Page 17 of Mason
Compassionate.
He had the most generous soul, something both he and his sister had inherited from their parents.
Mason was beautiful on the inside and absolutely delicious on the outside.Looking at him was like a reward, one that was bestowed upon me every day.
“He’s definitely in my top four favorite Stevenson men.”We both snickered at that.As far as I was aware, there were only four Stevenson men.Mason, his dad, his uncle Drake, and his cousin Damien.I hadn’t met his uncle or his cousin yet, although I’d spoken to Damien once on the phone when he called Mason and hounded him until he’d handed me the phone, grumbling, “I’m sorry.He’s an idiot.”
Damien made me laugh, which had effectively pissed off Mason, who’d carefully taken the phone back from me after less than a full minute of conversation and had promptly hung up on him.Then blocked him for two days.I mentioned it to everyone in the group chat, which included all the women from the girls’ night, along with several other members of Mason’s gigantic, amazing family.They thought it was hilarious, but not unexpected.Apparently, they were under the impression that Mason was territorial of me.
Which definitely did not make me warm and…wet.
Also, apparently I was lying to myself.
I hadn’t been able to convince anyone that Mason was only being nice.He was so damned kind, and I was in a hard spot, with no one to take care of me after the accident.Harper and Mason would have done the same thing for anyone.
My new girlfriends all told me I was delusional.According to them, Mason was one way with me, and he was another with everyone else.I wasn’t sure I believed that.He’d only ever been the sweet, kind of over-the-top protective man I saw every day.
Vi said that was because he wasmyMason with me, and he wasjustMason when I wasn’t around.She’d stressed the difference repeatedly, then said she wasn’t going to argue with me about it.I’d see what she was talking about eventually, and she thought that was going to be a hilarious occasion.
Using her employee ID, Lucy scanned it over a panel, unlocking a set of double doors that took us into a more secure area.Here, the doors were more spread out, all of them closed.This was the photography area, the place where Mason said he spent the majority of his time when he was working for his mom.
As we passed one door, I heard a loud thump, and then someone cursed loudly enough to be heard through the walls.Lucy gave me a quick grin.“That room is off-limits to everyone.It’s Harper and Shane’s hookup room.”
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.Yes, I knew Harper and Shane were affectionate.They had no issue with PDA.Shane had kissed his wife like no one was watching plenty of times in front of me in the short period I’d known them.And Harper… Well, Harper wasn’t shy about anything to do with her husband.Which was adorable.Every woman should have that kind of confidence in her intimate relationship.
I just hadn’t been expecting to hear them—ever—but especially not at Harper’s place of work.
“It’s another reason for the restricted access,” Lucy said with another laugh when she saw my face.“That room has a personalized keycode and fingerprint scanner.There’s very little chance that you would accidentally see something that will traumatize you.”She paused outside another door much, much farther down the corridor.“Fair warning, the chances are never zero.I suggest always knocking before entering Harper’s office.Regardless of what her assistant says.”
“Good for them,” I commented, heat filling my cheeks.“And you have something to talk to your therapist about.”
“Oh honey, I have plenty to tell her every week.Sometimes twice a week.Harper and Shane getting freaky on her desk doesn’t make the top fifty.”Using her ID again, she opened another set of doors, her smile still warm as she ushered me inside.“We have coffee and tea options, or bottled water if you want something cold.And Mason had half of the bakery down the block sent in.He said you don’t eat enough.”
“I’ve gained five pounds in the past week from how much he’s been feeding me!”
“Then his momma taught him right.”She led me over to a comfortable sitting area where two small couches were positioned adjacent to each other, a stone coffee table loaded with drinks and brightly decorated bakery boxes in front.There were tall lamps with cones around them for extra lighting that weren’t turned on or pointed toward the sitting area, along with a desk-like table in one corner and several large totes with wheels.
Opening one of the boxes, Lucy made a happy humming noise and stuffed half a bear claw into her mouth before offering me the box.“Sorry, I skipped breakfast.My husband distracted me.Twice.”
“This family is very openly affectionate,” I observed aloud, selecting something at random because I couldn’t decide.
“As opposed to being emotionally bankrupt?”she asked, her face expressing genuine curiosity.I shrugged, not having a baseline to compare any other families to.Mom was my only example, and she never dated, let alone had a life partner.“Tell me about your family, Sutton.”
I froze before taking a bite of the jelly donut.“Is this part of the interview?”
“This is us having a getting-to-know-you conversation.I’m not writing the article, so anything you tell me right now will stay between us.”When I still hesitated, she leaned forward, her brown eyes softening.“How about we take turns sharing about ourselves?”
After a small pause, I nodded.
Dropping the bear claw onto a napkin, she dusted her hands before reaching for the carafe of coffee.“I was adopted by my eldest biological sister when I was a kid, right after she married Jesse Thornton.Before I went to live with her, my sister Lana did what she could to take care of me.Our bio mom, Lydia, died, and then the state found Layla.Honestly, it was the best thing that could have happened for both my sisters and me.”
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
“Me too.She was…troubled.”She busied herself with pouring a cup of coffee.“Neither of my sisters and I share a father.Mine was my mother’s drug dealer.So my first taste of a healthy partnership between couples was a bunch of rockers who were only just beginning to figure it out themselves.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I sat there, giving her my undivided attention.
“Over the years, I’ve learned a few valuable life lessons, one being that family is the people who make you feel safe, who love you unconditionally.”She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes meeting mine.“So tell me about your family, Sutton.”
