Wow just noticed this will be my 100th posting! When I submitted my first chapter of FTI in January 2010 I didn't think anyone would want to read it LOL. I'm pretty stunned that you have not only read it, but wanted more to the extent that I've reached 100 stories/chapters.
Thank you all so much for your kindness and support. Last week was troubling for me and it's nice to see something positive for once. You guys ROCK!
As always, thank you mikothebaby for giving up your valuable time to edit for me #hugs
Enjoy!
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Lily sighed sleepily and rolled over. She was immediately struck by the fact that she was alone in the huge bed that dominated what was now her new bedroom. She wasn't really surprised that Mac had come and retrieved her from Liam's room. She had a sleepy memory of his strong arms lifting her up and snuggling into his wide chest. What did surprise her was waking alone again. She'd only spent two nights in the bed since mating with her vampire and both times she'd woken to find him gone.
The subtle sound of movement by the window attracted her attention and she pushed her wild hair from her face and rolled over again to see Mac sitting on the loveseat with a pensive expression on his face. Midnight black eyes bored into her, making her feel unsure for a moment before she strengthened her resolve and met his gaze unflinchingly.
"You seem to have an issue with staying in bed with me," she commented with a yawn, before moving onto her back and staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Quite the contrary, sugar," Mac drawled with a resigned snort. "Leaving you alone in bed feels like the most exquisite of tortures." He rose and came to sit beside her, his long locks loose and falling over his shoulders as he searched her face.
"I don't like arguing with you, Lily. I try my hardest not to but always seem to fuck up no matter how hard I try." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've been alone for so long, sugar. I don't know how to be someone's husband anymore."
Lily turned to look at him, her eyes questioning. "Husband?"
The slip of the tongue seemed to be the opening he needed to explain why he'd withdrawn the day before. But she looked so beautiful lying there with her hair fanning his pillows, and her face soft with sleep. He didn't want to ruin the moment as he ran his greedy gaze over her features.
"Talk to me, Mackenzie. I'm your mate and whatever it is that's bothering you, I'm here to listen. Please don't shut me out."
Lily's soft words pierced him deeply and Mac took a deep breath, unable to deny that she had the right to know what was wrong as it affected her just as much as it did him. He knew he was being a coward trying to put the moment off for as long as possible.
Lily watched Mac, knowing instinctively that he was struggling with what he needed to say because he wasn't shielding his facial expressions as easily as he usually did. She could also feel the roiling emotions he was experiencing through their mate bond. Whatever was on his mind was so important it was enough to unsettle him completely and that caused a shiver of fear to run through her.
What could be so bad to have Mac rattled so much? He'd handled all the revelations yesterday as if they were minor annoyances. Whatever it was must be personal and that meant it affected them as mates. She felt her fear ratchet up a little more and her wolf began to pace restlessly deep inside.
"Mac, what do you mean by husband?" Her voice trembled slightly on the last word. She knew that only humans usually used the ritual of marriage to bind themselves together. That her mate had chosen that word could only mean that in the past he had once been married before he became a vampire.
That was a surprise because the Mac she knew had always been a loner until he'd met her. It seemed strange to think of him being in love with someone else, of sharing tender moments with another even if it was so very long ago. Lily's wolf didn't like that train of thought, snarling so viciously that she quickly blanked her thoughts to pacify the beast. She somehow knew keeping control of her wolf right now was going to be one of the most important things she'd ever done in her life.
Mackenzie looked into Lily's troubled face and reached out to cup her cheek. His touch was tender, lightly brushing her soft skin and marvelling at how perfect she was. He could feel her fear through their bond and knew his next words would cause her nothing but heartache. His Lily didn't deserve to be tied to him for the rest of her life. She didn't deserve the world of hurt that was about to come her way.
Taking a deep breath, Mac let it out slowly and tried to calm his thumping heart. There was no avoiding this conversation and he needed to be in full control to ensure that should Lily's wolf react badly, he'd be able to contain the beast before it became too feral.
"I was married once, a very long time ago." He paused and let the words sink in, giving his mate time to digest the news and taking an extra few deep breaths to calm himself further.
"Her name was Maria and she had the sweetest, gentlest of dispositions. Her hair was only a shade or so lighter than yours and her eyes were a deep emerald green." Mac closed his eyes seeing Maria's smiling face as if he'd only seen her a few days before. Describing her to Lily helped him to remember his wife as she was and not how he'd last seen her.
"When I was human I was a farmer, brash and not very good with ladies. I was rough and spoke little, but for some reason Maria saw through all that and found something worth loving in me. It was a different time then, Lily. Ladies didn't approach men and show their interest. I guess Maria got tired of waiting for me to court her and despite being so shy decided to court me."
Mac smiled, closing his eyes as he remembered the day he'd finished seeding the bottom pasture and made his way back to his modest holding. He'd been surprised to see what was obviously a lady's horse chewing grass in the nearest pasture. On further inspection, he'd noticed the small figure sitting on his porch steps with a cloth covered basket at her feet.
Good day to you, Jonah," Maria called out, a shaky hand fixing a pretty deep green bonnet on her head. "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by. I was planning to find somewhere to rest and eat on this lovely summer's evening but was loathe to dine alone. I hope this isn't an inconvenience."
Mackenzie stared at the petite beauty before him, conscious of how hot and sweaty he was, and that she was a lady of worth, the Banker's daughter no less. Why had she travelled out of her way to his meagre holding? There was no way she had been in the area. He lived in a secluded spot far from town or neighbours.
"Begging your pardon for my state of undress, milady," he managed to stammer out when he remembered his basic manners. His chest was bare and he reached for his leather vest tucked in the waistband of his breeches. "If you give me a moment, I'll get cleaned up and presentable."
He moved around the house and out back, using the water trough to clean the worst of the sweat and dirt from his body and dunking his head in the cold water. His unruly black locks dripped moisture down his already wet body as he wrung his hair dry as best he could.
Mackenzie quickly hurried inside his holding via the back door and dripped water all over the dusty wooden floors as he walked through the small living room and into his bedroom. Grabbing a cloth to dry himself, he selected his Sunday best, a pair of dark brown breeches with course cotton shirt and matching brown waistcoat. He dressed and ran a bone comb through his hair before tying it back and grabbing his best hat to hide the messy locks as best he could.
It had been an age since he'd been to a proper barber. He couldn't really afford to visit one so he tended to hack away at his hair with his knife until it was out of his way enough to work. Mackenzie was conscious that the delicate creature outside waiting for him was far above him with her pretty green dress with its bright yellow brocade of silk and lace. Why she had come to visit him was a complete mystery.
As Mackenzie stepped out the front door, he was once again struck by the beauty of Maria Malone and could only stare at her in awe as she turned to face him. She shyly appraised him with her emerald eyes and a faint smile curved lips that appeared a bit wide for so delicate a visage.
"You dress quickly for a man, Jonah," she smiled. "Men always say it is ladies who take forever to attire ourselves but Papa always makes us late for a dinner party. Of course, our hosts always assume I am the cause of our tardiness but it is Papa. Only don't tell him I breathed a word of that fore I shall be in trouble if he were to find out."
Maria was aware she was chattering nonsense but her heart was fluttering wildly as she stared into Mackenzie's steel grey eyes. From the moment she'd grown tired of waiting for him to court her and decided to do the deed herself, it appeared her heart had had a mind of its own.
Watching him stride back from the pasture, his manly chest glistening in the late summer sun, had almost made her swoon on the spot. The sweat and dirt were the signs of a good day's honest labour, something for which Jonah Mackenzie was renowned throughout town for. His hard muscles had bunched and flexed as he'd moved with a feline grace that had taken her very breath away.
It was watching him approach and his attempt at courtly manners that had convinced her she was right in what she was doing. Being in love with Jonah Mackenzie was a heady thing; something she had considered was possibly a daydream rather than genuine emotion. Now she was standing before him in his finery and she knew her emotions were true.
"I'm relieved to have met with your approval, milady." Mackenzie turned back inside and came out with his best table that he sat in the sunshine in the middle of the yard. He took the tablecloth covering the food in the basket and laid it over the table before Maria shooed him away.
"I have cutlery but a chair or two would be helpful, Jonah."
Mackenzie watched her begin laying the food onto pretty china plates she retrieved from the basket and then headed inside to get two chairs. They weren't very good chairs, nothing fit for a lady, so he grabbed the hand embroidered cushion his Mama had made years ago and was his only remaining possession of hers. He noted, as he laid the cushion on Maria's chair, that it was a lighter green than her dress and appeared perfect for the occasion.
