I had to make sure Nora was okay. She had gone through enough and didn’t need to worry about a place to sleep at night. I guess I was going to her fucked-up dinner tomorrow.
Me: I’ll be there.
Don’t pick up: I’ll send a dress and car.
Of course she would. Because she liked to have complete control. Which was why me moving out and not talking to her anymore made her an irate mess.
Good thing I didn’t have to deal with her. I’d leave that to her dear husband. He was as dumb as a piece of string—no offence to the string—and would probably have no idea what was going on in the first place.
I was chewing my lower lip and pacing the office when Mason came inside.
“You ready to go?” he asked, wiping his hands on a rag.
“It’s almost six. Of course I’m ready. And don’t think you can drop me off at your house. I’m coming to Nora’s with you,” I snapped.
“If you’re up for it,” he said and dropped the rag on my desk despite my glower. “But I’m also happy to go on my own.”
“I’m fine.”
He studied me for a few seconds and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
I was still reeling from my conversation with my mother when we pulled up in front of Nora’s apartment complex.
“If you clench your teeth any harder you might crack one,” Mason said and got out of the car. To my surprise he opened my car door and helped me out.
I didn’t want to let go of the hand he offered me once I was standing next to the car. His big hands were calloused from working on cars and motorcycles, which were in direct contrast to my manicured, regularly moisturized hands.
We were polar opposites on almost everything, but the way I felt when I was near him wasn’t something I had ever experienced before. He made me madder than anyone had ever managed, but at the same time he made me feel alive and free.
He dropped my hand and walked inside ahead of me. There was no way to get out of dinner tomorrow, and I just had to stop worrying what might happen and accept that I had to go.
With that resolve I followed Mason inside. He stopped in front of Nora’s apartment and knocked.
“I thought you had a key,” I asked, wondering if Nora asked for her key back.
“I do. But the polite thing to do is knock.”
“You should have applied that philosophy when you rudely woke me up to drag me back to your place.”
He didn’t respond and raised a brow at me.
I bit my lip, and his eyes lingered on me before the door opened and Nora waved us inside with one hand, the other holding a red-faced Lena.
“What are you doing standing out there? You have a key. Use it.”
Luca was barreling down the hall when he heard us.
“Macon, Macon, you came back. I knews it. Didn’t I say he will comes back, Mom?”
Nora smiled at him and nodded. “You did say that. And I bet he is just as excited as you for another playdate.”
Mason’s whole demeanor changed when he looked at Luca, and I couldn’t help myself but stare. Mason started smiling wide and crouched in front of Luca.
“How are you, little dude? Did you get the present I gave your mom for you?”
Luca high-fived the hand Mason held up and nodded, his hair flopping back and forth at his exuberant movement.
“I dids, and Mom said you can help me puts it together.”
I looked at a smirking Nora and tilted my head in question when her eyes met mine.
“It’s a Lego plane,” she said, and the corners of my mouth tilted up. Willa and I got Luca a Lego Dinosaur for his last birthday, not thinking that the thing came in pieces. Something which was obvious to everyone else who ever bought Legos, since part of the fun is putting it together. It took Luca, Willa, and I three weeks and a lot of sweat to assemble it. A few random pieces were left over but Nora hid them before Luca found out.
I guess that was another point for Mason, since he noticed what Luca liked and had bought him something that made him happy. I just hoped Mason was good at putting Legos together. Because I sucked at it and even Luca was rolling his eyes at me when I helped him with his dinosaur.
“Luca, why don’t you get your pj’s on, and then you can play with Mason and Stella?” Nora said. Luca was excited enough about the prospect of not one but two people to play with, that he raced off to his room to get changed.
I held my arms out, and Nora handed a babbling Lena over. She snuggled into my neck and started blowing raspberries. It made me giggle and kiss her chubby cheek.
I looked up and my eyes met Mason’s; he was staring at me with soft eyes. It was one of my favorite looks on him. As if he wasn’t attractive enough on a normal day, the softness made him irresistible. Lucky there were two kids and another adult in the room to stop me from making a fool of myself again.
“The kids have had dinner already, but they can have some yogurt and strawberries for dessert. I should be home around midnight tonight,” Nora said and put her jacket on. “Call me if there are any problems. I’ll make sure to check my phone regularly.”
“Nora,” I said and raised my brows. “How many times have I watched your kids?”
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at me. “Not enough. Never enough. You know how much of a helicopter parent I am. There is just no stopping me. And I promise only to text you a few times tonight. I’m trying to get better.”
And wasn’t that the truth.
