We finally made it into work around eleven, but I could have stayed in bed all day. It felt like nothing else in the world existed but the two of us.
The morning was such a contrast to where I stood now. Any happiness I felt was gone. My usually vibrant dark green eyes looked dull and the angles of my face harsh, thanks to the tight chignon I had wrestled my hair into.
I could survive tonight, and by tomorrow things would be back to normal. Tonight was the last official party before the election. I knew my mother would force me to stand next to her on Election Day. But after that I doubted she would care what I was doing or with whom. At least that’s what I hoped.
I grabbed my lipstick and powder and dropped them in the black clutch that looked just as boring as the rest of my outfit. After fiddling with the clasp for longer than necessary, I finally left the bathroom and collided with Mason.
“Sorry,” I said and stepped to the side.
“Where are you going?” he asked, sweeping a look at my outfit with raised brows.
“Out.”
“Right. I can see that. Out where?”
“Just dinner.”
A look at my watch confirmed that it was almost eight and I was running late.
“How come you haven’t mentioned this before now?”
He followed me down the stairs, his presence a comfort that I couldn’t allow myself to enjoy for long. I had a persona to put on and people to impress.
“I forgot all about it.”Or more like refused to think about tonight. “It’s just a thing at my mother’s.”
We made it to the hallway and he stepped in front of me. “You’re not going there alone.”
I blinked at the harshness in his voice. I had gotten used to the gentle version of him, and his tone took me by surprise.
“I usually show up by myself. No way would I subject anyone else to her presence.”
“Too bad then, since I’m coming with you.”
I tripped, and he caught me with a hand on my waist. “You what?”
He let me go and grabbed a coat off a hook by the door. “You heard me.”
“You can’t—” A horn beeping outside interrupted me.
“I presume that’s our ride. Let’s go, beautiful.”
I was too stunned to protest when he led me outside and down the porch stairs. A driver was holding open the back door of a black Town car.
We both got in, Mason sitting in the seat next to me and taking my hand.
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” I warned.
He placed a kiss on top of my head. “I’d follow you anywhere. You should know this by now.”
We made the short drive in silence and when we pulled up to the gate at the entrance to my mother’s farm Mason whistled. “This is where you grew up?”
“Unfortunately,” I couldn’t help but answer.
The gate was open and the long driveway was lined with cars. My mother had valet services for nights like tonight, and the whole dinner was planned to within an inch of its short life.
We stopped in front of the ostentatious fountain that every McMansion seemed to require. The thing served no purpose but to take up a lot of space in the middle of the curved driveway and waste thousands of gallons of water. I fell in a few times as a kid but thankfully had a vigilant nanny and didn’t drown.
Our door opened, and a valet held out his hand to help me out of the car. “Ma’am.”
