Mason
I wasn’t sure if Ava was happy to see me or not when she walked out of the hotel and saw me waiting for her. Her cheeks were glowing, and she appeared flustered for a moment. “Mason?”
When the metal door she had come through banged shut, she jumped and swivelled around like she thought someone was stood behind her ready to stab her in the back.
“You okay?” She’d been acting strange lately, and today was no exception, but she genuinely looked troubled, and my heart beat a little harder. If some fucker had hurt her…
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
It was obvious she was diverting, and even more evident that she had forgotten, but I let it go for now. “I came to give you your ride home.”
She frowned, and I stepped to the side. Her eyes widened, and her mouth popped open. Casting me a puzzled glance she slowly walked towards the car. “You bought this? For me?”
“Yeah. You shouldn’t have been driving that pile of junk. It wasn’t safe. If you’re working, I need to know you’ll get there and back home in one piece.”
“But this is…. How the hell did you afford this?”
“Fuck it, baby. We earned that money. I don’t like the thought of you having to work just to feed us when we have money in the bank.”
She looked at me dubiously, narrowing her eyes on me. “Are you sure?”
Throwing her the keys, I opened the door and gestured for her to get in. “It’s been months now, I doubt anyone is monitoring our bank accounts any longer.”
Looking like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, she eventually shrugged and climbed in. She sighed contentedly when the engine purred to life. “So, you just what, drew the money out and turned up at the Mercedes showroom with that amount in a holdall?” There was amusement in her voice, but I heard the question she was masking with the light tone.
“No. That would be ridiculous for a car this expensive.”
Her thumb tapped the steering wheel as she turned to me with suspicion in her eyes. “So, you fibbed to me. You didn’t destroy our cards.”
I knew the conversation was heading into dangerous territory, and I had expected it, but I had hoped the gift would have ruled out her irritation. “Not all of them, no.”
She nodded slowly, blowing out a breath unhurriedly. “Just mine, huh?”
Flashing her a wide grin, I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. “Well, I know what you’re like.”
“What I’m like?” She wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t happy with me either. “I’m sure if we nip in and see the bank manager, he’ll be able to shed light on who spends the most money, Mason.”
“Woman, you’re never bloody happy.”
Little by little her scowl turned into a small smile, and she shook her head. “It’s a good job I love you!”
“And the car?”
“And the car,” she agreed. “Let’s see how much this baby loves me too.”
Mary the Merc, as Ava so aptly named her, must have loved her very much. I was pinned to the seat for the whole of the seven-minute ride home.
♡
“God, you’re beautiful.”
Even after twenty-four years together, my gorgeous wife still blushed when I complimented her. “And you.” Her eyes raked over me, and the smouldering lust in her gaze made me hate myself all over again. Ava had always been a sexual woman, and my failure to satisfy her made me wonder why she stuck with me. It wasn’t like I didn’t fancy her, I did, so much. Yet, every time I tried to be the man she needed, panic set into my bones and I couldn’t get fucking hard. I had been thinking about Viagra, but then I’d read that it didn’t give you an erection, just maintained it. So that was out of the equation too, and I just didn’t know what to do next.
“I’m so excited. It seems like forever since we went out,” she declared as she slipped her tiny feet into impossibly high heels and picked up her bag. Catching my glum face, she frowned and stepped into me. “What’s wrong?”
Determined not to spoil the night, I shook my head and smiled. “Nothing. Come on, I made reservations, and I had to bribe the manager to fit us in.”
“Oh, where are we going?” The excitement on her face made me chuckle. It had been quite a while since I’d seen her look so happy and relaxed.
Pinching her chin between my finger and thumb, I tilted her head back, making her luscious mouth more available to me. She melted into me when I kissed her, the faint murmur of appreciation sounding like heaven after so long. Sliding her arms around my waist, she grabbed at the back of my jacket and deepened the kiss. Hating myself, but unable to do anything else, I broke away. I didn’t want to risk Ava trying to take it further and ruining the night before it had even begun.
“Ready?”
Recognition and a little hurt flashed in her eyes, but she smiled and nodded. “Lead the way, Batman!”
Laughing but secretly wishing I could be her superhero, I opened the door and led her out.
“Mason?”
The look on her face made me chuckle, and my heart clenched. It had been so long since I’d seen her so animated. “Come on,” I urged, pulling on her hand.
“How the hell did you pull this off?” she asked, giving me an incredulous look when the station master took her hand and helped her on board the train. “It must have cost a fortune!”
“Nothing I ever spend on you could pay off my debt to you.”
“What debt?” she asked as she thanked the hostess who passed her a flute of champagne.
“I owe you my life.”
Tears prickled her eyes, and she leaned in to kiss me. “Your life is priceless, Mason. No amount of money could ever replace you.” She looked around the old-fashioned carriage, giddy with excitement. “This is just… Why?”
I frowned. “Why?” I had to admit that it stung, but life had been so up and down lately that it didn’t surprise me she hadn’t recalled the date.
“Why all this? It’s just so… amazing.”
The hostess smiled widely at us both and directed us over to a table that had been set with the finest silverware and dressed with a classic white tablecloth. “We will be departing in a moment, and dinner will be served shortly.”
“Thank you.”
As the train pulled from the station and our journey began, I didn’t bother to watch the landscape speeding by. I couldn’t keep my gaze away from Ava. She’d made an effort, that was certain, dressed in an elegant cream cocktail dress that hugged her curves like it had been stitched together just for her. Her long copper curls were gathered securely at the back of her head with a few carefully placed pins, but a few loose strands framed her face like she was a picture painted just for me. I was one lucky bastard. I just wished I could be more for her.
The first course was placed before us, and Ava lifted her glass to mine when the waiter discreetly stood out of earshot. “I love you.”
“And me, you.”
Tucking into the succulent seafood, Ava became distant again. I couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with her. One moment she was gazing at me like she wanted to caress my soul, then the next she was away with the fairies. Fair enough we’d been arguing a lot lately, but we’d been arguing for twenty-four years. I was sure this rough phase wasn’t worse than any other time. However, I could feel her slipping away from me, and it scared the shit out of me.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I knew she’d brush me off, as usual. I just kept hope that one time I asked she’d open up and tell me what was bothering her. Her eyes lifted from her plate to me and I was shocked to see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. “Don’t cry, baby. I’m sure whatever it is, we’ll sort it together.”
Her jaw moved like she was fighting with the words, but she sighed and looked away. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. Just missing everyone, and home.”
I understood because I ached for Kade and Katie too, even the guys, and I reached across the table to take her hand. “Me too. But for everyone’s sake, you know why we can’t go back.”
She looked like she was going to argue my statement, but again, defeated, she nodded. “Yeah.”
Attempting to change the way the conversation had turned, I leaned across the table. “I met your boss earlier.”
“Are you okay, Miss?” The waiter asked, rushing over when Ava started to choke on the oyster she’d just swallowed.
She nodded quickly, embarrassment making her cheeks glow red when he handed her a glass of water. “Sorry. Thank you.”
“I promise I’m not trying to off you,” I joked when I wiped the tears from under her eyes, being extra careful not to smudge her mascara.
“Slippery little fucker!” Ava declared with a laugh, trying to mask her mortification from the waiter.
“The oyster or your boss?” he asked with a wink. If I hadn’t found his question agreeably funny, I’d have punched him for listening to our conversation.
More heat flooded her cheeks, and she nodded to him. “Both.”
He laughed and disappeared further down the carriage, leaving us alone.
“You saw Danny?” Ava asked, picking up her champagne and downing the glass in one.
“Yeah.” Reaching across, I topped up her glass. “That was one of the reasons why I picked you up from work, I needed to speak to him.”
The previous flush that had covered her face after choking on the oyster drained from her, and she swallowed deeply.
“Are you okay? You look like you’re gonna puke?”
Covering her mouth with her hand, she nodded and moved her plate to the side of the table. “I don’t think the seafood is agreeing with me.”
“Oh.” Snapping my fingers, I called the waiter over. “Can you take Ava’s plate away, please.”
“Of course. Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Ava said quickly, smiling up at him. “Delicate stomach. I’ll be fine in a few moments.”
“I’ll give you a few minutes before the next course.”
“So, did, uh, did Danny say anything?” she asked, coughing mid-sentence to clear her throat when her voice squeaked.
Pouring us more champagne when I saw her glass empty again, I clicked my tongue, feeling angry all over again. “Fuck all.”
“Oh?” She looked so ill; I hoped she would be okay. Arranging the date tonight had taken a lot of planning, especially the train and our destination, and I didn’t want anything to spoil it.
“I still think he’s a dick, Ava. I needed to tell him you wouldn’t be in tomorrow, and the arrogant twat just stared at me like I’d told him I’d fucked his grandma’s budgie! Fair enough, he looked like he was in a rush. Came charging out of the doors just before you did!”
Her mouth moved, and her brow creased, but no words came out. Instead, she shook her head and gave me a puzzled look.
Unsure which part she was questioning, our schedule or Danny’s rudeness - I knew it wouldn’t be that I’d fucked his grandmother’s pet budgie. I couldn’t even fuck Ava, never mind a damn bird - so I went with the former. “Well, we won’t be home until late tomorrow. Maybe longer. Depends how we feel.”
“We won’t?” It was like talking to a child, the extent of her conversation no more than a couple of word replies.
Shaking my head, I moved back, allowing the waiter to place the next course down. “No. If I’m honest, as well as wanting to spoil you, I’m glad to be out of the way while Barry and his backward mate fix the kitchen.”
Picking up her fork, she prodded at the cod as if she expected it to jump off her plate and start slapping her about the face. “Yeah, it is a bit of a nightmare. I suppose it’ll be worth it when it’s done.” Her attempt at a genuine smile looked more like a grimace, and I found myself apologising for the mess yet again.
Ava’s sickness appeared to subside the further north we hurtled. She became more talkative and animated as she pointed out various landmarks, trying to guess where we were going.
Purchasing the place had been a bit of a risk, but it held so many memories for us that the possibility of anyone finding out became inconsequential anyway.
It was only when the train pulled to a stop in the small Scottish station that Ava caught on. “We’re going to the cottage?”
My grin was as wide as hers, and I nodded eagerly as I pulled her into my arms. “I bought it.”
“You… you bought the cottage?” I could read the question in her eyes, and although she didn’t ask, I answered her anyway.
“The last couple of weeks without you, Ava, it gave me endless time to think. We worked so hard to build ourselves a nest egg, so our future was secure, but what’s the point of millions in the bank if we’re not able to enjoy it? Fuck that! We went underground to spend time on ourselves, to focus on us, but that doesn’t mean we should live the hard way. It was foolish of me to think that. You deserve the world, baby, and I’m going to make sure you get it.”
She swiped at the few tears that fell onto her cheeks and swallowed loudly. “I don’t deserve you, Mason Fox, never mind the world.”
“I wish you would talk to me. Whatever’s bothering you, I’m sure we can fix it. Twenty-four years together makes us strong, baby. Strong enough to deal with anything.”
She frowned, staring up at me as though she was thinking hard about something. “Why do you keep mentioning the twenty-four-year thing?” It was only when she checked her phone and her eyes shot wide that I knew she’d figured it out.
“Happy anniversary, my little warrior.”
Placing her hand over her mouth like she was going to throw up again, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “Shit, Mason. I’m so sorry!”
“Hey! Don’t be. It’s fine. You’ve had a lot on your mind.”
She sighed and caressed my cheek with the palm of her hand. “Can’t you be angry with me? Forgiving me just makes me feel worse.”
I laughed, shaking my head at her reasoning. “Well, that’s just stupid. We’ve had too many arguments lately, and another one, especially today, isn’t going to help us.”
Climbing from the train, we were escorted out of the station and into the waiting limo, where more champagne was poured for us both.
“Jesus, I’ll be pissed by the time we get there.”
‘Makes it easier to take advantage of you,’ was on the tip of my tongue, and my heart broke that little bit more when I swallowed it back down. Precious time together; I had been hoping that I’d finally be able to resolve what the hell was wrong with me. Some quiet quality time was, with any luck, what we both needed to get that spark back in the bedroom.
I ignored the voice in my head when it laughed at me.