“It wasn’t me,” Lucas just about managed to get out.
Dean froze. “Are you telling me that you didn’t just throw the Frisbee at my head?”
Lucas just nodded and pointed toward, Thomas.
Dean glanced at Mack who was openly laughing. He stood up, brushing the sand off his jeans, and then started walking toward Thomas with Lucas running behind him screaming for Thomas to run.
Before Dean could get to Thomas, Lucas tackled him from behind, which sent them both tumbling back down.
Dean couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore and grabbed Lucas, gave him a quick tickle, and then got them both upright again.
“Lucas, I wasn’t about to tackle Thomas to the sand.”
Lucas looked from Dean to Thomas. “You weren’t?”
“No, but I did think we could have some fun and maybe get Thomas to sit over there, while you bury his feet in the sand for letting me think it was you with the Frisbee.”
“Hmm, I think I like that idea. I need some ants.”
Both Mack and Dean started to chuckle at the look that crossed Thomas’s face. “The sand will be enough . . . this time!” Dean told him.
“Oh, all right.”
Dean stayed back, pulling Mack into his arms again as they stood and watched Lucas take hold of Thomas’s hand. It was so sweet watching the little boy lead the older man to the place Dean had suggested. Thomas laughed as he sat down and watched Lucas bury his feet.
“They’re really going to miss each other when we go back to Boston.”
“We’re not too far away in Boston. It’s only a couple of hours, we can bring him back to visit,” Dean replied, grinning when Mack realized he’d said ‘we’.
Mack grinned back, kissed him quickly on his lips, and snuggled into Dean’s chest.
Chapter 19
The past week had flown by with Mack and Dean spending most of their time toge
ther. Occasionally, Thomas and Luca would tag along with them in Mack’s car. Lucas preferred to spend his time with Thomas, who sometimes would take him to meet up with Walt and Levi. This had left Mack and Dean alone more often than not so they would spend their time cuddled together on the beach or, in the evenings, on the sofa. They had taken the time to get to know more about each other. Dean had spoken about his love of drawing and art while Mack had spoken about the joys of being a teacher to a mischievous class of seven-year-olds.
She would really miss Thomas when the summer was over, and leaving Thomas, would probably break Lucas’s heart. At least with him constantly being entertained he hadn’t missed his parents as much as she thought he would. In fact, he’d hardly spent time with her since they’d arrived. She’s wasn’t too bothered because of the unlikely friendship that had begun between them. Lucas would talk to his parents’ on the phone most nights, and he would go over his antics of the day with them. She spent a lot of that time listening to him and chuckling at their adventures.
Today, he’d gone fishing again with Thomas, and they planned to read some more comics while Mack hadn’t even picked up Rose’s diary in a week. She’d been too exhausted and giddy after spending her days with Dean, who had yet to get her naked!
“Spend the day with me?” Dean asked, making her jump, as she’d been lost in thought.
He walked over to her as she glanced up at him. “I’d like that. Do you want to go to the beach and take a picnic? I want to tell you about something.”
“That would be great.” He really hoped she was going to tell him about the diary. It had nearly killed him, this past week, not saying anything with how close they’d become. He’d tried to tell her on numerous occasions, but he’d always chickened out. Hopefully, the perfect opportunity would arise at the beach. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too pissed with him.
As she pulled a small picnic together, Dean walked over and took a blanket from the drawer. Tucking it under his arm, he picked up the picnic basket and finally took hold of Mack’s hand as they headed down to the beach.
During the walk, Mack couldn’t help but wonder whether she was making the wrong decision, trusting a guy she’d only known a short time. He was certainly the first guy to get her libido to sit up and take notice from the get go. That had never happened to her before; perhaps it was an omen.
She led Dean over to the sheltered section of beach she’d come to favor over the past few weeks. He unfolded the blanket as Mack set the beach mats with the back supports built in on top of the blanket—these were the best purchase she had made in a long time. She loved sitting on the beach and reading. With this support, she was rather comfortable and could sit for hours.
Dean sat down and reclined against one of the mats. He held his hand out for her. She reached into her purse for the diary, and then snuggled into a comfortable position between his legs, resting against his chest.
He put his arms around her and they just enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few minutes. Dean felt good with her wrapped in his arms. A soft, warm woman with curves. Not only was she hot, but she also had the biggest heart going. Not many young women would befriend an eighty-year-old man like Thomas.
Mack broke the silence. “The day after we moved into Rose Cottage, I was putting some boxes on top of the cabinets in the kitchen and found this.” She showed him the diary. “When I opened it, the first page says, ‘This is the diary of a Rose, March 4, 1947.’”