Chapter 28
Cameron
Mason could be a little… high-strung, to put it kindly. But she wasn’t hard to reason with. No matter how upset she got, she’d always sit down and talk it through.
Up ‘til now, it’d only ever been small things between us.
Like baby-led weaning. Lord, I about had a heart attack picturing my little girl choking on a carrot stick, but Mason swore up and down it was safer than spoon-feeding.
She won that one, of course. And I had to admit, Rosie was still breathing, so I couldn’t complain too much.
The point was, we always talked things out.
But this? In all honesty, I didn’t have the faintest clue how to smooth it over.
Hell, I still needed to sit Sophia down and get the truth out of her—who she’d killed, why, and how in God’s name we were supposed to keep moving after that.
I kept hanging onto the one thing I believed with my whole heart: she’d never do me harm.
She’d never hurt our partners, and she’d never hurt our kids.
That was the rope I held onto, frayed as it might be.
Still, with Mason being pregnant again? Every little conversation was bound to be harder. Hormones don’t take kindly to family drama, and we had more than our fair share of that already.
So I did the only sensible thing a man can do when he’s in trouble with his woman: I offered food. Shot her a text, told her I’d bring her back whatever her little belly demanded. I figured she couldn’t stay mad at me with a plate of something she craved in front of her.
Except… she didn’t answer.
I went to Leona for a little help, thinking maybe she’d soften things and offer me help, but she wasn’t in any mood for me either. She flatly informed me that a forty-year-old had no business dating a twenty-four-year-old. That’s how I found out I’d landed myself in hot water too.
That’s how I found myself desperate enough to turn to Atticus. He wasn’t much help, but he gave me the name of some sushi joint Mason used to love back when she was a teenager. If nostalgia couldn’t win her over, well… I wasn’t sure what could.
I used to know Mason's sushi order by heart; it was her favorite. But, with the way her taste buds had rapidly changed, thanks to the baby, I wasn’t sure what to get.
I figured better safe than sorry, especially with her new appetite, and I was fairly certain I’d ordered half the menu. Cooked sushi rolls, noodles, soup, I even got one of those teas with the little black balls in the bottom.
When I pulled up beside Leona’s house, I was a little shocked to see the driveway empty, but I just assumed Atticus was out and Leo’s SUV was inside the garage.
I wasted no time in getting out before going to grab the to-go bags from my passenger seat, but just as my fingers connected with the paper bags, I got distracted by headlights.
My neck ached, the dull thud climbed up to the base of my skull, reminding me of all the whisky I’d downed last night. Still, I turned to look.
My stomach fell to my feet as my eyes settled on Leona’s black Honda HR-V.
Sand filled my mouth, drying every drop of saliva as the vehicle came to a stop. Leona was a lawyer; she could have been at work, or a trial, or even getting groceries. But the reappearance felt like a threat.
Leona got out of the vehicle, dressed in carnation yellow sweats. Her curls were thrown up in an enormous bun, one that looked one sneeze away from popping the elastic.
My breathing stilled as she jogged around to the other side, and my body moved on instinct. My sneakers pounded the pavement, and before I reached Leo, she was opening the passenger door and helping Mason out.
Mae looked small, smaller than usual. Her body was wrapped in a sweater far too big, and her lips were chapped and bloodless. She hadn’t looked like this yesterday, and that scared me.
My chest cinched, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What happened?” I asked, immediately fearing the worst.
Her belly had been hurting; what if she lost the baby?
Mason ducked her head, the shadow of her messy hair hiding most of her face. Leona tightened her grip on her, steadying her like Mason was liable to fold in half right there in the driveway.
“I told you to leave her alone,” Leona growled.
If I weren’t familiar with the Castillos, I’d have been scared. But I knew Leo well enough to know she and Luci reacted the same way to pain. Anything dark or uncomfortable, she hid behind anger.
She was likely scared, just as I was.
“I… I brought dinner.” I meekly said, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Atticus said she wanted to talk to me. I’m sorry I couldn’t come this morning, I was—“
“Drunk. Choosing alcohol over Mason, like her mom did. Like Lucian did last night with pills. I don’t want you near her.” Leona’s voice shook.
“I’d like to talk to him, though,” Mason added, finally looking up.
She was so pale.
Leona looked as if Mason had just asked for a shot of vodka. “Mija, you need to be resting. Doctor’s orders.”
“I’ll rest better once I talk to Cam.” Mason forced a watery smile.
Leona’s eyes danced between the two of us as her jaw locked.
“I, uh, I brought her dinner.” I nodded toward the truck as if that would help. “Sushi, all cooked.”
Mason's lips twitched up, but she still looked so sad. That broke my heart a bit.
“See? He’s thoughtful,” she rasped.
Leo’s jaw tightened, as did her grip on Mason. No part of her wanted to let go; that much was clear. But, after a moment, Leo sighed.
“Fine. You get the food, I’ll take her to bed. The second she’s done eating, you go home.” Leona pulled Mason a little closer. “Am I clear?”
“Crystal.”
Leo gave me a nod of approval before opening the garage door and ushering Mason in, and I wasted no time grabbing the food and running after them. I didn’t want to allow Leo to change her mind.
Leo all but tucked Mason into bed as she continued to fuss over her, shoving a pillow under her feet.
“Are you okay? No more pain?” Leo asked, smoothing a blanket over Mason's legs.
Mason ducked her head, cheeks turning rosy.
“Leona, stop,” Mason mumbled, likely embarrassed from all the fussing.
“Don’t tell me to stop,” Leona said firmly before ruffling Mason’s hair.
Mason turned a different shade of red, and I wondered if she’d considered biting Leona to get her to stop.
“I’ve been tucking you in since you were eleven,” Leona stated.
“Yeah, but I’m not a kid anymore,” Mason argued.
“Mmm, you’ll understand when Rosie gets older. You may be an adult, but you’ll always be my little runaway.” Leona leaned in and kissed Mason’s forehead with the type of affection only a mother could muster.
All that warmth vanished the second she looked at me.
I shifted my weight around, brown takeout bags still dangling from my fingers. It felt like I’d intruded on something I wasn’t supposed to see, but I was glad I did. Love was something Mason saw little of, and it was nice knowing she’d be getting it even if I couldn’t get her to come home tonight.
“Make sure she eats,” Leona said briskly, dusting herself off as if that would hide her moment of softness. “And then you go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I murmured, setting the bags down on the nightstand.
The smell of noodles and soy sauce filled the room, and my mouth watered just a little.
“The door stays open!” Leona called, her voice softening with each step she took away from us.
“I’m so embarrassed.” Mason scrubbed her face with her palms before hiding in them.
For the first time since hell broke loose, a genuine smile tugged at my lips.
“Ain’t no reason to be embarrassed, Sweetpea.” I rummaged through the bag and pulled out a pint of soup.
I couldn’t remember what type it was, but it had chunks of tofu and seaweed in it. Actually, thinking about it, the soup looked more like dishwater than something I should feed Mason.
I hesitated on giving it to her, but Mason reached over and grabbed the plastic container. Without as much as a stir, she sipped the broth. Her face scrunched, leaving me to wonder if they had given us dishwater instead of soup.
“Something wrong?” I asked, setting a few more things on the nightstand.
“It tastes different.”
The way Mason said different made it sound like an insult, so I wasn’t at all surprised when she put it down in favor of a small bowl of rice.
She opened the top and dumped a few containers of eel sauce and spicy mayo on the top before mixing it the best she could. Once she was done, she took a big bite and seemed happy enough, so I sat down by her feet.
Creases formed along her eyes as she winced.
“How'd you end up at the hospital?” I asked, almost fearing the answer.
Her spoon clinked against the bowl, and for a long moment she didn’t answer me.
“Is the baby okay?” I pressed, keeping my voice low.
“Yeah,” she whispered, though her voice was so soft I nearly missed it. “Strong heartbeat. Doctor said rest and take it easy for the next few days…. After Lucian left, I started cramping more, and spotting and—”
Mason cut herself off with a pained squeak.
“Mae,” I leaned forward, resting my hand on her knee. “You said the baby's okay, right? That’s what matters, right?”
She drew in a soft, whimpery breath. The kind of sound that strangled your heart and rips your soul in two. Her fingers tightened around the bowl, knuckles paling, before she set it aside altogether.
Slowly, Mason pulled her knees to her chest before hugging herself tight.
“The baby’s fine. Good heart beat,” she repeated. “The doctors even did an ultrasound and—“
“I missed it?” It was hard not to sound hurt, although I realized this wasn’t planned.
I’d willingly missed so much with Rosie because I’d been scared to get attached, afraid that Dale would pull the rug out from under my feet and send me tumbling into the dark unknown of a new life, with a new name, and just a little more grief than I’d carried before.
Rosie and Mason had brought me a light I wasn’t sure I deserved. But man, did I want to keep basking in that glow.
“Sorry,” Mason mumbled, picking at her fingers.