I love you, baby; you are strong, and you are smart, hang on to that and you will always go far my beautiful girl.
Love,
Mama
Hugging the letter to my chest, I drop my head and start to sob. Mason pulls me to him and rests my head against his chest. He holds me with his chin resting on my head until the sobs turn to hiccups
“I lost everything,” I say between hiccups, “She knew. She knew he would do something to me, I had to leave everything behind when I ran.”
He is rhythmically stroking my head with his hand while he rocks me. “I’m glad you have something from her, darlin’.
Pulling away, I wipe my nose on the back of my hand. “How did you get this?”
“Spits found the attorney your parents did everything through, the only thing your brother didn’t take is what you see here. He was working on having you declared deceased so he could get your bank accounts, the attorney was happy to hand this over once he spoke with my attorney.”
I look down at the half-folded papers in my lap and start to skim over the contents: a copy of my father’s will with what was left for me highlighted, the bank statements for that, and the bank statement for the account my mom set upfor me.
When I see the amounts on the statements, I suck in a breath; this is more money than I have ever seen. My head snaps up to look at Mason. “This is a lot of money.”
He nods his head. “You can have your life back now. Are you okay? ”
Would I trade all this money to have my parents back? Yes. “I am.” Taking a deep breath, I blow it out and let my cheeks puff out, “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about how much babies cost.”
He winds his hand around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss while he laughs, “Darlin’, wait ‘till you see my bank account. Snipers on black ops teams make pretty good money.” He kisses me again, “Come on, Lainey Rai will be banging on the door any minute.”
Two hours later and the entire den is covered in shredded wrapping paper, there’s a fire in the fireplace, and someone’s phone is connected to the surround-sound playing Christmas music. Everyone is talking at the same time and showing off their gifts.
Mason lied when he told me that no one got me anything, a few gifts were handed to me during the wrapping paper frenzy, and I had to fight back the tears. As much as I hate to admit it, the Christmases of my youth were never this nice.
“Your hot cocoa, ma’am.” Mason bends over with the hot mug and hands me the cocoa that I requested. When he stands back up, he says, “Can I get everyone’s attention?”
All the heads in the room swivel in his direction, he stays standing as the chatter dies down and the only sound is the fire crackling and the soft music playing in the background.
“We had a close call this year.” He looks at his dad, who is drinking his second or third cup of coffee, I’m not sure which, “We’ve been reminded, again, of the importance of family.” He looks at Gray and Lainey Rai. Gray cups his mouth and chinin his hand and leans on the chair arm.
“It’s easy to forget what’s important while going through the day-to-day grind, I know I did. I took my family for granted and that’s a mistake I won’t make again.” He looks at Marley and winks and she gifts him with a smile.
“You know, if you would have asked me just a few months ago if I would ever have a wife and a child, I would have told you not a chance,” My heart sinks a little, but I swallow and keep the smile on my face, “it’s funny how life doesn’t give a damn about what you’re doing or planing. In the past month, it has been made plain to me that things change in a blink.
He turns and looks at me and shakes his head, his eyebrows go up in disbelief, “I’m going to be a father.” Soft laughter fills the room. “I’ve questioned my ability a hundred times since I found out, but I think that with the right woman beside me, I can do anything.”
When he goes down on one knee, it’s my turn for my eyebrows to go up in disbelief, and I hear a couple of gasps in the room. He takes my hand, “Sloane, when we met in that bar, I knew there was something different about you,” he lays his palm over his heart, “I knew I was supposed to talk to you that night, and I know we have only known each other for a month, but I also know you are the woman I want by my side.”
He slides his hand in his pocket and my heart starts pattering against my chest. He pulls a small, black, velvet box from his pocket and pops the top open to reveal a large, round, single-stone engagement ring, my fingers go to my lips as I look at the sparkling stone in front of me. “You’re the woman who has changed my life. So, in front of all the people in the world who are most important to me, I want to ask if you’ll be my wife, too?”
Every eye in the room is on me, but my focus is on Mason.I couldn’t stop my smile if I tried, I nod my head. “Of course I will, yes,” I say around the lump in my throat.
The room erupts in whoops and hollers, and he slips the ring on my finger before he pulls me to him. I put my arms around his neck, and he kisses me under my ear where he knows I like it best. “I love you.” He says just loud enough for me to hear.
Turning my head, I nuzzle my nose in his neck. “I love you, too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
SLOANE
“MASON, IT’Sbeen five weeks, I’m fine. Don’t you have some fences to mend, stalls to clean, or horses to ride or something?” I huff out a breath as I lean against the kitchen counter with a grin on my face.
The first few weeks with my injured leg, I didn’t mind the hovering, but if I have to keep seeing that bedroom during the day any more than needed, I’m going to lose my mind.
