Page 16 of Mason
I bit my tongue, knowing she didn’t mean it the way it sounded.Piper was married, and she wasn’t trying to move in on my girl, no matter what she said about Cannon.That didn’t preclude the need to mark my territory.
Bending, I kissed Sutton’s forehead, warmth exploding in my chest when she leaned into it, the softest hum leaving her.“Do you need anything, beautiful girl?”
“Mason, you don’t have to wait on me like this.You’ve already done so much.”Her troubled caramel eyes met mine.Something in my chest tried to stretch forward, wanting to touch her, pull her in close, absorb her into me so I could shield her from the world.
In our living room with this group of women, however, I had nothing to protect her from.She was safe in all ways with my family.None of them would have been there, pampering her, drowning her in friendship and sisterly love, if they didn’t already accept her.In my gut, I knew that.There wasn’t a single woman in the condo I didn’t trust with my girl’s well-being.
They were the best.They just annoyed the fuck out of me ninety-eight percent of the time.
“It’s never enough,” I told her, only to groan when everyone around us simultaneously started singing “Never Enough” purposely off-key.
“Never enough!”Hayat bounced to her knees, wild curls flying in every direction, hitting Heavenleigh in the face and causing her to bat it away like she was being attacked.Hayat lifted her hand toward Bliss, who clutched at her chest like her heart was on the line, her blue-gray eyes brimming on cue.
Mia and Neveah harmonized next line, even with food in their mouths, accepting the risk of potentially choking to death for the perfect opportunity to push me closer to the edge of insanity.
“Never enough!”Shaw and Vi joined in, my sister hugging her bestie, who laid her head on Vi’s shoulder.
Heavenleigh took her turn, always ready for the spotlight and the next “for me,” even though she’d nearly been taken out by Hayat’s hair.
My ears rang as they all joined in.
And of course Piper had to end on a high-pitched, scratchy, needle-on-a-record note.“Foooooor meeeeeeeeh!”
Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply.And then Sutton’s giggle hit my ears.I took a moment, savoring that sound, even as I imagined everyone else being dropped on the moon.With plenty of oxygen and an unending supply of food and water.Because I wasn’t a totally heartless asshole.
“Now we have to watchThe Greatest Showman,” Heavenleigh cried, reaching for the remote.“Mason, my man, my cuz, my dude.You’re in luck.We’re going to give you your own private concert.”
Squeezing the bridge of my nose, I walked away before they could push me closer to the brink.Honestly, it was a better suggestion than what I had feared.All of them jumping up and singing “It’s Gonna Be Me,” complete with choreography, just because of how Piper had turned “me” into something closer to “May.”
Behind me, the movie was already starting, and everyone was already singing.I smiled when I heard Sutton’s voice join in, the majority of my annoyance fading as her laughter lifted over the volume of the movie and my family’s ridiculous overembellishment of the high notes.
We all had parents who were rock stars, except Hayat.Hell, she and Piperwererock stars.Not one person in my living room sounded like they had ever seen a sheet of music in their lives.And as annoying as it was, as much as I wanted to scoop them all up and shove them into their cars, I wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything.
Because of that beautiful laugh I couldn’t get enough of.
Sutton
Stepping off the elevator,I was met by a beautiful woman in business casual.Lucy greeted me with a handshake that turned into a hug.Her wild curls were the only visual thing she shared with her daughter, Hayat.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you!”she gushed, stepping back just enough to smile at me.She had a warmth in her brown eyes that I should have grown accustomed to already.Every woman in Mason’s huge, amazing family had that same welcoming gentleness.
I wasn’t sure why I was nervous.It was only a few photos with a photographer and a chat.Harper had mentioned making a video of me playing the song that had won me the ten grand, but I wasn’t sure if that was still on the agenda.It wasn’t as if I had a cello any longer.
No one had mentioned it since my accident, and I was afraid I’d burst into uncontrollable sobs if I asked what had become of my beloved instrument.That wasn’t a trauma I wanted to dump on Mason.He’d selflessly taken care of me all week, and I wasn’t about to repay him with more emotional turmoil.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you,” Lucy continued, shifting so she could thread her arm through mine and steer me away from the bank of elevators.“I always reserve judgment on new additions to the family, but Hayat was so thoroughly enamored with you during girls’ night, I already know you’re going to be a keeper.”
“Thank you?”I said with a weak smile, my anxiety spiking a little higher as we walked past open doors.Conversations halted, and people stopped what they were doing to openly gape at us.
“Harper got stuck in a meeting earlier, so I volunteered to show you around until she’s free.And Mason is around here somewhere.”She waved a hand dismissively.“But you must be tired of him by now, having been trapped in that small condo with him for so long.”
She was teasing, I could tell by the affection in her voice and the way her eyes filled with extra warmth when she said his name.In truth, I had loved every minute I’d gotten to spend with Mason.When there had been a sudden emergency at the magazine that morning, I’d been sad he’d had to leave.It was the first time since my release from the hospital that he’d left, and for a moment, I’d forgotten about the interview with his mom that afternoon.
He’d promised to send a driver for me, and I was relieved when it turned out to be Neil.Although he was stoic and a little intimidating, I’d grown used to his presence during my hospital stay.
“I don’t think it’s possible to get tired of Mason.He’s…the best.”That was an understatement.Mason was…
Altruistic.
