Marriage On The Cards: Marry Me, Mackenzie! / A Proposal Worth Millions / Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband?

“But you didn’t.” Dylan stared at her for a moment before he blew out the candles.

Crap! She had hurt him. And now Mackenzie was at a rare loss for words as she watched the two twin ribbons of smoke rise from the extinguished candles.

“This is embarrassing.” Dylan gulped down his wine and put his glass in the sink.

Both hands clutching the tote, Mackenzie said, “If I’d known that you thought this was a...date...I would never have said yes.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d embarrassed himself in front of a pretty woman he liked, but in this case, with Mackenzie, it stung just a little bit more than usual.

“I need to check on the salmon,” Dylan said.

How she had managed to land on the defensive in this scenario, Mackenzie couldn’t figure out...but on the defensive, she was. She followed Dylan to the outdoor kitchen. She sat down on the very edge of a built-in bench; Dylan pushed open the lid of the grill a bit harder than he normally would.

“The salmon looks good,” Mackenzie said for lack of anything more helpful to say.

Dylan flipped the salmon steaks over, seasoned them and then shut the lid tightly. Mackenzie felt like a grade-A heel; all she wanted to do now was to smooth things over with Dylan and to get the heck out of Dodge.

“Why would you think this was a date, Dylan?” Guilty, Mackenzie switched from contrite to accusatory.

“Just forget it, Mackenzie.” Dylan started to walk back to the house. But then he stopped. “No. You know what? Don’t forget it. Why wouldn’t you think this was a date?”

“Because...you’re that...” Mackenzie waved her hand up and down. “And I’m this...I’m not your type.”

Dylan sat down on a bench across from her. “How do you know what my type is, Mackenzie?”

“Christa? Jenna? Tall, blonde, skinny.” Mackenzie held up three fingers. “And, me? Short, chubby, brunette. Not exactly rocket science.”

“You forgot pretty...”

Mackenzie held up a fourth finger. “Pretty goes without saying.”

“No,” Dylan clarified. “I meant you. I think you’re pretty. And funny and sweet and a really great mom to Hope.”

Mackenzie crossed her legs and crossed her arms protectively in front of her body.

Dylan continued, “You know...Jenna and I both loved to surf. And I managed to sustain a relationship built on a mutual love for surfing for nearly a year. You and I have a child together...”

Now Dylan had her full attention.

“And I look at you and I look at Hope...and I think...maybe I have a chance at what Uncle Bill and Aunt Gerri had together.”

“You can’t force a family.” Mackenzie pulled her sleeves down over her hands and recrossed her arms.

“No, you can’t. But you can try to build one.” Dylan leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs. “This doesn’t have anything to do with my type, does it? That’s just an excuse. This has to do with the fact that I’m not your type, right?”

“My friend Rayna says that you actually have to date to have a type...and I don’t. Date, I mean.”

“I know. Hope told me. Your friend set you up with a socialist three years ago?”

“He was a social worker. A very nice social worker. You and Hope certainly cover a lot of subjects, don’t you?”

“She likes to talk to me. I like to listen. But let’s not get off topic here. I like you, Mackenzie. I want to spend more time with you. And I get that I’m not the obvious choice for you because I don’t have a five-page community service section on my résumé...but you’ve gotta admit, I’m a changed man.”

Mackenzie thought about Dylan at Pegasus, mucking out stalls, caring for the elderly horses and bonding with the kids. Mackenzie thought of Dylan with Hope; how sweet and kind and patient he was with her. Hope loved him.

Mackenzie held up her pointer finger and her thumb an inch apart. “You’ve got about this much community service street cred.”

The timer next to the grill buzzed. Dylan checked the fish and then pulled them off the grill.

“Come on! Just look at these bad boys.” Dylan showed her the steaks. “I can’t believe you’re really going to let them go to waste.”

Mackenzie tugged at the front of her jersey; he had gone to some trouble to make her a healthy meal. “I didn’t dress right...”

“Hey—” Dylan sensed that Mackenzie was caving “—if that’s the only thing holding you back from hanging out with me tonight, then I’ll change. And we can eat out here.”

The salmon and broccoli did smell really good. And she was really hungry.

“And let’s be honest.” Dylan’s dimples appeared. He was teasing her. “You think I’m sexy when I cook, right?”

“I’ll admit...that I like a man who can cook.”

“See there?” Dylan grinned at her triumphantly. “We can build on that!”

* * *

Good as his word, Dylan had changed into shorts and a short-sleeved polo, and they dined outside with the ocean as their view. Once Mackenzie stopped focusing on the “date” aspect of the evening and just focused on Dylan, she started to relax and have a good time. They laughed as much as they talked. And there was never a lull in the conversation. They reminisced about their childhood. They talked about Hope and her future aspirations. They talked baseball and surfing and cupcakes. Mackenzie couldn’t believe it, but she was sad when the clock on her phone flipped over to nine.

“It’s not too late...how about a short walk on the beach? Work off some of this dinner?” Dylan leaned against the island while Mackenzie loaded the last dish in the dishwasher.

“I wish I could...but I’ve got an early morning at the bakery.” Then she surprised herself by adding, “Can I take a rain check?”

From the look on his face, she had surprised Dylan, as well. “Sure.”

Mackenzie slipped her tote onto her shoulder and Dylan walked her to the door. They walked down to her car together; Mackenzie pulled her keys out and unlocked the car door. Not wanting to linger in that uncomfortable “end of the night, should I go for the kiss?” moment, Mackenzie wrapped her arms around Dylan’s waist, hugged him quickly and then stepped back.

“Thank you...I’m glad that I decided not to go home early...”

Dylan rocked back on his heels. “That’s very flattering, thank you.”

Mackenzie felt an internal cringe. “That didn’t come out right.”

“That’s okay, Mackenzie.” Dylan reached out and opened her car door. “I was just teasing you.”

Mackenzie climbed behind the wheel and Dylan closed the door firmly behind her. He tapped on the window so she would roll it down.

Hands resting on the door, Dylan asked, “How ʼbout we fill that rain check tomorrow? Say, around seven? We can order in, watch a movie.”

“Okay.” Mackenzie nodded. She had just accepted a second date with Dylan without one millisecond of hesitation.