The next morning, just as they were finishing their breakfast, the front doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Mac said and went to the front door. He opened the door to find a florist delivery there with a bouquet of pink roses.

"Delivery for Mac Taylor," the woman said.

Mac scowled. "That's me," he said.

"There you go."

Mac took the roses. "Thanks." He closed the door and went into the dining room.

Jo put her hands on her hips. "I assume those are not for me," she said.

"No they're not," Mac replied. "They're for me."

"Who is sending you flowers?"

"I don't know." Mac set the roses down and took the card off. For the past we had together and the future we will share. Mac stared at it a moment and Jo read it over his shoulder.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jo asked.

"I don't know," Mac said with a shrug. "I don't think Peyton would be sending me flowers."

Jo looked at Mac. "Just who is Peyton?"

"I've told you about her before. She's the only woman I was ever really with after Claire died. There's no one else who has a past with me. I dated some others but we never went past the boundary."

"You think Peyton would be capable of something like this?"

"Something like what?"

"Harassing you."

Mac looked at Jo. "I don't know if you would call this harassment. It's just flowers."

"But they're not signing their name."

"Maybe she's shy."

"Well, she obviously knows you and must have been acquainted with you in the past. Maybe it's Ella."

"How would she do this? She's locked up."

"People who want to torture someone can usually find a way."

"I don't know about someone in there."

"Maybe she would get someone else to do it."

"I think we can drop her as a suspect. This must be someone else."

"Then that leaves Peyton."

Mac shook his head. "Just because she says we have a past together doesn't mean we do, Jo."

"Right."

"Let's just forget about this right now. I want us to do something besides worry about this today."

"Oh, yes. We can go and do legal business."

"Better than worrying about this."

By that Saturday, Jo had most of the paperwork and everything worked out. Mac and Jo were going to the coast of Alabama along with Ellie. Jason was going as well along with Marci. Marci was excited about going to the Gulf. She had not been there in a long time. Mac thought she would talk the whole way and it was almost four hours away. The Gulf was definitely beautiful and that ocean breeze was pretty strong there blowing in from the Gulf. Mac went to their hotel first, which was down at the beach and checked in. "I want to go down to that beach now," Jo declared.

"Me too!" Ellie agreed. "I can't wait to get in that water!"

"Well, let's get on our bathing suits and go."

Ellie grabbed her suitcase and ran to her room. Jo looked at Mac and put her hands on her hips. "Are you going too?" she asked.

"Now, why wouldn't I?" Mac asked.

"I don't know. You might be shy."

Mac shook his head. "I don't think so." He opened his suitcase and pulled out a pair of camouflage trunks.

Jo laughed. "Are you going to hide from me?" she asked.

Mac smiled. "Not quite."

"I am glad they have these suites so Ellie can have a room and we can have one."

"Me too. I remember a long time ago, if you stayed in a hotel, there was only one room and there were two beds in it."

"Uh huh." Jo sat down on the bed.

Mac walked over and sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry for mentioning the past," he said.

Jo looked at him. "Don't worry about that, Dear. I will have to get used to Mama being gone."

Mac squeezed her shoulder. "It's not easy."

"I remember when Daddy died, I tried to be strong for Mama and I had to grieve alone most of the time. I didn't want to cry in front of her but I would sit and listen to her telling things about him and what happened when he died. She woke up that morning and he was…oh, that is so sad."

"Let's not think about this today. Let's get out there and have some fun."

"Right." Jo stood up. "Mama wouldn't want me to sit around here pouting. She would want me to have fun."

Mac went to the bathroom door. "You going to join me?" he asked.

Jo smiled. "We might never make it out there if we get in there together trying to get into swimsuits."

"You mean you don't want to get distracted?"

Jo walked over to him twirling her bathing suit on her finger. "And just what is that sly grin about?" she asked.

"What sly grin?" Mac asked innocently.

"Oh come on."

Jo went past Mac in the doorway, giving him an alluring look as she went by. Mac followed her into the bathroom and closed the door. "You need any help getting out of those clothes?" Mac asked.

"These pants are awful hard to get out of sometimes," Jo said. "And you know how hard it is to get bras unhooked."

Mac walked over to her. "I'll be glad to help you," he said.

"You would."

Mac put his arms around her waist and kissed her. "I guess we can wait until tonight."

"I think that would be best."

They got into their beach attire and went back into the bedroom. Mac put on a t-shirt with his trunks and Jo put on a sun dress. Ellie was waiting for them. "Hurry, Mom," she said when Mac and Jo finally came from their bedroom.

"I'm sorry if I am too slow for you," Jo replied.

They went out to the beach and found that Jason and Marci were already out there. Jo laid out a towel to sit on while Ellie ran out to the water. "Be careful," Jo called.

Jo took off her sundress and sat down on her towel. She was wearing a blue swimsuit. Mac laid out a towel beside her and took off his t-shirt. "I think I'm going for a dip before I lay down there," he said. "I'll be back."

Jo watched Mac run out to the ocean while she was applying sunscreen. Mac ran out into the water and dove into the wave. Jo thought he must be like a fish like Ellie was. She had never liked swimming very much. She did not mind getting in the water but she cared nothing for swimming laps. She had not lain in the sun in years. She thought she had become lazy in the last few months and she was ready to be lazy for a while. She liked her job but she liked being where she was and she hoped Mac would want to live here too.

When Mac was done with his swim, he came back to his towel and sat down. "That was refreshing," he said. "Especially after driving all that time."

Jo was lying down sunning. "This is relaxing," she said. "The sun is so warm."

"Hot is a better word."

"It's wonderful with that ocean breeze."

Mac sat and looked at Jo a moment. "You look beautiful in the sun," he said.

"Watch it, Taylor. We're not going to be hunting any little nooks around here."

Mac smiled and shook his head. "Is that what you think I'm trying to do?"

"I heard that tone in your voice."

Mac lay down on his towel. "I think you're just blaming me for something that you want yourself."

Jo sat up. "Is that so?" she asked.

Mac did not even open his eyes. "Yeah, that's so. You always try to blame me with everything and really it's you who are a tiger."

Jo opened her bottle of water, which had been in the cooler with the ice and poured it on his chest. Mac sat up with a yelp. "What are you doing?" he asked. "That was cold!"

Jo laughed. "I know it was cold," she said.

Mac looked at her as he shivered. "Now, I'm freezing," he declared.

Jo laughed out loud. "You're so pitiful. No wonder you snuggle so close to me at night. You're as cold natured as they come."

"I snuggle close to 'you'?" Mac asked. "Don't try to blame all that on me either. I can always turn over and lean off the bed on the other side."

Jo laughed again as she lay back down. "You wouldn't last."

Mac smiled. "I wouldn't?"

"No."

Mac lay back down. "You're probably right."

"It's about time you admitted that I'm right sometimes."

"I've never told you that you were wrong."

"Oh yes you have. You tried to deny the fact that you were overworked and that you hid in your job to keep from going home and you sure did try to deny that you were lonely and desperate."

"I am not desperate."

"I know you're not now but you were before."

"See? You just try to blame everything on me when really it's you who is so desperate."

"I never said I wasn't desperate."

"So, two desperate people met and set off fireworks together. It's a wonder we hadn't gotten arrested."

"You're awful."

"I know but you make me that way."

"I do?"

"Yeah. You're always teasing me."

"I like to tease you. It makes you squirm."

"I am not squirming."

"You would be if we were sitting somewhere."

Mac sat up. "I can't win this argument with you." He looked down the beach at Jason and Marci who were walking holding hands. "What do you think of Jason and Marci?"

"I think they're cute," Jo said. "They'll probably wind up like me and you."

Mac rolled his eyes. "I would rather not discuss that," he said and lay back down.

"Why? You think they're not going to have hot, steamy sex? They're young."

"Please."

"You know it's true."

"I don't want to talk about it though. After all, that is my son."

"Oh. So what? You should be glad if he's found someone to love."

"I am."

"You're just so proud of that boy. You won't lose him."

"I don't know."

Jo looked at Mac who had his eyes closed. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Nothing," Mac replied.

"Mac Taylor, you sit up here and tell me what you're talking about."

Mac opened his eyes and looked at her. "I have a lot of decisions to make in the next few weeks and months," he said. "I can't expect Jason to follow me everywhere I go."

Jo stared at him a moment. "You're talking about moving to Alabama, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I don't want you to start worrying about this. This is my decision and I will make it."

Jo folded her arms. "I thought it was 'our' decision."

"Not the part about me moving here. The part about 'you' staying here is your decision but don't make that based on whether I leave New York or not because no matter what, I am going to be with you."

"So, your decision is based on my decision. How can you say that it's not my decision?"

Mac sat up and looked at her. "You decide whether you want to move here or not and then I will decide when I am leaving New York because I am not staying away from you and I'm ready for a change in my life. Call it a midlife crisis if you want but I'm ready to make a change and if this is where you want to be, then this is where I will be too."

"Well, it seems like this is 'my' decision," Jo said.

Mac sighed and lay back down. "I am not going to argue about this. Don't do me this way. What are you going to do? Suggest that I stay in New York and let you go?"

Jo stared at him a moment. She knew that was not what she wanted. She did not ever want to let Mac go. But it was either that, or move back to New York or let him move to Alabama to be with her. Why was she so afraid? She certainly did not want him to stay in New York away from her. She had accused him of being afraid but she was afraid too. She was afraid that he would move down here and then be unhappy and blame her. That was always the fear but she knew Mac was right. He should be allowed to make his own decisions and she would make hers.

Jo lay down and thought about that. She knew she wanted to live in the house that she now owned and Ellie loved the school. It was smaller and she did not feel like she was lost. Jo had loved New York however. When she moved there, she had thought that it would be her home from then on. Now, things were totally changing. She wanted to be close to her roots and she thought Mac would like living there too because he was wanting to settle down into something more peaceful. Maybe if he was not living in New York memories would not haunt him so badly. She thought it would be a hard decision for both of them but she had to do what was best for her daughter…