The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)(35)

‘You don’t have to kick him out. He’s welcome to stay,’ her dad said, but Annie had had enough of Mac for one day.

‘Yeah, I didn't even get to tell him about the time you peed on Santa’s lap,’ Maddie said with an evil glint in her eyes.

Annie gave her best I’m going-to-kill-you-later scowl. Forget the sweater she had her eye on, she would now be donating the majority of Maddie’s closet. To a good cause, of course.

‘Out!’ Annie said, slipping her feet into the closest pair of boots and grabbing a coat as she pushed Mac out the door, making sure to glare at her sister one more time on her way out.

‘Bye, Mr. Andrews. Bye, Maddie,’ Mac called over his shoulder as Annie slammed the door behind them. He was still chuckling as she spun to face him.

‘What are you doing here?’ she hissed.

‘Besides enjoying seeing you in that onesie?’ he asked with a smile. ‘And hearing so many nice stories about you?’

Annie refused to be embarrassed any more today. She rolled her shoulders back as though she was proud of her current ensemble and not at all horrified by what her sister had told him.

‘It's cozy,’ she said. ‘And those stories are wildly exaggerated.’

‘It looks cozy.’

She was going to tell him to go to hell, but he seemed sincere, and he wouldn’t dare say a word about her peeing on any beloved holiday figures. So, she didn’t immediately shove him off her front porch.

‘It is cozy, but really, what are you doing here?’

‘I wanted to see you.’

Annie blinked. ‘You saw me already today.’

‘Is there a limit? Am I already filled up on my Annie quota for the day?’

‘No…’ There had to be a catch. It was one thing when they were both bored or when Mac needed help with something but why would he want to see her now? ‘I figured you would be out with your friends tonight.’

Mac shrugged. ‘I'll probably see them later. But there was something I was meaning to do earlier and didn’t get a chance.’

‘Are you still looking for a gift? We could go back out tomorrow and keep looking, I guess, if you still need my help…’ Annie trailed off as Mac stepped closer to her.

‘No, it’s not about the gift.’ He cupped her face in his hand, running his thumb along her cheekbone.

‘Oh,’ Annie breathed out as she realized what was happening. Macaulay Sullivan was about to kiss her. Even after meeting half of her insane family. Even though she was dressed like a holiday reindeer.

He dipped his head to hers until his lips brushed against her mouth. She was almost embarrassed by the little sigh that escaped her, but then she remembered she was done being embarrassed today. She wrapped her arms around Mac’s neck and pulled him closer. She could feel him smile.

‘I thought this could go either way,’ he said, not pulling away but speaking softly against her mouth. ‘I thought you would either be into it or punch me in the face.’

Annie’s smile met his. ‘I’m into it.’

Mac groaned before deepening the kiss. His lips pressed against hers, his arms wrapping around her waist and Annie melted into him.

Fantasies don’t often live up to the hype. Kissing Mac was not like that. Kissing Mac far exceeded the fantasy.

The December air was cold around them, but Mac was warm. Warm lips on hers, warm tongue sliding along hers, warm hands clinging to her hips. Annie couldn't feel the cold anymore. All she could feel was Mac. The kiss had started off gentle like he was expecting her to change her mind. But now the kiss was slow and deep like Mac wanted to get his fill, like he’d been thinking about doing this and now that he had the chance he wasn’t going to waste it. By the time he pulled away, Annie was breathless.

Mac’s lips tipped into a lopsided grin. ‘Well, I feel better,’ he said.

Annie ran her fingertips over her lips. Still there. Still her lips even though they felt altered by the experience.

‘Can I see you again soon?’ he asked, when Annie still hadn’t managed to formulate a sentence.

‘Sure,’ she said, her voice nothing more than a weird, choked whisper that made Mac’s smile even bigger.

‘Great. I’ll text you later. Good night, Annabelle,’ he said, turning and leaving her so stunned that she forgot to tell him not to call her that. She’d just had the best kiss of her life with the boy she thought she hated. What was she supposed to do now? She turned back toward the house to find the smug, grinning faces of her sisters watching from the window. They’d seen the whole show and were never going to let her live this down. She put up the hood on her onesie and trudged back into the house. And even though she knew she would spend the rest of the night being tormented by Maddie and Charlotte, she couldn’t seem to keep the smile off her face.











Chapter Sixteen





Now


Damn snow, damn royal icing that wouldn’t harden, damn best friend who decided to get married in the middle of freaking December!

Damn George for getting the flu and not being here to help her.

Annie took a deep breath, the snowflakes swirling in front of her as she stood in the open door of her bakery. The snow had been coming down hard for nearly an hour. The light flurry from earlier had turned from scenic to a mess. It was dark already, which seemed impossible because she had only stayed a little late to put the finishing touches on the gingerbread house she was making in lieu of a wedding cake for Logan and Jeanie—and now, somehow, it was very late. And dark. And snowy.