I followed him to the door. He turned the doorknob, then stopped. Staring at the floor, he turned and met my eyes. “Can I hug you before I leave?”
My eyes filled with tears as I dipped my head. Opening my arms, my father pulled me in and squeezed me tightly. “I love you, Son.”
Unable to speak, I nodded. With a single kiss to my cheek, he let me go and walked out the door. Turning back, he looked as wrecked as I felt. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks at the wedding, right?”
“Yes. We’ll be there.”
He smiled weakly. “Good. We’ll talk then if I don’t hear from you.”
With a single nod, I watched my father turn and walk away. When he got into the car, I closed the door, then stepped into Tommy’s waiting arms. “How did you know I needed you?”
He kissed me softly and smiled as he cupped my face. “Lennox called. He stayed outside in his car until I got here, just in case you needed him.”
A strangled sob caught in my chest. “Can’t believe he stayed.”
Tommy wiped away the tears and spoke softly. “He loves you, Mason, as do the other guys. When are you going to realize they care?”
Clutching him to me, my heart gave a squeeze. “I’m working on it.”
He rubbed my back and held me in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“No, but in time, I will be.”
Chapter 27
Thomas
A week after Davis’s visit, Mason was still restless. When he wasn’t at the stadium doing his pre-season training with his teammates, he spent a lot of time talking to his sisters on the phone. Thankfully, their conversations weren’t about his father, but short calls about colors and design ideas for what I assumed were either for the wedding or Maddie’s nursery. It was sweet that he would be so invested in her baby’s room, because if we ever decided to have kids, he would be excited to decorate. I saw what Hudson had with Evan, and I found myself wanting that too. And that made my decision regarding my job offers even more important.
“I don’t know. Brown is a good color. It goes with everything.” His eyes widened when he spotted me. Holding up a finger, he mouthed he’d be off in a minute.
I smiled, but waved him off, then took a seat next to him. Mason scooted away and leaned in to speak to me. “Could you get me a bottle of water? My throat is dry.”
That was odd. A bottle sat unopened in front of him, but I agreed anyway. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll be back.”
Rising from the sofa, he smiled and went back to chatting with Maddie. “Can you call them to see if they’re available?”
Shaking my head, I strolled into the kitchen and checked the water bowls for the dogs, then grabbed his water. Getting one for myself, I cracked it open and drank half of it. Before I set it down on the counter, Mason entered the kitchen, saving me a trip. Passing it to him, he cracked the lid and took a couple of sips.
Leaning against the counter, I crossed my arms over my chest and assessed him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Why would you think it wasn’t?” he laughed.
“I didn’t realize you were into decorating. Is that like a hidden talent you possess?”
He snorted. “Uh, no. But Maddie is, and she’s driving us crazy about the baby's nursery. Makenna says she’s nesting? Sounds weird to me.” He picked up the bottle and drank more before looking back at me. “What’s your schedule looking like next week?”
“I’m pretty open, why? What did you have in mind?”
His eye brightened as he bit his bottom lip and moved to stand in front of me. Leaning down, he kissed my neck and jaw. He wanted something, and I was all in. “Lennox told me about a food tour Dane took in Mexico City.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting, but I smiled. “Okay. What about it?”
More kisses as he sucked on my earlobe. “I want to get out of here and take you to Mexico City. We can eat and sleep, have sex, and I really want to skinny dip.”
Unable to hold my laughter back, I pulled away and looked at him. “You don’t have to threaten me with a good time. I’ll go anywhere you want to go, say the word.”
His grin was infectious. “Good. I’ve always wanted to travel during the offseason, and we had such a good time in London. I want more of that with you.”
