“I don’t know… It felt like I’d never left.”
“Good. I like that.” He smiles, beckoning my lips with the twist of his.
I lean down and give him a deep kiss, keeping it short for Ellis’s benefit. Mason’s eyes are heavy and full of lust as I pull away. “Come to mine tonight. I don’t want to be alone,” he admits.
“We’re supposed to be taking things slow,” I remind him. I should have known he’d have no restraint. But his honesty has me conflicted, and I already know I won’t deny him.
“I can go slow.” He winks.
“Get away you sex maniac.” I push on his chair and step back.
“I’m serious. Come to mine tonight. We can keep it PG.” He gently slides a hand down Ellis’s back, looking up at me with so much adoration in his eyes it floors me. “I want you both with me. Always.”
My heart sings with his words. Is there anything I want more than to be with this man—always? I don’t think so.
“Will you pick us up on your way home?”
“Of course I will.”
I spend the rest of my day giving Ellis one hundred percent of my time. The last few months have been nonstop. I started working at the gym, then Mason—he gets his own category all to himself—and then all the preparation for the ball. For the last year I’ve thrived off of routine–even though I’ve struggled being alone. But the idea that everything is changing againand so quickly, despite how much I’ve wanted all these things, it still scares me.
Leaning down, I kiss Ellis’s smooth hair, inhaling his sweet shampoo. Something deep inside of me tells me things are about to change for us again. Mason doesn’t want us apart anymore, and I get it. I hate being alone too. But my concerns are that we will move faster than our hearts can handle. I’d like to think I know Mason, that I can deal with the curve balls that come our way now. But am I foolish to think that after such a short amount of time we can find our happy again?
Right now, I want to spend my time with my son, snuggling on the sofa and listening to the rain fall outside.
I look down at his little face which is resting against the crook of my arm. “You’re so tired today, baby.”
His wide eyes don’t leave the TV screen and I smile as his small hand clenches my vest, holding me tight. “Daddy will be here soon.”
The sound of my phone vibrating has my eyes snapping open. Ellis is asleep in his cot. He drifted off whilst we were lying on the sofa, and I felt so drained after yesterday and this morning that I decided to have a lie down.
Searching my bed, I find my phone.
“Hey, Scar,” I whisper, pushing back the covers and slipping from the room.
“Hey!” She sounds happy and cheerful, and it instantly lifts my mood. “I just got back from work. I stopped in to see Joey today…”
“You did? Was he okay? What happened?”
She sighs through the phone. “I did pop over to yours after but you weren’t home.”
“I went to the office with Ellis. We took Mason coffee. How was Joey?”
“He let me in. Well, not in, but he opened the door, eventually. He’s definitely struggling, but I think he’s okay. I gave him my number and told him I would pop back in the week which he seemed to be okay about.”
“He was?”
“Yeah. Did he sleep much before all this with his brother?” she asks.
Did he sleep? I would say yes, he never looked tired, but he was a workaholic when it came to his photography. “Most of the time.”
“Well, he isn’t sleeping. I think that’s normal given the circumstances though. I’m pretty sure he’s smoking something as there was a pretty strong smell coming from his apartment. Probably nothing to worry about but is there a neighbour or anyone you know who could check in each day?”
Me. I’m the only one. I know this. “No.”
“Okay, don’t stress over this, Nina. I’ll do my best to go over as much as possible around work.”
“I’m so sorry, Scar. I just wanted to wait a couple days, give Mason time to chill out about Sunday.”
