Chapter 31 Mason - Pretty Normal
MASON Pretty Normal
I could count the number of times I’d done the dishes at Dogwood on one hand, which I know says something potentially unflattering about me.
But tonight, I would have done anything to get in Daisy’s good graces.
I had come over again to help her put the kids to bed, which was actually kind of fun.
I loved reading them stories and they loved the silly voices.
And they were past the age where they fought so hard to stay awake.
Their days were busy with school and soccer and recently, dropping their naps, which Amelia and Parker had yammered on about.
Daisy finished up with them while I grilled steaks and threw together a bagged Caesar salad and some asparagus.
It was a really easy meal, my go-to. It seemed fancy but took almost no prep work or actual cooking skills, which was good because mine were basically nonexistent.
We talked and laughed and kissed, and it was all so easy.
As I dried the plates, I wondered if this was why Parker wanted to marry Amelia.
Was this how he felt about her? Like his day was better when she was in it?
If so, I kind of got the whole holy matrimony thing. Maybe being a couple wasn’t so bad.
Despite what I was certain was a very trying day, Daisy looked radiant.
She was a little flushed, which only added to her allure.
She was only going to have one glass of wine, so she hadn’t had a drink with dinner.
But now, I poured her a glass. I leaned down and kissed her, lightly at first, then hungrily.
She bit her lip as I handed her the wine. She took a sip, but I stayed close.
“I just checked,” she whispered. “They are officially asleep.”
“That is music to my ears,” I said, grinning at her, kissing her again, my hands in her hair.
She backed up, and I walked with her, never taking my lips off hers, until her back was against the counter.
She set her wine down and wrapped her arms around me.
I lifted her up on the counter as she kissed my neck and, feeling a sense of urgency, I unbuttoned her shirt.
“Aunt Tilley,” she whispered, in a throaty voice.
“I’m Mason,” I whispered back, which made us both erupt in laughter.
“I mean Aunt Tilley is in her wing, and I would hate for her to come down to find us naked on her pie-baking counter.”
I pulled back and looked aghast. “What are you insinuating? I was just testing your shirt buttons. But if you’d like to be naked with me, Daisy, that’s something we could discuss.”
She bit her lip again in that way that made me absolutely crazy. “I would like to be naked with you, Mason,” she said, a smile playing on her lips.
With that, I swept her off the counter into a fireman’s carry, making her giggle. “This is all I’ve thought about for two days,” I said as I crossed into the guest room.
“Me too,” she said quietly.
I lowered her onto the bed, hoping to all that was holy that we wouldn’t be interrupted again. Her hair fanned out behind her, and I took a moment to look at her. She raised herself up on her elbows, kissing me again. “What?” she asked.
“I have to ask you something really serious,” I said, my face stoic.
She raised her eyebrows. “Now?”
I nodded.
“All right then.”
“I haven’t asked anyone this in like maybe twenty years.”
Her face clouded. “Mason, is this some weird sex thing? Because I’m, like, pretty normal.”
I laughed. “You’re killing my vibe here.”
She flopped back down. “What?”
I climbed on top of her, lowering my face toward hers. “Daisy Stevens, will you be my girlfriend?”
She laughed and put her arms around my neck and kissed me again. “Only if you’ll take me to the prom.”
“It’s a date,” I whispered, finally letting myself get lost in the scent of her, the feel of her.
I had used a lot of lines on a lot of women and, in that moment, I wasn’t proud of that one little bit.
But this time, right now, I didn’t need any of those.
I felt more for her than I would ever be able to say.
As I allowed myself to get lost in the moment, I knew that I would stay all night.
In fact, right now, I felt like where Daisy was was the only place I would ever want to be again.