Chapter Twenty-two
Payton
I loved being at the ranch with Mason and Katie. I loved it. Mason was getting better, slowly, every day. He’d laugh more. Joke a little. He was becoming himself again, finding his footing in his new life. Everything I’d been worried about seemed like a nonissue at this point. He was perfect. And Katie was the best baby. It was hard to imagine my life before she came along.
I walked through the front door after a long twelve-hour shift at the hospital, immediately peeled off my scrub top and tossed it to the ground. I pumped some hand sanitizer into my palms before basically jogging across the room to where Katie rested against Mason’s chest.
“Hey, gorgeous, how was work?”
I kissed his lips before stealing the baby from his arms. “It was good. Long day, we had three new babies come in. And I think they’ll be staying for a few weeks at least.” I kissed the top of her fuzzy infant head. “Katie Bug, I missed you so much. How was your day?”
“You talkin’ to me or the little attention stealer there?”
I sat down on the couch next to Mace, leaning into his side when he wrapped his arms around me. “Both.”
“Well. Katie ate. I ate. Katie napped. I napped. Katie spit up, I spit up.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
I laughed. “You spit up?”
“Well, Katie projectile vomited in my mouth, so…yeah, I spit up too. That doesn’t make you not want to make out with me, right? Because I swear I brushed and used mouthwash.”
I laughed even harder. “We need to set up cameras so I can watch you guys while I’m at work. I’d have paid good money to see this tiny baby throw up into your mouth.”
“You and the rest of America, I’m sure.” He smoothed his hand over the top of my head and then placed a kiss on my forehead. “Speaking of the rest of America, I wanted to talk to you girls about something.”
I smiled. I loved it when he called us that. His girls. It was adorable, and every single time I melted a little more. I didn’t even know if he was aware that he did that. That he called us his and grouped us together. “Okay. What’s up?” I brought my knees up on the couch and laid Katie on her back so that she could see both of us. “You have our full attention.”
“My record label called this morning and they told me I needed to reschedule part of my tour.”
I pulled back so I could look at him. “I thought Jacks and Lexi told you to take all the time you needed? It’s only been a month.” The thought of him leaving made a knot form in the pit of my stomach. What about Katie? What about me?
“I know, but they held off as long as they could. I have a crew of people who aren’t getting paid right now. They depend on me. It’s not forever, six weeks, tops.”
“Okay. Wow, um, you want me to help you find a nanny for Katie?” The thought of someone else watching her was making me almost sick to my stomach. She was so tiny still. She needed someone who knew what they were doing. I’m sure Mason could afford the best. Maybe we could find another nurse?
“I was hoping you’d stay with her.”
I cocked my head, turning my body to his. “Me? I have a job, Mason.”
He replied quickly, “I’d hire someone to help you. Like you’d be in charge and I’d get you a nanny. We’d just replace me with someone who actually knew what they were doing.”
Like I was a working mother, except Katie wasn’t my daughter. “Mason, working at the hospital and then coming here hasn’t been easy over the last week. It’s almost an hour drive each way. My days are long, and my nights are longer. I haven’t minded, at all. I’m glad I could be here for you and Katie, and I’ve loved seeing you guys at the end of the day but—”
“You could take a leave of absence? Just until I’m done with the tour? Please, Payton. I don’t trust anyone else.”
Did I falter when he said he wanted me to stay, that I was who he trusted to help him raise his baby sister while he was away? Of course I did. Was I sad thinking of being here without him? Certainly. Would our new relationship survive him being on tour? We hadn’t even defined what was going on with us. We hadn’t even talked about it yet.
“What do you say?”
“Mason, I love my job…” I didn’t want to leave her with someone else that was for sure. And I couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day, not witnessing every milestone. “Ugh, okay, I will take a six week leave of absence, but that’s it.”
He let out a breath, a smile on his lips. “I’ll pay you. I can pay you whatever you were making at the hospital. And I’ll also cover the cost of a maid or a nanny. Whatever help you need, it’s yours.”
“You can pay my rent and my car payment. I don’t need you to pay me that much to live in your house and take care of Katie. That’s ridiculous. I love her.”
“I’m paying you, and if I have to contact the hospital to find out how much you make, I’ll do it.” He took my face in his hands, kissing my lips sweetly. “You’re saving my life here, baby.”
I gave him a weak smile. “When do you leave?”
“I told Harlow to give me a few days to get Katie taken care of, and then I’d let her know. I’m sure I won’t head out for another week or so.” He put his arm around my neck and pulled me back down against him. “We have plenty of time together before I go. Don’t start crying now.”
I scoffed. “Me? We both know you’re the one who stalks me when you’re on tour.” Because I’d been his friend during his last one. I’d heard the tales of groupies and whiskey. I just prayed that things would be different this time. That I was enough for him.
He kissed my temple, my cheek, the corner of my lips.
“I’ll miss you both like crazy.”
***
I woke in the middle of the night to find Mason’s side of the bed empty. I sat up, looking around the room, assuming he’d be perched on the chair feeding Katie. But he wasn’t there. I got up and tiptoed across the hall to her crib, she wasn’t there either. I walked silently down the hallway, following the sound of music coming from the old record player in the living room.
I smiled when I recognized the notes to the Eagles album Katie loved so much. Her favorite song was “Witchy Woman,” but “The Best of My Love” was what they were swaying to. I leaned against the wall, watching Mace dance with his baby sister, my heart swelling with love for them.
When he noticed me standing there, he grinned. “I couldn’t get her to fall back asleep, and we didn’t want to wake you.” When he held his arm out, I crossed the room and laid my head on his chest, my face next to hers. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear this song and not think of this moment.”
I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t. My eyes were tearing up and my throat was clogged with emotion. I knew that Katie wasn’t my daughter, and I knew I was only here in their lives because of some horrible awful tragedy. But in that moment, I was so thankful. I felt so blessed to be wrapped in Mason’s arms, with my hand rubbing Katie’s back. I didn’t want him to leave, but more than anything, I didn’t want to either.
When the song ended, she was asleep. Mason walked her back to the nursery and laid her in the crib, then grabbed my hand, pulling me back across the hall to his room. “She’ll be okay in her crib for a couple of hours.”
I stuck out my bottom lip. “But she just looks so tiny in there.”
He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, dumping me on his bed a few moments later. “I’m going to make you make noises.”
I watched him as he let his briefs fall to the floor and giggled when he lifted the hem of his T-shirt, the one I’d been sleeping in. “I figured it was just easy to never wear panties again.”
“Good girl.” He hovered above me, his hands by my head and his lips inches from mine. “Tell me you want me.”
I smiled, scrapping my lower lip with my teeth. “You know I want you.”
His grin turned wicked. “Tell me how you want me.”
Fuck me like you love me, like you never want to let me go. That’s what I wanted to say. Those were the words running through my head. But I wasn’t brave enough to say them. “You know I hate to be treated like glass, friend.”
He chuckled and lined up the head of his cock at my entrance. “Then how about I shatter you instead, baby?” He surged inside me, burying himself as far as he could go.
I arched up into him, my nails clawing at his lower back. “Fuck. Yes. Just like that.”
He set a ruthless pace, driving into me over and over. His hands were on my thighs, holding them up where he wanted them. “You’re so good, so fucking perfect.”
I love it when he said those words. I was always perfect when he was inside me. That was how I felt too. Like we were two pieces made for each other, my body made for his. “Please don’t fucking stop.”
He hammered into me harder, my body moving up the bed with each thrust. I put my hands out, stopping myself on the headboard. “Good girl, stay just like that.” He grabbed one of my thighs, hiking it high on his hip.
“Fuck. Yes.” I knew I was being loud, too loud probably. But everything about tonight was exactly what I wanted. What I needed. I wanted to feel wanted, like he couldn’t get enough. Like I drove him wild.
His muscles were flexed, his arms bulging with excitation. There was a single bead of sweat running down his chest. I wanted to sit up and taste it. But I was too close, I felt like my body was about to explode under his.
“Come for me, baby.” He pulled all the way out and then slammed home.
I cried out into the darkness, my orgasm overwhelming all my senses.