hellllo! I may be talking into the void right now but I wanted to jump in here with a few thoughts before this chapter. first of all, yikes. I did not mean to leave such a gap in between my updates. Life just happens, ya know. So I'm here now and thank you for your patience. As I said before, this story will wrap at chapter 26 so there isn't a lot more story to tell - just some wrapping up of somethings and seeds planted for what a future might really be like for Nate-enzie.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read or favourite or review in the last while. I'm so appreciative of your support. THank you especially to RHatch89, my girl B aka geminibbyy, Guest, Rachem and daydreamerxx for the reviews.
There are a few flashbacks in this chapter - two from Spring of 2016 (not written before) and one callback to The Chase :)
If you're wondering, if I named my chapters, this one would be called: Nate "Heart Eyes" Archibald. Away we goooooooo.
Despite his life experience, Nate hadn't been to a lot of funerals. Real funerals.
He had gone to Chuck's mother's funeral. But Nate was young and didn't really understand it. He knew Chuck was sad and that made Nate sad, too. Then there was the funeral when his own grandpa passed away. Nate sat in a sharp, pressed suit and watched his own father give the eulogy, fighting back tears.
Then there was Bart Bass' first funeral. Once the disappearing act stopped and the man was alive, though it was short lived, that funeral didn't feel real anymore.
But the funeral of Alison Humphrey - that hit Nate in an entirely different way. Mostly because it felt very real. Even though everything happened so quickly, Serena had kept Nate updated when Dan was consumed by it. It was a whirlwind - one day Alison was fine and not even two weeks later, they were at her funeral.
The worst part of it all was the confusing layers of feeling Nate had. Remorse and grief, first. His relationship with Alison hadn't been very complicated or deep, but he did have fond memories of spending time with her during his relationship with Mackenzie.
Mackenzie.. She had been on his mind constantly, too. The grief he felt turned to guilt when something in his heart rippled when he realized she would be on her way home to say goodbye to her mother. He hadn't seen her since the previous summer and they hadn't talked since their last phone call - the break up phone call.
It was a day or two after the funeral when Nate let himself deal with some of his feelings. Serena met him for a drink - needing an escape from the loft for an hour or two.
Nate was already on his third old-fashioned when she showed up.
Serena looked exhausted. Like, really exhausted. Nate had seen Serena at a lot of different stages of her life but this was different - her tiredness seemed deeper, like it seeped into her bones.
"I don't know how to do this, Nate." Serena confided her fears and insecurities about her inability to support Dan. She was way out of her league. He had lost a parent - his mother, his lifegiver.
"You just need to be there for him. You're doing exactly what you're supposed to, Serena." Nate was being honest. But, he was biting back what he really wanted to ask. "How.. how's Mack - Mackenzie? How's she doing?"
Serena's lips twitched into a small smile. "You can reach out and ask her that, you know."
Nate huffed out a dry laugh, slowly moving his tongue across the rim of his rocks glass. "I don't think I can. She didn't seem very happy to see me at the funeral."
"That's because she was at her mom's funeral, Nate. I'm not sure her or Dan or Jenny knew how to react to the receiving line of guests." Serena sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's a lot. Mack is trying to support Rufus from a distance. And Alex. And her brother and sister. But.. she'd probably like to hear from you."
Nate's lips pressed into a hard line and he reached into the pocket of his jacket. "I'm not sure what compelled me to ask for this.. My dad was excited. My mom.. Well.." He raised his hand and showed Serena the small velvet box he was clutching. "Mack and I.. we screwed it all up last year. But all I can do is think about.. this."
Nate hadn't been to Amsterdam in years, since his little trip with Mackenzie a few summers ago. Before that, he had gone once with Chuck during some extended overseas boys weekend. But he had much better memories of his trip with Mackenzie.
Amsterdam in the summer had been hot, hot, hot. They spent a lot of their time hiding out in bars and museums and "coffee shops" during the day and just galavanting around the city once the sun was setting.
Winter in Amsterdam though was a change of pace. It was just as cold as New York City but much more bearable somehow. Perhaps it was the fact that they were across the ocean and plenty distant from their lives back home. Mackenzie had secured them a beautiful apartment rental for the week - a roomy penthouse unit with a kitchenette and balcony that overlooked the river and east docks, just a few minutes from the train station.
The bedroom only had a double bed, which was cozy but the floor to ceiling windows made up for the overlapping limbs while they slept. The first day, they promptly napped then fell asleep hard, waking up to the sprinkling bright lights of the city. It woke Mackenzie right up as she walked out onto the small balcony, filling her lungs with the crisp evening air. There was plenty of snow covering the city scape already and even though it was the middle of the holidays, there was still energy radiating up from the streets below.
As Mackenzie leaned against the balcony railing, she felt a set of hands snake around her waist. The weight of Nate felt warm against her back and she hummed in approval as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Well, Humphrey. What do you say? Wanna go grab a beer?"
Mackenzie couldn't help but let out a quiet giggle as he nuzzled against her. "I can't wait to hear you butcher the Dutch language."
"Hey," Nate replied, a fake offended tone lacing his voice. "Beer is bier. And coffeeshop is coffeeshop. All I ever needed before was beer and maybe an edible. Oh, and the Red Light District is self explanatory, I think."
Mackenzie twisted in his arms, turning to face him, eyebrows raised. "Let's just start with a beer."
Their second day was spent museum hopping around the city. Although Nate wasn't crazy about the idea, one pleading pout from his girlfriend convinced him it was the only way he wanted to spend a wintery day. Admittedly, he was trying to remind himself to focus and work on appreciating their time together regardless of location. With the new year approaching, life was going to come at them quicker than they anticipated. So, if he had to listen to Mackenzie ramble on and on about certain art pieces she liked, he decided he would be happy to do so.
Nate stayed a few paces behind her at one of the art museums. He liked to watch her movements - talking to herself about brush strokes or colours, trying to read the Dutch version of the little information tag. Her plum peacoat was damp, snow melting away from her shoulders. She had pulled off her beanie, letting her frizzy and wet hair dry off in the sticky heat inside. Her voice cracked through his daydream, calling his name to join her at one of the paintings ahead.
Nate greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, turning to look at the piece of art she was gazing at. It was a large, vast field of flowers. In soft pink and purple hues under a blue sky. He narrowed his eyes, trying to appreciate the details like she was. "This is nice."
Mackenzie flicked her eyes towards him, lips curling into a smile. "Yes, babe. Most critics would also describe the most famous Dutch landscape artist's work as nice."
Nate rolled his eyes and took her hand in his, squeezing hard. "Hey. Why don't you take the time to educate me instead of layering on the sarcasm?"
"Why can't I do both?" Mackenzie quipped back, momentarily leaning her head onto his shoulder. She offered a sincere apology for her sass then dove right into a lesson about Jan Van Goyen - whether or not Nate meant it, she was going to teach him anyway.
Nate didn't mind. In fact, he was mesmerized. Despite the background knowledge that of course Mackenzie must be well versed on a lot of different art styles, considering her mother was an artist, he was almost surprised by the facts she touted. He loved how Mackenzie's brain worked and always commended her passion towards mathematics and financials. But he forgot about the rest of it - this side of her that could help fill in the blanks about her passions. She loved music and art just as much as the other Humphrey family members, though she didn't express it as boldly.
"He notoriously painted on thin pieces of oak," she finished up, pulling Nate along to the next piece of art.
Nate reached his hand out towards the painting and Mackenzie gasped, pulling him back. "Nate, you can't touch 400 year old paintings!" She just laughed at his confused reaction, eyes darting around the room for any staff who might have seen his near indiscretion.
Her giggles carried on as they moved around the rest of the exhibit. With every fact and description Mackenzie shared, Nate followed up with something nonsensical he made up to go along.
"This landscape was inspired by the tulip fields in the winter," she said, pointing towards a wide snowy scene.
"I actually think this is based on the planet Hoth, from Star Wars."
Mackenzie rolled her eyes a lot in that museum.
Nate really wanted to go skating on the canals. That was his only request for the trip - aside from the obvious freedom of maybe smoking a bit. Now, Mackenzie wasn't going to dissuade him from the idea of skating but she was anxious about it. She didn't trust the ice.
"Mack, we've seen tons of people skating the last few days. It's been very cold so the ice is probably pretty thick." Nate reached over and tugged on her hat, nearly shielding her eyes. He pressed a kiss on her lips and grabbed her hand, heading towards the skate rental shack.
Luckily, they hadn't experienced many language barriers thus far. After butchering some Dutch phrases, they quickly realized most people spoke English well enough to communicate with them.
When Mackenzie spilled out her anxieties about the ice, the kindly older man handing her a pair of skates smiled warmly. "You will be fine, miss. Just hold on tight to your husband." The man winked at her and she stifled her laughter as Nate paid.
She didn't bother correcting him about their relationship status, either.
As they skated down the very frozen, very safe canals, Mackenzie finally relaxed enough to appreciate the moment. Nate was gliding around her in circles, hurrying up ahead and coming back as she moved at her own pace. He took her gloved hand in his eventually and they skated together.
She lost him for a few moments, as they skated around a crowd of people. Mackenzie didn't even realize she was suddenly alone until she felt a set of hands on her waist, causing a loud yelp to escape her lips. She nearly lost her balance but the hands steadied her with Nate's laughter flowing through her ears. She mumbled an irritated response as she slowed, pointing her toes to stop her movement.
"Sorry," Nate said quickly, adjusting to loop his arm around her waist and extend his arm out ahead of them, phone in hand. "I want a picture."
"What? Right now? My face is all red and my hair is a mess and -
"Yeah, right now. I want to remember this exact moment, Mack." Nate's tone implied it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, I think your red nose is adorable."
Mackenzie let out an over dramatic sigh, but leaned in so her face was pressed just closer to his. Nate framed them in his camera lens and snapped a few photos, letting out a surprised laugh as she turned to kiss his cheek for the last one.
"C'mon, let's keep going. We're losing daylight here." Mackenzie squeezed his hand and tugged him along as she started to move again.
Funny. She didn't feel cold at all.
They slept in on New Year's Eve.
It hadn't been entirely intentional - Mackenzie wanted to check out a few vintage shops across the city and their plan had been to wake up early and rent bikes and venture out after breakfast. But, their evening before had gotten a bit out of hand. Their intention hadn't been to get as inebriated as they had but one extra beer at the pub after dinner turned into three and the walk back to their rental detoured directly through the Red Light District.
Now, Mackenzie certainly didn't consider herself a prude or closed-minded person, but the stark reality of what that area of the city offered was initially a bit jarring. But a friendly teasing tone from Nate led to them buying last minute tickets to a show at the Moulin Rouge. Luckily the tickets came with drink tokens which helped keep Mackenzie's anxiety at bay.
The show was a bit classier than she had imagined going in and she mainly had a good time. When they left it was well after midnight and Nate had insisted they make a stop at a coffeeshop on the way back. Mackenzie opposed any actual weed smoking for herself but Nate opted to purchase a little 'space cake' for them to split instead.
It probably wasn't their brightest decision.
Which is why they were rolling out of bed well into the afternoon. Well, Mackenzie was at least. She dragged her feet and made her way to the small kitchen, turning on the coffee maker and resting against the counter. She felt incredibly groggy and out of it. As she was pouring out two mugs of coffee, she heard another set of footsteps come towards the room.
Nate was incredibly dishevelled yet somehow, in some irritating way, Mackenzie felt he still looked so good. Even after keeping her awake with his nonsense questions into the early morning, she was happy to see him alive and sort-of well.
Nate dropped down onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, letting out a long groan and laying his head down onto the marble countertop. "Am I getting too old for this?"
Mackenzie couldn't help but laugh, sliding one of the mugs across towards him. "Yes, you are, Old Man Archibald." He gratefully accepted the coffee, lifting up his head and running a hand through his messy hair.
"Maybe splitting that entire edible was a bad idea," he said slowly, pulling his lips up into a smirk.
"I mean, that shop keeper did warn us. I think. My brain is a bit fuzzy about it all, honestly." Mackenzie planted herself onto the stool beside him, taking a sip of coffee before leaning her head onto his shoulder. "I suppose this will make for a fun story some day."
Following breakfast, they wound up back in bed, which admittedly, Mackenzie really didn't mind. She argued that they were on vacation and they had every right to spend their day horizontal if that was what they preferred. She didn't mind skipping the vintage shops if it meant an entire day doing nothing with Nate.
She could do nothing with him for the rest of her life and she wouldn't mind.
Although, it really wasn't nothing.
There was a lot of something going on under the sheets. Despite the groggy feeling they both woke up with, after some coffee they seemed to find a lot of energy. Suddenly, the undersized bed became a soft playground where the only thing that seemed to matter was skin on skin contact. As they took a moment to catch their breath and discuss their plans for the evening - perhaps finding a bar or pub to ring in the New Year - Mackenzie rested her head against Nate's chest.
If there was a moment she could always come back to, it was one like this. Just the two of them against the rest of the world, consumed by their own happiness and good feelings. It felt all consuming and fleeting all at once.
If the last few months had proved anything to both Nate and Mackenzie, it was that this was the most valuable thing: spending time with each other. Growing and learning and being together. That was the most important part, the foundation of their relationship and the ever pressing reminder they needed: this bond was all they needed. If they had each other, they could conquer whatever life decided to throw at them.
Mackenzie was crying again. The entire last week it felt like every spare moment she had - she was crying. She supposed that was allowed - she was grieving her dead mother, after all. At least this time, she was sobbing into Nate's chest.
All she could think about was how in 24 hours she would be back in London and this soft, safe space would be a pleasant, confusing memory.
It all felt very purposeful - the way Nate laid kisses against her skin when they had sex, as if he wanted to commit her to memory again. And now, as she broke down in his arms in the middle of the night, he cradled her head like he never wanted to let her go.
She took a few deep breaths and gripped his torso. Maybe sleep would finally find her. She felt Nate press a kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you." It wasn't entirely clear what she was expressing gratitude for - the comfort, the orgasms, the familiarity, the escape.
Nate didn't respond. Instead, he traced his fingers gently across her back.
She sighed. "I won't ask you to wait." ...for me. For us. For this.
Nate stilled and kissed her head once more. "I won't ask you to stay."
Despite the fact that they were on vacation and only planning on going to a few bars to celebrate New Years Eve, Mackenzie insisted on dressing up a little bit. Nate didn't bother - he hadn't packed anything more formal than a dress shirt and matching slacks - but did appreciate seeing Mack put together for an evening out.
Dressed in a shimmery black dress and tights, she finished the look off with a black leather blazer and a pair of heeled boots. While the weather wasn't entirely warm, it was mild enough to go without a hat and mitts, at least. She was hopeful that they would be at least a little bit drunk by the end of the evening so the cool walk home wouldn't bother her much.
She fixed her dark red lipstick delicately before brushing her hair over her shoulders. Nate was watching her from the doorway of the small bathroom, leaning on the doorframe with a smirk. "Maybe we should just stay in?"
Mackenzie met his gaze in the mirror and matched his smile. "Nope. I have already talked myself up for going out where the people are, so we are committing, Archibald." She turned on her heel and met him at the door, raising a hand up to caress his cheek. "This is probably our last opportunity for a night out together so we may as well make the most of it." He huffed a quiet laugh in agreement, accepting a kiss on his cheek as she moved towards the door.
Nate was constantly reminded why he loved Mackenzie over the course of their trip. The way she lit up when she was engaged in something exciting, spilling out some passionate response and rambling on about things she wanted to know more about. She was effortlessly curious and kind as they battled a language barrier. Despite her mounting anxiety over crowds and the unknown, she faced those small battles with both trepidation and confidence and always expressed her gratitude to Nate for being there.
Normally, he imagined a crowded cocktail bar in the middle of the city, near the very busy Leidseplein Square, was not her cup of tea. But there was something about this relaxed, 'we're on vacation!' version of his girlfriend that was warming his heart. He gripped her palm as they navigated through the bar, snagging a small booth near the far wall. The place was buzzing but not too loud, accented by an ambient background playlist and bright purple accent lighting throughout.
A waitress came by and took their order, quickly returning with a pair of fancy cocktails. Mackenzie and Nate clinked their glasses and simply indulged in each other's company, probably sitting too closely to be appropriate but for some reason it was as if they couldn't get enough of each other.
"What do you think we'd be doing if we were in Manhattan tonight instead?" Mackenzie asked, slowly stirring her glass with the straw. Nate returned a small shrug, stretching an arm out over her shoulder.
"I think Chuck and Blair wanted to have a party tonight," he replied, tilting his head to recall those plans that long ago disappeared.
"Great. So we would have stayed in and watched the fireworks from your balcony, then?" Mackenzie smirked as Nate nodded in agreement. After another drink, they left the bar and headed back out towards the busy square. There was a sea of lit up tents and booths, a variety of buskers and even further away some people were already setting off small fireworks in the street.
They roamed through the big crowd, sometimes stopping to listen to the music or watch an artist work. They split up momentarily, with Nate lining up to grab them some famous Dutch donut treat everyone seemed to be enjoying while Mackenzie stopped by an information booth being led by some tourist groups.
When Nate had acquired the bag of fresh treats, he made his way towards where Mackenzie was. She was in the middle of a conversation with some guy working at the booth and a strange feeling waved through Nate as he watched them. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but based on physical presence alone, the guy was definitely flirting with Mackenzie. It was his body language that bothered Nate the most - he kept moving closer towards her, not breaking eye contact or dropping his smarmy smile even as someone else asked him a question, and at one point he even reached out and touched her arm.
Nate was trying not to overreact or feel like a stupid, jealous boyfriend but he did not appreciate how this guy was acting. As he approached, even the tone of this guy's voice and his choice of language was irritating Nate.
"It's about a 6 kilometer walk but even a few of the sections on the West banks are incredible. It's just a few minutes this way - I could show you, if you'd like."
Nate tried not to roll his eyes when he stopped at Mackenzie's side. The guy didn't even acknowledge Nate's presence.
"Hey," Mackenzie said with a smile to Nate, turning her head to look at him. "Eddie was just telling me about this huge art installation around the city that's on display tonight. It's like a tour of lights."
Nate forced a smile on his face. "That sounds cool. We should check it out."
This Eddie guy reached out and placed his hand on Mackenzie's arm again. "If you circle back by midnight, a bunch of us are going to Belushi's to ring in the New Year."
Nate nearly swore out loud. "Cool. Sounds great, Teddy. We'll consider it." Nate was quick to finish off the entire interaction, reaching out his hand to grab Mackenzie's and leading her away from the information booth.
Mackenzie followed along but pulled him to stop a few moments later. "Uhm, Nate. That was rude."
Nate laughed. "Uhm, Mack. That dude was hitting on you." He reached into the bag of warm donuts and grabbed one, taking a bite. He offered the bag to her.
Mackenzie just crossed her arms. "He was not hitting on me." She shook her head. "People don't hit on me." She truly wasn't trying to be naive and she knew Nate knew that. Of course Mackenzie knew she was attractive. Conventionally, she had great proportions and somewhat appealing features. But between her and Nate, he was certainly the one who garnered more attention. The idea that Nate was so bothered by some guy talking to her was laughable.
Nate nearly choked on his donut. "Mack - have you seen you? Especially in that lipstick.. When you smile or laugh.. Trust me, that guy definitely was flirting."
Mackenzie was holding back her laughter as Nate rambled on. It was especially hard to take him seriously when there was powdered sugar decorating his jaw. She closed in the space between them and reached up to brush the white remnants off his face. "You're cute when you're jealous."
Nate scoffed. "I'm not.." He sighed and relaxed into a smile. There was no point in arguing. He supposed jealousy is what had surged through him.. "I'd like to be the one making you laugh and smile, okay?"
Mackenzie just sighed and reached for the bag of donuts, carefully retrieving one of the treats and taking a bite. "You're cute when you're soft, too."
"Give me a break, Humphrey," Nate rolled his eyes but they were sparkling, somehow. He took her hand and led them out of the busy square. "What direction was that light thing in?"
"Nate," she said his name quietly, "Nathaniel Fitzwilliam Archibald." She grabbed her drink and finished it in one quick gulp. She giggled as she said Fitzwilliam.
"Are you making fun of my name, Humphrey?" He leaned in close to her again. She looked into his eyes. They were so soft, to her.
"Thank you," she said quietly, still. "For everything you do for me. I'm sorry I'm hard to love."
He reached his hands up and cradled her face, "Shhh. No. Macroeconomics is hard. Loving you is the easiest thing, the best thing, I get to do."
They got back to the apartment late. Well beyond the exciting turn of midnight and the new year. For the official switch over to January 1, they had been in the middle of strolling down a quiet street. As they crossed over a canal, cheers sounded out everywhere and fireworks rained overhead. They shared a kiss under the glowing sky as bright purples and blues and pinks erupted throughout above them.
By the time they had made it back to their apartment, the fireworks still hadn't ceased. Mackenzie, who was certainly comfortably buzzed thanks to a bottle of champagne they shared after walking through the light tour, walked out onto the balcony, draping a blanket over her shoulders and resting against the ledge.
She couldn't believe it was already past midnight. She couldn't believe their entire trip was almost over. They flew home really early on the second and suddenly the daunting idea of returning to real life was crawling to the front of Mackenzie's mind.
After a long inhale, she closed her eyes and decided it wasn't worth thinking about life back at home just yet. She and Nate deserved to be suspended in time a little bit longer.
Out across the city landscape, the sounds faded away. There was distant cheering and more exploding fireworks but everything felt comfortably dull. The sky was unusually light for how late it was, but Mackenzie didn't mind.
There was something especially beautiful in the quiet of the night. The lights of the city were suddenly far, far away and there was something different in the air.
Mackenzie wasn't quite sure what the feeling was. It wasn't like she was anxious but a surge of anticipation hit her like a strike of lightning. She turned to look back into the apartment, squinting to try and find Nate. He hadn't followed her out onto the balcony, muttering something about using the bathroom.
"Nate?" Her voice wasn't very loud as she called out for him but she heard his footsteps again, at least. When he came into view, Mackenzie relaxed. There was something about just being in his presence that made her feel better.
Not that she felt bad but there was certainly something making her stomach stir. He joined her on the balcony, having changed out of his button up into a t-shirt and cardigan.
"Do you remember our first New Years together?" Nate asked quietly, standing beside her and matching her pose as he looked out towards the city.
"I do," Mackenzie replied with a smirk. "That stupid party with that band my dad was working with. And you finally kissed me in front of everyone and Dan freaked out but it made this very real." She let out a long exhale as Nate draped his arm over her shoulder. "And look how far we've come now."
"I remember punching the stupid singer of that band," Nate added in.
"I do appreciate how you defended my honour that night." Mackenzie laughed. "I think I knew then." Her laughter stopped and she sobered up, turning to look at Nate directly. "I think I knew it had to be you. That you're the person I'm supposed to end up with. I wish I hadn't-
"Hold on." Nate slid his tongue across his lip, a brief look of panic crossing his face. "I need to.." He turned and headed back into the apartment again.
Mackenzie sighed. "It's not like I was about to pour my heart out or anything, Archibald!" She dropped the blanket from her shoulders and turned back towards the city. A crackling of fireworks went off beyond the harbour, littering the sky with falling stars.
The quiet returned.
Mackenzie didn't hear Nate return to the balcony doors. He had stepped carefully and quietly, frozen with anticipation as he watched her. Though she was just standing there, her hair blowing gently in the cool air, he felt overwhelmed.
Mackenzie Humphrey was someone he didn't anticipate. Growing up, his dreams and desires and the picture of his future had changed a lot. What he hoped for now looked very different than before. He didn't regret every single step he had taken before he met Mackenzie, though. Each moment in time, each decision had led him to this very moment.
Behind his back, gripped in the palm of his hand was a ring box. It was velvety underneath his fingers, though the longer he waited the more clammy his hands felt.
"I think I knew before New Years.." Nate started, drawing Mackenzie's attention again. She turned and looked at him, a soft, dopey smile on her face.
"Oh yeah?" Mackenzie countered with a smirk. "Don't tell me - you knew the moment you met me at the loft and scared the shit out of me. Is that what you're going to say? You met Dan's erratic sister and thought 'Wow, she's the one for me'?" She closed her eyes and laughed at the memory.
She lost herself in thought as she recalled that moment. It felt so long ago yet she could picture it like it was yesterday.
"Okay, maybe I didn't know it that very moment but something changed that day," Nate replied quietly. He took a step forward, holding back his smile as he looked at her.
When Mackenzie opened her eyes again, she felt like time slowed down. The entire world paused as she watched Nate bending down onto one knee.
"Nate.." Her voice came out like a whisper when her brain started to catch up to her.
"Mackenzie Lilas R-
"Nate!"
Nate grinned as he looked up at her, carrying on despite the interruptions. She was unravelling but he couldn't stop now. "Mackenzie Lilas Rose Humphrey - I knew a long time ago that it had to be you. You are the one who I'm supposed to be with. I know our relationship has seen some up and downs and distance and we only got back together a few months ago but I've never stopped loving you. Not for one second.." He took a deep breath. "Loving you is the easiest thing - the best thing - I get to do." Though his hand felt like it was shaking, he pressed on, pushing it forward and popping open the hinge of the box. "So, I would love to do it for the rest of our lives. Mack, will you marry me?"
Mackenzie wasn't sure if she could formulate a full sentence as she took in what was unfolding in front of her. She hoped she was nodding or smiling or something! But her brain seemed to be malfunctioning.
Is Nate really proposing right now? Is this happening? Am I smiling? Am I saying anything? Oh my god, Mackenzie say something. Look at that ring - oh my god that ring. He wants to marry me? And be my husband? Forever? Is this -
"Mack?"
Finally, she willed herself to move. "Yes! Oh my god, yes." Without even a second thought she propelled herself forward and found herself down on the ground, throwing her arms around him. The entire thing was very ungraceful and potentially dangerous but she didn't care. She could feel Nate laughing underneath her.
She pushed herself up onto her hands and grinned, meeting his lips with hers. "Sorry for tackling you."
"That's okay," he replied, still laughing. "Do you want to see the ring or should I just -
"Oh, right. Yes?" She pulled away and sat between his legs, resting on her knees. Nate adjusted as he sat up, moving his hand to grab the ring from the box. He grabbed Mackenzie's left hand and slid the shining ring onto her ring finger, then pulled her hand up to press a kiss against it.
She gasped as she glanced down, taking in the sparkling diamonds that were shining on her hand. It was simple - just a circle cut diamond, planked by two smaller triangle diamonds finished off on a white gold band. Though she would have accepted anything from Nate - including the stupid family ring - this was better than anything she could have ever imagined.
"It's so beautiful, Nate." She reached to cradle his face, closing in their space to kiss him again. "You really want to marry me? Even though I like to argue and I'm dramatic and anxious and -"
Nate cut her off with another kiss. "Til death do us part, Humphrey."
Most of Amsterdam was shut down on New Years Day but Nate and Mackenzie didn't mind staying in bed for the day. They found some old sitcom reruns to watch and snacked on whatever food they had left in the apartment. They didn't even really get dressed - Mack was still in a big tshirt and some pajama shorts while Nate was in a pair of sweats and one of his big cardigans.
Mackenzie spent a lot of the day distracted by the new piece of jewelry on her hand. They traded ideas about what a wedding might look like for them, deciding only on the fact that a summer wedding was best. Likely not this upcoming summer, since Nate was going to be in full campaign mode, but next summer instead. Mackenzie considered that left them plenty of time to plan but the entire idea seemed daunting suddenly.
Nate Archibald, Vanderbilt family heir, had a big reputation and she worried their wedding had a lot to live up to.
Mackenzie was sitting up in the bed, resting against the headboard while Nate laid his head against her lap. She ran her fingers through his dishevelled brunette locks, smiling every time he hummed happily at her touch.
"This is such a stupid old fashioned thing but did you ask my dad? About marrying me?" Mackenzie asked quietly. Truthfully, it didn't matter. And it really was an archaic thing. Nate didn't need Rufus' permission to marry his daughter and he knew Mackenzie didn't need her father's approval, either.
Nate rotated and looked up towards her. "Of course I did. I talked to him after Christmas dinner. He had nothing to protest and he even hugged me."
"Rufus has really taken to hugging lately, hasn't he?" Mackenzie laughed along as Nate told her about their conversation.
"I told Jenny and Dan, too. Surprisingly, it was Jenny who seemed the most apprehensive. She gave me a thorough warning about taking care of you and treating you properly."
Mackenzie rolled her eyes but she was still laughing. "And to think I consider myself to be the dramatic sibling."
"Hey, they just care about you. About us. It's nice."
She nodded in agreement. "It is nice." Mackenzie took in a deep breath. "Speaking of nice.. Should we talk about your mother and how she probably feels about this?"
Nate sighed, pulling himself up to sit beside Mackenzie. He took her right hand in his left, squeezing hard. "After what happened at Christmas, I'm sure the Captain sat her down and had a big discussion. She'll come around."
Mackenzie pursed her lips. "I don't think I have anything to apologize to your mother for but it feels like she's going to hold this grudge against me forever. I know people don't get along with their in-laws but the last thing I want is for her to just resent me."
"Mack, please. The ball is in my mother's court here. You didn't do anything wrong - especially to her. She's just being overprotective and frankly I'm embarrassed about the whole thing. She knows how I feel about you and she has known for a long time that you were going to be in my life forever. So she's the one who needs to apologize and figure her shit out, not you."
Mackenzie just offered a complacent smile. Of course Nate was right - it did make her feel a smidge better just knowing he was so certain about the future of her relationship with Anne Archibald. It was overwhelming none-the-less.
Nate noticed she was getting lost in her thoughts. "Hey - where did you just go?"
Mackenzie shook her head, letting a smile grow on her face as she looked over at Nate.
Nate, her fiance.
Nate, her fiance! There would be a time in her future where she would say husband and then maybe even the father of my children.
"Just trying not to spiral as I think about the future. Our future. But that's not really a bad thing, don't worry." She reached over and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, pulling him in close towards her and down to lay horizontally on the bed.
Nate shuffled to straddle her waist. "I've been thinking about the future, too. Because after a wedding comes a honeymoon."
"You're thinking about a future vacation while we're on vacation?" Mackenzie giggled as Nate's hands roamed across her body.
"I'm thinking about a private beach under the hot sun, lounging around with my wife.." He said slowly, pausing to shrug out of his sweater. He stretched out his arms then trailed them up her torso underneath her t-shirt.
Mackenzie bit her lip. "Sorry - can you say that last part again? Lounging around with your.."
A coy smile crossed Nate's face and he leaned down, moving his hands further against her skin and hovering just above her lips. "My wife."
Mackenzie whimpered into his kiss, lips crashing together like they hadn't just spent the entire morning in bed doing this already. As if they hadn't spent a lot of time horizontal during the last week, either. She didn't mind - not at all. Nate whispered plenty of inappropriate things as he kissed her and explored her and touched her.
This time it felt different though - it felt like more, it felt especially substantial and purposeful. It felt like a promise.
The plane ride home was certainly bittersweet. Even though they hadn't been planning that vacation for a long time, to see it come and go so quickly left both Mackenzie and Nate feeling a bit deflated.
Mackenzie slept for most of the trip and when she woke up, she watched Nate rapidly typing and scrolling through any emails he may have missed during his break. She had been pretty impressed he let himself be so disconnected though she couldn't fault him for wanting to play catch up now.
"Everything okay?" Mackenzie leaned over and pressed a kiss to Nate's cheek, glancing down at his screen.
"Mostly, yeah," Nate replied with a long sigh. "Leo managed fine without me. There's just.." His lips tightened into a straight line and he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
Mackenzie raised an eyebrow at his change in tone. "What's going on?"
He shifted to look towards her, pausing to look to the chairs ahead and behind them. He lowered his voice as he started to explain. "A few weeks ago, we started a thorough investigation into Richard Peterson."
Mackenzie shook her head. "The Congressman?"
Nate nodded but continued on. He launched into the brief story about how he printed some information about Peterson last year - the big legal mess his grandfather had to bail him out of. Mackenzie did her best to follow but she felt like he wasn't telling her something.
"Nate," she started quietly. "What's really going on?"
He chewed on his lower lip for a brief moment then carried on. "Peterson has a few different businesses under his umbrella and we did some digging into him. Do you remember when that delivery truck crashed into the warehouse? That company has a location out in Red Hook. One of Peterson's brothers owns the property."
"I'm guessing that isn't a coincidence."
Nate huffed out a quiet laugh. "Neither is the fact that the storage and maintenance company that takes care of my company plane operates on the same block, too."
Mackenzie's eyes grew wide. "Nate! Your plane? That's-
"I know, I know." Nate grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb against her palm. "We've switched our service company and storage to a different location now. It's just becoming more and more clear that Peterson is still mad about what happened and seems to have an issue with The Spectator, too."
"And you think investigating him further is going to stop all that!?"
"I'm hoping it will put him in jail, actually. Vanessa put me in touch with some of his former interns and -
"You trust Vanessa as a source?"
Nate sighed. "Yes. I do. She has nothing to gain from being dishonest with me."
Mackenzie pursed her lips. She so appreciated Nate's moral compass and his integrity. He poured his heart and soul into producing valuable, honest journalism but this entire situation wasn't sitting well. "Nate." She squeezed his hand and shut her eyes. "This just feels risky or dangerous or something." She brushed her tongue across her lips and leaned in closer to look at him. "You'll be safe, right? Through all of this?"
"Yes, of course," Nate responded, tugging her hand closer so he could kiss her hand. "My entire legal team is involved to make sure everything is by the books. I just need to get buy in from the board before we really press forward but this is big. It could really lay the foundation for The Spectator's future as a news resource."
Mackenzie still had a million questions about it but she decided to swallow them down and let him return to his laptop. She had a worrisome feeling in the pit of her stomach and it wasn't going to go away for a long time. Maybe never. This was only one part of Nate's entire career and she knew that jumping into politics was going to be just as complicated and controversial at times.
She laid back in her chair once more and hoped to just sleep for the rest of their trip back to New York. She'd have to face that monster of fear and security another day.
The minute their plane touched down on the ground in New York, Mackenzie was calling Jenny to tell her about the engagement news, even though it was nearly midnight. Mackenzie was incredibly nervous the news would leak out in some other way so she wanted to make sure at least her sister knew before she heard about it from anyone else.
Then, they collected their luggage, grabbed a taxi and headed home. The time change was going to mean a few days of adjusting and getting back to normal but more than anything, Nate and Mackenzie were both looking forward to crawling into their own bed.
Morning came quickly - mainly because Mackenzie's phone was buzzing again and again and again. She muttered a few profanities as she rolled over in bed. Nate did the same thing and grabbed his own phone, which was also buzzing.
"Oh shit," Nate muttered quickly through his yawn. "Page Six."
Mackenzie let out a low groan as she looked over at her phone. She had been pretty relieved that her disagreements with Nate and the issues at the loft with Maya had been swept under the rug entirely by anyone outside of their circle. Yet, one pause at the luggage carousel in JFK - where it was very clear Mackenzie was displaying a shiny piece of jewelry on her left ring finger - seemed to have been caught by someone and a photo had been shared.
And shared and shared and shared.
"Tell me again why news about our engagement matters to the people of New York?" Mackenzie was very awake now, scrolling through missed text messages on her phone. She felt a pang of guilt when she saw texts from her dad and Dan and Serena and Viv - people she would have preferred delivering the news to in person.
Nate just sighed. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek then climbed out of bed, phone at his ear. "Hey dad.. yes, we had a great trip…" His conversation floated away as he left the bedroom, following a curious Max towards the kitchen for some breakfast.
Mackenzie, meanwhile, continued to stare down at her phone. She fired off a few responses to the texts sitting in front of her, expressing her sheer excitement and gratitude for the support. But her eyes kept going right back to that dumb Page Six photo.
"...Archibald has only been with Mackenzie Humphrey since September so some might speculate this engagement is a political move leading up to his mayoral campaign. But it would be untrue to say we aren't excited to see what this wedding will look like! Archibald is the Editor In Chief and…"
Mackenzie had to remind herself this is what she signed up for. Being connected to Nate didn't come without stupid things like this - he was part of an infamous Old Money family and this was only the beginning. She took a deep breath and finally put her phone down, making her way towards the shower to start her day.
When she was finally dressed, she met Nate in the kitchen where he had already poured her a coffee. He had his laptop open on the counter in front of him, clearly starting his work day even before the sun was up.
"My dad wants us to come over for dinner this week," Nate said with a smile. "To celebrate."
"Oh. And what does your mom want?" Mackenzie countered with a laugh, running a hand through her hair before resting her chin on Nate's shoulder. "Dinner sounds great. Uncomfortable, sure. But we may as well try and get past this."
Nate smirked. "Well, aren't you diplomatic."
"Didn't you hear?" She paused to raise her left hand up. "This ring is only weighing my hand down because I want to be First Lady one day."
He rolled his eyes and turned to face her. "Don't believe the garbage on Page Six, Mack." He reached for her hand and held it in his. "I know you're only marrying me for my body, anyway."
She broke into a playful smile and closed in the space between them. "You caught me."
Mackenzie left soon after - she had a long day ahead of catching up on her work emails and sorting things out for her upcoming trip. She was so grateful to have spent so much time with Nate over the holidays but she knew it would be good to get back into a routine. Though she had only been running the Bass Foundation for a few months, she was looking forward to a fresh year with some big fundraising opportunities and a wealth of new events.
In fact, she wanted to look at her entire life with a renewed purpose in the New Year. She was never the type to have resolutions or goals but considering how different her life was now versus a year ago, she had a lot of gratitude and appreciation for what the future could bring.
Working at the foundation was fulfilling - perhaps it wasn't what she thought she might be doing but it did give her a sense of purpose. She often wondered what five years in the future looked like - if she was still going to be running the foundation or perhaps moving on to bigger things. That was something she and Chuck hadn't discussed but she knew he would be understanding if she ever moved on.
The day flew by - between cleaning up her inbox and reviewing year end financials, she hardly came up for air. By the time evening rolled around, she was racing to catch a cab to make it to the Bass Industries building before the board meeting. Mackenzie sat on the board as a representative of the foundation, but had no voting authority. She mainly attended to give an update on their financials and upcoming media opportunities.
Mackenzie hurried into the board room, shrugging off her coat and sliding into a chair near the end of the table. Chuck smiled at her from the other end of the room before he got started. The meeting was pretty uninteresting - mostly a review of their last financial audit and a recent quarterly report, focusing on their growth in the construction sector.
As the meeting wrapped, Mackenzie stayed in her seat and accepted a short glass of whatever Chuck was drinking. He dropped into the seat beside her and raised his glass. "I hear congratulations are in order?"
Mackenzie blushed and clinked her glass, laying her left hand out on the table. "I'm taking your best friend off the market."
Chuck grinned, genuinely. "Good. The Cut can take him off their eligible bachelors list finally." He exhaled sharply and raised an eyebrow. "But I take it there is a reason why you haven't rushed home to your fiancé."
Mackenzie nodded and took a deep breath. "I want to know why you're meeting with The Meadows Group next week." It had been one of the points mentioned in Chuck's pipeline update - some sort of new strategy plan he was trying for acquisitions.
Chuck pursed his lips. "Because Timothy Meadows is majority shareholder at our main equipment processing plant and it makes financial sense to consider purchasing."
"You realize his wife is Carolyn Meadows? Representative on the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association?"
"I'm well aware. Why are you repeating her resume to me?" Chuck stood up, trying to hide his annoyance with Mackenzie's questions.
"Chuck." Mackenzie turned and watched as he moved around the room. "Bass Industries should not be in bed with the NRA."
Chuck laughed as he started to collect his things. "C'mon Mackenzie. You realize this is a business I'm trying to run, correct? A financial alignment doesn't mean Bass Industries is in bed with the National Rifle Association." He stilled and narrowed his gaze. "Where is this coming from?"
Mackenzie let out a long exhale. Truthfully, she had been thinking a lot about the unnecessary gun violence she had experienced in her lifetime and she was starting to think better things could be done. It was a conversation she had with Nate already - about gun regulations and reform. She was grateful they were on the same page with their ideals - though she doubted the rest of Nate's right leaning family felt the same way.
This is coming from being in a school shooting! And from your psycho ex-finance guy holding us at gun point! And being robbed in the middle of the night - at gun point! And facing off with Maya - at gun point!
She took a deep breath.
Chuck grabbed his folio from the table. "Just trying to dive in and be a worthy politically adjacent wife to Nathaniel?"
Mackenzie scoffed and stood up. "No. That's not fair and you know that. I just think the Bass Industries reputation could always use some strengthening and aligning with strong supporters of the NRA could send a certain message."
"Listen, Mackenzie. I appreciate your opinion - truly. But this is just a preliminary meeting and discussion. I assure you the Bass Industries communications team can direct us with guiding our reputation. It doesn't really involve the Foundation."
Mackenzie bit her tongue and chose her words carefully as she continued. "I just want to make my position here clear. And despite what you think, everything Bass Industries does reflects the foundation. In fact, last year we directly funded nearly fifty thousand dollars to help domestic violence victims. Not to mention one of The Haven's values is to create a safe space and community to keep kids out of street gangs and -
"Mackenzie." Chuck's tone was losing any playfulness as he looked towards her. "I'm fully aware of what my foundation does. I understand your apprehension and like I said, I appreciate your opinion. But for the time being, please leave this alone." He swept across the room and paused in front of her, offering a smile once more. "Congratulations again. I'm sure Blair will want to have you two over soon to celebrate - Henry will be over the moon." He reached for his buzzing phone, face flat. "If you'll excuse me."
Mackenzie sat alone for a few minutes after Chuck left, trying to unpack the unusual sense of anger that he stirred up in her. Maybe that hadn't been the right time for the conversation to occur but she didn't like Chuck's condescending tone. She finally glanced at her own phone and saw a message from Nate explaining he needed to stay late at the office. She wasn't the least bit surprised by that.
She also had a message from Viv inviting her out for drinks. Truthfully, Mackenzie was pretty emotionally wiped and didn't think midweek drinks were the best idea. But she also didn't want to go home to an empty apartment without Nate, either. So she confirmed plans with her friend and headed out.
Nate's entire day breezed by - not in a good way but in a draining, incredibly productive way. For months now, he kept thinking about how January is when things were going to pick up. Turns out he wasn't wrong - between the Peterson investigation and the normal workload of a political news resource, things were already feeling busier than he anticipated. He was grateful for Leo and his team in Washington who were spearheading most of the grunt work but he knew he was going to be thrown into the thick of it again soon enough.
Plus, Kenneth was starting their weekly meetings again and really starting to mold what the spring and summer were going to look like before his official campaign launch.
It was a lot.
On top of that, planning a wedding. At least that was something enjoyable to think about.
Nate took a sip from his now cold coffee cup on his desk then leaned back in his chair, reaching to loosen his tie. He had so many things to tackle before he could head home yet he was already pretty checked out. A knock at the door proved to be enough of a distraction and he welcomed whomever was on the other side in.
He was surprised to see his grandfather waltz in, shutting the door tightly behind him.
"Nathaniel." William's greeting came out in a less-than-warm manner, smiling just enough to prove himself human as he sat down across from Nate's desk. "I hope you don't mind me popping in."
Nate sighed and shook his head. He gently closed his laptop and leaned forward onto the desk, offering a smile to his grandfather. "Yeah, no problem. Just saying hello?" Nate knew very well his grandfather didn't just pop in.
"I wanted to deliver my congratulations in person on your engagement," William responded, extending one leg over the other and crossing his hands in his lap. "I'm so glad to see you with someone who makes you happy."
"Oh, I was under the impression you didn't think Mackenzie was suitable for me." Nate pushed his tongue along his lips, pursing them together and raising an eyebrow.
"Now, I never said that. She made quite the impression on Cherry so I know she must be a good one."
It did warm Nate's heart to know that his grandmother liked Mackenzie. But he knew this visit was not a social call.
"What's this really about?"
William choked out a brief laugh and shook his head. "I had lunch with Mr. Whitehall today and he mentioned something about a story you're working on about a Congressman." Nate sighed as his grandfather continued. "I understand you might have the buy in of Whitefall and the rest of the board but Nathaniel, I think you're making a grave mistake with this investigation."
"I have plenty of reason and evidence that -
"Nathaniel." William shifted and leaned forward, slapping one of his hands onto the top of Nate's desk. "If this story derails, your political future would disappear. You barely have your foot in the door and your numbers with the current voters has you only marginally ahead. You need to think this through."
Nate sighed and shook his head again. "I have thought this through - for a long time. He's the reason why there was damage to our printing house, he's the reason my plane malfunctioned and -
William waved a hand to cut him off. "I understand that. I do. You are treading on very thin ice here. This is the only time I will warn you - you can't just worry about yourself and this publication and website anymore. Your future is at stake and I don't mean just politically. You have your future wife to worry about, too."
Nate muttered a few choice words under his breath as his grandfather finally left. He leaned back in his chair again, twirling a pen between his fingers.
Everything he did he considered Mackenzie and their future together. The future of their relationship, their future children and family. That was always at the forefront. For his grandfather to suggest otherwise left a twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. Nate firmly believed in his moral compass - he trusted when necessary and did his research when it was most important. This investigation felt like the right thing to do - morally and ethically. He needed to prove that and he knew he was going to.
He reached for his phone, dismissing the notifications that had popped up. Instead, he smiled at the background image on his homescreen - the selfie he had taken with Mackenzie while they were skating down the canal.
That had been a perfect moment, something he wanted to etch into his mind and heart forever.
You have your future wife to worry about, too.
