Jake wasn’t proud of the way they had treated Diana, in fact none of them were. They had humiliated her, and although she had deserved it and much more, the whole family still felt a degree of remorse at the way they had behaved.
By the time he finished telling MacKenzie of that day all those months ago; he could see that she struggled with laughter and disbelief at their actions.
“What did she do for you guys to behave that way?” MacKenzie enquired.
“It’s a long story, way too long for me to go into right now. All I’ll say at the moment is that being female doesn’t necessarily make one a nurturer.”
“Okay.”
Jake held MacKenzie’s eyes as he asked the next question. He wanted to be very sure that she understood what she agreed to. “What are you consenting to, MacKenzie?”
“I’m not sure I understand what’s going on, but I don’t intend for Noelle or me to become victims of your family vendetta. That’s why I’m saying yes to this fictitious engagement.”
“Good, I’m glad you’ve agreed. I promise I’ll make sure that neither you nor Noelle comes to any harm.” At that moment, her expression went blank giving Jake no insight into what she was thinking. All he could hope for was that she took him at his word; that he would do whatever was necessary to keep them both safe.
**********
“Wait here, I just need to go and get something.” At her nod of agreement, Jake stood and left the room.
MacKenzie was reeling. She knew there was much more to the story than Jake had told her, and his seriousness when he spoke of his mother worried her. Diana sounded crazy, and she wasn’t prepared to put her child at risk because of the Kingdom family feud. MacKenzie also realized that for the time being, both Noelle’s and her safety could be best ensured by remaining exactly where they were. MacKenzie tried to push all thoughts of an engagement to Jake from her mind, but it refused to leave.
When Jake returned, he brought with him a gold ring box. When he retook his seat and opened it, MacKenzie was almost afraid to look at what was inside. It was either look at Jake or look at the ring; MacKenzie chose the ring.
When her gaze finally flicked down, she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her. As if of their own volition, her eyes sprung back to Jake’s. “I can’t wear that!”
“Yes, you can.” Jake dismissed her objection. “Give me your hand.”
When she remained motionless, he gently took her shaking hand, removed the ring and pushed it onto her finger.
“This is my promise to you, while you wear this ring, you will never have to worry. I will always be here to take care of and protect you and Noelle.” Giving her hand a squeeze, Jake attempted to pull her gaze back to his own.
Reluctantly, MacKenzie lifted her eyes. What she saw there caused her to inhale sharply. Jake’s gaze held a promise that went far beyond that of any sham engagement. Her heart rate increased and began to pound in her chest. She was speechless.
“Do you like the ring, MacKenzie?” Jake asked softly, a look of uncertainty in his eyes.
“It’s gorgeous, are you sure you want me to wear this?”
“It belonged to my grandmother. We never knew her, and I’m sure that I want you to wear the ring. When you said yes, I knew this ring would be perfect for you. Emeralds become you.”
MacKenzie didn’t know much about jewelry such as this, but she knew the stone that shone back at her was worth more than she could afford.
“I’ll take care of it Jake, I promise.” She said with earnestness.
“I know you will, Lovely,” Jake answered with a smile.
Not knowing what else to say, her gaze returned to the ring Jake had just placed on her finger.
MacKenzie didn’t resist when Jake finally pulled her to her feet. Placing a finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face until she was looking at him. Such a delicate touch, but it was all it took for the breath to leave her body. MacKenzie was annoyed with herself, but for the life of her, she couldn’t stop her body from responding to him.
Jake’s eyes left hers, and descended, finally coming to rest on her mouth. It was almost as though he possessed some form of magnetic pull. Before she realized what was happening, their lips were nearly touching.
It seemed as though Jake waited for her to carry through and kiss him. She hesitated, and Jake withdrew.
“It’s been a long day. Go and get some rest, MacKenzie.”
Jake spoke so offhandedly MacKenzie grew confused. One moment he sounded so earnest and sincere, and the next he appeared to have completely withdrawn from her.
“Do you want something else from me, MacKenzie?”
Licking suddenly dry lips, she hesitated again.
“That’s what I thought. When you know what you want, all you need to do is tell me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Jake...” Attempting to pull her thoughts together, she trailed off, unsure of what she wanted to say.
“Go to bed, MacKenzie. We have a long day ahead of us.”