“But it was worth it.”
“Damn right, it was.”
Chase heard a slight movement—a cracking sound. He knew it was the sound of Mason’s lips forming a smile. God, he didn't know if it was the stupidest thing in the world to be doing that with Mason, but even if it was, how could he regret it when it felt so good?
* * *
Mason held his phone out in front of him as he lay stretched out across his bed, jerking off. He watched Chase doing the same thing in his own bed.
What had started as phone sex a few weeks earlier had turned into FaceTime sex.
As Chase came, Mason spilled his own load, the warm mess collecting on his abs.
Even though he wanted to set his phone down and fully revel in his orgasm, he didn’t, because he knew Chase liked watching him.
As Chase’s body settled, Mason sighed.
Chase smiled and looked into the camera like he was just as satisfied as Mason. But wonderful as those sessions were, they left Mason itching for more.
“That was great,” Mason said. “Incredible as always.”
“It’d be better if it wasn’t over the phone. You should come visit me.”
The way he said it, it came out as a joke, but Mason suspected he was being serious. “Maybe I will.”
“Oh, come on, Mason. You’re not going to be able to get away from the dairy.”
“I think I can. It’s not as busy right now. The new guys are doing good work. I could sneak away for a couple days… at least through a weekend, maybe.”
Chase’s gaze drifted. He was thinking too much, as he always did. He just needed to enjoy what they were sharing, and Mason was relieved when he finally looked back at him and said, “I’d like that.”
As far as Mason was concerned, it was a done deal. Nice as it had been to jerk off with Chase after a hard day of work, Mason wanted to feel Chase’s body, massage his muscles, feel his weight against him.
The next day, he checked out flights and texted with Chase, plotting his visit. It was crazy and maybe even a little childish, but he didn’t give any shits about that. He had that same tunnel vision he’d had during high school. Chase was all that consumed his thoughts. Not that he’d ever gone away, but the promise of getting to see him made him less apprehensive about entertaining those thoughts as they entered his mind, which they did all too frequently.
At dinner, Mason didn’t hesitate to make his intentions known, blurting out: “When do you think I could maybe get away for a bit?”
Everyone quieted. Mason had never suggested anything like that before, so he knew he’d cause a bit of a stir, but he figured, since he was already talking to Chase about it, he just needed to be out with it so that if anyone had any weirdness about the subject, they could say so.
“Get away for a bit?” Emery asked, teasing in her voice. “Where would you be going? Do you have some secret boyfriend we need to know about?”
Mason laughed. “No. I just was thinking about going out to LA and visiting Chase. We were chatting on the phone”—AKA messing around via FaceTime—“and he mentioned that I should come visit.”
Silence. Even Dwayne, Jasper, and Timmy were quiet, and Mason knew it was because, in the time they’d worked on the dairy, they’d come to know the same stories as the rest of the family—about their past, about his hurt.
He expected resistance from Pa and Emery, but Emery said, “That’s really sweet. I saw how y’all were getting along better while you guys were here hanging out, and I just thought… that was so nice to see for a change. And I’m kind of glad it was my engagement that was the trigger that got you guys to start talking again, laughing again… playing again.”
She had a sort of romantic look in her eyes—like her thoughts were drifting back to a time before his and Chase’s split.
“I would say we’re good on the dairy right now,” Pa said, acting as if the trip was totally normal, but judging by his expression, Mason knew better. “You can leave as soon as next week, if you want. You definitely deserve a vacation.”
Pa forced a smile, his expression as tense as his squared-off shoulders.
After they finished eating, Mason headed to the stables to tend to Mercy and Louise before he headed in for bed. “Gonna go see Daddy,” he told Mercy as he petted her coat. “I’ll tell him hey for you.”
He heard shuffling at the door and turned to see Pa walking in, his head hanging low.
Mason knew why he’d come out to see him, and he was as ready to defend his actions as he was the day Pa had fought him about marrying the boy he loved.
