Chapter 14 #2
I told Mason little bits about each of them as we settled into our morning routine.
I loaded the clinic washing machine while Mason folded towels, and I told him about how Danny’s rice and beans was the best I’d ever had.
When we took Dog outside to play fetch with his tennis ball, I told him about Miller and the tree fiasco that had brought him into our lives.
By the time I’d filled him in bit by bit on Wilder, Gracie, Avery, and Lee, it was lunch.
“Sorry,” Mason said as we made sandwiches. “It’s a day off. I should have offered to take you out somewhere.”
After all the talking I’d done today, I wasn’t sure I had the words to explain to him that a day like today—ordinary, routine, maybe even boring—was incredible to me.
As in, it almost sucked my breath out of my lungs for how miraculous it felt.
An ordinary life was the most impossible thing I’d ever imagined, and here I was in the middle of one.
So I just shrugged and hoped my smile told him what I couldn’t:
I’m happy here with you.
After we ate, we played with the kittens for a while.
They were getting bigger every day, and they’d graduated to one of the cages.
Kayla had turned up with a cat tree the other day that she claimed was an old one from home, and watching them climb up and fall back down was cute as hell.
I took a video for Chase. Mason had said it wouldn’t be long before they were ready for new homes, which made me sad.
But some things weren’t meant to last, I knew that.
Take Mason and me. Soon he’d go back to Cincinnati and I’d stay here in Goose Run—and it was probably going to hurt like a bitch when he left, but I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
I might only get to have this for a little while, but the experience would stay with me long after Mason had gone, and at least I’d know what it felt like to have someone who saw me for who I was and cared about me.
And what it felt like to care about him too.
The little orange kitten opened his mouth in a yawn.
I lowered him into the nest of towels next to the rest of the litter, and he wiggled until he was tangled up with his brothers.
Mason added his kitten to the pile, and they all shuffled around making room for each other, making me think of the way Danny and Wilder had made space for Chase and me. I was lucky to have them.
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a show Mason liked.
It was okay, but the best part was sitting next to him on the couch, our fingers entwined as Dog snored at our feet.
When it was time to go to Avery and Wilder’s place, we swung by Goose Run Gas first to pick up some beer.
Dog was excited to be going for a ride. If he thought this part was great, he was going to lose his shit when he got to meet new people.
Our neighborhood in Goose Run wasn’t the nicest, especially compared to Mason’s street, but he didn’t comment on that as I directed him over the bridge and down a couple of cracked roads.
“It’s here on the left,” I said, and Mason pulled over. “This is Avery’s place, and this is our place. Want to see my room?”
Like I was some kid in elementary school stupidly eager to show off his games and action figures. But Mason smiled and said, “Sure.”
We got out and headed for the house. I tied Dog’s leash to the stair rail and then reached out as we stepped up onto the porch, taking Mason’s hand and squeezing it. He squeezed back.
The front door was locked, so everyone had probably already gone over to Avery’s.
Part of me was relieved because it meant I could put off the awkwardness of introducing Mason for a few more minutes.
I fumbled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door and led Mason inside.
The house was a lot cleaner than it used to be back when we first moved in, but it was still nothing fancy.
The floorboards were scuffed and there were marks on the walls, and it smelled faintly of refried beans.
I reminded myself that Mason wasn’t here to judge where I lived. Besides, everything in his bedroom belonged to an old man and was covered in dog hair, so he couldn’t judge even if he’d wanted to. I led him through to the end of the house and opened the door to my bedroom.
“This is my room.”
It wasn’t much. Twin beds, though Chase didn’t sleep in here much anymore, plus a closet and a scratched chest of drawers.
I didn’t have much stuff either, apart from a stack of secondhand books that were lined up against one of the walls and a few knickknacks—a Happy Meal toy, a plastic cup from the movies, the fuzzy keychain that one of the ladies from Sunny Fields had made me.
Just junk mostly. I also had a little wooden pig figure—or maybe it was a groundhog—I’d bought from Goodwill because it was so ugly I’d worried nobody else would want it.
The fuzzy keychain was sitting beside it.
I’d always thought it was lucky, and I wondered if I should take it with me to dinner and if it would make any difference.
Mason must have noticed my nervousness because he turned toward me and tugged me close, his hands settling on my hips. Then he kissed me, softly and gently, and warm reassurance filled me. Mason wasn’t here to judge me or my house. He was here because he wanted to be. Because he wanted me.
I kissed him back, some of the tension draining out of me until it felt like I could breathe again.
Outside, Dog let out a short bark just in case we’d forgotten him, and Mason smiled against my mouth and murmured, “I like your room. It’s like you.”
“Messy?” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“Interesting,” he said, nodding in the direction of my book stack. “It’s an eclectic collection. You like books?”
I nodded. “Science fiction and nonfiction mostly. Chase says I’m a nerd.”
“Nerds are hot,” he said and grinned. “You should see some of Uncle Jim’s antique animal care textbooks. There’s some wild shit in there.”
That actually did sound pretty interesting. “Maybe you can show me when we get home.”
“Sure,” Mason said.
Dog barked again, and it was only when we were walking back to the porch to collect him that it occurred to me that I’d called the clinic home. If Mason noticed as well, he didn’t comment. But it felt like there was some truth to it.
For now, at least.
Dog had stopped barking for our attention by the time we got back to him, and the reason soon became apparent. There was a guy in a suit kneeling in front of him, getting a whole bunch of doggy kisses. His briefcase and a bottle of wine were on the porch beside them.
It was Miller. I waved at him.
“Hey,” he said, rising to his feet and trying futilely to brush some of the dog hair off. He stuck his hand out to Mason. “You must be Mason. I’m Miller, Danny’s boyfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mason said.
“Is Danny here?” Miller asked.
I shook my head and then pointed at the bottle. “Wine?”
“It was a gift from a client,” Miller said. “For working on a Sunday, as though I didn’t charge him every cent I could for it. I figured at least Avery and I will drink it if you guys won’t. It was sitting in my car in the full sun for a few hours, though. Does wine go bad?”
“It’s already bad,” I said.
Miller looked startled, probably more at the sound of a full sentence coming out of me than the joke, and then smiled and shook his head. “You have no taste, Cash. You think Lucky Charms are fine dining.”
I grinned and shrugged.
Dog whined because nobody was petting him, and Mason crouched down and stroked his ears, making nonsense words as Dog panted happily now that he was the center of attention again.
The muscles of Mason’s back stretched and moved under the fabric of his T-shirt, and I stood there and took a moment to soak up the view. Chase had been right. Mason was hot.
“He’s cute,” Miller said to me, his voice low.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “So is the dog.”
Miller let out a startled laugh, and my grin widened. Now that I was getting more practice with Mason, it was less scary talking to people. It felt like a lot of things were less scary when Mason was involved.
Miller picked up his briefcase and set it inside the house. He tucked the bottle of wine into the crook of his elbow. “I’m gonna head over there. You two coming?”
I took a deep breath. Some things were still terrifying, like bringing Mason to meet my family, and I wasn’t ready to let them loose on him without making sure they were going to behave.
“We’ll be there in a minute,” I said.
Miller walked over to Avery’s, and I pulled my phone out and opened the group chat while Mason watched curiously.
I’m bringing Mason over and you assholes had better be nice to him.
A row of dots popped up and a moment later a message from Danny appeared.
I can’t believe you’re dating the hot vet. I’m gonna ask him what his intentions are.
Like fuck he would.
DON’T BE WEIRD OKAY?
They’ll behave.
That was Chase, and my nerves settled as I pictured him glaring everyone else into submission. Chase could be an asshole, but he was my asshole, and he’d always have my back.
“Hey, if you’ve changed your mind and you don’t want me to come, just say so,” Mason said. He didn’t quite manage to hide the look of hurt that flashed across his face, though, like he really did think I didn’t want him to meet my brothers.
“No,” I said quickly. I let out a frustrated breath as I tried to find the words to explain, and Mason waited patiently. He never tried to rush me, and maybe that was why he was easier to talk to. In the end I held up my phone and said, “I was telling them to behave.”
“Oh!” Mason’s expression cleared. “I thought you’d decided I wasn’t good enough for them.” He laughed, but it was clear he was only half-joking.
I wanted to tell him that he was more than good enough, that he was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time, but my words failed me. So I untied Dog’s leash and handed it to him, gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile, and stuck out my hand.
He took it, and together we walked over to Avery’s.