My mom offered to talk to me about Logan when he first got back and maybe I’m ready to take her up on it. I’m sure she’s up so I don’t bother to message her before driving to her house.
I can’t get the kiss out of my head. It feels like it would be so easy to just pick up where we left off. He’s changed and matured. Our connection feels the same as it always did.
As I pull into mom’s driveway and put my jeep in park, I freeze at the site of a police SUV already here. The feelings of déjà vu hit instantly. My heart begins to race wildly, as I gasp for breath. There is no good reason for it to be here unless it’s an emergency. This can’t be happening. Not again.
I barely remember to turn off my vehicle before I jump out, slam the door, and run towards the house. Taking the steps two at a time, I rush through the front door and come to a halt. Yes, Officer Mason Kent is clearly here, but there doesn’t appear to be an emergency as I watch him walk down my mom’s stairs in bare feet, pulling a T-shirt over his head wearing only grey sweats. His hair is tousled like he just got out of bed.
Oh my god! This was not on this year’s Bingo card.
Pausing in surprise, his blue/grey eyes grow large when he sees me standing here. Slowly, I shut the door behind me and lean back against it. I can feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. This was the very last thing I expected to find this morning. But I’m a grown ass woman; I can handle it.
Mason finds his voice before I do. “Good morning, Hannah.” He pulls the shirt down over his toned stomach and continues his descent down the stairs and points towards the kitchen. “I’m just going to make some coffee; do you want some?”
Okay, so this is how we are going to play it. We will just pretend that it’s completely normal for him to spend the night with my mom. But hell, maybe it is, and this is just one more thing I don’t know. Awesome, this is so awesome for me.
Clearing my dry throat, I step away from the door and follow him. “Sure, I will have some coffee.” Weird, this is fucking weird. Never have I ever seen another man in this kitchen this early in the morning besides my dad and that was years ago. “Umm, where’s my mom?”
Lifting his head towards the ceiling, he replies, “Getting dressed. She will be down in a minute.”
Cool, cool – totally normal. I watch him move about the room, collecting what he needs to make coffee. I lean my hip against the counter and try not to fidget as he takes out three mugs and sets them down beside the coffee pot. It’s obvious that he’s comfortable in this space, and he has been doing this for a while.
Not brave enough to address the elephant in the room without my mother present, I decide to fill the silence.
“So, how’s work going?” I ask, looking anywhere but at him.
“Good. Good,” he replies, pouring hot coffee into the mugs, sliding one across the counter towards me. “How’s the gallery?”
“Good. Really good.” After adding cream and sugar I take it to the table and sit facing him. Leaning back, I steeple my hands in front of my face and watch him prepare a cup for my mom and himself.
After a moment, he clears his throat and mutters, “So, this is awkward.”
“You think?” Biting my lips I nod, this is so uncomfortable.
Air rushes from my lungs when my mom walks into the room freshly showered and ready for the day. Thank fuck she’s here. The instant look of relief that washes across Mason’s face is comical.
She immediately smiles when she sees me. “Good morning, sweetie. I thought I heard someone come in.” She gives Mason a reassuring grin before walking to the table and sitting down across from me. Gently touching my arm, she asks, “I didn’t expect to see you this morning, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Good.” I nod my head, eyes bouncing between Mason and my mom.
Mason brings mom her coffee and bends to kiss the top of her head. “I’m going to go up and get ready. Give you a chance to talk.”
“Thank you,” Mom beams up at him. “We have to leave by 10 if we are going to be there on time.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be ready.” He smiles softly at her before his gaze shifts to me. “It was nice to see you, Hannah,” he says softly before picking up his coffee and leaving the room.
I watch him go before I lean towards Mom and whisper shout, “What’s he doing here? What’s going on?”
Chuckling, she shakes her head and pats my hand. “I think that’s quite obvious, darling.” Standing, she walks over to the counter and picks up a pastry box. Setting it on the table in front of me she opens the lid and slides it towards me before returning to her spot. “Donut?”
Leaning my elbows on the table I cup my hands over my mouth, inhaling and exhaling deeply. “Not everything can be fixed with donuts, Mother.”
Snorting, she pushes the box a little closer. “Don’t be dramatic and pick out the one you want.”
I pat my lips a couple times while I stare at the woman before me. “Speechless. I am absolutely speechless,” I say as I reach into the box and choose a chocolate with rainbow sprinkles.
“You, my dear, haven’t been speechless a minute in your entire life. What do you want to know?” she asks, humming her approval as she sips her coffee.
Leaning back, I raise one foot and put it on the seat of the chair and let the other swing back and forth. “Let’s start with Mason. What the fuck, Mom?”
