Mackenzie’s stubborn determination and ability to focus on the positives were how she’d made it this far. But some times were harder than others to keep the doubt from creeping in. Like now, when even the positives couldn’t distract her from the incredible losses she’d had to endure. The future losses she was destined to face.
She’d never let anything hold her back from what she wanted. Even growing up with a single-family income hadn’t stopped Mackenzie from attending one of the top music schools in the country. But when her mother’s condition worsened, Mackenzie had decided to cut her education short and come home to care for her.
Not that Mackenzie regretted a second of it. She loved the time she’d spent with her mother, playing music, looking through her mother’s pictures, reminiscing about the beautiful places her mom had traveled to for her art. Had Mackenzie known that there was an expiration date on their time together, she would have made a bigger effort.
When Susan lost her sight, she lost her career but not her love of exotic landscapes. So when she hung up her camera, she took a job as a freelance travel writer. Susan revisited the places she’d been, and Mackenzie became her editor, her eyes, and her tour guide to the seeing world.
So much so that after her mother’s death, Mackenzie had a hard time adjusting. She’d found herself at twenty-three, with a spotty education and an even spottier social circle, feeling very much alone.
Mackenzie had spent so much time chronicling her mother’s journey she’d never given much thought to her own. She had no idea who she was or, more important, what kind of life she wanted. So she turned to her music, which was how she met Hunter, and he filled her world with some of the lightness she’d been craving.
The more time she spent with her music and Hunter, the closer she came to discovering her own happiness and how wonderful freedom could be. Then the Hunter Kane Band landed their first record deal, and one of the songs she’d cowritten with Hunter hit the Billboard list, and she had her first taste of success. Only it was so intertwined with Hunter’s rise to fame she wasn’t sure where his dream began and hers ended. She also realized that she didn’t care, because as long as he was happy, she was happy.
Wasn’t that a terrifying place to be?
She’d finally found someone who spoke her language, someone who was caring and nurturing, yet she’d still managed to tie her own happiness to his.
And if the three-carat princess cut wasn’t proof enough that she needed to rethink her life, then the diagnosis that shortly followed wasa clear sign from the universe that she was meant to be on her own for once.
Most days Mackenzie was at peace with that. But sitting there, holding Caroline, she was once again struck with the realization of just how much she’d lost. Travel, music, a family of her own—all the adventures she could ever hope for had been right here within reach.
One mutated gene had changed it all.
So yes, this was the closest Mackenzie would ever come to having a family. To deny Caroline something as commonplace as a sleepover killed her, but the reality was Mackenzie couldn’t guarantee any child’s safety.
Until Caroline was older, there would be no sleepovers. At least not at Mackenzie’s house.
She cupped Caroline’s face. “Yes, sweet pea, on account of my eyes.”
“Maybe I can ask Mommy if we can do da sleepover at ...” Caroline’s face turned to the side, and her cheeks swelled with happiness beneath Mackenzie’s hands. Muttley let out a growl from deep in his throat.
“You’re here!” Caroline squealed.
“Hey there, kiddo.”
