“Protect what?” I shout.
“Your reputation, your hard work, your sanity,” he rushes out.
I can’t even look at him right now.
I rush off in the other direction, stepping out onto one of his terraces to get fresh air. Gripping the ledge, I bow my head, taking in a deep breath.
“Why are you telling me this now? It’s been years,” I ask, knowing he followed me out here.
“Because I’m a fucking idiot. I don’t have the answer you want, Maddie. I’m sorry. You didn’t seem interested whenever Nate came to explain, so I kept quiet. Then we had so much family shit going on, so there was never a good time. I was too afraid of how this would affect our relationship when you found out. Nate?—”
“Nate, what?”
“He wanted to take the blame. Told me not to fuck up our relationship, the one good thing you had in your life, and that’s when I knew I had to tell you. Because he’s a better man than I’ll ever be.”
That sounds precisely like what the Nate I used to know would say.
“You betrayed our trust, Mason. I can’t be around you right now.”
He drops his head in defeat, then comes over and hugs me tight. I let him because at the end of the day, he’s still my Mase. “I’m so sorry, Madeline. I love you.”
He walks out, and suddenly, I’m worried he will drive home after a long day of practice and driving close to two hours here.
“Wait. You can’t drive home tonight, it’s not safe.”
“I knew you weren’t going to be happy with me. I had a driver take me, he’s waiting downstairs.”
“Okay, and Mase?” He turns. “I love you, too.”
No matter how angry I am with him, or he is with me, we’ve always said “I love you,” so I’m not going to stop saying it now.
Three hours have passed, and I haven’t moved from the terrace.
Mason’s confession loops in my mind like a broken record, weighing heavily on me. More than that, I can’t stop thinking about the sudden intense need to hear Nate’s side for the first time in ten years.
It’s not that I haven’t ever wanted to; I did, but being more afraid of what that would mean for us stopped me. Never wanting to relive the pain I went through all those years ago.
I know my family and friends say I’m stubborn.
But why was I the one who needed to make concessions because Nate, and now I find out Mason, forced me on a path I didn’t want to go down?
What do I do now?
I unlock my phone and stare at my security settings, my fingers hovering over the screen.
Nate Davenport:Blocked.
Do I do it?
Gah…I’m doing it.
Unblocked.
Hoping Nate is still a night owl, I rip off the Band-Aid and text him.
Hi
Good one, Maddie.
