as she had during his flight. “Everything is okay, right? That wasn’t like, goodbye or anything?”
“No.” Maybe she should have considered that he might think that, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“You promise? You’re okay.”
“I promise. I’m okay.”
She could hear the uncertainty in his voice. “And you’re going to be there when I come back.”
“I will be here when you get back.”
“And we’re going to talk?”
“Yes, we will talk. We’ll figure it out.” Marissa couldn’t help but laugh. “It wasn’t my intention to make you more anxious about leaving.”
“I know, I just…” There was a long silence. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been thinking about doing that.”
He couldn’t see it, but she smiled, curling further into the corner of the couch. She needed to change the conversation, or they would sit in silence. “Are you going to see your son while you’re there?”
“Yeah. Kim is going to meet me tomorrow afternoon after the meeting.”
“Good.” She smiled, knowing how much that meant to him. They talked for over an hour, a lot like they used to when he had to fly back for work. Eventually, she heard him try to hide his yawn and glanced at the time. “I should let you go. It’s so late over there. Plus, you’re jet-lagged.”
“You don’t have to,” he said, yawning again. “Oh. Before I forget, Veronica is coming over when she gets off work.”
“Oh?” Marissa was confused.
“Yeah, I didn’t want you to be alone while I’m out of town.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t going to argue. “How long do you think you’ll have to stay?”
“Meeting with the boss tomorrow, then the director in the next day or two after. So not too long.”
Good. It wouldn’t be too long. “Okay. Get some sleep. Give me a call if you get a chance tomorrow. And have a good time with your son.”
“I will.” She could hear him smile. “Hey, Marissa?”
“Yeah?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Have a goodnight.”
She could feel the familiarity of this conversation, but they had said things differently then. “You, too,” she said softly.
Hanging up the phone, she put it down on the end table and pulled the nearest pillow close to her, finding herself needing to hold something. Ellie was already sound asleep at the other end of the couch, and Wicket was sleeping on the back of the sofa behind her. She looked toward her stairs and considered walking upstairs to bed. Still, as though her body felt her considerations, every inch of her ached at that moment, and she decided to remain on the couch for the night. It was comfortable enough. She could also see the doors from there, and it gave her a sense of calm. It wasn’t real, just an illusion of safety, but it was enough to help her rest.