Chapter 35 – King
Chapter
Thirty-Five
KING
I’m nervous as hell meeting Mason’s family, at least like this. Drake is already a friend, and I know Nathan and Elijah well enough now. But this is different. This is me meeting the entire James clan—and doing it as Mason’s boyfriend.
We climb out of his Lamborghini, and I look up at the house.
It’s a stunning two-story mansion with balconies and beautifully landscaped gardens.
It would look more at home in the English countryside than New York.
I haven’t seen this place in eighteen years, but it looks as I remember it.
This is where I spent the best nights of my life for eighteen precious months.
I can hardly believe I threw it all away for the approval of a man I can barely stand to be around.
From here, I can see the balcony of Mason’s room, the same one I climbed up onto so many nights.
Mason slips his hand into mine, a present wrapped in silver-foil paper clutched under his other arm. “You okay?” he asks.
“It’s …” I swallow hard. “It’s strange being back here.”
He glances at the house, a wistful look in his eyes. “Yeah, I guess.” Then he clears his throat. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise.”
I had absolutely no reason to be nervous about Mason introducing me to his family. Every single one of them has been nothing but warm and welcoming.
Elijah was somewhat surprised about Mason’s and my relationship, but only because he didn’t pick up on it himself. There was no hostility from him. No negative feelings at all. In fact, he hugged me and pushed a glass of expensive Scotch into my hands.
Drake and Nathan seemed happy for us, and all the wives were eager to meet me.
And I got to meet Maddox, the birthday boy and the brother I’ve heard so much about.
I really like him. Of course there was Dalton too, and I was probably most nervous about meeting him.
But the man is a real old-fashioned gent, and he reminds me a little of a younger version of Grampa.
None of them were perturbed by Mason’s request that we keep our relationship under wraps either.
Maddox cooked us all the most delicious Thai curry I’ve ever tasted in my life. The guy is a culinary genius. And when I complimented him on his skill, he told me about his time traveling in Asia and Europe.
None of them seem to be aware that I visited this house countless times before, albeit via climbing through Mason’s bedroom window rather than using the front door.
I wonder if he ever told them about me without mentioning my name.
Did he tell them how I broke his heart? I have no idea why, but I suspect he didn’t.
A few years after I left, I read about his mom’s death following a long battle with cancer.
The dates suggested that she got sick soon after we broke up, and if I know Mason, I would bet that he hid the pain of his heartbreak for his family.
That’s the kind of person he is. Despite the shallow playboy persona he cultivates for the outside world, he’s one of the most selfless people I’ve ever known.
With his employees, with his family. With me.
The evening has been almost perfect. Almost because of Mason. He was fine when we got here, but he’s barely spoken to me since dinner, and now he seems … off.
“Unca Mase!” A child charges into the room and throws himself on Mason’s lap. This must be Luke.
He was in bed sleeping when we arrived, but he woke up half an hour ago. Nathan went to settle him, but the weary look on the man’s face as he trudges in behind his son tells me he must have given up.
Mason gives Luke a squeeze, and then the excitable toddler charges around the rest of the family, dishing out hugs and sloppy kisses before wandering over to me.
“Luke, this is Uncle Mason’s boyfriend, King,” his mom, Melanie, tells him.
“King,” he declares triumphantly, flashing me an adorable toothy smile. Then, to my surprise, he clambers onto my knee and holds his toy airplane in front of my face. “Unca Mase, plane,” he tells me earnestly.
“Did your uncle Mason give you this plane?”
Luke nods happily and giggles. “Luke plane.”
“No plane tonight, little guy,” Nathan says, taking a seat beside his wife. “You’re supposed to be in bed.”
Luke doesn’t seem overly bothered by that and goes back to showing me his toy.
He stays on my lap for the next thirty minutes, and his family declares it a feat for him to remain still for so long.
I enjoy his chatter about planes and zoo animals, and when he stops to catch his breath, I tell him how much I like them too.
When he starts yawning, Nathan scoops him from my lap and declares he definitely needs to go back to bed.
“I’m tired too. I’m going to head to bed myself.” Mason runs a hand through his hair, and while he does look tired, that tic in his jaw tells me he’s pissed. I have no idea what’s going on with him. Did something happen?
I place my glass on the coffee table. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” he says a little too quickly for my liking. “I’m worn out, so I’m gonna go straight to sleep. Stay with my family and have fun.”
They all wish him goodnight, and he walks out of the room.
None of his brothers, their wives, or his father seem at all perturbed by his early departure.
Elijah mentions how hard he’s been working, and they all make sympathetic noises, but nobody else saw what I did.
Mason kept that trademark smile on his face when he spoke to them, but he was upset about something.
Fuck, I’m such an asshole. Of course he’s upset, seeing me sitting here with his family like I fit in.
Having me back in this place—the same place where we used to make out on his bed while we listened to Green Day.
The place where we first had sex. Where we secretly fell in love all those years ago.
My memories of being in this house are all good because they all involve him.
But I fucked up his memories of us when I broke his heart.
I shouldn’t have come here with him.
I down my Scotch, wish everyone goodnight, and leave.