Chapter 2
TWO
Mase
“He has another kid?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“I looked deeper when I found Jasmine. He wasn’t on her birth certificate, but she carried his name. I was curious as to why.”
“And?” I ask.
“I couldn’t find anything, just the same money trail back to him from the monthly payments.
Just like Nina. I don’t think there has ever been contact, at least not in the years I can trace.
I looked into his child support payments and found four different accounts, one being Sarah Anderson and Jasmine’s mother Veronica Mayer. ”
“Nina has more than one sibling?” I frown.
“Three, and they all get the same standard payment from Jerry’s account.”
“Hush money?” Fucking prick. “I want everything on him. Go deeper.”
“Scott’s already on it,” he confirms, nodding his head at me as I search the sheet of paper for Jasmine’s address.
“What are you doing?” Charlie snaps. “You can’t approach her without speaking to Nina first.”
“The fuck I can’t! She’s the reason I share my child; I don’t give a fuck who she is. I want answers.”
“And if you ever want to get Nina back—which I presume you do, seeing as you’re so hell-bent on finding out who ‘set you up.’”
“I don’t want Nina back.”
He ignores me, carrying on. “Then do you not think you should speak to her first, find out if she wants this dug up? This doesn’t just affect you, Lowell.”
“Charlie’s right, Mason,” Vinny agrees.
My face screws up in annoyance. “When did you pricks turn so soft? This woman fucked me over. I don’t owe a damn thing to anyone.”
“No, but you have a child now, mate, and we don’t need another Marcus,” Charlie states.
“I’m not going to fucking kill her, Charles! Jesus Christ! I just want to know who paid her.” And take the bastard down. “Give me the address.”
“I’ll come with you,” Charlie tells me.
“You sure? I don’t want my hotshot lawyer having to cover my ass.” I shake my head and snatch up the file from the desk, hoping the address will be in there.
He follows me to the door, giving me a shove in the back.
“Mason,” Vinny calls and I turn, already knowing what he’s going to say. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yeah,” I huff, slipping out the door.
As fucking if.
Nina
I’m finishing a feed when the doorbell rings. The click of the lock sounding a couple seconds later. “Joey?” I call out.
“Yeah, just me.” He smiles as he comes into view, looking around the apartment briefly before his eyes come back to me. “Little man sleeping?”
“Yeah, just. Thank you for coming over, saves lugging the pram onto the overground.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
“I can’t believe he’s outgrown it so soon, I didn’t think I’d need to upgrade until he was at least two.”
“The boy sure can eat.” Joey chuckles, pushing his dark hair back from his face. “Want me to get his seat?” he asks, nodding to my full arms.
“Yeah, please. It’s in the cupboard.”
Joey disappears around the corner, and I sit and smile to myself. “We are so lucky, baby boy,” I coo.
“I had four paintings sell this week, all off the wall,” Joey tells me excitedly as he walks back into the room with the car seat.
“That’s incredible, Joey. I told you!” I whisper-shout, smoothing a hand over the soft hair that tickles my chest as I try to move without waking him.
Joey’s photography has really started to take off. He has one year left at university and his placement has already offered him a job at the gallery when he finishes.
“Yeah, you did.” He grins, placing the seat on the sofa. “Where’s the bag?”
“In my room, can you grab it?”
“Sure thing.” He heads off in the direction of the bedroom, and I smile.
At first, I found him intrusive, borderline too much, and it’s probably why I pushed him away when I first met him.
But once you get to know Joey, you see that he only cares.
Joey gives a shit. And you can’t hate someone for caring too much.
“Here, I picked up the blue bunny too. Just in case. That everything?”
“Yep, think so.”
After finding a stroller in the first shop we went into, we decided to grab some lunch. Joey hasn’t got much of a budget after his bills, so we settle for The Elm, both of us ordering a sandwich.
“How’s your assignment coming along? Did you get the shots you wanted over the weekend?”
“Yeah, I did, actually. Thank you for the inspiration.”
“Of course, any way I can help!” I smile, glad I could do something for him for a change.
“Did you get the email I sent last night? The studio listing.”
My face drops and I lean in, fiddling with the blankets that drape over the car seat. If anyone has pushed my dancing (or lack of) since I stopped, it’s Joey.
“Nina, you’ll do what you want, I know that, but you should at least go look. It’s cheap as chips on rent.” He pauses, not wanting to annoy me with what comes out of his mouth next. “You have the money in the bank.”
I shake my head, sitting back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest. He’s referring to the money Mason gives me, which I don’t see as my own.
Yes, I use a small percentage of the monthly payments for living expenses, but the rest is set aside for our son.
It’s not my money, and I don’t want it. “Where would I find the time, Joe? I have a baby and I work now.”
He gives me a look, tilting his head to the side, looking all boyish. “Come on, you suck at your job.” He laughs.
“Piss off,” I hiss quietly. “It pays the bills.”
“So would your dancing,” he tells me over the rim of his coffee cup. “You forget I’ve seen you dance. You’re good.”
“Have you heard from your brother?” I throw at him, getting more personal than I should.
“That’s a low blow.” He rolls his eyes, letting out a breath.
“Keep your nose out then.”
He glares at me, his eyes pinched tight as he says, “Christmas.”
“What?”
“I’m going home to see Jasper at Christmas. He wants to know more about Mum, and I know I need to face my shit and sort my life out.” He pops a brow and I roll my eyes.
“Touché, asshole.”
“I can come with you. If you decide to have a look,” he says, referring to the studio.
“I’ll think about it.”
He smirks at me. “Good.”
“Do you know what you’re going to say to Jasper?” I ask, giving him a pitiful look.
“Nope. He wants to know more about Mum. His therapist thinks it would help.” He runs his tongue over the front of his teeth. “I think being the oldest and having to take care of her, deal with the medicines and hospital visits, it made me desensitised to it all by the time she died.”
“That makes sense.” I give him a sad smile. “She would be proud of you, from what you’ve told me. That I’m certain of.”
He throws his head back, laughing, but I sense it’s not sincere. I know going home will be tough. I feel bad for even bringing his brother up. “You’re too nice, Nina.” He continues to laugh. “Oh, to have your innocence.”
“What?” I frown, shaking my head as a smile tugs at my lip.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head, draining the rest of his coffee. “Come on, let’s get you two home.”
The girls are spread around my lounge when I finish putting the little man to bed. One thing I have always stuck to is a bedtime routine. Bath, bottle, book, and bed.
“Please tell me you’ve ordered already!” I tell them, rubbing my stomach as it grumbles.
“It’s on the way.” Scarlet smiles.
“Thank God, I barely ate today. What was so funny just now? I was halfway out the door and you idiots woke him up.”
“Luce went official,” Megan tells me, waggling her brows at Lucy across the room.
“Really?!”
“No! Well, yes. I need to speak to him. The conversation was all kinds of fucked up.” She holds a hand up, shaking her head.
“In what way?”
“He—” The girls both burst out laughing. “He wanted to go bareback. I said I don’t do that with people I’m not in a relationship with and he just asked me, right there and then as he hovered at my…” She gestures down there.
“And you said yes?”
“What would it have looked like if I said no? I’d look like a slut.”
Lucy doesn’t do casual dating, or she didn’t. Something changed last year and honestly, I think it’s for the best. Her ‘relationships’ (with complete assholes like Hugh) used to kill her for weeks before, she was always too emotionally invested and always too willing to give ‘one more chance’.
“Lucy, it doesn’t make you a slut. It’s very normal to have sex and not be in a relationship. And if you want to use protection, you should.”
“We did.” She nods, tight-lipped. “I told him I had a friend who got knocked up after the first time and she was on the pill.” She raises her brows as she sips her wine.
“Corrr, what a whore bag,” Megan jokes.
I launch a pillow at her head. “Fuck off.”
“What about you, little miss innocent over there. Is Dr Hottie still fucking with you?” I eye Scarlet knowing her silence is to keep the talk off of her.
We haven’t discussed anything but her for the past couple ‘girls’ nights’.
She started her medical degree at the end of last year and met a very, very handsome surgeon. Shame he is also very married.
“Ugh, don’t. Nothing has changed over here. I don’t get it.” She shrugs. “The guy is a jerk, if he was my husband I’d be pissed.”
“Has he made a move?” Lucy sits forward.
“No! God, I’ve made it very clear I’d never go there with a married man. He’s just… intense, the way he looks at me.”
Lucy cringes. “Slimeball.”
“Hottest slimeball I’ve ever seen,” Megan adds.
“What are we all like, in our prime and none of us can find a man,” I tut.
“Umm, I’m more than happy on my own, thanks,” Scarlet scoffs.
“I don’t know how you live out at the house by yourself, Scar. The place gives me the creeps.” Lucy shivers. “Anyway, I’m taken. Happily fucking. Condom and all.” We chuckle.
“I have everything, bar the man,” I groan.
“You could have the man too… Sorry. Just saying,” Scarlet says on a shrug.