Three weeks later…
I WASN’T SURE WE COULD do this. But we did. And we did it as a family. My beautiful girls and me.
Weeks have passed and Mason and I have been forced to sneak around. Making out in cars, quick sex at his place or mine, long kisses in dark corners of impromptu meetings. Though all of this has been fun, it’s time to move forward.
So I had made the decision to do what the girls wouldn’t expect.
I tested them on how they’d feel about him coming to dinner.
Last night, the three of us all talked. Together, we made their favorite: spaghetti with homemade meat sauce. Averie helped with the garlic bread. Amelia put together the salad.
They knew something was on my mind. So rather than delay their inquisition, I asked what I’d been putting off—much to Mason’s impatience.
“Mason Cole?” Averie questioned. “As in the hot cop also known as McButterpants?”
“Yes,” I answered, trying hard to keep a straight face.
“Works for me,” Averie readily agreed. “Just make sure he tells Jason at Zinn’s to add extra cheese on my pineapple pizza.”
And that was all from her. As if Mason delivered pizza to our home so many times before.
As I cast a glance to Amelia, she was still. Her glare aimed to the floor, her nostrils flaming in unvoiced irritation.
“Amelia,” I had called. “Honey, any thoughts? This is your house too. You can say no. If you’re not ready.”
“It’s not that I’m not ready,” she returned. “I just…”
Moments passed and she didn’t continue, so I prodded, “Let’s have him wait. Maybe next month.”
“What gives?” Averie punished, her fork of spaghetti midair.
Shaking her head, and calling up a feigned smile, Amelia looked to her sister, then to me and said, “She’s right. It’s fine, Mom. But tell him pepperoni and mushroom for my half.”
I was nervous, hesitant to push my oldest daughter. Amelia has always been levelheaded and strong. I relied on this to get her through the first dinner with the man I love.
So far, other than Averie’s insistence to rattle on end about whatever comes to mind, this evening has been good—great even.
“Honey, again. Go brush your teeth and put your pajama’s on,” I order Averie, who is still loitering around living room. “You have a big day of shopping tomorrow.”
Averie didn’t take her eyes off Mason and me as we sat next to each other on the couch all night. She sat on the floor near his feet, but far enough away the two weren’t touching.
She’s tried to be clever, looking away quickly before being caught. Each time he’s moved, to grab my hand or adjust us in our seats, she’s studied us together.
However, my little girl is no undercover agent. She’s been spotted by Mason at every turn. So far he’s not said a word, only looked at me and shook his head with a grin. But I know him, and he’s never been one to let something go. It’s only a matter of time before Averie gets what’s coming.
“You two wanna make out when Amelia and I go to bed,” she jabs, crossing her arms over her chest and standing in the mouth of the hall. “I get it. Amelia sends me outta the room the same way.”
“I do not!” Amelia admonishes, looking up from her Kindle to glare at her sister. “Mom! You know I don’t.”
“Amelia, she’s teasing.”
Amelia’s been quiet the entire evening. She hasn’t said a word to Mason, but she’s also not left the room because of him either.
Progress.
Just as I’m about to speak, Mason steps in. “Amelia, brace, ‘cause you may not wanna hear this.”
And there it is. What I knew was coming. Mason’s had his share of sass.
Amelia’s ponytail flies through the air as she aims her concentration to him.
Mason turns his focus to Averie, leaning her hip against the wall. Her eyes are wide, anticipating her opponent’s next move.
With patience, he states, “I had a really nice time with you and Amelia tonight.”
“Well, yeah,” she smarts, not letting him finish.
“And though it’s not your business, I’ll tell you what your mother and I are gonna do after you go to bed.”
Oh, hell. Please be careful.
Powering on, he first explains, “She’s gonna hold my hand and walk me to the front door.”
I know where this is going. And my girls have not grown accustom to the way Mason expresses himself yet.
Interrupting, I place my hand on Mason’s knee. “Let’s just—”
Mason carries forward, sweetly settling his hand on top of mine. Which was certainly not my intent. Averie watches, directing her gaze to anything but his face.
He doesn’t mind as he says, “Then she’s gonna let me give her a long kiss goodnight.”
Shit.
“After that, she’s gonna smile how I like her to, and if I’m lucky, she’ll reach up and touch my face.”
Oh, my God.
“Gross!” Averie scolds.
My eyes flip to Amelia where I find she’s suppressing a laugh. No help there, then. Great.
Happy to prove his point, Mason continues with, “She’s gonna tell me she had a nice evening and that she can’t wait to do it again.”
“I can’t believe you’re saying this to my twelve-year-old daughter,” I whisper, my gaze moving back to Averie, who’s staring intently at the target of her torment.
“If I’m lucky, she’s gonna let me kiss her again.”
“Dear God, Mason,” I utter. “Please tell me this is you trying to be funny,” I harsh out my words and scold, “You are not a funny person!”
Mason turns to me and shakes his head slowly. His glare is intense, making it known he’s serious. He’s got a point to prove and he’s set about doing that.
Then he’s back at Averie. “And she’ll do this because she likes me, trusts me, and knows I’m a good guy.”
“Mason, honey, maybe—”
“So you do or don’t wanna make out with my mom?” Averie questions again, clearly not ready to listen to Mason Cole’s version of dating.
Mason grins. “How about you do what your mother asked you to do, so I can finish watching the credits of this chic flic and go about ending my dinner date with all of you.”
Averie, not bowing to Mason’s chastising way of putting her in place, switches subjects to state, “Sixteen Candles is not a chic flic!”
“It is.”
“It’s not.”
“Did I just watch a girl kiss a guy at the end?”
“Well, of course,” Averie remembers what we just watched.
“Chic flic. They don’t kiss in Die Hard.”
Amelia and I share a look, each anticipating at what point Averie’s head will start to spin.
“Technically,” Amelia dives in, speaking directly to Mason for the first time this evening. “There is a kiss at the end of Die Hard.”
“Doesn’t count if the hero burns shit to the ground for two hours in order to save his woman.”
“Whatever,” Amelia mumbles.
Averie stands straight, grabs her books from the top of the television stand, and says, “Good thing I like you, McButterpants.”
“Good thing,” he dutifully returns.
“I’m off to wash my teeth and change,” Averie announces as though her idea. Shouting from her room, she gets out, “Miss me!”
Amelia stares after her, a grin hiding under her device.
Mason looks to the ceiling, exhaustion blanketing his face.
I giggle and return to Averie, “We always do.”
“This is shit, Cole,” David tells me. “How the hell does that son of a bitch just get up one morning and walk himself out of a maximum security prison?”
An hour ago, after the girls had gone to bed, Katie’s dad pulled up in the driveway. This came as no surprise to me. But it was to her.
Katie stood at her living room window and paced, panicked as if we’d been caught in a relationship red-handed.
However, I was the one who called David before coming over. I knew telling Katie about Marcos would send her reeling. I used the only card I had to play, which was to get her father here for support.
“I know it’s shit, David,” I return. “That’s why I’m tellin’ you.”
As we stand on the porch, he looks out into the front yard and crosses his arms over his chest.
“What do you need from me?” he questions.
“Vigilance. We know he’s here, in the area or he’s fuckin’ close. If you’re at the house, or out with the girls, or with Katie, keep an eye out.”
“Think he’d be stupid enough to make a direct approach?”
“I think he’s desperate. And desperate is dangerous.”
After David came inside, and I sat them both down and explained what I believe is still coming, Katie was wired. She shot off several pertinent questions, just as I knew she would. She’s familiar with Marcos, his crimes, his trial, and conviction. The idea he’s out on the street terrifies her.
“Got her address on radar already. A squad car will be parked in her driveway every night going forward. With a man inside it.”
“That’s somethin’,” he notes. He nods back to the front door and starts, “You and Katie….” He pauses, likely either still trying to wrap his head around seeing us together or deciding whether he’ll support the relationship or not. “You two are together now.”
“We are.”
David Morris has been a good father. A solid role model in this community. He loves his daughter, so he’s skeptical about the changes in her life. I get it.
At this, I turn to face him directly. He has more to say, or he wouldn’t have said anything at all.
“Now’s the time,” I prod.
Doing as I did, David rests his back on the house and relaxes. “Suppose it is.”
“All I’m gonna say is that I love your daughter and I always have.”
“You think I’d question that?” He tenses. “Hell, of all things, your love for Katherine is the one piece of this I’m absolutely convinced is true.”
“Then what aren’t you convinced of?”
“Amelia and Averie.”
Yes. A good man.
“The girls are as good as they can be with this.”
“But are you?” he comes back. “You don’t have kids of your own that I know of. And I love those girls, but I’ll tell you, the age they are right now? They aren’t easy to handle.”
“Averie rarely leaves my side when I’m in a room,” I explain and his eyebrows lift. “She had just met me and conned me into taking her for ice cream. Tomorrow, I’m taking her shopping.”
“Your turn this year, huh?” He smiles.
“Amelia’s at an age I’m not sure she trusts anyone, but I’m guessing with enough time she’ll come around, if only because she’ll see her mom is happy.”
“Amelia has every right to be pissed,” he includes. “Thomas didn’t only step out on Katherine. He betrayed all of them.”
No way to know if Katie ever told her dad about us and what we’d done while she was married. Even if she did, I don’t think that would make a difference.
Giving David what I know, I explain, “May take some more time to gain the girls’ trust, but if I’m not wrong, I think I’ve already got it.”
“I think you’ve already earned it,” he tells me. “And I may as well apologize to you now.”
“For what?”
“I played a part in Katherine’s decision to marry Thomas,” he admits with hesitation. “I knew she came undone when you left. She and I were close growing up, but never like that. I pushed, tried to convince her Thomas would give her a stable life.”
“He did,” I return. “For the most part.”
David’s jaw tenses as he looks to the ground.
“He broke her,” he says, his tone angry but regretful. “I lost my sweet girl when he did what he did. She was never the same. She was a ghost going through motions.”
“You knew about Thomas?”
Shaking his head, he says, “Small town. Katherine never told me herself, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t know. Everyone did.”
“She loves her kids,” I tell him. “She wanted to give them everything she could. Including a happy homelife.”
“In that respect, I’m proud of her,” he responds. “She stuck it out, thick and thin until she couldn’t anymore.”
“I’ll never hurt her,” I reassure. “As long as I’m alive, she’ll keep every bit of happy she deserves.”
“And that’s exactly why I kept in contact after you’d left. I’m thankful now I did.”
“I am too.”
“Thank you, Cole.” When he extends his hand, I accept and he finishes with, “And I’ll let you know if I see or hear anything from Marcos.”
“Appreciated.”
As David walks to his car, the front door opens. Katie steps out onto the porch and into my side. He turns around and waves, she does the same.
Thank fuck that’s all over.