A/N: Okay so I was looking over my Jonas stories the other night and I came across "Stay" which I had almost forgotten about. I've decided after rereading it that it's one of my favorite things I've ever written. Anyway I looked back over the reviews and saw suburbs' review of it which said:
"And then after an appropriate amount of time where he wouldn't be a rebound, Macy and Kevin live happily ever after. At least in my mind."
And I decided it needed a follow up. So here is the follow up and conclusion to "Stay". Enjoy!
BTW, thanks to JDPhoenix for the title!
Safe
By angellwings
Stella smiled as Macy pulled up at the entrance of the apartment complex. Stella stepped inside Macy's jeep, and caught sight of a garment bag in the backseat. Stella gave Macy a curious look.
"Just ask, you know you want to," Macy told her.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"My wedding dress? Yes."
"What are you doing with it?" Stella asked.
"I'm taking it to mom's shop. There's no point in me keeping in my closet for the rest of my life. If I ever happen to plan another wedding it's not like I'd want to wear that dress so I might as well get rid of it," Macy told her with a sigh. "Besides, if I'm ready to date I'm ready to get rid of the dress."
"Date?" Stella asked in interest.
Macy nodded, "I have a date tonight."
"With who?"
"Tim, this guy I met at the grocery store last night," Macy said with a small smile.
"Oh," Stella said with slight disappointment. "Don't forget to call me and let me know the details when it's over. Is he taking you out for dinner?"
"No, just drinks. I want to know what I'm in for with this guy before I agree to dinner," Macy told her.
Stella chuckled, "Good idea."
Macy turned down the road that led to her mother's store, "You don't mind if I run this dress to my mom really quickly, do you?"
"No, it's fine. I'll just wait in the car. But don't be long, this nail place expects people to be there early," Stella said with a smile. Macy nodded and parallel parked.
"I'm just gonna run in and run out," Macy promised as she leaned back and grabbed the garment bag from the back seat and got out of the car.
The bell above the door rang as Macy entered. She expected her mom to be at the counter so she immediately began talking when she sensed some one was standing by the counter.
"Hey, mom, I brought my dress. I hope that—"
When Macy looked up she paused in surprise, "Kevin? What are you doing here?"
"Dropping off some things for mom. Apparently, Nick and Joe were too busy," He said with a bright smile.
Macy smiled and shook her head, "Of course."
Her mom entered the room and approached the counter, "Here you go, Kevin. I've got your mom's tax receipt right here."
Mrs. Misa handed Kevin the receipt and then noticed Macy, "Oh, hi dear!" Mrs. Misa walked around the counter and hugged Macy, "I see you brought the dress."
Macy nodded, "Just like I said I would."
Mrs. Misa squeezed her daughter's shoulder as she took the garment bag, "I'll put it on the rack right away. I'm sure someone will really appreciate this."
Macy sighed, "Well, tell them I hope they have better luck with it than I did."
Kevin's eyes widened, "Is that your wedding dress?"
Macy nodded, "It was time to get rid of it. It would be counter productive to go on a date and yet still have my old wedding dress in my closet."
Kevin froze, "A-a date? You're going on a date?"
She shrugged, "Well, drinks, but yes basically a date. Anyway, I've got Stella waiting on me in the car so I'd better go. I'll see you later, Kev. Bye, mom!"
"Bye, sweetie! Have a good time tonight!" Mrs. Misa called after her.
Macy waved and nodded as she walked out the door and drove away in her car. Kevin watched her go wordlessly and sighed in a forlorn manner once she was gone. Mrs. Misa moved to stand back behind the counter, and noticed Kevin's deflated mood.
"Anything wrong, Kevin?" Mrs. Misa asked.
"She's going on a date," He said simply.
Mrs. Misa nodded, "That she is, but that's good. She's moving on."
"I wish someone would have told me she was dating again," He told her honestly.
"Sweetie, not even she knew she was ready to start dating again. She didn't know until this young man asked her," Mrs. Misa told him. She reached across the counter and patted Kevin's hand. "You'll have your chance. Don't worry."
Kevin smiled weakly at the woman, "I wish I was as confident as you are."
Mrs. Misa chuckled, "I'm confident because I know my daughter. This guy isn't someone she's seriously considering dating. This is a test. She's trying to figure out if she's really ready to move on. You have nothing to worry about."
"I hope so," Kevin told her. "Mom, told me to ask if you and Mr. Misa were joining them at the firehouse for dinner tomorrow night."
Mrs. Misa nodded, "We most certainly are. I think we've talked Macy into coming as well."
Kevin perked up, "Macy's coming?"
Mrs. Misa nodded, "Looks like it. Are you and your brothers coming?"
"We weren't but I think I am now," Kevin grinned.
Mrs. Misa laughed, "That's the spirit. See you tomorrow night, Kevin."
Kevin said goodbye and left the store. He hoped Mrs. Misa was right, but either way Kevin planned on finding out the details of Macy's date at tomorrow night's dinner.
Macy studied her reflection in the mirror. Stella had picked out an excellent outfit for her. Macy had to admit this dress looked really good on her. It hugged all the right curves and it was just the right shade of purple to really compliment her eyes and skin tone. There was a knock at her apartment door and Macy took a deep breath before she answered.
Tonight would tell her everything she needed to know.
She smiled at her date as she opened the door, and he handed her a bouquet of flowers. She thanked him and quickly found a vase to put them in before they left for the bar Tim had picked out. He was the perfect gentleman, and she was actually having a good time.
"I have to say," Tim said with a chuckle. "This is going much better than my last date. We went to feed the ducks at the park, and ended up being chased around the pond all night long. Ducks are apparently very easily excited by the prospect of food."
Macy smiled and laughed. She and Kevin had done that a couple weekends ago except Macy remembered having the time of her life. Tim cracked jokes and was entirely charming but Macy was beginning to realize something.
Everything he said reminded her of Kevin.
She didn't think that was completely normal for her first night back on the dating scene. She couldn't help it though. Everywhere she turned her mind came back to Kevin. What did it mean? She hadn't been expecting that. It was making it very hard to judge whether or not she was ready to date again. She smiled and laughed at all the right times and made the appropriate polite comments for the rest of the evening, but she knew there would be no dinner with Tim.
He walked her to her door, and they said goodnight. She thanked him for the evening and entered her apartment. He didn't ask her for another date, and she was relieved he didn't. It meant she didn't have to tell him no. She immediately began to cook a box of macaroni and called Stella.
"Hey, Mace, how'd it go?"
"I have no idea," Macy sighed.
"What does that mean?" Stella asked in confusion.
"That means I couldn't focus on my date because I was too busy thinking about Kevin. Is that normal?"
"Probably not, no," Stella said slowly. "So no second date with Tim?"
"Nope."
"So, do you have any idea why you thought about Kevin so much?" Stella asked.
Macy smiled faintly, "I don't know, but I didn't hate it. I mean I guess it could be because he's been so amazing through all of this, you know? He's been my rock. I don't know what I would have done without him. He just…knows me so well."
"Mace," Stella said excitedly.
"What?"
"Have you ever thought that you might…"
"Might what?"
"Be in love with Kevin?" Stella suggested.
"In love with Kevin?" Macy asked thoughtfully. "But he's my friend."
"Really? Just your friend? Are you sure about that?"
Macy smiled softly, "Well, I don't know…"
Stella chuckled, "I think that's your answer right there. I can practically hear your smile."
Macy bit her lip thoughtfully, "Stella, do you mind if I call you back later?"
"Not at all. Go eat some dinner and think things over," Stella said happily. "I'll talk to you later."
Macy and Stella hung up and Macy finished making her macaroni. She sat down at her kitchen table with her bowl, and thought back on the last couple of months. She had spent more time with Kevin than anyone else, and he'd gone out of his way to make sure she felt special. He did more for her than any guy she'd ever dated. She never doubted that he truly cared for her. He made her feel safe and…loved.
Had she really been in love with Kevin all this time?
Life really was full of surprises.
Macy stared at her closet the next afternoon in an attempt to decide what to wear. It was a Saturday but she had needed to fill in as a line judge for the Community Middle School Volleyball league so she had been gone all day. She was sweaty and gross so she took a quick shower, but she had no idea what to wear. She was going to be late. She still had to do her hair and put on some light make up.
She huffed and tapped her foot. It should not be this hard to pick out an outfit. She was just going over to the Firehouse for dinner. She'd done that plenty of times. It was just a casual dinner. Jeans and a nice shirt should do it, but every time she pulled out a shirt she immediately put it back. She wanted to look good. Really good.
But she didn't want to look like she was trying to look good.
She finally just decided to wear the very first thing she had pulled out of her closet. A baby blue loose fitting satin halter top. She slipped on a pair of black ballet flats before heading to the bathroom to put the finishing touches on her hair and make up. It would have been much easier to get ready if her mother hadn't told her that Kevin was coming to dinner. She had just expected it to be herself, her parents, and the Lucases, but apparently Kevin had decided to come as well. So now Macy felt like she had to look amazing despite the fact that Kevin had seen her at her absolute worst.
Macy finished her hair, put the finishing touches on her make up, and grabbed her purse before sprinting out the door. She was already ten minutes late. She hated to show up late to anything. This would have gone a whole lot faster if Stella hadn't been out with Joe tonight. She blamed Stella for her tardiness.
She finally arrived outside of the firehouse and rang the doorbell. Sandy Lucas answered and immediately crushed Macy in a hug.
"Just in time," Sandy exclaimed as she ushered Macy inside.
"Sorry I'm late; I had to fill in for one of the high school students at the volleyball game today. It threw my schedule off completely," Macy explained as they walked toward the living room.
"Don't worry about it, Macy. I completely understand. Dinner's not ready yet anyway," Sandy said with a smile. Kevin smiled and waved at Macy as she sat down in a plushy chair across from him. Macy looked around curiously when she noticed something was missing.
"Where are my parents?" Macy asked.
"They called to say they were running late. They should be here soon," Sandy said with a smile as she returned to the kitchen. "Macy, sweetie, would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine," Macy answered politely.
"Alright, well you two don't mind me. I'm just going to finish cooking dinner," Sandy said as she excused herself in order to return to the dinner on the stove.
"Where's your dad?" Macy asked Kevin as she looked around again.
"Mom sent him to the store to pick up dessert. She ran out of time to make one," Kevin answered with a smile.
"Right, so it's just you and me and your mom?"
He nodded and chuckled, "And really only you and me until she's confident that her dinner is perfect."
Macy chuckled lightly just before a silence fell over them. It wasn't really awkward, but it definitely wasn't comfortable. It was the kind of silence that came over room when some one was waiting for another person to speak.
Kevin cleared his throat and broke the silence, "So, how was your date?"
Macy shrugged, "Not terrible, but not great. He was nice but…well I was distracted for most of the evening."
Kevin smiled at her in amusement, "Distracted? By what? Were there ducks?"
Macy laughed merrily, "Sort of. Tim brought up a run in he had with some ducks. It made me think of you."
"Really?" Kevin asked happily.
Macy nodded, "In fact…I spent most of the evening being reminded of you."
Kevin's smile brightened, "You were distracted by…me?"
Macy blushed, "Maybe a little."
"Your mom said she thought you were using that date as a test to see if you were ready to move on," Kevin stated curiously. Macy nodded slowly and Kevin continued, "What's the verdict?"
"Oh, I'm certain I'm ready to move on," Macy told him. "I'm just not sure I'll be able to move on with just anyone, though."
Kevin paused for a moment to look Macy in the eye. She was completely focused on him. He really couldn't believe she was actually saying these things to him, "Do you have someone in mind?"
Macy felt her cheeks grow warm and her stomach begin to knot up. The look on Kevin's face was the sweetest most vulnerable expression she had ever seen. His eyes were full of hope and love. She hadn't even told him how she felt yet and her legs already felt like a wobbly, gooey, warm mess. Kevin stood from his chair and walked over to kneel down in front of her.
"Macy?" He asked worriedly. She smiled softly at him and reached out to take his hands in hers.
"You're wonderful, Kevin. Do you realize that?"
His breathing became shallow and he squeezed her hands gently, "The feeling's mutual."
"No," She said sternly. "I mean it. You've stuck with me through everything. I've been an absolute emotional mess these past few months and you've been here the entire time. You know me better than anyone else, and you always know what to say to make me feel better…you amaze me. I've never felt so safe and warm than I do whenever I'm with you. I need you to know that."
He smiled affectionately at her and brought one of her hands up to his lips. Macy took a deep calming breath as a tingle shot up and down her arm. Kevin studied her hands carefully as he began to speak, "Macy, all I've ever tried to do is show you how special and beautiful you are. Anyone who would give you up is an idiot. You're so unique and talented, and you don't even realize it most of the time. Everything that I do is just to make you see how you deserve to be treated. I need you to know that."
Macy really felt like she couldn't breathe. She hadn't felt like this in years. Only this time it was a much better feeling. It was Kevin Lucas that was causing this not Kevin of Jonas.
"Macy," Kevin said slowly and hesitantly. He had something to tell her but he didn't want it to scare her away.
"Yes, Kevin?"
Kevin melted when those big brown eyes turned his way. They had always been his weakness but right now he thought his heart had stopped beating for just a moment. Those eyes that he had always loved were shining warmly and eagerly only for him. He had to tell her now.
"I love you," He told her hoarsely. It was as if those words had been hanging in his throat for centuries, and now that he'd said them a weight lifted from his shoulders. Macy beamed at him and released his hands to cup either side of his face.
She sighed contentedly, "I love you too."
Kevin moved forward and captured Macy's lips with his own. Macy's hands left his face as her arms wrapped around his neck. They stood as Kevin deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around Macy's waist. This was actually happening. Kevin could barely believe it, but he knew it was real. Macy loved him.
The wait had been worth it.