19. Chapter 19
Sophia
Mason’s doctor’s appointment didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would have. All the doctor did was measure Mason’s belly and stick their hand in Mason’s you-know-where, and give Mason a shot to help Rosie’s lungs develop. From that, I learned three things.
One: Rosie was a big baby and was making Mason measure three weeks ahead of her current due date, Christmas.
Two: because of the extra fluid in Mason's uterus and the enormous baby she was growing, contractions were not only normal but expected.
And, three: Because of this, they were going to induce Mason the Monday after Thanksgiving.
That should have been perfect. We’d be able to visit everyone in Portland, spend the weekend, leave the kids with my mom’s or Lucian’s sister for a week while we got acclimated to having a new baby, and we’d be set.
But unfortunately, until Rosie was here, Mason wasn’t allowed to be more than an hour away from the hospital, just in case.
That meant one of us would have to stay home with her because we knew darn well that none of our families would come to Hartwood for any reason other than to give our kids back .
And not going to lie, that sucked. Like, majorly. This was the worst thing I had been told in recent years.
The holidays were hard for my family. I knew my moms would love to see Mason, and I loved being around her. But if I told her just how disappointed I was, she’d feel bad, and it wasn’t her fault either, so I held it in—like I always did.
Once everything was done and we were free to go, Mason asked if I had enough time to go to the coffee shop she and Lucian always went to after visits.
The actual answer was a big, fat NO.
I had my weekly meeting with all the department heads at S.H.A.D.E today, and then a few more because we were trying to recruit more agents.
PLUS, I now had to meet with the CEO and HR and explain to them that in addition to taking the entire month of December off like I do every year, I now had to work part-time between Thanksgiving and my vacation.
The boys could take care of the baby. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited for Rosie, but I wanted to help Mason. If I were beside her twenty-four-seven during her postpartum period, she’d have no chance to follow in Charlotte’s footsteps.
But Mason smiled, and any chance I had of telling her no evaporated. So, instead, I sent everyone a quick email to clear my calendar until around noon. Once that was done, I laced my fingers in hers, and we stepped out of the doctor’s office into the bitter, frosty November day.
An icy wind brushed past us, pushing my hair behind my shoulder and causing me to shiver.
Mason seemed unfazed, though, as she looked around the crumbling brick buildings lining the street. I hated how old everything was in Hartwood. After a moment, she extended her arm to point at a building about a block away.
“There.” She explained.
My nose scrunched a little. If today had been nice, I’d have no problem walking. But the world was gloomy and, quite frankly, too cold to even leave the house.
“Do you want to stay here while I get the car?” I offered .
“Why would you do that?” Mason looked at me like I had three heads. “It’s just right there.”
Gosh darn it.
I knew she was right. I also knew Mason was never someone to argue with. As much as I could punish her at home or have Lucian spank her butt, Mason had a way with words that were almost unfair. Honestly, she could have been a successful lawyer if she hadn’t been expelled from high school.
With a resigned sigh, I pulled my coat closer to brace myself against the wind.
“How was your date night with Lucian?” Mason already sounded a little out of breath despite the fact this walk just started.
But, instead of reminding her that I’d be more than happy to pull the car around, I focused on the conversation. “It was great. We had sex in the bathroom.”
Mason gasped like she and I hadn’t done it in a dressing room.
“That’s really all you cared about? Didn’t you guys go see a play and then go to some crazy expensive restaurant?”
“No, we did… but the bathroom was my favorite part.” I shrugged. “What about your night with Cameron minus the whole hospital visit?”
A black truck driving past us filled the lull in our conversation. Once it was gone, Mason cleared her throat.
“We uh, we had sex too,” she sheepishly admitted.
“See! It’s always the best part.” The second I said that I realized I had an opportunity to mention something I’d been thinking about. “Hey, how’s Seb in bed?”
Her eyes widened as she focused on me.
“He’s fine,” she squeaked.
“Just fine? Really?” I scoffed.
He was six-feet-five-inches of pure muscles. I also knew for a fact his tongue was pierced. How was a man like that just fine ?
But Mason nodded. “I’m the only person he’s had sex with, so he’s still learning. ”
Awe.
But now wasn’t the time to think about how cute it was that Seb stayed a virgin for over twenty years. Instead, I had to push my luck. “Do you think he’d want to do it with anyone else?”
She hesitated for a beat as she ran her tongue across her lips. “He mentioned something about liking Cameron a while ago, and he’s slept in our bed the past few nights.”
Yeah, but by the way Sebastian reacted when he realized Cam was holding his hand, I didn’t think that was really romantic per se.
“Do you think he’d want to do it with me?”
An excited spark lit Mason’s eyes. “If he does, can I join?
“Of course!” Somehow, having her join us felt like it improved the chances of him saying yes.
An excited squeal escaped Mason, and she clapped her hand just as the door to the coffee shop came within reach. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the black truck that passed us was sitting in the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to this.
But, for some reason, the lone dark Chevy felt ominous.
I reached out and placed a hand on Mason’s shoulder. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want to stop at the coffee shop closer to home?”
Mason turned back to me with a look of confusion. “Why would we do that? We’re already here.”
I hesitated as I glanced back at the truck. My skin prickled with unease. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle other than the fact it was probably older than Cameron. I was probably just being paranoid or maybe even a bit dramatic.
“No reason,” I relented.
Mason nodded before pulling the door open. A bell chimed above our heads, and the barista waved at us. In front of her was a stout man with mostly silver hair. He didn’t turn to look, and I assumed that was the truck’s owner.
“You’ll love this place,” Mason promised. “I get a smoothie every time Lucian and I come, and it’s the best thing ever.”
I nodded, but the weariness I felt grew into a chill wrapped around my heart. What the heck was going on ?
Together, Mason and I got in line, but while she aimlessly chattered at me, I was focused on the short man. There was something about him I couldn’t put my finger on, but something about his presence screamed Bad News Bears.
I held Mason’s hand a little tighter, just in case.
The man ordered just a black coffee, and the barista told him his total. The man then patted his pockets before a beat of silence fell in the cafe.
“Well, shoot,” the man drawled. “I just realized I ain’t got my wallet on me. Musta forgot it at home.”
“That’s okay.” Creases formed by the barista’s eyes as they smiled. “I can just cancel it out, and you can come back later.”
The man nodded. “I’ll do just that, sorry for wastin’ your time.”
He finally turned around to reveal a set of almost radioactive green eyes and a smile that looked like it never fell.
“Ladies.” He nodded toward us before making his way past.
I was content to leave it at that, but my girlfriend was too sweet for her own good.
“Wait!” Mason called before flashing the man a warm smile. “We’re getting coffee, too. I don’t mind paying for yours.”
The man stopped mid-step, and his gaze fixed on Mason with an intensity that made me shiver. It was like he was a pirate, and she was a chest of gold doubloons. I draped an arm over her shoulder and held her closer.
Not that I didn’t expect Mason to offer this. She loved to help and had almost zero social awareness.
His smile somehow widened to reveal a set of teeth so yellow that they almost made me gag.
“I don’t want’cha to burden yourself, but I’d sure appreciate it.”
“It’s no burden,” Mason promised before stepping up to the counter.
She added his coffee to her order and went along like nothing had happened, but I couldn’t shake the gut feeling that this man was up to no good.