Page 43 of Mac

Kate

Iheard a knock on my door, but I didn’t feel like answering it. The only person I wanted to see was Mac, and he’d walk in, not knock.

“Kate, can you please open the door? I want to apologize.”

Well, that was unexpected. I doubted Viking made a habit of apologizing to anyone. Since it would be rude of me to leave him hanging out there, I walked to the door and opened it.

“Hi, can I come in?” he asked, and I could hear the remorse in his voice.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s your house,” I said coolly, still pretty pissed off.

He laughed as he walked past me on his way inside. It looked like he was headed toward the couch but at the last minute he detoured over to the recliner. A small laugh escaped when I realized why he was avoiding the sofa.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“A beer would be great.”

I walked to my kitchen and grabbed a bottle out of the fridge. I handed him his beer and then took a seat on the couch. Since it’d been my naked ass on it, I had no problem sitting there.

Viking took a couple of sips and then looked at me. “Kate, I’m sorry for barging in here earlier tonight. I had no right to do that. You’re an adult and deserve privacy. I should have respected that.”

I was so caught off guard, I was unable to respond. Instead, I just sat there and stared at him, so he continued.

“This is all new to me. I wasn’t there to protect you when you were growing up, and I feel like I’m trying to make up for it now. I’m going to fuck up. But it will never be my intention to hurt you.”

The emotion welling up inside of me was threatening to break free, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold back the tears.

Sure, I may have been mad at Viking, but I knew he was coming from a good place. This man had accepted me into his life, no questions asked. His actions were his way of showing me how much he cared. It was something I hadn’t realized I was missing, but now that I had the love of a father, I didn’t ever want to lose it.

The tears started to fall down my cheeks.

“Shit! Kate, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

That had me laughing. I’m sure I looked like a crazy person, laughing hysterically while crying.

“I’m not crying because I’m upset. I went all my life not having a dad around to care for me.” He looked like he wanted to interrupt, so I put my hand up and continued. “You know I don’t blame you for that. But it doesn’t change the fact that I never experienced love like that when I was younger. And even though I came into your life unexpectedly, you’ve taken on that role. It just feels good to know you care about me and it’s not just for show. You mean what you say and follow it up with actions. Thank you.”

A couple of months ago, I would’ve been too scared to pour my heart out like that. The possibility of rejection would’ve kept me from being honest about my feelings. But Viking had proven himself to me. I saw how he treated his wife, his sons, and his brothers in the club. All of them were his family, and he made it clear I was a part of that family. I knew he wouldn’t turn his back on me. At first, I’d been concerned about the fact that they’re an outlaw club, but it didn’t worry me anymore. There was more good than bad, and I knew I was willing to accept both.

“You don’t have to thank me for loving you. I know it takes a lot for you to trust, but you don’t ever have to doubt my love for you.”

I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I jumped up from the couch and launched myself at my father. I hugged him so tightly I wasn’t sure he could still breathe. “I love you too, Dad.”

When I finally pulled away, I could see the glisten in my father’s eyes. This was a moment I would never forget. It’s when I honestly felt like I belonged in this family. I doubted my father would forget it either.

After a few minutes, he got up to go home.

“One more thing. Mac is going to head over here after I leave. Don’t worry about his face. I didn’t hit him… that hard.”

“Dad! You hit him?”

“Darlin’, he knew he had it coming,” he said firmly. “I may be okay with you and him being together, but no dad wants to see what I did earlier.”

I could feel my face heating up. “Got it,” I mumbled, also hoping he never saw me and Mac having sex ever again.

I followed him out and hugged him around the middle before he left. His soft smile and look had me almost tearing up again. It was a nice feeling that I had both guys in my life. A life that was just beginning, and far better than I could have dreamed.