Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Nana’s funeral had been blessedly easy for Sky.
She had already said goodbye to him in a touching message that would always stay with him and he had made peace with her passing.
And Sky was sure that she was pleased, wherever she was, as he locked arms with Sarina and Mason and looked on as her coffin was lowered into the ground.
According to Mason, Nana’s final wish was for the three of them to make amends and be close again.
The first week of Sky’s return had been long and tedious with dozens of documents to be signed and numerous decisions to be made.
With the vastness of Nana’s estate and the inheritances Sky and Sarina had already received from their father and Uncle Lance, they were now billionaires.
Their inheritances were intertwined and complex, but both Sarina and Sky agreed that much of their combined estate—with the exception of the Sutton House and a “cabin” in Upstate New York—would be liquidated and that most of the money would be donated to various causes.
A trust would be set up for Sam and some money would be set aside for each of them to fall back on and maintain Sutton House, but neither Sky nor Sarina were comfortable with keeping the rest of it.
Adele was disgusted, of course. She was wealthy enough in her own right and had taken steps to ensure that she would never run out of money so she was thoroughly confused by their actions. But there was nothing she could do about it but whine and stomp her feet in the end.
For Sky, it was his reward for a lifetime of bearing the burden of the Sutton name.
He was overjoyed that good things would come of the money.
Scholarships, parks, new business grants, new schools and hospitals, wildlife preservation programs, medical research…
So many useful, life-changing things were going to happen for countless people thanks to that money and he couldn’t have been happier.
He was also grateful that his sister’s heart hadn’t changed over the years and that she was just as adamant that the money went to as many worthy causes as possible.
They both looked at each other when the team of attorneys explained the value of their combined estate and said “Let’s do something with this. ”
The attorneys and accountants weren’t excited either but Sky and Sarina were celebrating that evening with champagne, and Mason surprised them with “special” strawberry Jell-O shots.
“To Nana and finally doing something positive with the Sutton legacy.” Sky held up a little paper cup and his champagne flute. “I think this might be the best I’ve felt in years.”
“Hear hear!” Sarina cheered as she tapped her paper cup against Sky’s and Mason’s.
Sam was staying at Mason’s parents’ for the night and having a sleepover with the neighbor’s boys, Nick and Luke Castle.
They were four and six and Sam’s best friends and the three of them regularly camped in Mason’s parents’ den on the weekends.
Sarina confided that she’d planted the idea in everyone’s heads so Mason could have a night to himself a few times a month.
Mason cleared his throat as he raised his shot. “To Sina and Sky, the very best of the Suttons and two of the best people I have ever known in my life.”
“Lies!” Sarina declared but she hugged Sky’s arm and beamed up at him as she tipped her shot back. “Thank you for coming home and for making this possible.”
“We did it together.” Sky kissed her hair, happier than he could ever remember feeling. “I’m glad we’re together again.” He held out his glass to Mason and his eyes shined as he tapped his against it.
“I bet Nana is so damn proud of you two.”
“All three of us!” Sarina wound her other arm around Mason and pulled the three of them into a hug. “Thank you for being there for her at the end. You made her last few years so much better,” she said to Mason.
“Eh, it wasn’t a big deal and Sam loved his afternoons with Nana.”
It was a very big deal to Sky. He’d told Mason that he was scared of losing Nana and he’d done his best to keep her here for as long as he could.
That was the Mason Cartwright that Sky knew and loved.
He didn’t know what to do with all the gratitude and guilt he felt for believing that Mason could ever hurt him or Sarina.
“I owe you,” he said to Mason, not entirely sure of what he meant.
What did he owe Mason? Five years’ worth of apologies?
A few free punches? His heart? His body?
Everything? Mason had given Sarina and Sam a perfect life and helped heal the rift between them, with some help from Nana.
Sky had his family back—the part that really mattered to him—and had made his name and his legacy into something he could be proud of.
“What else did Nana say?” Sky asked Mason, expecting him to laugh or roll his eyes and recount some caustic remark but he flinched and paled.
“A few things… She really threw me for a loop when she said she knew the truth about Sam.” He laughed weakly, making Sky frown.
“But you already knew about that. Sina says you’re losing sleep about it.”
“How would you know?” Mason asked her and she rolled her eyes.
“What do you do when you can’t sleep?”
“I don’t know…” Mason cringed in the direction of the stove. “I usually bake and get a head start on the week’s meals,” he mumbled but waved it off. “It was a pretty heavy day, I guess.”
Sarina’s lip pushed out as she reached for his cheek and patted it. “I’m so sorry, that had to be hard with Sam there. Maybe you should tell Dr. Collins about it when you see him again.”
He chuckled in agreement. “I’m sure I will, we usually talk about your family during my therapy sessions.”
“God, I love you.” She kissed his cheek, then turned and reached for Sky’s face so she could kiss him too. “I have to be up early so I’m turning in. Don’t party too hard without me.”
“We won’t,” Sky promised. “Love you.”
“I love you even more, Sky,” she said, then left them.
Mason sighed happily as he watched her skip down the hallway. “All is right in her world again. Thank you.” He gathered the empty paper cups. “Another round? There’s four more shots and you look like you could use a refill.”
“Why not?” Sky drained his glass and followed Mason to the fridge. “I think…things might be right in my world now too,” he said hesitantly. “I don’t want to jinx myself but I don’t hate my life at the moment.”
Mason’s brows rose as he filled Sky’s glass and topped off his own. “I’m really glad to hear that. So are you…in a good place in the city?”
That got a snort out of Sky. “Still living in my shoebox with Kayla, but that’s out of necessity.”
“Necessity? I thought it was a commute to the office.”
Sky shook his head. “No. I’m not editing anymore.
I just write and dodge my agent’s calls.
I live with Kayla because I have to and we like our shoebox.
It’s home,” he explained simply, smiling as he recalled his last conversation with Kayla.
They chatted over FaceTime the day before Nana’s funeral and she dropped the phone when he told her who Sam’s biological father was.
“Do you think you’ll ever move back here? You can write pretty much anywhere now, right?” Mason asked.
“Here?” Sky laughed as he sipped from his glass. “Not if I can help it. I’m hardly Roseview’s favorite son and as much as I complain about dating men, I don’t want to die alone.”
“Right.” Mason spun and retrieved the plate of Jell-O shots from the fridge. “Are you seeing anyone?”
Sky grinned into his glass. “I’m seeing lots of people, but I’m not really paying attention to names.”
“Sounds…fun.”
“Trust me: I’m doing them a favor. You know I’m not a picnic on a good day but I’m the opposite of fun when I’m actively working on a manuscript.
I don’t want to do anything but write, workout, and fuck.
I barely care about eating and sleeping and I don’t want anyone in my space when I’m concentrating. ”
“You’re not that bad.” Mason handed Sky a shot and they saluted each other, then knocked them back.
“Mmm!” The coolness of the Jell-O and the soft strawberry flavor made him feel like he was lifting off so Sky hopped and giggled. “I’m turning all my alcohol into Jell-O from now on! This was a brilliant idea, Mase.” He caught Mason staring and grinning. “What?”
“Your little Jell-O hops are so cute. I always loved them and can’t believe I forgot about them,” he said with a shy blush.
Sky’s face was warm too as he shrugged. “I don’t realize I’m doing it most of the time and it’s not something I do that often anymore.
But it’s just me, trying to make my body…
do what I feel like it’s doing when something makes me happy.
Jell-O makes me feel like I’m floating to the ceiling and my body just goes with it,” he explained, making Mason laugh softly.
“I love that. I’m glad you like them. I saw a video on Insta a while ago and tucked the idea away in case we ever had a chance to celebrate something together again.
” Mason fidgeted with his paper cup and huffed out a faint snort.
“Your sister and I…we’re really proud of you.
We think you’ve done amazing, Sky. We’re all proud of you, probably even Adele, and you might actually be Roseview’s favorite son now. ”
Sky cast him a dubious look. “Neither of us are that drunk. You’ve always been the Prince of Roseview because you are. You’re the biggest golden retriever I’ve ever met and you take care of everyone.”
“Sure.” Mason snorted dismissively. “But you wrote a brilliant book. Everyone I know has read it and thinks you’re the next Stephen King or Truman Capote. You’re like…if they had a son and he was a magician who put heroin in his pages.”
“Wow! I love that!” Sky snatched one of the last two shots and squeezed it into his mouth. Giggling in delight as he swallowed it. “Can I share that with my agent?”
“Go for it. I can write it on something to make it official if you need me to. I hope you know that no one cares about what happened with you and that teacher anymore. If anyone does, they know you were the victim.”
Sky recoiled, his face twisting. “Ew. No. That’s even worse! I heard a rumor that he was you know and that’s why I sat next to him at the theater that night. What I didn’t know was that he was engaged and had a baby on the way. It never would have happened if I had,” he said with a firm nod.
“I didn’t think you would, but I’m glad it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.”
“Then stop imagining it.” Sky shrugged. “It was humiliating but I wasn’t a victim.”
Mason chuckled as he took a drink from his glass. “Don’t worry. That’s not what I imagine when I think of you.” His cheeks were red when his eyes met Sky’s.
“I…” Sky chewed on his lower lip, unsure of what he was supposed to say or do.
Did he want to ride Mason like they were at a rodeo?
Obviously. Should he? Definitely not. Mason was still married to his sister, and just because Sarina wasn’t sleeping with him, it didn’t make it okay for Sky to hop on that bull.
Did it? “I barely know what goes on at a rodeo.” He gave his head a shake and handed Mason his glass. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Sky.” Mason laughed as he leaned close and brushed his lips against Sky’s cheek. “Sleep well.”
“Okay. You too.” Sky’s brow furrowed as he turned and headed for the stairs.
Why wouldn’t I sleep well?
He was in a much better place, mentally and emotionally, and he was actually comfortable at Sarina and Mason’s, now that he knew the truth.
Far more comfortable than he would have been by himself at the Sutton House or at home without Nadine there to keep him company.
And the simple guest room at the end of the hall was rather soothing with its minimal, Scandinavian furniture and crisp, white bedding.
Sky paused when he reached his door and considered the other doors in the hallway.
The one across from his was Sam’s and there was a door next to it for his bathroom.
There was an office that Sarina and Mason shared, the main bedroom at the end of the hall, and the washer and dryer and linen storage were behind a set of double doors.
Why would they share a bed if they weren’t ‘sleeping’ together?’ Sina brawls in her sleep.
He recalled Mason’s “How would you know?” when Sarina accused him of losing sleep.
It dawned on Sky that Mason would probably have his own room, just as he closed the guest room door behind him.
He looked at the tall dresser and his eyes widened when he remembered the socks, boxers, and pajama pants he’d found in its drawers.
His jaw fell when his gaze swung to the bed.
Mason’s bed.
Sky threw his hands up in frustration. “How the fuck am I supposed to sleep in here now?”