When I wake up the next morning, I stretch my arms over my head. The ache I feel from last night is a welcome soreness. Running my hand along my stomach, I let my mind drift back to how it felt having Mason in my bed the night before.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew he was skilled in the sex department. His fingers were always capable of drawing out award winning orgasms. Sex with Kaleb had been good, but nothing in comparison to Mason.
I can’t picture what life would be like if this was the type of performance I could expect every day. Sitting up, I move to climb out of bed. Even that small movement has me biting my lip from the aches.
Looking over to the nightstand, I see two small pills with a glass of water and a note saying, “take me.” Picking the note up, I study the handwriting, recognizing it as Mason’s chicken scratch.
“Really,” I sigh, flipping the card over.
As soon I see what’s written on the back, I choke out a laugh seeing the words “Yes, really” causing my stomach to clench. The movement triggering my body to tense once again.
With one hand pressed against my stomach, I lean forward and pick up the two Tylenol capsules, tossing them into my mouth. Taking a quick drink of water, I wash them down.
Smart ass.
After making a quick stop in the bathroom to relieve my bladder, I slide on my pullover and wander into the kitchen.
“There she is,” Connie sings, standing at the stove. The smell of breakfast permeates the air, causing my stomach to instantly growl.
“Someone’s hungry.” She laughs, hearing my reaction to the delicious smells.
“Famished,” I say, walking around the island to where she’s standing.
“Can I help?” I ask, pulling up my sleeves, hoping to help her again. I enjoyed our time in the kitchen yesterday, helping her cook dinner for Callum and Ellie and bake brownies for the guys. My mom and I haven’t baked together in years, but it made me want to do it more often.
“Nonsense, dear. I got this, it should be ready in just a few minutes,” she reassures, looking up and flashing me a smile.
“You can help me grab the plates. There in that cabinet,” she states, pointing to the cupboard on the other side of the sink.
Doing as she asks, I pull out the plates from the cabinet along with forks.
“How was your night out?” she asks, making small talk. The mention of last night causes the heat to rise in my cheeks as I turn focus my attention on setting the table. My body tingles thinking of the way Mason touched me.
Jesus, Brea. You shouldn’t be thinking about this in front of his mother. Get a grip!
“It was a great time. It was fun to meet the people Mason has talked a lot about. It was also a nice change of pace,” I say, setting the last plate down.
“Are you from a small town like Arbor Creek?”
“No, I actually grew up in a fairly big city compared to Arbor Creek. I’m from Cleveland.”
“Is that right? I bet it’s so much bigger in comparison to Arbor Creek. Could you see yourself living in a town this small?”
I can tell by the tone of her voice she’s hinting at something here. Until I got here and Kinsley brought it up last night, I really hadn’t given it much thought. I know I don’t want to go back to Cleveland after graduation, and if moving here meant I could stay closer to Mason, I would do it in a heartbeat.
“My dream is to work with kids as a kindergarten teacher. I can do that just about anywhere. I would move if I knew being here would make me happy.”
“You know, I’ve never seen my son as happy as he has been since being back here. Despite the issues going on between Mason and Callum, he seems to be quite head over heels. As a mother, nothing makes me happier than to see her sons in love.”
The mention of love takes me by surprise and the sudden inhale of breath has me struggling to breathe. I hadn’t even taken a drink, but I quite possibly may be the first person to choke on air. Holding my fist to my mouth, I cough, trying to force air into my lungs.
“Umm...I’m sorry, Mrs. Whitt, but Mason and I are just friends.”
I don’t even like the way it sounds and I find myself averting my eyes, knowing it’s not the truth. We may have started out best friends, but the feelings I have for Mason are so much more than I am leading her to believe.
I’m quite certain that the way he worked my body over last night was unlike anything two friends would do for each other, but I’m not going to let myself think about it again in front of his mother.
Working up the courage, I turn my head and my eyes fall on hers. Her raised eyebrow and knowing smirk says she’s not buying it, but I don’t press any further.
As soon as I am finished with setting the table, I help her carry the dishes. We never ate family style at the table together where we dished our food while seated together.
As if on cue, I hear Mason’s feet as he takes the stairs down into the kitchen. I sense something is bothering him the moment he walks to the room. The tired and worn out look on his face has me feeling terrible. I kept him up so late after he spent most of the day working outside with Randy.
“Morning, sweetie,” Mrs. Whitt says, holding her arm out to Mason and he leans forward pressing a kiss to his mom’s cheek.
“Morning,” he mutters. “That smells really good.”
I find myself standing here staring at the interaction between Mason and his mom, as if trying to decipher what could be bothering him. When he turns toward me, our eyes meet. My eyebrows furrow, as if trying to silently ask him what’s wrong.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to go let Randy know breakfast is ready. You two have a seat.”
Mason raises his closed fist in front of his mouth as he clears his throat, walking around me to take a seat at the table. My eyes follow him as I turn on my heel, pulling out the chair across from where Mason is now sitting.
“Good morning,” I say, hoping he’ll flash me his smile and reassure me everything’s okay.
“Hi,” he responds and I struggle against the urge to pull him with me out of the room so we can talk.
“Is everything… okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” His voice is clipped.
“I guess I don’t know. Did you sleep okay?”
Picking up the pitcher of water, I pour some into my glass and take a drink.
“I slept fine.”
The sound of Mrs. Whitt’s laugh filters through the air as Randy follows along behind her into the kitchen. I hear Randy mutter something about smacking her ass and I can’t help but laugh watching her swat his arm away.
“Alright, take a seat. It’s time to eat,” she chides, but he does what she says.
“Morning, son, Brea,” Randy says. “You two got in late. Glad to see you up already.”
The way he mentions us getting in late makes me think he is aware we didn’t come inside right when we got home. It was a little after two in the morning by the time Mason and I snuck into the house. Granted, they knew we were out so it’s not like we really had to sneak around.
Once Connie sits down, taking a seat next to Randy and me, she grabs my hand. I follow her lead and reach across the table to Mason, folding my hand in his.
The heat of his touch warms my skin as I swallow down my worries. Looking up at him, I see his eyes soften as he bows his head and closes his eyes.
“Heavenly father, we thank you for this meal. Thank you for watching over our family through this rough week. Please use your healing hand and light as a reminder of the love we have around us. In your name we pray, amen!”
“Amen.”
Opening my eyes, I find Mason staring at me as I move my hand back into my lap.
“Go ahead now, dig in. We don’t want the food getting cold before we have a chance to enjoy it.”
We begin plating our food and passing it to each other around the table. Each time my eyes find Mason’s throughout the meal, he quickly diverts them from me. Most of the conversation is spent talking about how things are going at Whitt Construction and Mason’s plans after graduation.
We already arranged to meet at Callum’s house for dinner with Mason’s dad, Steven, and Ellie. Mason was tight lipped when I mentioned it in the car on the way to Brodie’s last night, but I know him enough to know he’s nervous about how things will go.
I think it’s time Callum knows the truth about his Dad going to rehab.
Mason and I don’t talk for most of the afternoon. After breakfast, he goes out to help Randy in the stables again. I’m kind of frustrated if I’m being honest. I feel like he’s running and I’m not sure why.
It left me feeling annoyed, so I hide out in my bedroom and take a nap for a little bit before relaxing on the front porch, reading what is left of my book I brought with me for the trip.
It’s before dinner time when we make the trip to Callum’s house. Mason mentioned to me awhile back that Callum had bought part of the property from Randy, specifically the area that had the pond he grew up loving. It was a quick drive.
The house sits far behind the trees and off the road, you wouldn’t know someone lived here unless you were specifically looking for it. As soon as we near the house, I see the sleek black BMW sitting in front of the garage. Peering over, I see an older man who I would assume is Mason and Callum’s dad.
Opening the door, I slide out of the front seat and round the back to where Mason and his dad are hugging.
“Good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you, too. You look good,” Mason says, clapping his dad on the back. Smiling down at his son and it brings out a smile on Mason’s face.
“I feel good.”
“You ready?”
I sense Mason’s worry as he glances over at his father, climbing the front steps.
“You bet I am.”
“Hi, Brea,” he says, flashing his warm smile at me, too.
“Hello, Mr. Reid.”
He looks incredibly handsome and dressed as I would expect for a lawyer in a suit and tie.
“Mr. Reid, do I look that old to you? Please call me Steven.”
I agree as he holds his arm out for me to go in front of him. We take the steps toward the front door. Mason rings the doorbell as we all stand back, waiting.
Callum opens the door and my eyes immediately fall on the petite blonde standing next to him.
“Hello, son,” Steven says, greeting Callum with a warm smile.
“Hello, father, Mason,” Callum’s voice is clipped. My eyes bounce between Callum and Mason before falling on Ellie’s standing behind him.
Her eyes meet mine and it’s as if we are communicating between the two of us how worried we are for how this could go.
“Brea, it’s good to see you again,” Callum’s smile is less forced and I do my best to give him a reassuring smile in return.
Callum steps off to the side, holding his arm out to Ellie who stands next to him before waving us in.
“This is a nice place you have, man. I haven’t seen it since I was home for Christmas but a lot has changed,” Mason says, looking around the living room.
Ellie steps in close to me, holding her hand out for me to shake. “Hi, Ellie. It’s nice to meet you, even though the circumstances that brought us here are very unfortunate.”
I feel guilty for the mention of what happened to her.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Despite the bruising on her face and her split lip that looks to be healing, she is so pretty. Her long blond hair falls over her shoulders, making her look almost angelic.
“Would you like something to drink? I can show you to the kitchen and leave them to talk for a bit,” she asks as she looks over to Callum.
I sense the love between the two of them. The way their eyes find each other, as if connected to each other by some invisible force.
“That sounds wonderful.” I smile, watching as Ellie looks to Callum. He nods reassuringly as we make our way into the kitchen.
“Your house is stunning,” I say, looking around the kitchen to the oak cabinets that wrap-around the kitchen. The back of the house has French doors overlooking the pond Mason mentioned them visiting when he was young.
“Oh, this isn’t my house. I’m just staying here for now,” Ellie says. “It really is beautiful though. I don’t want Callum to hear me say this but it’s almost too pretty for me.” She laughs as she opens the cabinet and takes out two glasses for the two of us.
“Would you like some water, lemonade, or I have some sweet tea I made earlier this afternoon so it’s fresh?”
“I’ll have some lemonade, please.”
I watch as she pours a glass, handing it to me, before adding some to a glass of her own.
“Want to head out to the patio?” Ellie asks, peering her head around the corner to where the guys are standing in the living room talking. “I think they will be venturing that way in just a minute, I just don’t want to interrupt them.”
“Sure, it looks beautiful out there.”
We walk out onto the patio and I can hear Ellie take an audible sigh of relief. I can’t help but think, like me, being outside helps ease the stress of the situation.
“Are you as nervous as I am about how this night is going to go?” Ellie jokes, looking over at me.
“Yeah, I just hope they can all put aside their differences. I’ve talked to Mason more times than I can count about how he needs to understand that not everyone is going to see things from his perspective, but it doesn’t make it wrong. I just hope things go well.”
As if on cue, the sliding glass door opens as the three men step onto the patio. Having met Mason and Callum’s mom, I see now they get a lot of their strong features from her, but their height and build are from their father.
“How did the two of you meet?” Ellie asks. “Callum mentioned he met you when he was in Chicago back in May.”
“Mason and I have been best friends for a few years,” I say. As soon as the words friends leaves my mouth, I see Mason’s eyes look up from where he is standing at the grill and meet mine.
My eyes narrow at him, hoping to silently ask him if everything is okay. He doesn’t give anything away, instead looks down at the grill as if I hadn’t said anything at all.
“What about you?”
“Callum and I actually met at the bus station when he was coming home from Chicago. He had overslept that morning, apparently having drank a little too much. We were both in a hurry to get out of the rain and literally ran into each other.”
I see a smile dancing on Ellie’s lips, as if she is remembering the moment. Callum must’ve heard what she said, too, as his eyes divert away from the conversation with his dad to find hers.
She nods her head to him encouragingly as he flashes her a small smile before turning his attention to his father.
“What brings you back to town? Mason mentioned yesterday you were staying in Des Moines.” We hear Callum ask.
“The same thing that brought me to town when you were visiting Chicago and the same reason why I’ve been trying to get in touch with you now.”
The mention of what happened when Callum and Steven were both in Chicago has both Ellie and I freezing, as if holding our breath for how this could go.
“Son, I know I wasn’t a good father to you growing up. Hell, I was an even shittier husband to your mother. I was lucky to have had her and I was a bastard who didn’t value her like I should’ve. I had to own my problems, and I’m sorry you had to witness them and the burden was put on you. I understand why you feel the way you do about me and why you were upset with me back in Chicago.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to hear him say that,” Ellie whispers low enough for only me to hear.
“What’s changed? I don’t get it,” Callum barks.
“Oh no,” Ellie whispers and for a second, I think she’s talked to herself. “Let’s head inside. You can help me get everything ready. I think Mason’s almost done on the grill.”
With a nod of my head, I follow along behind Ellie toward the patio door. Peering over my shoulder, I find Mason’s eyes on me and I flash him a reassuring smile, too.
For the first time today, I see the somber look on his face as he shakes his head, and I’m starting to wonder if what is bothering him has nothing to do with our visit and more to do with us.