Mason steps on the gas so we lurch forward, breezing through the green light, then he turns onto the state road that’ll take us home. The cops speed up and pass us by, turning on their lights as they hit the gas to head toward their next stop. Mason lets out a wary sigh and loosens his hands a little, shooting me a grateful smile.
“While I am very grateful we are not joining Jacob in federal prison at the moment, I am very curious why you just called my brother baby.” Reid leans forward in his seat to shoot me a glare. “Would you like to expand on this turn of events, Parker?”
“Reid, I love you, but sit back and shut up,” Mason says in a clear, commanding tone. It would probably turn me on in any other scenario, but right now it just makes me sad.
Reid sits back with a huff, Hayden lets out another mournful whimper, and Dante’s gaze flicks between the two of them like a helpless puppy. I tug my phone out of my pocket like an idiot, expecting Jacob to have texted or called, but my phone is woefully silent because I’m currently with the only people who would even call me or text me.
When Mason pulls up in front of the house, everyone jumps out, but Mason doesn’t move. His hands are tight around the steering wheel and his lips are a straight line.
“Mace?”
Mason clears his throat. “Listen, I need to go home and shower and take a valium because I’m extremely close to a full-blown anxiety freak-out. Am I the shittiest boyfriend on earth? Yes, because I can’t even be there for you when your brother has been fucking arrested, but if I don’t do this, then I’ll be worthless to you.”
I stare at him in shock for a moment, then swallow hard, trying to make sure I say the right thing. Mason turns his gaze to me and that’s when I see it—he looks like he did that night in the hotel, like life is too overwhelming and he’s shutting every function down until only the essential needs are running.
Opening the car door, I lean my head out, gaining the others’ attention like I hoped. “Everyone back in the car! We’re going to our house.”
Reid lifts an eyebrow. “Yourhouse?”
“Yeah, brat, my house. Get back in the car.”
Mason makes a wounded noise. “Parker, they don’t have to?—”
But the guys are already piling back into the car without an argument. Mason’s face flushes even in the dark, but he stays quiet, just starts the car back up when everyone is buckled in. Once he parks at the house, everyone hops out again, including me and Mason this time. I lag behind everyone to ensure they all make it in, then turn check all the cameras to calm my steadily increasing heart rate. When everything appears clear, I take a cleansing breath of relief.
Everyone toes off their shoes in a close bundle once Mason is done and flees up the stairs. I herd them to the living room like cattle, then stay them with my hands when they go to sit.
“Make sure you’re clean before sitting.”
Reid looks accustomed to it and carefully inspects Dante and Hayden. With a sigh, he disappears up the stairs real quick, only returning once he’s found a clean flat sheet to toss over the sofa. Once done, he urges an almost comatose Hayden to sit, and Dante sits beside Hayden, pressing hard against his side.
I kneel before Hayden, but he won’t meet my gaze. “I’m sorry, boss.”
Hayden just purses his lips.
Dante nods toward the stairs. “Go handle Mason. I’ve got these two.”
I stand with a weary sigh and feel actual pain at how distressed Hayden looks. But like Dante said, I’ve got to make sure Mason is okay now. I climb the stairs two at a time and seek out Mason in his room. His clothes are in a pile by the foot of the bed, which is unlike him, so I grab the clothes and put them into the laundry basket in the closet. As I undress myself, I close my eyes for a brief second to think of Jacob, but I try to trust the process instead of focusing on him.
The bathroom is thick with steam when I finally push in, but I’m relieved to see Mason standing under the water, not in a heap on the ground like I’d feared. When I approach the shower door, Mason glances over, eyes a little distant, but his lips still tip up slightly at the very sight of me. When he looks at me like that, I feel like a fucking king. I join him in the shower and take my hair down from the messy bun he’d done for me earlier. I should’ve trusted my intuition then. This entire night would be an awful premonition if I had just trusted my gut.
“Mason…”
Mason tugs me under the water and kisses me softly, light, and with no tongue, just a gentle press of mouths that makes me feel known and loved. He pulls away without a word and hands me the bodywash. After a few minutes of furious scrubbing, a sleek and slippery Mason dives into my arms to hug me, and that’s when I realize he’s shaking. Oh no.
“Mason,” I say again.
“I’m okay.” Mason lets out a pitiful little sniffle. “It’s all just been soooooo much lately.”
“I know.”
“Jacob’s going to be okay.”
My fingers tighten on Mason’s back for a second. “Yeah.”
When Mason pulls away, his eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, making my heart ache even more. I reach up to wipe his tears away, then kiss his eyes lightly until he’s sighing in satisfaction. We finish washing up, then dry off quietly in the steamy bathroom.
“I’ve got to go back downstairs and deal with them. You’re okay?”
