The Homespun Holiday (14 page)

“Princess, that loss is
his
,
not yours,” Mack growled.  “You’re perfect, Sweetheart.  Any father would be
lucky to call you his daughter.  There are some dads out there that are just
too stupid to realize how special their little girls are.  I’m sorry to say
that you got stuck with one of those.  That doesn’t mean, however, that you
can’t get another one if the right guy came along.”

“Do you think Santa could find me
the right guy like he did for Heaven and Izzy?  Heaven’s daddy even asked her
to be his little girl over a
tea party
!  He bought her the prettiest
blue tea set and sat her down to formerly ask her.”

“You mean ‘formally ask her’?” Mack
asked as he tried to keep a straight face.

“Yep.  Formally.  Like I said, she
had a blue tea set that serves two peoples, but I want a purple one that serves
four people.  And you know what else?  She had an icky real daddy just like I
do, and she still got Mr. Jake!  And Izzy’s real dad did real bad things to her
mommy and got sent away, but she got a new dad that takes her to the zoo and
makes her pancakes every morning.  They’re so lucky,” Paisley said dreamily.

Mack’s heart cracked for what
Paisley had been deprived of so far in her young life.  She
should
have
had a father that adored her.  One that made her feel special every single day
that she opened her eyes.  Instead, she’d been deserted by a selfish prick that
wanted his freedom more than his family.

Fucking idiot.

“Listen to me, Princess,” Mack
urged softly, “You deserve every good thing in the world.  I know it, and Santa
knows it, too.  In fact, I think I know why Santa didn’t deliver the daddy of
your dreams last Christmas.”

“You do?” Paisley breathed, her
little jaw dropping as her hazel eyes widened with amazement.

“I do,” Mack confirmed, praying he
could pull off this little fib without Paisley tripping him up.  The kid was
sharp, and he knew that if she wasn’t completely convinced of his earnestness,
she’d never believe him…and likely never believe him
again. 
“You want
to hear my theory?” he asked the interested girl.

“Uh huh.”  She nodded eagerly,
hanging on every word.

“I believe that Santa didn’t bring
you a daddy last year for one reason, Sweetheart.  Santa just hadn’t found you
the perfect daddy yet.  I’m betting that he’s looking far and wide for the best
possible candidate for the job, and doesn’t want to bring you anybody but the
guy that would be the very best for the job.”

“You think that’s it?  Really, Dr.
Mack?” Paisley questioned hopefully.

“I think that’s it, Paisley.  And I
promise you, that if you don’t get that daddy you want this Christmas, it won’t
be long.  There’s a man out there that’s just aching for a little girl like you
to call his own.  I know that with everything inside me,” he shared quietly,
lifting his hand to cradle her rosy cheek.  “I swear it.”

Chewing her lower lip as she
considered what Mack said, Paisley finally released a heavy sigh as she ceased
twirling a strand of brown hair around her finger.  “I hate waiting,” she
stated unhappily.

“I’ve never been good at waiting
either,” Mack commiserated.  He was more than ready to make this kid his own
officially.  She was so much like him that it hurt.

“Momma says good things happen to
those that wait patiently.  Don’t tell, but I think she’s crazy,’ Paisley
grumbled.

Mack grinned.  “Me, too.  But you
can’t tell I said that either.”

Leaning her head against Mack’s
shoulder, Paisley stared at the television for a silent minute.  “Dr. Mack?”
she finally asked.

“Hmmm,” Mack hummed, glancing down
at the top of Paisley’s head where it rested against him. 

“Did
you
ever want kids?”
she asked in a tiny voice.

“Oh, yeah,” Mack answered with a
half-smile.  “I’ve wanted a daughter all my life.  I’ve heard daughters are a
lot more fun than sons.”

Paisley yawned.  “That’s good. 
You’d make the bestest kind of daddy.  I bet you’d give great tea parties,” she
mumbled as the active day caught up with her and she drifted off to sleep.

As Mack shut his own eyes for a
minute, he reflected on the past hour.  He’d known all along that he was going
to have his work cut out for him, but hearing how hurt Paisley was by not
having a daddy was definitely going to speed up his plans.  She needed him. 
She and Millie both craved a dependable man that was going to put them ahead of
everything else in the world, and that’s exactly what they were going to get
for Christmas if it killed him.

Turning his thoughts toward the
most pressing problem, he wondered where in the hell he could find a purple tea
set that serviced four.

Monday, December 23

“Can I just say that I am
incredibly grateful that you decided to close the office tomorrow for the
holidays?” Millie groaned appreciatively as she leaned across the half dozen
rolls of wrapping paper to press a long kiss against her boyfriend’s lips.

Mack smirked as she released his
mouth, enjoying the slightly fruity taste her tongue left behind.  “Just pray
to the pregnancy gods that nobody goes into labor for the next 48 hours,” he
advised evenly.  Both of them knew well that he could be called away on a
moment’s notice.  Such was the life of a doctor… especially one that
specialized in delivering babies.  Those brand new, tiny humans often had no
sense of timing at all. 

“I already did,” Millie replied,
reaching for another bow and sticking it to the gift she’d just finished
wrapping.  “None of our moms are in the two-week window so with a little luck
we might just be in the clear.”

Reaching for another toy from the
towering pile in front of him, Mack grinned.  He knew Paisley would like
everything her mom had picked out for her, but he was also aware that
he
was
going to be giving her the gift she really wanted.  He was almost as excited as
his future daughter for Christmas morning to arrive.  Finding a purple tea
service yesterday had been a challenge, but he’d finally found one at one of
those touristy specialty stores in Gatlinburg.  Yeah, it had been a bit of a
drive, but well worth the price of gas.  If he could convince Millie to say yes
to his proposal tonight, then he KNEW everybody in his growing family would
have a merry Christmas indeed.    “It was nice of your mom and dad to take the
Squirt for the night,” he noted evenly, reaching for the scissors beside where
he sat cross-legged on Millicent’s living room carpet.  The urge to simply
blurt out the words, ‘Will you marry me’ was strong, but he knew he had to do
this just right.  Especially since it was the last time he ever planned to do
this in his life.

Completely oblivious to Mack’s
ruminations, Millie shrugged.  “Oh, both my parents knew I still had a lot to
get done for Paisley before Christmas arrives, and they are well aware that
Paisley has a sixth sense when it comes to wrapping gifts.  It’s like she can
smell the cellophane and runs to see whose stuff is getting wrapped.”

Mack couldn’t help his grin mostly
because he could see the little girl doing exactly that.  It wasn’t hard to
imagine her trying to spy what gifts she was getting.  The child was naturally
curious, and when Christmas got added into the mix, that curiosity increased
exponentially.  He couldn’t deny, though, he missed her.  An evening without
her tinkling laughter and incessant questioning seemed almost boring. 

“Besides, I thought the grown-ups
could take advantage of the overnight stay at grandma’s house and have their
own first sleepover tonight.  That is, if you wanted to stay,” Millie added
shyly, the coloring in her cheeks deepening as she spoke.  

Mack could only stare at the woman
he’d fallen in love with.  Dressed in a pair of black yoga pants that lovingly
cupped the curves of her ass and an oversized red sweatshirt that bared one
perfectly rounded shoulder, she looked gorgeous to him.  Which wasn’t saying
much…. Millie always looked gorgeous no matter if she was dressed in her work
scrubs or decked out in a fancy formal gown.  He never got enough of looking at
her.

“What?” she questioned anxiously. 

Mack smiled wickedly, knowing the
exact moment that she realized he was staring at her the way a lion looks at a
gazelle right before he leaps for the kill.  “What,” he repeated dryly.  “I
think you know
exactly
what, Sweetheart.  You just invited me to spend
the night in your bed.  For the very first time.  That equates to being given
the sexual green light, honey, and it’s gonna take me a second to convince myself
that I shouldn’t just take you right here on the floor where you sit.  Such is
the nature of my very real desire for you and your exceedingly beautiful body.”

“Well,” Millie said with a
mischievous grin forming against her pink lips, “That seems unnecessarily
uncomfortable.  Especially when there’s a perfectly comfy bed just a room
away.”

Moving suddenly, Mack gently
tackled Millicent, wrestling her not-quite-resisting body down to the plush
carpet.  “But a bed would be so predictable, Millie.  Every once in a while a
man likes to be impulsive,” he whispered, dipping his head to run his tongue
along the side of her neck as she panted beneath him, her hands held in his
above her head against the floor.

 “Alright, Millicent,” Mack began
to speak huskily.  “There are a few things you don’t know about me.”

Millie’s eyes clouded.  “What kind
of things?” she asked hesitantly, her gaze growing leery as she looked up into
his face.

“Nothing bad, baby,” Mack clarified
hastily, dropping a kiss against her closed mouth.  “I promise you, it’s
nothing bad,” he repeated, softer this time when he saw that her gaze hadn’t
become any less suspicious.  Shit.  He hadn’t meant to scare her.  He should
have been more careful with his words.  Especially since she’d already shared
that she hadn’t been with a man since her ex-husband. 

“Okay,” she finally replied
faintly.  “Tell me what I don’t know?”

Mack smiled, using his index finger
to trace the worry lines on her forehead.  “You know, I can always tell when
you’re worried or thinking too hard by these little wrinkles right here,” he
murmured, tracing his finger over the line again.  “It’s your tell, babe.  And
now, I’m telling you, relax.  What I have to say isn’t bad.  Hell, you may have
even figured out my secrets for yourself.”  He felt as Millie’s tense body
slowly lost its stiffness, her body softening underneath his.  “All I was going
to share is that I like control, Millie.”

Millie’s face brightened abruptly. 
“That’s it?” she blurted.  “That’s the secret?  You like control?  Tell me
something I didn’t already know, Dr. Bossy Pants,” she exclaimed through her
relieved laughter.  “I’m pretty sure your entire medical practice knows that
you like to rule your domain with an iron fist.”

“That’s good,” Mack acknowledged
softly, sliding his hand over her jaw and down her neck.  “That’s very good,
sweetheart.  But I guess you could say I don’t just like control in my
professional life.  I like to have it in my personal life as well – especially
in the bedroom,” he confided softly, watching her face for a reaction.

Millie’s eyes darkened as she
processed his confession.  “H-how so?” she stammered, her tongue darting
forward to swipe against her plump lips. 

“Do you feel the way I’m holding
you right now with your hands above your head and my weight pressing against
you?” Mack asked, nuzzling the hollow of her throat before pressing a lingering
kiss against the warm skin. 

“Uh huh,” she responded
breathlessly, turning her head so his lips could work their way up her throat
to her ear.  “I like it,” she confessed, her voice a little hoarse.

“I like it, too, baby,” he
whispered against her ear as his hand traveled down her chest to cup the heavy weight
of one breast in his hand.  Using his thumb, he rubbed her swollen nipple
through her thin sweater.  “I like it a lot, Millie.  I like exerting my power
over you.  I love it when you can feel my strength bearing down on you.  I get
off on dominating my partner, but it takes an incredible amount of trust on
both our parts.  The rewards are worth it, babe.  I swear that.”

“Does this mean you’d want to tie
me up or spank me?  Would you want to hurt me?  Because if you’re wanting to
smack me around, Mack, I’m not sure I can handle….”

“Okay, slow down, baby,” Mack urged
calmly, bringing his hand up her body to cradle her jaw.  “Look at me Millie. 
Eyes to me, Sweetheart,” he ordered firmly.  “I would
never
use my
strength to injure or demean you in any way.  The goal is pleasure, babe. 
Pleasure for
both
of us.  What you have to know and believe is that I’d
only ever use my strength and my power to please you.  I’ve never abused a
woman and I never will.  There’s no denying that what I like takes a great deal
of trust, but I’d never hurt you, Millicent.  I’d rather cut off my arm first. 
 I would also never push you past whatever limits you set for us – and believe
me, you are the one that gets to set those boundaries, but I’ve got to be
honest and tell you that I like things a certain way.  There’ll be times that I
let you climb into the driver’s seat when we’re intimate, but I won’t lie to
you.  Most of the time, I’m gonna want to steer our relationship inside our bedroom.  
Honesty is key here, Millie.  I’ve got to know that you and I are on the same
page.  Understand?” Mack asked, his heart pounding.  He loved Millie, but this
was who he was.  Dominance was a part of him.

“I understand,” Millie whispered
shakily.

“Now, you asked if I’d want to tie
you up or spank you.  The answer to both those questions is that I will if you
want it, too.  Once you’re completely comfortable with me, I’ll ask you if
you’d like to experiment with some of those things.  We’ll play around and see
what you like and what you don’t.  As for smacking you around, besides feeling
my palm against your ass for a spanking when you earn it, I’ll never strike
you, Millie.  Violence against women sickens me.  You’ve seen me with some of
our patients that have been abused.”

Millie nodded.  “You always have to
lock yourself in your office for a while after you see them.”

“Yeah, because if I don’t, I’ll
hunt an asshole down and beat him to death,” Mack returned harshly.  “I don’t
hit women, babe.  There’s nothing sexy to me about that.”

“Good,” Millie breathed.   Licking
her lips again, she confided, “Nothing you’ve mentioned you like sounds like
something I’d hate.”

Mack smiled down at her, pressing
his lips to her forehead.  “Millie, we wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t
think you and I will set the sheets on fire.  I
know
down to my soul
that we’re going to be good together.  I just needed you to know who I am….what
I need.  I didn’t want to scare you with my need for control,” he explained,
rolling his hips against hers and pushing his hard-on against her pussy.  “Feel
me, baby.  My cock is hard for
you
, Millie.  That’s what you do to me
every time I put my hands on you.  You own me, woman.  Heart, soul, and cock. 
You’ve got me.”

“Really?” she asked, biting her lip
as she met his steady gaze.

“I love you, Millie, and those
aren’t words that I toss around lightly.  I’ve said them to my mother, my
sister, my ex-wife, and now I’ve said them to you.  I’ve meant them every time
I’ve spoken the words and I mean them when I say it now.”

“Oh, wow,” Millie said weakly, her
eyes filling with tears.  “I love you, too, Mackenzie Daniels.  So much it
terrifies me.”

“Why are you scared, baby?” Mack
asked with a frown as he linked their fingers together above her head.  “Tell
me,” he insisted when she remained silent a few heartbeats later.  “I can’t do
anything to assuage your fears if I don’t know what they are, babe.”

Swallowing hard, Millie inhaled
deeply before she cried quickly, “You don’t think this is all happening too
fast?  Mack, we’ve only been a couple for a few days.  What if you get tired of
Paisley and me?  It would crush us if you did.  And are you worried about our
age difference?  I’m not, but I don’t want you to look up one day and think you
married a woman that was too immature to handle you.  I think losing you after
I had you might break me.”

“You done?” he asked when she had
lapsed into moody silence.  Seeing her nod, Mack stole a quick kiss before he
went about the business of quelling her fears.  “Listen.  There’s no denying
that we have sixteen years separating our ages.  You know it.  I know it,” he
declared succinctly.  “But, so the fuck what?  It’s just a number, Millie.  It
doesn’t
mean
anything.  Look at how happy Patience and Abel are.  Or
Jake and Harmony.  A person’s age doesn’t define whether or not they’re ready
for a long-term committed relationship.  I’ve known forty year olds that should
have never married, and I’ve been acquainted with some eighteen year olds that
were made for each other.  It depends on the couple, Millie, and I think you
know that.”

“Okay,” she conceded.  “You have a
point.”

“As for the quick, but serious
development of our relationship, I’m not real concerned about it.  I knew my
ex-wife for almost five years before we ever made it down the aisle and our
marriage crashed and burned.  I don’t put a lot of weight on knowing each other
for years.  Not after her.  And when you think about it, you and I have been
together a lot longer than a couple of weeks, honey.”

“We have?” Millie squawked, her
brow furrowing again as she attempted to understand his logic.  It was as if
the last few minutes had shifted her world on its axis once again, and she was
hanging on with all of her strength to avoid falling off the edge.

“Think about it, babe.  You’ve
worked for me for six months, and neither of us dated anybody else during that
time.  Hell, I never even looked at another woman once you walked into my office
for an interview.”