Hey babes! Back with a fun-filled Christmas fic for you all. This wasn't the fic I originally intended to write, my friend Cassie can attest to that, but then this idea entered my mind and wouldn't leave until I wrote it. So here you go.
A little accidental baby acquisition fic for you, filled with lots of MacRiley flirting and domestic moments. This is chapter one and chapter two will be up tomorrow.
Enjoy!
Ever since she got back from her undercover op to save Mac from the last remaining nanobots inside his system, things have been…slow for the two of them. It's completely on purpose, though. Because as much as she would love to just jump right into a relationship with Mac, she can't yet. Yes, they kissed right before she left, and she did admit to loving him, but she needs some more time.
Things were tough while she was undercover, and she needs to know she's in a good place mentally before she considers starting a relationship with Mac. He means way too much to her to start anything without thinking it through.
They have been spending a lot more time together, though, getting back into the groove of their friendship that somewhat ended up on the back burner for a while. Not on purpose, of course, but life happens.
Thankfully, they're back in a better place and things are starting to feel like they once did. She loves every second that she gets to spend with Mac, and she's grateful that he's not pushing her or constantly asking her if she's ready to move forward. She knows that they'll get to that point eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later, but she's not quite there yet.
Of course, it doesn't stop Mac from sending flirty comments her way every chance he gets. Or from letting his hands linger for a few seconds longer than they probably should whenever they're near each other. She can't say she hates it, though. If anything, she sees it as a sneak peek as to what a life with Mac could look like, him being incredibly attentive and sweet. She honestly enjoys it, and she knows that he knows she notices the extra attention he gives her.
Thankfully, it hasn't been a problem yet, especially on missions. Deep down she knows that they're both able to keep things professional, but it doesn't stop that little voice in the back of her head from nagging that things will start going wrong on ops if they start dating. The last thing she wants, or needs, is for her relationship with Mac to cause problems for them professionally.
So far, they've been successful in keeping things calm and relaxed. Though their current mission is truly testing her resolve. There's just something about seeing Mac in an all-black suit that does something for her. She can't quite put her finger on it, but she's always enjoyed seeing him in one.
"Riles?"
She's pulled out of her head by Mac's voice in her ear, trying to get her attention. "Sorry. What?"
"Everything okay?"
She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. What do you need?"
"A clear path. I managed to sneak away from the party, so I need you to guide me through this maze of a building."
"Right, on it." She quickly and easily pulls up the schematics for the building, finding Mac's location so she can talk him through the best path. She's grateful to not have any other distractions right now while she guides Mac to his destination.
It's just the two of them on this mission, something that's been happening more often since they cut ties with the government and she got back from her undercover op. She's not sure if it's entirely on purpose on Matty's end, or if it's just a coincidence that it ends up that way. Either way, she doesn't mind. She enjoys being on missions one-on-one with Mac. They've always worked well together, and she's beyond grateful that that hasn't changed.
"Alright, I'm here," Mac tells her as he reaches the room after very little trouble.
It's a pretty simple job, something they've grown used to over the past months of taking whatever odd jobs come their way. It's not at all what they used to do, but she's fine with it. These new jobs they take are significantly less stressful. But that doesn't mean there's no stress at all.
Riley shifts in her chair from her setup in a motel room across the street from the building Mac's in as she keeps a close eye on the cameras at the party. "If you've got the package, you need to hurry up and get out of there, Mac. I think the party is coming to a close."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my—"
Her eyes go wide when his voice cuts off and she sits forward in her seat, her whole body tensing up. "Mac? Hey, are you still there? Talk to me, please." Her heart beats a little faster when she doesn't hear an immediate response, leaning closer to the screen as if it'll help the situation.
"I got the package."
Riley lets out a breath of relief, leaning back in her chair and running a hand through her hair. "Don't scare me like that, Mac."
"Sorry. You know I'd never do it on purpose. I just…I don't think the woman who hired us was as forthcoming about the package as they should have been."
Riley's brows furrow. "What are you talking about?"
"You'll see when I get there."
"Um…okay? So how much longer is that going to be?"
"Should be there in a few minutes."
"Copy that." She taps a few buttons on her keyboard and then leans back in her chair again. She spins a little, still keeping an eye on the cameras, even though Mac is on his way back, just in case. They truly never know what will happen on a mission. Things can go wrong at the very last second and she has to be ready for anything.
A loud, sharp knock on the motel room door makes her jump, a hand flying to her chest. She narrows her eyes in the direction of the door and then stands from her chair to move toward it. She knows it's going to be Mac on the other side since she'd made sure when she booked the room that no one would be disturbing them, so she's fully ready to reprimand him for nearly giving her a heart attack.
When she pulls open the door she stops short, mouth open with the words dying on her tongue. Her gaze drifts down to the bundle being held a little haphazardly in Mac's arms, her eyes going wide. She looks back up at him and points. "Is that…?"
Mac lets out a breath and nods. "Yeah. Apparently, the package we were sent to pick up was a baby. A baby boy, to be exact."
Riley opens and closes her mouth a few times, her gaze landing on the baby once again, taking in the whole image of Mac holding the small child. It makes her heart jump, but she pointedly ignores that for the time being. The main focus right now should be the baby that Mac found on the mission.
Stepping back from the open doorway, she allows Mac into the room and then pushes the door closed behind him. She turns around and takes a few steps into the room, eyes drifting to the baby once again. "So…you found this baby instead of the package?"
"No, I think this baby is the package. We were given pretty vague details, in case you forgot, and there was nothing else in the room. Just this baby. The room was in pretty poor conditions too, and the crib looked like it had seen better days. Plus, the kid's wearing what looks like a pillowcase instead of actual clothes. He looks pretty malnourished too, so I'm not sure how old he is. Thankfully, he's been asleep this whole time."
Riley lets out a breath. "Wow. This is…unexpected, to say the least."
"Yeah. How do you think Matty's going to react?"
Riley shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine."
"Only one way to find out, right?" Mac shifts on his feet, taking a deep breath and glancing down at the baby. "Um…I'm gonna go get out of this suit, do you mind watching him?"
Riley's eyes go wide. "What? I don't know anything about taking care of babies."
"And you think I do? My heart broke when I saw the conditions he was in, but it doesn't mean I know how to look after him. I really need to change, Riles, please."
Riley purses her lips and then sighs. "Fine." She steps closer and carefully takes the baby from Mac, the transfer a little awkward when their arms get caught on each other. But they manage to do it without jostling the baby too much, and then she's left standing in the middle of the motel room by herself with a sleeping baby in her arms.
The door to the bathroom clicks shut, and she focuses her eyes on the baby. He's still sleeping, thankfully, because she doesn't know what she's doing. She's fine with kids who are older and can take care of themselves for the most part, but she has no idea what to do with actual babies. She doesn't know the first thing about taking care of babies, probably why she's never given much thought in the past to being a mom. It's just something she's never been sure she wanted to do.
"Have you been standing there the whole time?"
Looking up, Riley finds Mac stepping out of the bathroom, dressed in regular blue jeans and a dark t-shirt, his clothes from the mission folded neatly in his hands. She swallows, shifting just a little on her feet. "I didn't want to move and risk waking him up."
Mac nods, slipping the clothes into his bag. "Ah. Well, if you'd like, I can take him again. That way you can pack up your gear so we can get out of here."
"Right, yeah." Riley moves across the floor to meet Mac, rising just a little on her toes to start the process of handing the baby back.
Unfortunately, things don't go as well as they did the first time. Before Mac can even get his hands under the baby, the boy wakes up. He looks around before his eyes settle on Riley, his entire face falling and his bottom lip starting to quiver.
Riley's eyes go wide and she immediately pulls the baby boy closer to her body, remembering something she'd seen her mom do years ago when she'd tagged along to meet the baby of one of her mom's friends. She holds the baby firmly up against her shoulder, gently bouncing and swaying from side to side as she rubs and pats the baby's back.
"Wow. You're good at that."
She can feel Mac's eyes on her but doesn't want to look at him, doesn't want to see the look that she's sure is in his eyes. She can't let her mind go there right now. So she keeps her attention focused on the baby, praying that his whimpers don't turn into full-blown crying. "Uh, thanks," she says. "I've never exactly done this before."
"Well, you look like a natural to me."
She finally turns her gaze on his smile. "If you cite natural maternal instincts to me right now…"
Mac chuckles and holds his hands up. "Okay, okay. I won't. But seriously, you're doing better than I was." He's quiet for a moment and shifts on his feet, his brows furrowing slightly. "Do you think he's calm enough to transfer so you can pack your gear?"
Riley shrugs one shoulder. "We can try." She moves forward again, taking a deep breath and lowering the baby from her shoulder. The second she does, one of his small fists shoots out and grabs onto the front of her shirt, holding it tightly. He stares at her with deep brown eyes that feel like they're boring right into her soul. His tiny body curls in against her as she moves, and Riley lets out a heavy sigh.
"What is it?"
Riley looks up at Mac. "I don't think he's going to let go of me."
Mac nods. "Okay. So you'll hang onto him while I pack up your gear."
Riley opens her mouth to protest, but Mac is already moving toward her setup. She trusts him not to break anything, but it doesn't mean she enjoys the idea of someone else handling her gear. She glances down at the baby who's now wide awake and is keeping a death grip on her shirt. "You couldn't have done this after I gave you back to Mac?"
The baby just blinks and continues to stare at her.
"My arms are going to get pretty tired if I have to carry him the whole trip back."
Mac glances at her over his shoulder, brows furrowed slightly as he takes in the information. "Uh, give me one minute." He turns and finishes packing up her gear, surprisingly putting everything back exactly where she would.
Though, she really shouldn't be surprised. Mac's been paying much more attention to her recently, so it stands to reason that he'd be paying more attention to the way she packs her gear too. Other people might not. But other people aren't Mac.
Once Mac is done packing her gear, he sets all the bags they brought with them by the door, and then stops in front of her. He watches her with a slight furrow to his brows and his hands on his hips. Then his eyes dart around the room before the spark of an idea enters them.
"Be right back," he mutters as he steps past her, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he goes. He returns moments later with one of the towels from the bathroom in his hands as he folds it in half lengthwise.
Riley raises a brow at him. "Are you serious?"
He lets out a huff of air. "It's either this or the bed sheet that we both know isn't washed properly."
Riley glances at the single bed in the room and then back at Mac. She nods, shifting closer to him. "Okay, go ahead."
"Thank you." He doesn't say anything more as he works, twisting and folding the fabric carefully around her and the baby. Every so often he'll tap or nudge her arms so she'll move them a certain way so he can create his DIY baby sling. When he's finished, he takes a step back and smiles proudly. "Completely hands-free."
Riley glances down at the finished product, smiling when she realizes the baby has loosened his grip on her shirt now that he's tucked securely against her body. She smiles brightly up at Mac. "It's perfect. But I hope you know you're driving to the airstrip."
Mac chuckles. "I figured as much. Come on." He gestures to the door with his head, and then moves toward, pulling it open just enough to peer outside.
Riley waits for the all-clear before moving to follow him and their bags out the door. She is carrying precious cargo, after all. Even if it's not the type of cargo they originally expected.
.
.
.
Taking the jet back to LA with a baby is an adventure, to say the very least. He gets fussy during take-off but settles back down during most of the flight. He gets cranky once or twice, making her and Mac realize that they have no supplies whatsoever for any of the baby's needs. Thankfully, it's a shorter flight and Riley prays that the baby can hang on until they get back.
Mac sits right next to her the whole time, constantly glancing over whenever the baby makes any kind of noise or movement. Though she can tell that he's trying to be subtle about it.
She loosens the baby wrap Mac made once they're settled on the plane, allowing herself and the baby a chance to relax a bit. But that just makes the baby tighten his grip on her shirt again. Loosening the towel was mostly for her benefit, even though she knows she's going to tighten it again before they land.
Once they do land back at the Phoenix, Matty greets them as soon as they're inside. It doesn't take her long to notice the new body with them.
She simply raises a brow. "Care to explain?"
Riley shares a look with Mac and then focuses back on Matty. "The op didn't go as planned."
Matty cocks her head to the side. "Clearly. You two came back with a baby. I didn't think you were gone that long."
Riley immediately feels the blush creep up her cheeks at the insinuation behind Matty's words and the thought of what she and Mac would have to do to wind up with a baby. "Uh, we think this is what the package actually was that we were sent to get."
"A baby?"
Mac nods from beside her. "Yeah. I was the one who found him, there was nothing else in the room we were told the package would be in."
"So you found a random baby in a room and decided to bring it with you? You didn't think this was someone's baby and they might be looking for it?"
"If they are, maybe this kid will be better off with someone else. You didn't see it, Matty. This kid was living in a dump, and was wearing a pillowcase." His brows furrow as he glances at the baby. "Actually, I think he still is."
"Speaking of the conditions he was found in," Riley pipes in, "there better be someone here who can give him a check-up. We have no idea how old he is or when the last time he was fed was."
Matty nods. "Of course. Go on down to medical, get that little guy looked over. Then come to the war room."
"Will do." Riley spins on her heel and begins making the trek through the halls to go to medical.
She pointedly ignores the looks she gets from various other agents she passes in the halls. Her main focus right now is making sure this kid is okay.
It's a bit of a struggle getting the kid fully checked out, seeing as he starts to freak out whenever Riley tries to peel him off of her. So the doctor does the best she can to examine the baby while he's still attached to her. It's not easy, but they manage.
Once the doctor has run all the tests needed and gotten some nutrition and a few medications in him through an IV that nearly tore Riley's heart out when the kid started screaming and crying from the needle, it's determined that he's just over a year old. He's severely undernourished, though, which is why he's so small.
She cuddles the baby close while he calms down, rubbing his back without the towel sling in the way. The kid had loosened his hold on her somewhat during part of the exam, but now he's back to a death grip on her shirt. She's starting not to mind it, though, if she's being completely honest.
Once she's sure the kid has settled enough, she leaves the lab, taking a sterilized blanket with her to wrap around herself and the kid. She realizes when she's halfway to the war room that she doesn't know how to wrap it into a sling.
Entering the room, she finds Matty, Russ, and Mac standing inside waiting for her. She makes a beeline for Mac, wordlessly holding up the blanket and glancing down at the baby.
Mac just smiles and steps closer, taking the blanket from her and folding it in half. He works quicker than before, wrapping and tucking the blanket around her and the baby until they're secure. He looks at her with a smile, one hand lingering on her shoulder and the other on the baby's back. "All good."
"Thanks." She takes a deep breath and turns to focus her attention on the other end of the room. She listens as Mac recounts what happened on the op, chiming in every so often with things from her point of view, ending with them acquiring the baby and bringing him with them. To be fair, a baby is not the weirdest thing they've ever brought back from an op.
"It's a good thing you got that baby out of those conditions, Mac," Matty speaks up at the end. "Unfortunately, the woman who hired us, probably this kid's mother, was killed when you two were en route back here."
Riley gasps quietly, glancing down at the kid who is finally falling back asleep after an exciting last few hours.
"Do you know who killed her?" Mac asks. "Or why her kid was in a different state?"
Matty sighs. "No, not yet. But I have other agents looking into it."
"So then what's gonna happen to this little guy now that his mom is gone?" Riley asks.
Matty lets out a heavy breath. "Well, Child Protective Services will probably take him and he'll stay in a facility until any of his family, if he has any, can be found and contacted. Unless a foster family wants to take him, and seeing as it's the holiday season, there's a fifty-fifty chance of that happening."
Riley frowns down at the baby who's nearly asleep now. "So there's a chance he'll have to stay in a crowded facility during the holidays?"
"Unfortunately, that is a very real possibility."
Riley runs a hand over the baby's thin layer of blonde hair, the corners of her lips ticking up when he snuggles even further into her hold. Taking a deep breath in, Riley looks back up at Matty. "I'll take him."
Matty raises a brow. "Riley, are you sure?"
Riley nods. "I am. He's just a baby, Matty, he's already been through enough. Besides, we haven't exactly had the best track record of me trying to put him down." She takes a deep breath and stands up a little straighter. "I want to do this, Matty. Please."
Matty's quiet for a moment, watching her, and then she sighs and nods. "Okay. I haven't contacted CPS yet, but if other relatives aren't found by the end of the year, or they don't want to take him, we'll turn him over to the proper authorities."
"Sounds good. So can I go, then?" she asks carefully. "I think this little guy is exhausted after the day he's had."
Matty nods. "Of course. Be safe and let me know if you need anything at all."
Riley offers her a smile. "Will do." She turns on her heel and swiftly makes her way out of the room, walking down the hall toward the entrance. "I want to be very clear about something," Riley says to the sleeping boy as she walks, "I know very little about childcare. So I probably should have thought this through before saying I'd take care of you. It's gonna be a learning experience for both of us." She stops walking and lets out a heavy sigh when a realization hits her. "I don't have a car seat for you. Or anything I'd need to take care of you. And you're not gonna let go of me anytime soon, are you?"
As if on cue, the baby whimpers in his sleep and curls further against her, nuzzling his face against her chest.
She smiles. "Alright, I get it. Guess we'll just have to figure something out, huh?"
"Maybe I can help with that."
Spinning around, Riley smiles when she sees Mac approaching, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Mac, hey. What are you doing?"
He shrugs as he moves closer across the floor. "I wanted to see if I could help. We both know he'll scream if you try and put him down right now, which means you won't be able to drive."
"I'll just call an Uber and then come back to get my car later."
Mac nods slowly. "Yeah, you could. Or…you could let me drive you back to your place. Why spend money on an Uber when you don't have to?"
Riley shakes her head. "No, that's okay. You don't need to do that."
"But I want to, Riley."
She's quiet for a moment, her gaze shifting between Mac and the baby in her arms. She looks back at him and sighs heavily. "Fine."
A smile grows on Mac's lips. "Great. Right this way."
Riley turns a little to follow him through the hallway, fully aware of the heat emanating from his hand on her back to guide her. She does her best to ignore it, though, knowing that she can't fall too deep in the rabbit hole of her feelings for Mac right now. She has a little boy that needs her full and undivided attention.
.
.
.
Walking around her apartment with a baby clinging to her chest, Riley's grateful that she'd already put out all of her Christmas decorations earlier in the month. Because with Christmas only a few days away, there's no way she'd be able to get everything out when this kid refuses to be away from her side. She had to put him down at one point so that his soiled diaper could be taken care of, and she had to have Mac help her hold the kid's arms down while he freaked out.
Now he's back in her arms, thankfully calmed down after what felt like an eternity, and she's trying to get him to go to sleep. She doesn't plan on leaving her apartment with him anytime soon, unsure if she'll be able to get anything done with him not wanting to leave her side. Fortunately, while Mac had been driving them back to her place, she'd had the idea to order a bunch of supplies they'd need for the kid, using a local delivery service that would send someone to the store for them to get everything. She just ordered the bare essentials, figuring it'd be enough to get them by for the time being. They can worry about other things later.
She's no longer carrying the baby in the sling, simply holding him against her shoulder as she gently pats his back while pacing her living room floor. He's so close to sleep now, and she's praying that he'll be fully out in just a few minutes.
Muffled footsteps against the carpet pull her attention and she turns around to see Mac entering the room. She offers him a small smile. "Hey."
He smiles back. "Hey. How's it going in here?"
She lets out a breath, glancing down at the baby who's clearly fighting sleep. "I think he's almost out."
Mac nods, staying quiet for a moment. Then he opens his mouth to speak again, a single word escaping past his lips, "Jason."
Riley's brows furrow slightly. "Jason? Who's…" she trails off and focuses on the baby one more time. "Is your name Jason?"
The baby perks up a little but remains with half-closed eyes and a loosening grip of her shirt.
Riley looks up at Mac. "How'd you find out his name?"
"Matty. She just called with the information they found on the woman who hired us. Jason's her kid. I guess there were problems with her ex, Jason's father, a whole mess of things I won't get into. Desi and Evan are tracking down the people who had Jason to try and get more answers, but I think it's clear what happened. So she asked us to go get him for her. Her death was an accident."
Riley frowns. "That's terrible."
Mac sighs, nodding. "I know. I guess she has parents living in a different state, but she hasn't spoken to them in years. They'll be contacted and told about Jason, to see if they want to take him in."
"For Jason's sake, I hope they want to take him in and that they're good people."
"Yeah, me too. But for now, it's up to us to give this kid all the love and attention he's been missing out on for who knows how long."
Riley smiles at his words. "That's sweet of you, Mac, but you don't have to stay. I said I'd look after Jason and I will, but no one's forcing you to stay."
Mac shrugs. "I know. I want to be here. I'm sure you could do this on your own, but you don't have to."
She's reminded every day why she fell for Mac, and this moment right here is just another piece of that. He never fails to show how much of a genuinely good person he is, though she feels like he always goes the extra mile where she's concerned. Not that she minds.
Riley takes a deep breath and shifts a little on her feet, nodding. "Okay, you can stay. This might be more fun with another adult around, anyway."
Mac smiles. "Glad I can help, then."
Riley smiles back at him and then shifts her attention to baby Jason, letting out a breath of relief when she realizes that he's finally asleep. "Do you mind keeping an eye on him while I go jump in the shower?" she asks, looking up at Mac.
He nods. "Yeah, I've got him."
"Great." She steps over to the portable playpen in the center of the room and then carefully lowers baby Jason into it. She runs a hand over his forehead and then stands back up to move through her apartment.
She's not sure how long Jason will remain sleeping, but she doesn't want Mac to have to deal with the ramifications of the kid waking up when she's not there.
So she showers as quickly as possible, though she does take a moment to just stand there in the warm water, head tilted back as she lets it cascade down her body. For one, very brief moment, she has a flash of Mac standing in the shower with her, a dopey grin on his face, and it startles her. Yes, she's in love with Mac, and maybe she's had one or two steamy dreams about him since their kiss, so she really shouldn't be surprised that that's where her thoughts went. She always manages to pull herself out of those thoughts right in the nick of time, though, never wanting to risk the fantasy outshining the reality.
Finishing up in the shower, she dries herself off and gets dressed in a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, her usual go-to for sleepwear. Well, technically her go-to would be a tank top and no bra, but she can't bring herself to do that right now around Mac. That's a little too risky.
Stepping back into the living room as she's tying off her loose braid, Riley stops short when she sees what's happening in front of her. Mac is standing near her Christmas tree with Jason cradled in his arms, the boy only slightly whimpering. But the part that has her pausing is the fact that Mac is shirtless. Yes, she's seen him without a shirt on before, but it's different this time. He's holding a crying baby against his bare chest, the room has suddenly turned into a sauna, and she's about to start fanning herself if something doesn't change.
Quickly shaking away the feeling, Riley clears her throat quietly, willing her voice to be steady, "Where's your shirt?"
Mac whips around to face her. "Uh, I was trying to use your sink, but didn't realize the faucet was removable."
Riley snickers at the realization, and at the image her mind produces of Mac being startled by her sink. "Yeah, I've been attacked by that thing before. Mostly late at night when I'm half asleep and forget. Then I get water all down the front of my shirt. Not a fun time." She thinks she sees Mac's jaw tighten, and she's fairly certain that his arm muscles tense up too. But she's not one hundred percent sure, so she files it away in the back of her mind. "I take it Jason woke up after the incident with the sink?"
Mac sighs. "Yes. I didn't want to hold him while my shirt was wet, though."
"Good call. Do you have another shirt with you?"
"Unfortunately, no. I may have…forgotten to grab my go-back on our way out of the Phoenix."
Riley just shakes her head and laughs quietly under her breath. "Alright, hang on." She turns on her heel and moves back through her apartment toward her bedroom. She crosses to her dresser and digs through all the drawers, looking for one article of clothing in particular; one that she'll wear on particularly lonely nights but won't admit to doing.
Finding what she needs, she pulls it from the draw and walks back to the living room, finding Mac talking softly to Jason. She can't hear what he's saying, but it still makes her heart swell a little.
Striding across the room, she stops in front of Mac and silently holds the piece of clothing up, waiting for him to realize.
His brows furrow and his head tilts. "Is that my MIT hoodie?" A glimmer of amusement shines in his eyes. "Did you steal that when you moved out?"
She ignores the blush she can feel creeping up her neck, muttering "shut up" under her breath as she tosses the hoodie at him. Thankfully it doesn't hit Jason, though the little boy is so completely engrossed in the lights from the Christmas tree that maybe he wouldn't have noticed if it did.
She watches as Mac sets Jason back down in the playpen, grateful that the baby doesn't seem to be fussing anymore, and then slips the hoodie on. She'd be lying if she said she doesn't miss seeing him shirtless, but it's probably a good thing he's not.
"Do I want to know why you took my hoodie?" Mac asks, pulling her out of her head.
She shrugs. "I forgot I even had that until just now," she lies. She doesn't think he'll mind the fact that she puts it on at night when she misses him so that it feels like he's wrapped around her, but she can't bring herself to say it.
Mac nods. "Gotcha. Well, personally—"
Soft whimpering interrupts whatever Mac is going to say, and they both turn to see Jason on the verge of another breakdown. He's sitting up, his eyes are no longer on the tree, but on them, his tiny bottom lip starting to quiver.
Mac moves forward before she can, leaning against the edge of the playpen and tilting his head. "Come on, little man. We're both right here, you don't need to cry. Riley and I can't spend the whole night holding you, bud."
Riley smiles as she watches Mac talking softly to the young boy, her heart melting at the sight. If he's this sweet with a child he barely knows, then she has no doubt he'll be even sweeter with a child that's his. A little girl with dark curls and wide eyes and a curious imagination just like his. And if the little girl she's picturing in her mind looks a little bit like her, no one else has to know that right now.
"Alright, I think he's gonna be okay, but maybe we should figure out something to do to keep him entertained. I have no idea how to entertain a baby, though."
Riley laughs quietly. "Yeah, neither do I." She tilts her head a bit as she thinks, running different ideas through her mind. "Maybe we could watch a Christmas movie or something," she suggests. "That might be good enough to keep his focus for a bit."
Mac nods. "Okay, yeah, that sounds good. Do you have one in mind?"
Riley shrugs. "Not really. I'll find something, though. Do you want to make some popcorn for us? I should have some in one of the cabinets in the kitchen."
"Sure."
Riley watches him walk into the kitchen and then focuses her attention on the TV. She settles down on the couch with the remote, browsing through the different streaming services available to find something good to watch. Something that might keep Jason's attention for a while so he doesn't scream and cry non-stop.
Several minutes later, she's finally decided on a movie, Mac has returned with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn, and Jason is thankfully still quiet.
She takes the bowl from Mac and sets it in her lap as he sits down next to her, draping a blanket across his lap. She glances over at Jason, just to make sure he really is still okay, and then leans back against the couch as she presses play on the movie.
"What movie did you decide on?" Mac asks her.
She just smiles at him as she pops a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "You'll see."
He simply smiles that smile that makes her heart leap inside her chest. She can't say it for sure, but ever since they confessed their feelings to each other months ago, she's fairly certain that that's a smile only reserved for her. She's never seen him smile at anyone or anything else like that. It makes her heart long for more with him.
But for right now she's content to just be next to him with a bowl of popcorn and care of an infant shared between them.
Waking up to pounding on her door is less than ideal. What's worse is that it wakes Jason up, the little boy now crying because he's upset at being woken up by such a loud noise. She can't say she blames him, she's not a big fan of being woken up by loud noises either.
As she's waking up, it takes a moment for her brain to register where she is, because it's not her bed. Instead, she's pretty sure she's lying on the couch, but there's a hard surface beneath her. Then everything from the night before comes rushing back.
Jason had fallen asleep during the first film, so she and Mac put on Die Hard right after, both of them wanting to feel a little closer to Jack around the holidays. It's always tough not having him around anymore, but the pain has lessened in the few short years he's been gone.
She doesn't remember falling asleep. But what she does remember is leaning her head on Mac's shoulder during the beginning of the movie. She remembers his arm across her shoulders, his hand absentmindedly rubbing her arm, though she's not sure if he was entirely aware of what he was doing. After that it's a bit of a blur.
But if the way she's waking up right now is any indication, then at some point in the night, they ended up fully lying on the couch. Riley is squished between Mac's body and the back of the couch, though her head is resting on his chest and one of her arms is draped across his torso. One of Mac's arms is hanging off the side of the couch while his other is wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her in place.
The intimacy of the situation isn't lost on her. But she doesn't have time to dwell on it because Jason is still standing crying in the playpen and there's another set of loud knocks at the door.
She tries to move, but Mac's arm tightens around her. Under any other circumstances, she'd think it was cute and let herself fall back against him. But they have more pressing matters to deal with.
Rising as much as Mac's hold will let her, Riley hesitates for just a moment before placing a hand on his cheek. She smiles when he leans into the touch, the corners of his lips twitching. "Mac," she says softly, gently patting his cheek. "Mac, hey, I need you to let go of me so I can see who's at the door."
Mac shifts, turning slightly and trapping her more between his body and the couch.
Riley lets out a huff of air, though she's slightly amused at his reaction, and then pushes on his chest. Hard enough to hopefully wake him, but not enough to hurt him.
His eyes slowly open a moment later, blinking as he takes in his surroundings. His eyes land on her. "Morning," he says in that husky, first thing in the morning, voice.
Hearing him sound like that, while she's pressed right up against him, it's a little too much. So she pushes on his chest again and tries to put as much space between their bodies as she can. "I need to go see who's at the door. Can you let go of me?"
He blinks, eyes going slightly wide. "Oh. Sorry." He unwinds his arm and settles back on the couch, allowing her to sit up.
"It's okay," she says, finally pushing herself up off of him and brushing her hair out of her face as she sits back on her heels. She clocks the deep furrow to his brows the moment he realizes Jason is crying. "Do you want to get him while I see who's at the door?" she asks, gesturing with her head to the baby.
Mac simply nods, running a hand down his face as he yawns.
Riley can't help but smile at the sight as she climbs over Mac and off of the couch. She quickly shuffles across the floor when there's another set of loud knocks, flinging it open to find her landlord standing on the other side. "Hey, what's up?" she asks, hoping to keep the annoyance at being woken up out of her voice.
"There's been some mold found in a few other apartments so everyone needs to evacuate."
Riley's eyes go wide. "What?"
"You've got fifteen minutes to get what you need and then you need to be out."
"For how long?" Riley asks when she sees him starting to walk away.
He turns back and shrugs. "Not sure. Hopefully not too long, but we gotta wait for the people to come and check everything out, it could take a while. You've got fifteen minutes," he repeats and then turns on his heel to move on to the next apartment.
Letting out a heavy breath, Riley closes the door and turns around to head back into the living room. She stops in the entryway and watches with a smile as Mac gently rocks from side to side with Jason cradled up against his shoulder. The sight makes her heart ache again, an image of Mac cradling that little girl from her previous daydream passing through her mind again for just a moment.
Forcing herself to stop dreaming about a future child that doesn't exist, Riley steps into the room and stops next to Mac. She smiles at Jason, resting a hand on his head and then pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Can you keep an eye on him for a few minutes?" she asks, glancing up at Mac.
"Sure. Everything okay?"
She shakes her head. "No. That was my landlord at the door, apparently there was mold found somewhere in the building so everyone's gotta get out. I'm gonna go pack a bag with some things, I just don't know where I'm gonna go right now since I don't know how long it's gonna take. What makes it worse is that it's Christmas Eve." She tilts her head with a small smile as she watches Jason stick one of the strings from Mac's hoodie into his mouth. "I guess I could always go stay with my mom, I'm sure she'd love having Jason there. After she gets super confused and asks a million questions."
"You could come stay with me."
Riley looks up at Mac, watching his face carefully. "Really?"
Mac shrugs. "Yeah, why not? I've missed having you around. And I've grown pretty attached to this little guy," he says, gently bouncing Jason in his arms and smiling down at the boy.
Riley raises a brow at him. "You're sure you don't mind?"
Mac just smiles and gently nudges her in the direction of her bedroom. "Go pack your stuff so we can get out of here."
She holds her hands up with a smile as she slowly backs down the hall. "Alright, I'm going. Will you make sure we've got everything we need for Jason packed up?"
Mac nods, shifting Jason in his arms. "Absolutely. Now hurry up."
Riley watches him a second longer before spinning on her heel and walking quickly toward her bedroom. She probably only has a few minutes left until she has to be out of the apartment, so there's no time to waste.
.
.
.
Riley laughs quietly as she watches Mac try and show Jason how to properly hold a plastic spoon so that the little boy can help them decorate some Christmas cookies once they're done in the oven. It didn't take long after arriving at Mac's place that they both came to the same conclusion; Christmas Eve with a toddler means typical Christmas activities. At least, ones that are meant for a small child.
Mac had had a few ideas right away, but Riley vetoed all of them, claiming that they either didn't have the right equipment needed or that Jason simply wouldn't be interested. He is only a year old, after all.
Riley had quickly suggested making and decorating Christmas cookies, something she remembers doing with Jack back when he was dating her mom. Of course, she'd done it all begrudgingly because she wasn't sure how long Jack would stick around for. But the three of them doing the activity together made her mom happy, so she went along with it.
Mac had been completely on board with it after she told him her reasoning. She and Jack didn't make Christmas cookies together after being reunited, for whatever reason, but she's sure the older man would have jumped at the chance if she had brought it up.
So now sharing it with Mac makes the pain of losing Jack hurt a little less. She's sure their mutual friend is happy that she's sharing that piece of herself with someone they both care deeply about.
And with up-beat Christmas music playing through some speakers Mac had lying around, and the kitchen looking like a crazy mess from the cookie making, Riley's glad that she's sharing this too. It makes her heart swell to see Mac gently correcting Jason as he guides him through a practice run of spreading frosting on the cookies. The little boy seems to be trying, but he hasn't quite mastered the spoon yet.
"You know it's okay if he can't figure it out, right?" Riley speaks up from her place standing by the oven, waiting for the cookies to be done.
Mac looks up at her from his place squatting by Jason at the little station they'd whipped up for him on the kitchen floor to decorate. "Yeah, I know. But I think he wants to do it, Riles. He wants to master the spoon so he can spread the frosting like a pro."
Riley just shakes her head, turning around right in time for the oven timer to go off. She removes the tray of cookies and sets them up on the counter before putting the next batch in. They didn't make too many but figured that they could box some of them up and deliver them to various friends and neighbors.
Everyone on their immediate team at the Phoenix will get some cookies, and Parker too, and a few other agents they know fairly well. The Krengel's will get a handful of cookies, and maybe a few others. They didn't exactly have a plan, just needed something fun to do on Christmas Eve.
Quiet grunts pull Riley's attention just as she's resetting the timer and she looks to see Jason bouncing up and down and making grabby hands in the direction of the cooling cookies.
Riley smiles as she approaches the boy and squats in front of him. "You've gotta wait, kiddo. The cookies are still too hot for your adorably tiny hands." She grabs one of Jason's outstretched hands and gives it a quick shake for emphasis, then places a kiss on his tiny knuckles.
Jason just frowns and looks like he's going to cry.
Before the boy gets a chance to let out a single whine, Mac has scooped him up and is holding him firmly against his front. "None of that now, Jason," Mac says sternly but gently. "It's Christmas Eve, I don't want to see any frowns on Christmas Eve. And one of the best ways to make sure there are no frowns is by dancing."
Riley watches as Mac turns up the volume on the music and then begins moving about the room in a way that's supposed to be dancing. Though, she supposes that must be what dancing feels like to a baby; just bouncing and swaying. He seems to be enjoying himself too, a wide smile taking up his tiny face.
Pretty soon, the second batch of cookies is done and out of the oven, and the first batch is cooled down enough that they won't be too hot to touch. She puts a few of them onto a paper plate and then sets it down on the little station for Jason, smiling as she watches Mac spin the boy around the room. She watches for a moment longer before stepping in so they can have Jason decorate the cookies.
"Look at that, Jason," Mac says as he carries Jason back over to his little setup. "Riley put some cookies there just for you." He sets Jason down on the floor and then slides the small bowls of frosting closer to him, then holds out the spoon. "Go to town, buddy."
Jason just smiles as he takes the spoon from Mac and sticks the end of the handle into his mouth.
Riley just snickers and then moves over to the counter to put out some cookies for her and Mac to decorate as well. They can't let the baby have all the fun.
"I don't know why, but it's a little tough for me to imagine Jack decorating Christmas cookies."
The edges of Riley's lips quirk up as she's spreading frosting on another one of her many gingerbread men-shaped cookies. "Well, believe it, because it happened. I'm sure there are pictures somewhere that mom took the first year we did it."
Mac smiles. "If it means I get to finally see pictures of you as a teenager, then I am all for it."
Riley rolls her eyes. "Okay, you've definitely seen pictures of me as a teenager before."
Mac shakes his head as he shakes out a container of sprinkles over one of his Christmas tree cookies. "I definitely have not. You are very particular about not letting anyone see pictures of you when you were younger."
Riley shrugs. "It's not really some big secret about what I looked like back then. I think it's more that it brings up some not-so-great memories sometimes."
Mac nods. "No, I get that. Sometimes looking at old photos can be fun until you remember the hard times they're attached to."
"Pretty much. But hey," she says, lifting her plastic knife in the air and smiling, "at least we made it through and have built pretty good lives for ourselves."
"Yes, that is very true. Silver lining to everything, right?"
Riley nods. "Right."
Loud laughter pulls Riley's attention away from the cookie in her hand and she turns around fully to see whatever Jason's found so funny. She stops short, her jaw dropping open when she sees him covered in different colored frosting. It's all in his hair, spread over his face, coating his hands, and even down his front.
She's not sure whether to laugh or not, though.
"Oh, wow."
Riley nods at Mac's words. "'Wow' is right. I can't believe neither of us predicted this was going to happen."
"I think he got more frosting on himself than the cookies. And I'm pretty sure he knows how cute he is right now."
Riley huffs out a laugh, watching as Jason continues digging his hands in the bowls of frosting, a toothy grin on his face. "What gave you that idea?"
"We should probably clean him up now, though, huh?"
"Probably. Good thing you've got a big enough bathroom, it might take both of us to get him cleaned up." She pushes off the counter and tugs her shirt off over her head, tossing it aside and leaving her in a tank top. She moves forward and lifts Jason into her arms, narrowly managing to avoid frosting-covered hands in her hair. She sighs when his hands land on her chest, though she supposes getting frosting on her tank top is better than getting it in her hair.
Moving toward the hallway that leads to Mac's room and the bigger of the two bathrooms, Riley glances over her shoulder to see Mac watching her with a dazed look in his eyes. "You coming with, Angus? Or are you gonna make me do this all by myself?"
Mac shakes himself out of whatever haze he'd been in and smiles. "Yeah, I'm coming."
Riley smiles back at him and then continues her way to his bedroom, this time getting a face full of frosting when Jason leans forward quickly. A laugh bubbles out of him and Riley can't help but laugh this time. It's really not the worst thing she could have on her in the presence of a baby. So at least there's that.
.
.
.
Gently swaying with Jason cuddled up against her while the baby only has a towel wrapped around him, Riley rests her cheek against the top of his head. She closes her eyes and revels in how great it feels to have this kind of a moment with a child. Everything's so calm and peaceful. Jason's much calmer after the bath, and Riley can't ignore the aching longing in her heart anymore. She wants this. She wants this type of life. And she knows exactly who she wants it with.
She just has to figure out how to tell him that she thinks she's finally ready to give them a real chance. She's sure he won't care how or when she tells him, just as long as he comes back soon with clothes for Jason before she loses her nerve. They'd realized right after the bath that they left the clothes they bought for Jason out in the living room, and Mac had volunteered to grab something comfortable while Riley kept Jason company. But he's taking a little longer than it should to grab a simple pair of toddler clothes.
"Should we go see what Mac's up to?" she asks the little boy in her arms as she looks down at him and smiles softly. She doesn't wait for any kind of response, simply adjusts her hold on him and then moves out of the bedroom to go see what's keeping Mac.
"Hey, Mac? What's taking you so long to—Mom?" She stops short when she sees her mom standing in the entryway with Mac. "What are you doing here?"
"I tried calling but you didn't answer. I went by your apartment and one of your neighbors told me that you left with a blonde guy and borrowed a car seat and portable play pen from her. I came right over here because Mac is the only blonde guy I could think of that you'd be with. Glad to see I was right. Though I am confused and a little concerned about this baby."
"We found him on a mission," Riley explains. "He, uh, his mom…she's gone, so I offered to look after him until any other relatives he might have can be found."
Her mom nods slowly, moving toward them and peering at baby Jason. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You've always had such a big heart. He's adorable." Her mom reaches out and runs a hand down over the boy's head, a smile on her face. "I remember when you were this small. This is such a good age."
Mac snorts. "Yeah, until he gets frosting all over his entire body and then gets water everywhere when we're trying to give him a bath."
Her mom looks between them with a raised brow. "I guess that explains why you're both soaked."
Riley glances down at her tank top and her pants, eyeing the water spots all over the clothes. And then she looks at Mac and sees even more water spots on his jeans and t-shirt. "Yeah, we uh, we had a little trouble. But he's all clean now and ready for some new clothes."
"I can do that for you," her mom says, taking the clothes that Mac is holding. "You two look exhausted, go take a minute to clean up and relax a little."
Riley opens and closes her mouth, looking between her mom and Mac. "Um…okay? I mean…he's gotten kind of attached so I don't know how well he's gonna do once we leave the room."
"I think you mean once you leave the room," Mac says with a smile. "He's way more attached to you than he is to me."
Riley rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Point is, he can be extremely fussy."
Her mom just waves her off and reaches out to take Jason. "I raised you, Riley, I think I can handle a fussy baby."
"I am definitely going to need to hear those stories," Mac says, quiet laughter bubbling up out of him.
Her mom just smiles and then saunters through the house into the living room, cradling Jason close with the boy's clothes hanging from her hands.
Riley stares after them, slightly amazing that Jason hasn't started fussing yet, even though she and Mac are well out of his view.
"I guess we should take this momentous occasion and go change," Mac mutters.
Riley lets out a breath. "Yeah, I guess we should." She turns slightly and looks up at Mac, watching him as he watches her mom and Jason. There's something she can't quite decipher on his face, something that clenches at her heart. Is he imagining her mom holding a little girl that looks exactly like them too? Or is that just her heart being hopeful? Does he still feel the same way about her that he did several months ago? Did he get tired of waiting? Only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath, Riley turns fully toward Mac, waiting a moment longer to gather herself together. "Hey, Mac? Can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure." He turns toward her with that same, soft smile that always makes her heart melt. "What's up?"
She hesitates, staying quiet as she watches him. Then she grabs one of his hands and pulls him along behind her toward his bedroom. She doesn't stop until they're fully in the room, the door closed tightly behind them.
"Riles? Everything okay?"
Before she loses her nerve, Riley surges up on her toes and plants her lips firmly against Mac's. She nearly loses her balance in the process, can feel Mac stumbling against the force of the kiss, but then he's kissing her back. His arms wind around her back to pull her close and then she's being lifted off the ground.
She automatically wraps her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together behind his back. One of her hands finds its way into his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp and drawing a deep moan from the back of his throat. The sound reverberates through her body, making her legs tighten around him to bring him even closer to her.
Her back hits his bedroom door a second later, his entire body pressing into hers as his hands wander all over her body, heat blossoming wherever their skin connects. It's incredible. It's amazing. It's Mac.
Reluctantly pulling away from his lips, Riley smiles when Mac chases hers, his eyes still closed. "I've been waiting so long to do that," she whispers, not wanting to break the peacefulness of the moment.
"So what made you finally do it?" he questions, one of his hands finding its way underneath her tank top and resting on the side of her rib cage.
"Honestly? It was a bunch of little things. But it all added up to me knowing that you are my person, Mac. You're the one I want to be with forever, the one I want to build a future with. You are it for me, Angus MacGyver, and I'm done being scared."
Mac beams, reaching up to brush some of her hair back behind her ear. "I am so happy to hear you say that. I have been in love with you for so long, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life showing that to you."
Riley's heart swells at his words and she leans forward to kiss him again, though it's a little clumsy with how much they're both smiling. "We should probably get dressed, though," she tells him after pulling away. "Don't want my mom coming back here looking for us."
Mac sighs. "Alright. But tonight, you are all mine."
A shiver runs down her spine at the look in Mac's eyes, a look she's only ever seen on him the first time that they kissed all those months ago. "Later," she promises him, lightly scratching his scalp again. "Promise." She presses a quick kiss to his lips and then gently pushes on his chest so he'll step away from the door and let her down.
It's only when they're both getting changed that she realizes she left her bag of clothes out in the living room. Before she can move toward the door, though, Mac's holding out the same hoodie she gave him at her apartment, a small smile on his lips.
Riley smiles back, wordlessly taking the hoodie and slipping it on over her head after removing her tank top. She'd be less inclined to get half-naked in front of Mac if she hadn't already done it once before, in a life-or-death situation, no less. Plus they're together now, so it's not as big of a deal to her now as it would have been before.
The smile on Mac's face when she puts his hoodie on tells her everything she needs to know.
Once they're both dressed in fresh clothes — she also throws on a pair of Mac's sweats and not-so-secretly loves the fact that she's swimming in his clothes — they make their way out to the living room. She wants to hold Mac's hand, that part of herself that's been denied for so long of being able to love Mac freely wants to just indulge itself, but she doesn't do it. Not yet. She wants to keep this new relationship to themselves for just a little bit longer. And she's hoping Mac does too.
Reaching the living room, she pauses when she sees the other body in the room with her mom and Jason.
"Uh, Bozer?" Mac's voice speaks up from beside her. "What are you doing here?"
Their friend turns sharply and glances between them repeatedly with a scrutinizing gaze. "Seeing if Matty was telling me the truth. You two have a baby?" he practically shrieks, eyebrows shooting up high.
Riley rolls her eyes. "He's not ours, Bozer. We found him on our latest op and are taking care of him until his family can come take him."
"Wow. That is…just like you two. I'm very proud of you."
Mac chuckles. "Thanks, Boze. Is that the only reason you came by?"
Bozer opens and closes his mouth, a look of offense crossing over his mouth. "I cannot believe you would ask me that. It is Christmas Eve and I thought I would spend it with my two closest friends."
Riley smiles. "We'd love for you to hang out, Boze. As long as you don't mind hanging out with a baby too."
Bozer glances over at Jason, almost as if he's sizing up the baby. "I guess he can stay."
Riley laughs, stepping away from the group when she hears her phone going off on the kitchen counter. She approaches the counter and picks up her phone to see a new text from Matty on the screen. Her smile fades instantly, she'd almost forgotten that they'd be giving Jason over to family at some point.
"Hey, Riley, everything okay over there?"
Riley sends a quick response to Matty and then returns her phone to the counter as she moves back into the living room. She looks at all the people in the room, her eyes landing on Jason sitting comfortably in her mom's lap, looking like he belongs. "Uh, that was Matty. They were able to locate and contact Jason's maternal grandparents. They've been vacationing out of state, but are more than happy to take him in. They'll be here the day after tomorrow."
The smile fades from Mac's face, and she wouldn't be surprised if he'd momentarily forgotten the original arrangement as well. Then he plasters a smile on his face, one that doesn't reach up to his eyes. "So I guess we'll just have to make the rest of our time with him count."
Riley matches his smile and nods. "Absolutely. It's Christmastime, we should be enjoying it."
"Exactly. Diane, Bozer," he says, turning to the other two adults in the room, "would you both like to stay and celebrate with us?"
Bozer grins. "Hell yeah, man. Christmas Eve with my besties? Dream come true."
Her mom smiles at them, gently bouncing Jason on her knee. "I don't see why not. I'd never pass up a chance to spend time with my daughter, especially during the holidays."
Mac beams. "Then it's settled, we're all spending Christmas Eve together. Why don't we watch a movie and then maybe later we can go deliver some of the cookies Riles, Jason, and I made earlier?"
Riley smiles over at her mom. "Remember when Jack always tried to make a competition out of it?"
A reminiscent smile crosses over her mom's face. "Indeed I do. I'm sure I've got pictures of the two of you doing that lying around somewhere. I'll have to find them."
"Please do," Mac says. "I am dying to see those. Hey, Boze, pick out a Christmas movie for us, will you?" He turns toward her and takes a few steps closer. "Want to help me get the cookies?"
"Sure." She follows him into the kitchen, letting out a small sigh when she sees the mess that Jason left on the floor from all the frosting.
Mac's hand grazes over her lower back as he passes by her. "Leave it. We can get it in the morning."
She reluctantly turns away from the mess to help Mac plate up the cookies that the two of them decorated earlier, only a few of the cookies left bare on the baking sheet. She smiles as she watches Mac grab a few drinks out of the fridge to enjoy along with the cookies and the movie, even grabbing one of the sippy cups they'd bought for Jason and filling it with some juice.
"You know, I'm glad that we're gonna be spending some time with my mom and Bozer, but I was kind of looking forward to spending some alone time with you now that we're officially together and everything."
Mac turns to her with wide eyes. "Why did I invite them to stay?"
Riley laughs quietly, moving toward him and sliding her arms around his waist, tilting her head back to look up at him. "They won't be here all night," she says quietly, rising just enough to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. She'll never get tired of being able to do that whenever she wants now.
Mac smiles, resting his hands on her waist and gently squeezing. "They better not be. Because I have some…plans, for after Jason's asleep."
Riley's jaw drops slightly at the potential insinuation behind Mac's words, those she's not sure how far he intended it to go. "Angus MacGyver."
Mac just chuckles quietly and then steps away from her to grab the drinks, carrying them with him into the living room.
Riley shakes her head, a tiny laugh escaping past her lips as she grabs the plate of cookies and follows Mac into the living room. She pauses for just a moment in the entryway, listening to the light conversation spilling out, mixed with Jason's quiet babbling. She thinks she could get used to a life like this, spending the holidays with her favorite people, even ones that may not exist yet.
She catches Mac's eyes as he sits down on the couch, that special smile that she now knows for sure is meant only for her growing on his face. She smiles right back at him, laughing when Bozer startles him and then pulls him back into whatever conversation they were having.
Yeah, she could really get used to this. And she can't wait to see what future Christmases have in store for them.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!
