Chapter 31 #2
The lights blinked, sending flashes of red onto an all-dark road.
“Pipsqueak, you’re a billionaire—”
“I’m not, I donate too much money. There are no ethical billionaires.”
A corner of my lips turned up, and I wiped a hand across my mouth to hide my smile. Of course, this was a hill she’d randomly stand up and die on.
“Point stands, you have money. You can get yourself food when you want it,” I reminded her.
“Yeah, but that’s not it. Lucian was supposed to take me, but he’s doing drugs. And then I went to do it myself, and all I could think about was Sebastian and me, and it’s just—it’s not the same.”
The words punched through my chest, as did the guilt.
Copper filled my mouth as I gnawed on the inside of my cheek.
I was supposed to be gathering evidence so that S.H.A.D.E.
could exterminate Sebastian, and I could kill Dale; that was the deal.
But, right now, I wanted to snap his neck, and Lucian’s, and my own for putting Mason in this position.
But I couldn’t let that side of me show, so I exhaled a slow breath and recomposed myself.
“Fine, I’ll take you. But, if you’ve been living off of protein shakes and crackers, you need more than fries and soda.”
Mason slumped in her seat. “You don’t get it.”
“No, I get it completely. You’re craving the connection and the fries.” I quickly opened my phone and began the search for a suitable restaurant. “And I’ll give you both—but I’m also making sure you eat enough for the baby.”
Mason groaned but didn’t argue, and I took that as a sign that I’d won.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into a 24-hour diner that looked like it’d been directly ripped out of the seventies.
I went in and ordered three Shirley temples, a large order of fries, and radioactive cheese, plus a few other things that just sounded good in case Mason changed her mind.
And, once I got the food, I went back to the car and we drove until the surrounding streetlights blurred into trees.
When the last traces of neon vanished, leaving only the light of the moon and hum of crickets to fill the night, I found a gravel turnout and parked.
“Where are we?” Mason asked as I pulled the keys from the ignition.
“Nowhere important.” I shrugged, grabbing the plastic bags. “Can you get the two Shirley temples you didn’t chug out of the cup holder?”
She gave me a look but grabbed them anyway, her oversized hoodie rode up just enough to flash the curve she was trying so hard to hide.
My breath caught, eyes snagging on the roundness of her stomach.
She was… bigger than I expected. But that didn’t feel wise to say out loud, so I swallowed my comment and shoved out into the night.
Climbing up onto the hood of my car, I placed the bags down and watched Mason’s short self struggle to do the same. I didn’t offer to help; that was girlfriend behavior, and she’d stripped me of my title.
Eventually, she climbed up beside me, her cheeks red from exertion. The metal ticked as it cooled beneath us, and I tried to focus on the scent of pine in the air, and not the way I wanted to kiss Mason.
“Alright, Pipsqueak.” I spread the food out between us.
“Obviously, you’ve downed one Shirley already, but I expected that—so I got an extra.
” I nodded toward the cups beside her. “And I also got one large order of cheese fries—” my finger tapped the warm styrofoam container.
“But, to get these, you need to eat either a burger or a grilled cheese first.”
Mason froze, already halfway to stealing the fries.
“Is it a veggie burger?” She asked.
“If I tell you yes just to preserve your I’m vegetarian sentiment, will you be mad?”
Mason's teeth sank into her lower lip as she fought her smile.
“If I choose the burger, can I put fries on it?” For the first time all night, Mason had life back in her voice.
“You know what, I should say no, but just because I missed you.” I reached over and cupped her chin before squeezing her cheeks.
That on its own was brave, because Mason was no stranger to nipping my fingers when I crossed a line, but instead she melted into me before grabbing the more round of the wrappers.
Mason peeled off the foil, opened the box of cheese fries, and used a plastic fork to pile the sandwich high with carbs. I didn’t stop her because why the fuck would I?
Once she had her burger loaded up, she took a bite, eyes nearly rolling back in her head.
“Good?” I teased, still fighting the urge to touch her.
My skin tingled at the idea of being close to hers again, and it wasn’t fair.
“I think I needed this,” Mason mumbled before taking another bite.
This one was nowhere near as graceful, and about three chunks of potato fell out and onto her hoodie. Her eyes fell to the mess, as did mine. Mason sighed, still mid-chew, placed the burger on the open lid of the styrofoam container, and unzipped her hoodie before taking it off.
My breath caught in my throat. Both because I had an undeniable pregnancy kink, and I hadn’t expected Mason to be so… round. Not yet, at least. Without thinking, I reached over and splayed my fingers wide, allowing purple stripes of her tank top to be visible through the gaps.
My lips twisted into a grin the second we touched, and something in me eased. Like I’d been dying to be like this with her again. Dying to feel her again.
“Jesus Christ, you're huge,” I murmured, my thumb gliding across the curve.
The words slipped out in wonder, but that didn’t stop Mason from taking them like an insult. Every muscle of hers tensed, and I swore to God she stopped breathing.
I yanked back as if her touch physically burned me.
“I–shit, I didn’t mean it like that–I just–you just–” The vapid jumble of word stew continued to spew from my lips no matter how badly I wanted it to stop.
“It’s okay.” Mason finally smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re right. I’m huge. That’s what twins do, I guess.”
Her expression turned ripe with something I couldn’t quite place. Fear? Confusion? Maybe a little embarrassment. And, I was sure I wasn’t much better because I’d completely glossed over how she said babies, until now.
And I should have fucking paid attention, but I didn’t, and now it was too late.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I promised, my voice coming out raw. “I just… miss how we used to be, and that is one hundred percent something I would’ve said to you.”
But, I couldn’t anymore. Because she wasn’t my girlfriend.
“I’ve thought about you every day since our fight,” I added.
Conveniently leaving out that it wasn’t really a fight. Just me, unearthing things that could’ve stayed buried.
“I’ve thought about you, too.”
The words landed far too softly, like they weren’t meant to escape her at all. Her eyes widened the second they fell from her lips, like she wanted to snatch them back, but it was too late.
Mason missed me.
My pulse kicked, heat rushing up my neck. I wanted to kiss her. God, I wanted to kiss her so bad it hurt. But if I reached for her and she pulled away… I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
“I’ve thought about all of you,” she clarified. “About how I’d spent the last month envisioning everyone living together, and being one big happy family.”
She looked at the ground, and despite the way my instincts told me to push her away, to rub salt in the wound that was the disintegration of her relationship, my heart was fucking stupid.
“Well, who says we can’t be one big, happy family?” I asked, grabbing a forkful of the fries and shoving them into my dumb ass mouth.
The potatoes were soggy and the cheese gluey. I had no idea how Mason liked these right now, but after I forced down my bite, I knew I wouldn’t be stealing anymore.
“I can’t bring the kids around murderers, or a drug addict.”
My eyes widened at the drug addict part, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
“Well, I mean, you could.” My voice pitched up as I stared at her, my mind already running the mental gymnastics required to make everything seem safe.
And though I could already see the skepticism in her eyes, I was known to be very convincing with my words.