“You’re not helping. I probably just severed my last tie with my family.”
“He’s just surprised, and he doesn’t like to be taken by surprise. Just give him some time, until then, you and I have a lot to catch up on,” he says, letting go of my hand and grabbing my chin with his fingers, making me look at him. I don’t fight him; I’ve already done enough defying authority today. I think I’d rather just let him boss me around. I no longer like making adult decisions; it’s very clear that I don’t make smart ones while under pressure.
“What do you mean?” I ask, my brows scrunching in confusion.
“I mean, me, you, and Mocha have to do everything as a family now,” he points out, his eyes shining in a way I’ve never seen before.
“How is that different from the way we were doing things before?”
“I don’t have to give a fuck about people seeing us. I get to hug you and kiss you and do whatever I want to you, whenever I want, with no care in the world, baby,” he says, pressing another kiss to my forehead.
“I thought you were against telling Briar everything so soon after I decided to stay?”
“No, baby, that was you,” he reminds me as the waitress comes back with our drinks and some bread.
“Right…yeah, that was me.”
“Are you guys ready to order?” she asks, looking at us. I pick up the menu, which I haven’t even looked at yet.
“Give us just a few more minutes,” Beckett says, and she nods before leaving us once again.
I grab my adult beverage and stare at the off-clear liquid for a long time before bringing the glass up to my lips and taking a small sip.
“Oh, that’s much better than whatever you had in the kitchen that one night,” I say, taking a slightly longer sip, before setting the glass back down.
He just laughs and shakes his head before looking down at his own menu.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
43
BECKETT
“Stepmom! Father, Mocha, how are you?” Mason says, and Sloane just rolls her eyes at him.
Mason called last month, since he’s somewhere with service, and we decided to tell him then that we were together. To say that he was surprised was an understatement.
“Hi, son,” I say, and he just laughs.
Mocha lets out a little bark to say hi and jumps up so only he can be seen on the screen.
“Hi, bud,” Mason says, and I pull Mocha back, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he sits in between us like a good boy.
“How are things where you are?” Sloane asks, leaning forward.
“Very hot and dusty, but I think we’re almost done in this area, so that’s good. I’m pretty sure the next area we’re moving into is pretty desolate, like the last place, so I doubt that we’ll get to talk that much again,” he says, and Sloane frowns.
“That sucks, stay safe,” she says with a smile before her phone starts ringing. “Oh, I have to take this. Talk soon, Mase, miss you,” she says, giving him a small wave before getting up and walking away.
“Eyes over here,” I say lowly, and Mason laughs.
“Sorry, sorry, I just…No offense, but baby Monroe is hot,” he teases, and I glare at him, which only makes him laugh harder.
“Yeah, well fuck off. You missed your chance with her,” I mumble, sitting back against the couch, taking the iPad with me so it’s in my lap.
“We were seven, it hardly even counts as a first kiss. So I wouldn’t count that asmissing my shot,” he exclaims, and I shrug.
“Sucks to suck.”
