He points down the crushed slate path and gives my ass a pat to get me going. After a short walk, the pool is easy to spot, its deep blue water reflecting the sunlight off its surface like an indigo sky filled with twinkling stars. Mason is reposed in one of the cushioned deck loungers, scrolling on his phone.
“Hey,” I say, approaching.
His smile is as all-encompassing as before when he sees me.
“Hey,” he replies, standing up and meeting me halfway. “Can I hug you properly this time, or are you still mad and will knee me in the balls?”
“Shut up,” I tell him and wrap my arms around his waist. Yves St. Laurent clings to his collar and neck, and I breathe in the subtle cologne I gave to him for his last birthday. “How long are you able to stay?”
“Couple of days, if that’s okay.”
“More than okay.”
“You look good. Happy,” he states, rocking me side to side as we hug.
“I am.”
Happier than I ever could’ve thought possible. I’m Cinderella finally being granted her wish of getting her very own Prince Charming.
“Because of Jordan?”
I drop my forehead to his chest in defeat. I guess we’re diving right in. No sappy hellos and catching up.
“You were a dick and need to apologize to Jordan.”
“Yeah, I think we need to talk aboutthatbefore I issue any apology.”
He guides me over to the lounger he just vacated and pushes me to sit, then joins me. The thing is so big, there’s enough space and then some for both of us to fit on it.
He offers me his iced drink, and I take a sip of the carbonated soda.
“Is that pineapple?”
Jordan probably has one of those machines you can make your own soda with.
“Good, isn’t it? A sexy blonde librarian brought it out for me.”
I cover my mouth to stop the drink from spluttering out when I start coughing.
“That would be Daniella. She’s Jordan’s ‘Mason’ and currently doesn’t like me very much.”
His smile evens out to a straight line, then tips downward in a frown. “Why didn’t you tell me Jordan was the guy who hurt you?”
I pass him back his drink.
“Because I didn’t know it was him. I mean, I didn’t know the Jordan I knew was the ‘Jorey’ Harper found out was her half brother. I never put the two together. To say I was shocked when I walked into Mickey’s and saw him there with her is a massive understatement.”
He nods. “Okay, I get that. But when Bennett told me on the plane ride over that you two were dating, I have to ask. What the hell, Dee?”
I flop back onto the lounger and throw my arms over my head, so they dangle off the top at the elbows. The sun-warmed fabric feels like a full-body heating pad, soaking into my sore, tired muscles. I’m definitely feeling this morning’s jog and two rounds of incredible sex.
Shading my eyes with my hand, I squint at him. “We all have things in our past we’re not proud of.” If there is anyone who can understand, it’s him.
“He shouldn’t get to say, ‘Oops, my bad. I made a mistake when I dicked you then tossed you out naked while calling you a bitch,’ and receive instant forgiveness.”
I tense up at the reminder of that night and the harsh way Mason describes it. I want to move on from it. What happened that night has controlled every aspect, every decision and thought, in my life for the last five years. I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I deserve some goddamn happiness.
“He didn’t receive instant forgiveness. He earned it. There’s stuff you don’t know—”
