Chapter 47
forty-seven
. . .
Violet
“Violet, Angel, it’s time to wake up.” The sound of Mason’s voice, paired with the soft kisses along my neck, stirred me awake.
I stretch my arms wide causing the sheet that’s covering me to fall. My face flushes red as I watch Mason’s eyes take in my bare chest, as he licks his bottom lip.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“12:30. I just got back from Coach’s place. We need to get moving soon if we don’t want to be late for lunch.”
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll definitely be late to lunch.” I counter I head into the bathroom, lock the door behind me, and get into the shower. I hear Mason’s laugh followed by him yelling ‘Tease!’ from the other side of the door. I’d make him pay for that comment later.
I wrap up my shower and get dressed as quickly as possible. The traffic usually isn’t too bad on a Saturday, but Castle Harbor is an hour away and I didn’t want to keep our families waiting. Mason comes back into our bedroom as I apply various products to my hair. He grabs one of my leave-in-conditioners from the counter, pours some into his hand and runs it through my curls.
“A girl could get used to this,” I whisper, as he massages my scalp.
“Good. Because I have every intention of making this a regular occurrence.”
I take advantage of the drive up to Castle Harbor to catch up on my emails, one of which grabs my attention immediately.
Today, 11:11 a.m.
To: Violet Amin (aminv @westchesteru.edu )
cc: Bethany Coleman ( bcoleman @westchesteru.edu )
From: Psychology Admin ( psychadmin @westchesteru.edu )
Subject: Excellence in Mentoring Fellowship Update
Dear Violet,
Congratulations! You have been selected as a recipient for the Edgar R. Johnson’s Excellence in Mentorship Fellowship. Recipients of this award were nominated by their primary supervisor and have displayed excellence in mentoring undergraduate research assistants throughout their time as a graduate student. This fellowship will include two years of financial support. We hope that support from this fellowship will allow you to continue your research and mentorship efforts. Please continue to check your email for further updates on accepting your offer.
Best,
Westchester University Psychology Fellowship Program
“Holy shit.” This can’t be real.
“Everything okay?” Mason places a hand on my thigh .
“Bethany nominated me for a fellowship! For all the work I’ve been doing mentoring my research assistants, and I got it. It’s going to cover me for the next two years so I can focus on my research.”
“I am so fucking proud of you, Violet. No one deserves this more than you.”
“I was planning on scouring through the financial aid website tomorrow to see if there were any fellowships I could still apply to, but it looks like I don’t need to anymore. I didn’t even know Bethany had nominated me.”
“She did tell you everything would work itself out. Looks like she was right.” He places a kiss to the back of my hand. “Now we have two big things to celebrate today.”
After the win last night Mikey insisted we all come over to his family’s restaurant. Along with promises of champagne, Mikey also wanted to run some new menu items by us, for the grand reopening once he officially takes over for his parents. Despite my late morning, we beat everyone there, with the exception of Monroe. Neither she nor Mikey even noticed that we arrived as they engage in a heated conversation.
“Not happening Monroe. Over my dead body am I going to let you turn my family's legacy into some kind of circus,” Mikey states, as he cleans glasses behind the bar.
“Don’t be so dramatic! Think of how much publicity this place will get.”
“I am thinking. I’m thinking about how none of the locals will want to step foot in this place if there’s a whole camera crew hanging around.”
“What are you two yelling about?” Mason cuts in, taking a seat at the bar.
“Your best friend is impossible,” Monroe groans throwing her hands up in defeat.
“And your sister won’t take no for an answer.”
“What are you plotting, ‘Roe?” I wrap my arm around her shoulder .
“One of my clients is starting a new reality dating show, Love in a Small Town. It’s going to be based in Castle Harbor and we need a place to shoot our date scenes. This place would be perfect, but Mikey refuses to listen. Even though my company is willing to compensate him generously. ”
“I don’t want your dirty Hollywood money.”
“We’re based in New York!”
“That’s even worse.”
“Alright, why don’t you two agree to table this conversation for now, so we can enjoy this afternoon?” I offer, getting a grunt from both. Good enough for me.
My mom and Melissa shuffle in not too long later, Joe trailing behind them. Mason and his dad had spoken on the phone regularly since Christmas, and while there were moments of lingering tension, overall they’ve managed to focus on the positive.
“I appreciate you all coming out today. Go ahead and get seated and I’ll bring lunch out in a second.” Mikey gestures to the table closest to the window that overlooks the harbor. He joins us, placing a large pan of lasagna and a plate of pasta Carbonara in the center of the table. “Dig in.”
We do. I can’t even stop myself from letting out a moan as all the flavors hit my tongue.
Mason leans over and presses his lips to my ear. “Make another noise like that Angel, and I’ll have to take you back to our car and handle our unfinished business from this morning.”
I do my best to maintain composure, but Monroe can read all my tells. “Gross Mason, I’m eating. Can you try to keep your bedroom eyes to yourself when I’m around?”
He throws a wink at me, and I look down at my plate as my mom and Melissa shoot knowing looks at each other. If either one of them mentioned grandchildren today I might just crawl under the table and hide there forever.
“I’d like to make a toast,” I announce. “To Mikey, for inviting us into your restaurant and bringing us all together today. To Joe and Melissa, for giving me another place to call home growing up. To Monroe, for always having my back from the second we met until now. To my mom, for all the sacrifices you’ve made for us over the years to make sure we were happy and healthy. And to Mason, how lucky am I to get to spend the rest of my days and nights with you.” I smile, blinking away the happy tears that were starting to form as I took him in.
“Nowhere near as lucky as I am.” He brings his hand up to cradle my face and press a soft kiss to my lips.
We bring our glasses together and spent the rest of the afternoon retelling our favorite stories. And on the ride back home, I think of all Mason and I had overcome the past few years. All the times life knocked us down to our knees, and how we refused to stay down. Watching the sunset turn the horizon into breathtaking shades of orange, pink, and purple, I started to fall asleep dreaming of Mason and I’s future and all the moments that we get to spend together. Forever.