Page 68 of Please Open Me
The drive from Saint Samael’s to Mason’s house usually took less than half an hour. But I had errands.
First stop: my apartment. I needed to shower, feed my ferret, and change. Don’t get me wrong, I looked hot in my fancy church attire, but the shirt was itchy.
I swapped it for a white tee Mason loved. Sure, she’d been ignoring me lately, but my ego refused to believe our whirlwind romance had already burned out.
Mason was a sweet little alien, and if those pregnancy tests were anything to go by… she’d been busy.
Instead of spiraling, I swung by the store and picked up a few things.
A bouquet of forget-me-nots.
A bottle of iced green tea–lightly sweetened, with a hint of mint.
A jar of Nutella.
A bag of pretzel sticks.
Maybe I went overboard, but I needed her to trust me. Okay, that was a lie. She already trusted me.
I did it because I wanted to.
I bit my tongue, halting the fiery flutter in my gut before it turned into something dangerous.
The tires of my Camaro crunched over the gravel as I pulled up beside Mason’s minivan. A smile tugged at my lips. She used to drive a sleek sports car, but now? Now she was a mom before anything else.
And I liked that about her.
Thatwas the truth.
I gathered my offerings and stepped into the sun, walking up the porch. Even from outside, the house buzzed with life—fast footsteps, the shriek of laughter, and someone yelling—
“Goddammit, Richard!”
Not Mason.
I froze.
Who the hell was Richard?
When I visited, it was always late or early. Quiet moments, just the two of us, drifting through the stillness.
This?
This was a zoo.
For a second, I thought about leaving. I could text Mason. Say I dropped some stuff off. Keep it casual. That would’ve been smart. Normal. Maybe even respectful.
But I wasn’t any of those things.
I adjusted the flowers and knocked.
“Daddy! Someone’s at the door!” a little girl called.
“Yes, Juniper. I have ears. Thank you,” came the dry reply.
A tall man with dark hair opened the door, an orange cat draped across his arms like a baby. The cat immediately sank its teeth into his wrist. He didn’t even flinch.
“Who are you?” he asked, just before a boy barreled into his legs, knocking the cat loose.
