Page 12 of Mason
“Which reminds me,” Harper said, turning a little more in her seat so she could look at me.“We need to schedule a time for you to come in for the photo shoot.I have the second- and third-place winners of the talent competition sorted.There’s no rush, though.I just want to give your section the attention to detail that it deserves.And I was thinking, we could do a brief video for the magazine’s socials to boost exposure for the print edition.Just a little taste of the beautiful music you played that won you first place.”
Other than having the prize money hit my bank account, I’d forgotten about the rest of what winning entailed.All that had mattered to me was making sure I had a place to live for a little longer.“I’m fine with whatever suits you.”
“Let’s give you a few days to recover.How about Friday?”I nodded and she beamed.“Perfect.I’ll arrange everything.”
Neil drove through Santa Monica like he had every street memorized.Taking a random turn when there was a traffic jam, then circling until he came to a neighborhood of elegant condos, each identical in size, shape, and color, with garages side by side.
As we pulled into one of the driveways, I expected Mason to say goodbye, perhaps even kiss my cheek.I held my breath, a tiny piece of me hopeful that he would promise to see me soon.
Instead, he unfolded himself from the back seat without a word, while Neil exited from his own door, walked to the back of the SUV, and opened the lift gate.Harper was already out, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked the few steps to open my door.
Confused, I glanced at her then looked at Mason, who had joined her.“Are you going to give me a tour of your home or something?”I asked dryly, trying not to let my sadness bleed through.
“You’ll definitely need a tour,” Mason said casually, reaching in to unbuckle me.“Since you’ll be staying here.”
“Say what now?”I gasped.He was still stretched across me, his hand clicking the latch on the seat belt before dropping to my hip.His nearness, his scent, his freaking body heat as his fingers branded me through my clothes was almost too much to endure.
Grinning, he brushed his nose across my cheek as he pulled away and offered me his hand.“You didn’t think I was going to send you home alone, did you, beautiful girl?You’re recovering.What if you started feeling unwell?”
“That’s what 9-1-1 is for,” I responded, noting that my voice was breathless.
“We may not have known each other long, Sutton, but I have already got you pegged.Your stubbornness knows no bounds.There is no way I trust you to call for help if you need it.”He tugged on my hand, urging me to move.“There were two options.A, you stay with my parents.Or B, you move in with me.And since both Mom and Dad have a crazy work schedule at the moment, B was the more logical choice.”
“You didn’t even ask my opinion on either of those things!”I hissed at him.
“Which circles back to your stubbornness.Hence, no choices were given.”
“I can’t just move in with you!”
“You can.More importantly, youwill.End of discussion.”When I opened my mouth to argue, he blew out an exasperated breath and scooped me up into his arms.“Mom, could you get the door, please?Thanks.”
“You’ve lost your freaking mind.Put me down.This is… What are you…?”Harper distracted me by using her own set of keys to unlock the front door.“You two are infuriating.”
“So we’ve been told,” Mason said with a half shrug, carrying me through the foyer and into a small but comfortable living room.It was decorated in a minimalist, masculine way.A cross between elegant and efficient, while still being homey.There was a TV, a couch, a cushy chair, and a round bookshelf that rotated.
Inhaling slowly and deeply in hopes of calming my racing thoughts, I breathed in Mason’s woodsy-citrus scent along with something softer.Perhaps a diffuser, something lightly floral without being overly feminine.I loved it as soon as it hit my nose.
Sutton
Stayingin Mason’s home was a mistake.It was only going to make things harder when I had to return to my apartment.Alone.Cold.No Mom.No Harper.
No Mason.
Somehow the idea of not having Mason close at hand felt almost worse than not having Mom.And that scared the hell out of me.He shouldn’t be important to me.Not like this, as if he were air.Not this quick.Not ever.
Yet he was, and I was falling deeper with each thump of my silly heart.
Arguing was pointless.I didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to be away from him or even Harper.Two days, and these two people had become invaluable and precious to me.Not even that long, if I was truly honest with myself.
It was when Harper had sat down in the front row during the competition, right in that chair that was meant for my mother.I felt it then, the shift.Not just inside me, but the world in general—my world.I’d gotten stuck on the same thought repeatedly: Mom sent Harper to me in my moment of need.
Mason was a bonus.A friend, a real one.Not the fleeting kind that casually passed through a person’s life.Someone who understood me on a deeper level naturally.
I was thankful for that, for both of them, in so many ways.There was no way I could ever repay either of them for staying with me the last few days.
Yet, I still argued with Mason.I couldn’t stay.Shouldn’t.Not when I was already so close to giving him my whole heart.It wouldn’t end well.He’d break me.
“I have school.And work,” I said, glaring at him from the incredibly comfortable couch where he’d set me.“My mom’s plants need to be watered.And I have to talk to my landlord about the lease.”
