Note: We learned a few weeks ago that Mackenzie grew up in Hartford. For the sake of the story, and because I don't want to go back and edit my previous chapters, we're going to pretend that her parents moved after she left for college. Okay? I chose Groton in the first place because there's a naval/submarine base there. So anyway…on with the story…

Morning came and Mackenzie was awake bright and early. The guest room she was staying in faced east and the morning sun was shining warmly through her window. She was in a considerably better mood than she had been the day before. With Rod's words still swirling in her head, she resolved to forget about Sarah's ignorance. If she got the chance, she knew she would prove her wrong.

Mackenzie looked at the clock on the wall, it was 7:30, and with a sly little grin, she slinked out of bed, opened the bedroom door slowly so it wouldn't creak, and tip-toed down the hall to Rod's room. He was still asleep, just as she had suspected he would be. She climbed into his bed and nuzzled her nose against his cheek until he began to stir. Then she leaned into his ear and whispered, "I love you too."

She had been unable to respond the night before, first because of her initial surprise and then because they were interrupted by Meagan beckoning them back into the house for dessert.

Rod's eyes opened slowly and he smiled that sweet beautiful smile that Mackenzie so adored.

"I know," he bragged charmingly as he inched closer and kissed the bridge of her nose. "I'd give you a real kiss, but I'm afraid I have morning breath."

"Well, go brush your teeth and get your butt back in here," she joked.

"Oh, hell," he said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her with all the warmth and passion he could convey.

By 8:30, the two were saying goodbye to the Calloway family, and by 9:30, hello to the Allen family.

"Oh, I thought you'd never get here," Kate exclaimed as she furiously hugged her only child. "Mackenzie, you're skinny as a rail. Have you been eating right?"

Without so much as a breathe, she turned to Rod, "She gets so caught up in her work sometimes, she forgets to take care of herself. You must be Rod. Aren't you a cutie?"

She took Rod's arm and ushered him into the house. Mackenzie couldn't help but smile. Her mother suffered from Tell-It-Like-It-Is syndrome, but it was one of the things she loved most about her.

Kate led the couple into the den and motioned for them to sit. She disappeared for a moment and reappeared with three mugs of hot chocolate. "Michael had to run to the supermarket for me. He should be back shortly."

Mackenzie was excited to see her father. He was a navy admiral and on her last few visits home, he had been working offshore.

Rod, on the other hand, had been a little apprehensive. After all, this was a man who had made a career out of the military. And let's face it, that type of man, though highly respected and revered, were secretly feared by many. Especially by the boy who is dating his only daughter. He now, however, considered the fact that this was also a man who shared his life with two truly wonderful women. 'He can't be all bad,' he thought and his nerves were calmed.

Note from the author: I've been stuck right here for several weeks. I was trying to keep this story going on a good timeline, but I get so hung up on the day-by-day stuff, so I'm skipping ahead. Future stories will likely have more of a time gap between them as well. I'd really much rather write about the important moments in their lives than the everyday.

Mac was never, by any means, an extravagant person. She drove a Toyota and owned only one set of real diamond earrings (a gift from her father upon graduation from college), all her makeup fit into a small cosmetic bag, and more room in her closet was dominated by tennis shoes than high heels. What heels she did possess, however, were likely to be Manolo's. That was Mackenzie Allen's extreme downfall: when it was time for the jeans and t-shirts to be replaced with slacks and sleek jackets, the designer junkie in her emerged. Prada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana…she just couldn't help herself, and tonight was no exception.

It was New Year's Eve, and Mackenzie stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom. It was the first time she and Rod would be attending a semi-formal event and she wanted to blow his mind. The dress was a Donna Karan: short, black, and strapless. Long, auburn, loosely-curled tendrils fell over the chiseled shoulders she'd developed by rowing 5 days a week. And her strappy black heels, she thought, would bring her even closer to Rod's lips.

She glanced at the clock: 7:30. They had dinner reservations at 8:00, and Rod should be arriving any minute. Mac stood at her living room window and peered down into the parking lot for a few minutes. No Rod, so she took a seat on the couch and flipped on the television. After searching through the channels, unsuccessfully, she again glanced at the clock: 8:00. Well, they were now late for dinner and Mackenzie was beginning to get worried. She called Rod's apartment and got no answer. She started pacing the floor, looking out the window every few minutes to no avail. By 9 o'clock, she was angry, and when her phone rang at 9:30, she contemplated not answering. She did, however, only to find that it was Carl.

Carl had been Mackenzie's best friend since childhood. They grew up together, attended college together, and shared that special moment when they both found out they'd been accepted to Yale Law School.

"What are you doing at home?" he asked. "The party started over an hour ago. I thought you'd be here by now."

"I did too. It appears that I've been stood up."

"I'm sure there's a good explanation." Carl paused; he really hoped there was a good explanation. "Are you still dressed? I'm coming to get you."

He hung up, not even waiting for a reply. He knew if he did, she would come up with a thousand excuses not to go.

Within 10 minutes, Carl was at her door and the two of them headed off to the big New Year's Eve party.

At 11:45 Rod was franticly knocking on Mackenzie's door. She didn't answer. He knew she must be furious with him, but he absolutely had to talk to her, to apologize to her. A neighbor, angry from being roused by his pounding, shouted, "She's not there. She left with some guy. It looked like there was a hot party somewhere."

'Some guy,' Rod thought. What guy? He bolted downstairs and jumped in his friend's car. "We've got to get to Summer Green Country Club."

Upon arrival, Rod rushed through the door, running smack into Carl Brantley. "Oh, hey, have you seen Mac?"

"Yeah, she's in the bar," he said, pointing towards the back of the club. Carl could see the anxiety in Rod's eyes and knew that there truly was a good explanation for him not being there this evening.

With a pat on Carl's shoulder, he began to shove his way through the crowd of people gathered in the dance hall. When he'd gotten about halfway across the room, he could see Mackenzie sitting at a table in the bar next to a guy with his arm around her shoulders. He froze and his stomach fell to the floor.

Midnight had almost arrived and the people around Rod began the ritual countdown. This startled him and he took off in a near sprint towards the bar. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down swinging.

5...4…3…2…

He reached Mackenzie, grabbing her hand and pulling her way from this guy, whoever he was.

1…

He put his hands on either side of her face, pressed his forehead to hers, and whispered, "I'm sorry." Without even a second's pause, he kissed her. A New Year's kiss is supposed to reveal who you will spend the next year of your life with. This kiss revealed to them both who they wanted to spend every year of their lives with.

When they finally broke, Mackenzie noticed that Rod was in jeans and a polo shirt. He looked nice, but not quite up to par with the rest of the guests. And though her anger had melted with the kiss, she couldn't help but ask, "Where the hell were you?"

"I took your mom jewelry shopping," he explained. "I wanted to get you a gift. Something you could wear tonight, but I never see you wear much jewelry. I thought your mom might know what you'd like, so I drove out to your parents' place and we went shopping."

Rod pulled a black box from his back pocket and lifted the lid to show off a diamond studded circular pendant on a silver rope chain. "The jeweler said that circles symbolize eternal love."

Mac's eyes became teary. At that moment, he appeared so innocent, so adorable, like a teenager talking to their first love. How could she have been so mad? How could she have thought he would stand her up?

Then she began to wonder, "That's what took you all night?"

"Not exactly," he further explained. "I took your mom home while the jeweler put an inscription on the back for me." He turned the pendant over. 'For Mackenzie; All My Love, Rod' it said.

"On my way back here, my car broke down. I looked under the hood, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong." Again, he had something to show her: a smudge of grease on his wrist as proof. "I sat on the side of the road for hours waiting on a tow truck. When I finally got to a mechanic's, I called everyone I knew trying to find someone who was actually home on New Year's. My friend Roger came and picked me up. I told the mechanic I would call him in the morning and Roger took me straight to your apartment. That's when one of your neighbors told me you were here and I rushed over." He took a quick breath and continued, "By the way, who's the guy? Your neighbor said you left with 'some guy'." He motioned to the man who had previously had his arm around Mac's shoulders.

"Well, that's my friend Mike," Mackenzie said, "but Carl's the one that brought me here."

Rod was incredibly relieved. "He's your friend?" he asked. "Yes, my friend," she replied with a sly smile, knowing exactly what he meant.

He'd rushed into the party so frenetically that he hadn't even noticed how amazing she looked. He certainly noticed now. Holding on to her finger tips, and stepping back to get a good look, he exclaimed, "My goodness, Mackenzie Allen, you are gorgeous!"

She blushed. "I'm not going to lie. I was looking forward to see you in a suit, but this is cute too," she said as she ruffled his hair.

"Oh, I know, I feel really out of place."

"Well, let's get out of here and go where you'll feel more comfortable." Mackenzie took his hand and they started to leave.

He halted suddenly, "But then you won't fit in."

"I know of a place we'll both fit in. I promise. Come on."

Rod again halted when they reached the door. "Uh, Mac, you said you came with Carl?"

"Yeah," she replied, a bit confused.

"That means neither of us have a car."

"Well then," she sighed as she bent down and removed her shoes, "I guess we'll have to walk."

"Okay," he shrugged.

They walked and talked about more of the details of Rod's night. In the time that he had been dating Mac, he had come to realize that the rest of the world seemed to disappear when she was around. This was, of course, why he never noticed that they were heading straight for her apartment building.

Once inside, Mac tossed her shoes in the general direction of her bedroom, not really caring where they landed, only glad to be out of them. Rod wasn't sure whether she'd brought him here for a reason or simply because it was the closest place, being that they didn't have a car available. He didn't really care. His hormones where still racing from that kiss, so he wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her again, hoping to jump-start her hormones as well. If he could have read her mind, he would have known they didn't need jump-starting. As they kissed, she pulled off his shirt while he unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. They made their way through the pitch black apartment to Mackenzie's bedroom; kissing, touching, leaving a trail of clothing behind them.