Axel opened his phone and saved the photos. When his devious grin split his face, I knew I was in trouble. “What do you say we break the internet?”
I grinned. “Depends. What did you have in mind?”
“We’re gonna post this photo all over social media and tag our sperm donor with the caption ‘Davis Kennerly’s Big Fucking Secret.’”
Thomas groaned. “Oh, lord. Here we go.”
I grinned at Axel. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter 21
Thomas
Before I met Mason, I never considered myself to be a particularly tender-hearted man. But watching the brothers say goodbye was more difficult than I thought. In the ten days we’d been there, I’d observed the quiet man I thought I knew begin to blossom under the love of his family. He smiled more, laughed more, and wore less of the weight of his childhood around his shoulders.
It was easy to see Axel had been missing that closeness in his life as well. Seeing them bond so quickly gave me faith in humanity. I would never understand the reasons behind Davis Kennerly’s decisions. But one day, he would have to live with the damage he caused to his relationship with both his sons, and there was a chance they may never forgive him.
As we reached our cruising altitude for our non-stop twelve-hour flight, I found Mason staring at the dark screen in front of him. I knew he was replaying the last two weeks and processing everything he’d learned, trying to put misaligned pieces together. But most of all, he was sad, and I didn’t know what to do to comfort him. His face said it all without the need for words. It would only be a matter of time before both of his worlds collided.
When I couldn’t stand the agony of watching him any longer, I reached across the partition dividing our seats in the middle row of the cabin. Our suite doors were closed, giving us privacy from the people around us. “How are you?” I asked. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry?” I was turning into my mother. She’d be so proud.
Mason’s lips curled up and settled my unease. “No, babe, but thank you. I’m fine. Just a little…” he shrugged as he trailed off.
I spoke softly, finishing his sentence. “You’re feeling melancholy.” I reached for his hand. “And that’s normal. Finding Axel made you feel whole, and leaving him behind feels like losing all over again. You felt their love, and they felt yours. I promise you, Axel isn’t faring any better than you are.”
He sighed. “Yeah. As difficult as it was to say goodbye, I keep thinking about how it must have felt to have trust be violated like that. How could he ask her to do that? And how could she agree so easily? My father had to know there was no way Melinda was going to let him go back to Shannon. She’s the type who would have taken the family down before allowing him to leave her.”
“That’s a question only your father can answer. I’ll be right by your side if you want to go back for answers.”
Mason smiled for the first time in a long while, and I took that as a win. I wrapped my hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He mirrored my action to hold me to him. I lost myself in him until I pulled away.
“It’s all going to work out, sweetheart. I promise.”
With our foreheads pressed together over the half-wall separating us, he spoke softly. “As long as I have you and my siblings, I have everything I ever wanted.”
The following morning, I showered and changed clothes, opting to skip my run in Coronado. We ran every day in London, so missing today wouldn’t be a problem. I was waiting on my girls to get here.
When we landed last night, I dropped Mason off at his beach house before heading home. It had been more difficult than I anticipated to leave him. Over the last two weeks, I realized how much he meant to me, making it odd to be completely alone. And without the dogs, it was too quiet for my liking.
As I made a grocery list, I made coffee and waited for the drip to stop. Pulling out two cups, I’d taken out the sugar-free Hazelnut creamer he loved and my organic half and half before I realized my mistake. As I stared down at the countertop, a smile crossed my face. I could blame it on jet lag, but the truth was that taking care of him and having him in my space had become my normal. And the longer he was away from me, the more I wondered why he hadn’t just come home with me. Or why I hadn’t stayed with him. Picking up my phone, I sent a text.
Me: Morning. I’m going to need you to come over here, ASAP.
Mason: Good morning. Yeah? Why’s that? You miss me?
Me: Yes. Very much. Can you help me out?
Mason: If I say it makes me happy that you miss me, would that be okay?
Me: More than. Now get over here.
Mason: You don’t have to ask me twice.
Me: See you soon.
Releasing a contented sigh, excitement thrummed through me. I needed to feel his lips on mine and breathe in his scent. We had a lot to talk about, and I had plans to take him out on a date. While he was sleeping on the plane, I’d been scouring the internet for ideas, and I thought I found one he would enjoy.
As I waited for Hudson and Erin to arrive, I threw some clothes in the washer and checked my email. Deleting all the spam and regular crap, I came across one from a potential client and another from my former boss. Samuel Gallagher was the head of the FBI Field Office in Sacramento. He’d emailed to ask me to call at my earliest convenience. Checking the time, Hudson wasn’t due for another twenty minutes, so I decided to make the call now, rather than be interrupted later when Mason got here. He picked up on the second ring.
