I looked down at the satisfied smile on Harper’s pretty face, then at my arms tightly wrapped around her. As long as she was around, I wouldn’t be able to move on.
So why couldn’t I let her go?
I never wantedanyone to go to sleep more than I did Mason last night. He’d had sex with me twice and still kept pawing at me. After we got out of the bath he insisted on brushing my hair, then held me for what felt like forever.
It was kind of nice to feel wanted, but his touch kept creeping down to parts that needed a break. Even when he finally fell asleep, it was with his hand on my breast.
Was this what all men were like? I couldn’t recall a single girl that Sean let spend the night. According to him, they were done and therefore had no reason to stick around. So I’d seen plenty of pissed off marches when he kicked them out, but not a single frustrated ‘leave me alone’ huff.
Mind you, Mason was back to normal in the morning. He pretty much pushed me out of his room the second he woke up. His exact words were, ‘get the fuck out of my face’. Maybe he liked spending a little more time with girls than my brother did?
At least that’s what I thought until I saw him at breakfast. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before he slid his hand under my skirt. Thankfully Mason didn’t argue when I jumped up and said I was going for a walk. He did give me a dirty look though, so I was probably going to pay for that later.
His dad was right there, not to mention his soon to be step-mom and brother. What was he thinking? That was the million dollar question. What was Mason Kessler thinking? One minute he glared at me with hatred, then the next it was like he couldn’t get close enough. I didn’t know what to do. Should I keep hiding? Run away? Or should I give him what he wanted?
The truth.
I huffed out a sigh and ran my hand along the soft green leaves of the hedge. There was a time when all I wanted to do was confide in Mason. Daddy would be in one of his moods and my mind would go to that green eyed little boy. I’d imagine that I was a princess locked in a dragon’s tower, and he would swoop in to save me. But little boys couldn’t defeat dragons. They got eaten by them.
So I did my best to forget about my hero and faced the monster myself. That way I’d be the only person who got hurt. But that wasn’t the case, was it? I didn’t realize until Mason brought me here.
Sighing, I turned the corner to the tower in the middle of the hedges. I looked up at the vines of ivy climbing the stone exterior. The sign saying ‘Fort Kessler, no girls allowed except Harper,’ was still hanging next to the door. It was faded and covered in dust, but it was still there, just like the carving in my tree. Why did I come here?
This place was nothing more than faded memories. A reminder of a time best forgotten. And yet here I stood, staring at it in wonderment like I used to. The first time Mason brought me here he was so excited. I’d never forget the sparkle in his bright eyes. It felt like he was letting me in on some grand secret fairy tale. Now this place just looked sad and lonely. A crypt entombing all of our happiness.
My eyes fell to the shadow filled archway. I could hear the innocent giggles of our childhood wafting down the stairs. It called to me, pulling me through the ivy hanging over the door and up the stairs where I could smell the grass stains on Mason’s jeans.
“Come on, Harper,” the ghostly figure of a little boy waved for me to follow. “Wait till you see this.”
He skipped away with a smile on his face and disappeared around the corner.
“Wait,” I called out and rushed up the stairs.
He laughed when I caught up and ran away. His joy was so contagious I couldn’t help but join in. My giggles got louder the faster we raced each other up the tower. The ghostly little boy would duck behind one corner where I’d jump out and say “boo,” before he took off again. Our little game was so freeing that I forgot about everything and enjoyed the wind in my hair and the smile on my face.
Then we got to the room at the top of the tower and I stopped cold.
The little boy was gone but the items he’d put in this room years before weren’t. My gaze swung from the red velvet pillow covered in dust, to the wooden sword in the corner. Everything was here. The stuffed rabbit I brought to keep guard out the window, and Mason’s monster hunting plans – which were hanging on the wall next to it. Even the pink water bottle I drank from the last time I was here still sat in the place I left it.
The longer I looked around, the more my chest ached. It wasn’t the cherished memories that caused the tears to drip from my eyes. It was because nothing had moved. Every single item was exactly where I’d last seen it. Meaning Mason hadn’t come back in here. Not since that day. I didn’t just break him, I took his innocence. And now he’d taken mine.
I walked over to the far wall and ran my hand along the crayon drawings. A prince and princess, a dragon, and a little boy holding his mother’s hand next to a lake. My brows furrowed at that one. I didn’t remember seeing it before. But it had to be here. If Mason hadn’t been back here, then it…
My breath hitched as I stumbled back. Mason didn’t draw it. I did. Two days after I got out of the hospital, I snuck out and came here, hoping I’d find Mason waiting for me. I sat here all night, but he never came. So I left him this because I wanted him to know I loved him. How did I not remember that?
This picture was my secret message to him. I chose his mother and the lake because they were like Daddy. Julia Kessler did a bad thing, but Mason still loved her…
“Doyou think if someone hurts you, they can still love you?”
I brushed the dirt off Mr. Bunny’s head and shrugged. “I don’t know? Maybe?”
“Yeah.” Mason’s chest puffed out with a heavy sigh.
He’d been sad lately. Moping around with a frown on his face. I just wanted him to be happy again. That’s why I was here. To make him smile. But he hadn’t smiled all day. Maybe he needed a hug? So that’s what I did. I walked over, sat down on the floor beside him, and threw my arms around his neck.
“It’ll be okay,” I promised and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
When Mason lifted his green eyes to mine, I wished I could wipe away the sorrow in them.
