Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Emma
A sshole. That’s what he is.
I took a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts, watching Mason and Jackson exit the café. Mason didn’t even look at me as he walked out, and to be honest, it hurt more than it should’ve. Either he had told Jackson about what happened between us, or Jackson had found out for himself… Whatever the circumstances, I was embarrassed.
My eyes dropped to my apron pocket, a shiny corner of a photo sticking out of it. I pinched the corner with two fingers, emotions welling up as the black and white ultrasound was fully visible.
My baby.
The thought choked me up, and I wished more than ever that the circumstances were different. I was past the worry and concern about being a mom, and more excited about finally having a child of my own. I just… I never expected to have to hide the fact that I was about to be a mother. In my head, I had always dreamed of the fairy tale story, two parents who loved each other, cute photo shoots for an announcement, a gender reveal party—the whole works. But instead… I was just stuck trying to keep it under wraps.
Lily was still vocal about talking to Mason once I made it to the second trimester, but I was still trying to conjure up some way to avoid telling him at all. Lily might swear he’s a good person—and he might be—but he brought me nothing but confusion and heartache so far.
The chime of the bell ringing caught my attention, and I shoved the picture back in my pocket. I looked up toward the door, seeing Graham and some dark-headed woman I didn’t recognize. She was beautiful, and probably a few years older than me.
“This is my wife, Brittany,” Graham said to me like we were somehow more than just recognizable strangers. “This is Emma Fisher. She owns this nice place. She’s from Austin.”
Something about the way he told his wife the city I had moved from rubbed me wrong, but I forced a smile. “Good morning. Have a seat wherever you’d like, and I’ll grab a couple of coffees.”
“Do you have decaf?” Brittany asked, batting her thick, fake eyelashes. “I don’t drink anything with caffeine.”
Ah, she’s just as picky as her husband.
“I will brew up some decaf,” I said as the two of them headed to a booth, leaving me there wondering where the hell these two people were from. I got busy doing as they asked, trying to ignore my nauseous stomach. I hadn’t had morning sickness bad enough to stifle my work ethic, but it slipped up on me occasionally.
“Do you want me to take care of that table?” Sarah peeked her head out from the back where she had been taking a quick break after the morning rush. She was becoming my right-hand woman, and I was so thankful for her. She would have to run the place after the baby was born—and I had no doubt that she would do a great job.
“They look like a tough crowd, and I know for sure one of them is, so I got this one,” I said to her, giving her a knowing look.
“Yeah, I’ve heard some things about the two of them. They’re some kind of big-time developers,” she said in a low voice. “They bought off a section of the Parson ranch and built some mega mansion.”
My brow furrowed as I glanced over at them. They did scream wealth, though I wasn’t sure that it was in the mega-mansion category. I shrugged it off as another customer entered the shop, and Sarah went to greet them. I grabbed a couple of menus to accompany the coffee and carried it over to their table.
“Thank you,” Brittany said, showing some amount of mannerism that her husband lacked. “I love the way you cater to your customers. That’s hard to find in these small towns. They’re always opposed to outsiders.”
I nodded in an understanding that didn’t really hit me. “Thank you. I try to make sure I give everyone the best possible service.”
“And she’s good at it,” Graham added, giving me a kind smile—one that he definitely lacked the last time he was here. “Emma is Lily Berkshire’s best friend. You know, Drew’s wife.”
“Oh,” Brittany’s smile grew wider. “Well, what a small world. It’s good to meet you, really. I’ve heard so many things about you.”
Uh… But why ?
I smiled through the absolute confusion. “I hope they were good things.”
“Absolutely,” she beamed, lightly touching my arm. Her hands were clammy in the worst way, but I didn’t cringe or shy away, determined not to be rude. “Lily just gushed over you. You seem like such a sweetheart. I know that you’ve seen Graham around town, but I’m just now getting out and about. I’ve been so busy with the house.”
“Oh?” I tried to act surprised, like Sarah hadn’t just told me the tea. “I didn’t know you two lived here.”
“Well, we did a bit of rush build,” Graham chuckled. “We started the kids in school here this year, but we weren’t officially in the new house until last week. It’s amazing how much money will get things done, really. We’re planning on having a nice housewarming party out there. I’ll make sure to get you an invite.”
“Thank you,” I said, already knowing I would not be attending that party if I could come up with a useful excuse. “That’s so kind of you.”
“Yeah, we’re also working on some new ideas for the town. There’s some nice land just outside of town that we think would be the ticket to a shopping center. I know that being from the city, it must drive you nuts to not have many options here.” Graham was talking fast, and I was trying to piece it all together while still listening to him.
“That sounds interesting,” I managed to say, my mind thinking of what land butted up to the town. Sarah waved at me from the counter, and I inwardly sighed with relief when I saw a way out of the conversation. “I have to get back to the kitchen, but I’ll be back over to take your order shortly.”
“Oh, we won’t be eating anything,” Brittany giggled. “There’s nothing low carb here—no offense.”
It was painful to keep smiling, but I did. “I’ll consider that when I revamp the menu next month.”
“How kind of you,” Brittany batted those thick eyelashes again, and I headed back to the kitchen.
Fake. So fake.
Don’t get me wrong, I never judge people based on their wealth—or lack of—but something about Graham and Brittany made me feel so unsettled.
But it was a good distraction from the issue with Mason.
“So you saw who?” Lily asked, her brows furrowed as we stood in her kitchen while Dara and Jess finished up a movie in the living room.
“Graham and his wife,” I repeated myself as she sat her phone down on the counter. “I think he said her name was Brittany.”
“Hmm,” Lily had a strange look on her face. “And they said I gushed about you?”
“Yeah,” I was starting to get annoyed, pushing my dark hair out of my face. My messy ponytail had gone limp, and strands were slipping loose.
“I just think that’s so crazy because I don’t think…” her voice trailed off as the doorbell rang, filling the house with sound. Lily let out a sigh. “I just don’t recall talking to anyone who was related to Graham, but who knows? Maybe it was at some social event that Drew dragged me to.” With that, she headed to the front door, leaving me there to wonder why in the world Lily couldn’t remember.
She wasn’t the kind of person who forgot people.
Lily appeared back from the entryway, only this time, her phone was to her ear. She mouthed Drew to me and then headed up the stairs. Part of me wondered if she was calling her husband to figure out who the people were. I went to pick up my phone and scrolled through social media when the sound of boots on the hardwood floor caught my attention. I looked up, my breath catching.
“Jess, it’s time to go home,” Mason said, not even noticing that I was standing a few feet away from him.
“The movie only has like twenty minutes left,” Jess whined, looking back at him—and then at me. “Just talk to Emma for a while, and then we can go. Please? ”
Mason’s head whipped in my direction, his eyes full of surprise. “I didn’t even notice you there,” he said sheepishly before turning back to Jess. “Fine, finish the movie, but then we’re going.”
“Deal,” she giggled, turning up the volume.
Mason glanced over to me, a half-hearted smile on his face. “Hey.”
I wanted to slap him for being so freaking handsome in the moment, but I relented. “Hey, Sheriff.” I went for the most casual reply I could, my heart burning with the way things had gone between us.
“Look, Emma,” he said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know what went wrong last time, but maybe we should meet up and talk about it?”
“Why? So you can get in my pants and then barely speak to me after?” I hissed, keeping my voice down. I was surprised at just how vicious the words came out—and honestly, it appeared that he was, too.
“That’s… I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he said with a sigh, removing his cowboy hat and running his fingers through his dark hair. My pussy ached at the sight, and the moment of arousal was nearly startling.
Probably just the pregnancy .
“Look, I’m just not good at this kind of stuff, Emma. It’s been years since I have dated anyone—and even then, I never, uh… did what we did.” His eyes jumped to his daughter and Dara, their eyes transfixed on the horror movie playing in front of them.
“I still don’t get what you’re trying to say, Mason,” I said, taking a deep breath as Lily appeared at the top of the stairs. She gave me a wide-eyed look, like she hadn’t expected Mason to come into her house or something.
“Look, Emma, let’s just try this again. Maybe we should just get to know each other better before we jump into anything.”
Yeah, like have a baby?
I pursed my lips, nodding because I wanted to be an active listener—not because I liked the idea. I knew that if I just came out and told him I was pregnant, everything would change between us…
And for that reason, I knew I was going to be waiting.
“So I’ll text you and we can set up dinner?” Mason offered, just as the movie turned off.
“Yeah, that sounds fine,” I said with a smile. “I’ll look forward to your text.”
If it even comes.
I stood there quietly, giving Jess and Mason a wave goodbye as they made their way to the front door. No matter how much I wanted to hope for more with Mason, the conversation about going slow , brought me to the same conclusion as always.
He either wasn’t that into me or he feared commitment…
Or both.