Page 55 of Mason

“I don’t want to take him back,” I say, though I’m not totally convinced. If my mom’s indecision has taught me anything it’s that I don’t need Mason—or any man—to feel whole. I deserve more than he can give. “But damn it, Mom. Why does love to hurt so much? Why can’t it be enough?”

My mom squeezes my hand. “I understand. I do. Because I love your father, Liv. So very much.” She tilts her head a little and smiles. “And for me, that’s enough.”

I stare into her eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation. But all I see is her happiness, shining through the pain of seeing her only daughter hurt. “What if he leaves again?”

She shrugs. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive him.”

“You don’t have to,” she says. “He has to earn that.”

I drop my gaze, and draw circles on the condensation that has formed on my water glass. The shape morphs into a distorted heart. Absently, I draw a line through it, splitting it in half. “Are you sure he can make you happy?”

Mom laughs. “No, but I’m sure as hell going to make him try.” She reaches across the table and lifts my chin. “He’s the only man I’ve ever wanted, Liv.”

I allow a small smile to slip past my lips. “Then I guess that’s good enough for me, mom.”

* * *

The silence in my apartment is so intense I almost wish for the incessant noise of Heavy Metal Craig’s music. I cradle my cell in my lap, willing it to ring. It takes all my willpower to not call Renee, to text Mason.

I can’t give in.

But the thought of seeing him every day at the office makes my stomach churn. I’m strong enough to let him go, but I need space. I type up my resignation letter, and carefully fold it into thirds. I slip it into an envelope and write his name on the front.

I can accept my mother’s decision to go back to Dad—it’s her life. But I won’t repeat her past. No doubt I’m in love with Mason. But for me, love just isn’t enough.

Chapter 32

Sweat dampens the resignation letter clutched in my hand. The envelope is crinkles, and Mason’s name is smudged. Not exactly the most professional way to terminate my position with Daylight Holdings, but then, my entire time here has been marred with unprofessional behavior.

Even standing at Mason’s desk, staring at the stacks of paperwork, I don’t regret the decisions that landed me in this predicament. My thoughts stray to all the times I’ve been bent over this desk, bare ass in the air, Mason’s tongue between my legs, and I shoulder the first suffering blow of doubt.

Am I ready to give all of this up?

Give him up?

The chance of something more?

Mason’s not in the office.

I’m not sure if I should be relieved to find him out, but a part of me is disappointed. Maybe if we saw one another, maybe he would ask me not to go.

I breathe in his scent like some damn stalker, and realize I don’t have much of a choice. He all but broke things off with me, and besides—Mason is incapable of giving me what I need. What I deserve.

My heart pounds like a kick drum.

Carefully, I set the letter on his keyboard, where I know it won’t get lost among the other papers scattered across his desk. The motion brings the screen to life, free from its usual password protection. My stomach clenches. Mason only leaves the screen live when he’s following a transaction.

I glance up, expecting to see him glowering at me through the doorway, but he’s still at his meeting.

Step away, Liv.

I will my legs to find strength. To walk out that door, never to return. But a ping from the laptop pulls my attention. The open page on the screen looks familiar. Peering closer, I realize that it’s the same bad trade he began a few days ago when I found him drunk at his apartment. A shiver goes down my spine.

This is a bad move.

Daylight Holdings stands to lose millions of dollars, and while I know that’s just a drop in the bucket for Mason, the fact that he hasn’t cleared it with his partners will further drive a wedge between them. I can’t let that happen.