Page 107 of Freed By Fire
I nod.
“Have you told your parents yet?”
I make a face. “No, they’re still wrapping their heads around the fact that I’m staying with you on purpose. I think it’s better if I wait a while.”
Mason frowns. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s not like they’re going to hear it from someone else.”
Mason pauses. “We’ll need to increase their security. I’ll look into—”
“Increase security? Don’t you mean assign someone?”
“I’ve had someone keeping an eye on them for a while now,” Mason replies. “Nadia. She’s looking for full-time employment, so it works out.”
I throw my arms around him and bury my face in his neck. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mason doesn’t reply.
“You should’ve told me.”
“You’ve had to give up a lot,” Mason says quietly. “I can’t guarantee their safety, even with Nadia watching, but I’m trying.”
Tears fill my eyes, and I blink them back. “You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you.”
“You shouldn’t thank me. I think I’ve fucked your life up further, especially with the baby, but…”
“But?”
Mason looks back at me, and his expression softens, making him look youthful and vulnerable. “I don’t know. This, you, us… I’m still in this.”
I search his face, and my heart leaps. “Even the baby?”
After a long pause, he nods. “Yes, even the baby.”
I curl up into his side and sigh. “We can do this.”
Mason kisses the side of my head, and his arm drops to my waist. “I promise I’ll do what I can to keep you safe, but you won’t always like it. In fact, you’ll probably hate me for it.”
I tilt my head back to look at him and run my finger over his stubble. “I won’t.”
Mason looks down at me again, and his expression is solemn. “We’ll see.”
When he draws back, he shifts down and brings his head to rest against my stomach, and something in me unfurls.
I know our problems are far from over, but I can’t help but cling to the possibility of what could be.
Having a future with Mason and the baby doesn’t seem so impossible after all.
Chapter Twenty
Mason
I lift the collar of my coat and squint into the distance, the sound of rushing water reverberating inside my head. “This will do.”
Noah Sr. comes to stand next to me, and he’s almost beaming. “You’re damn right it will do. I’ve had to pull quite a few strings to get a meeting with the Everetts and Fitzpatricks.”
My chest tightens at the mention of their names.
