He turns wild eyes on me.
“What’s the matter?”
“Go back to the kitchen!” he roars.
“No. Not until you tell me what’s wrong. I just want to help.” I approach him warily.
Whoever visited earlier pissed him off.
“Leave, goddamn you!”
“No.” I hold firm.
He charges me, grips my throat with his powerful hand, and completely lifts me off my feet.
“You push and push when you should quit while you’re ahead!” he shouts, hurtling me across the room.
I hit the wall with a thud, causing air to whoosh from my lungs before sliding to the floor. Pain explodes in my right arm, but it doesn’t seem to be broken.
“Please talk to me. Hurting me is not going to help you.”
“Maybe not, but it feels fucking good.”
“You’re going to rot from the inside out holding all this hate in your heart. It’s not good for you or Mason. Let it go before it’s too late,” I beg.
The anger drains out of him at my words and is replaced with confusion. He looks so lost. Everything in me demands I comfort him. After clambering to my feet, I move cautiously towards him, testing the limits again. I don’t stop until the tip of his nose brushes against my forehead. I’m invading his personal space, hoping he doesn’t go on the attack once more. Slowly, I wrap my arms around him. He returns the embrace and squeezes tightly as he buries his face in my neck. I pull back, grasping his hand, and lead him to the exercise bench where we both sit.
He takes a deep breath. “It was my mother at the door.”
“What did she want?”
“To spend time with Mason.”
“And you don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Of course not. Do you?”
“I know your mom doesn’t have the best track record, but I think you should give her a chance. If Trevor were to show up one day asking to be a part of Sebastian’s life, I wouldn’t be opposed.”
“How could you so easily let him back into your lives?” he asks in anger.
“I owe it to Sebastian to give Trevor every opportunity to be in his life.”
“There’s no turning back once I agree to this. If she bails, it’ll crush him and I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
“If she doesn’t follow through we’ll be right there to offer Mason comfort.”
He cups my cheek with the palm of his hand and rests his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
That damn Cin can talk me into doing anything. I check my watch again in agitation, then glance at the entrance to the restaurant. My mother was supposed to meet me for lunch at noon, and it’s now twelve-fifteen. One thing I’m anal about is punctuality. She’s lucky I’ve waited here this long. I’ll give her another five minutes before leaving. I take another sip of wine, getting more irritated by the second. This was a bad idea. My mother is unreliable. Just as I decide to call the whole thing off, she enters the establishment, frantically searching for me. I raise my hand to get her attention. Spotting me, the worried expression on her face is replaced with a smile. She quickly strides to the table and sits across from me.
“I’m so sorry for being late.” She wiggles her fingers, showcasing the bright red polish on her nails. “I decided to go to the spa this morning.”
“I guess that’s more important than meeting me to discuss Mason.”
“I’m only fifteen minutes late.”
