Shit, now I feel bad. His loss is much greater than mine, and he’s not been dealing with it well, not that I expect him to, but he’s used to leaning on his support team.
Sophie: What is it, Caleb? You can tell me.
Caleb: It was my anniversary this week. Just a tough time.
Sophie: I’m so sorry.
Fuck.
“What wrong?” Mason asks after I release a deep sigh.
I know he doesn’t like the guy very much, but I feel bad he’s going through this alone.
“It’s Caleb,” I say slowly. “He’s asked me to go to circle with him tomorrow. I told him I had plans and wasn’t going back, but I could tell something was wrong and finally got him to tell me. It was their anniversary this week. I feel bad I won’t be there, but I don’t want to miss our date.”
“What time does it start?” he asks.
“Six.”
“And it’s an hour, right?”
“Yeah, usually done at seven.”
He shrugs, and I appreciate the fact that he’s not saying anything rude about him. “That should be okay. We can have dinner when you get back and do the rest of what I have planned afterward.”
“Really?” My heart lurches. “Thank you.”
I pull him in for a quick kiss. “I’ll make sure to pay you back for it later.” Flashing him a wink, he grunts.
“Don’t be a tease.”
Snickering, I shake my head at his overexaggerated agony and type out a message.
Sophie: Okay, I moved some things around tomorrow and can go. Pick me up at 5:45?
Caleb: I’ll be there.
Sophie: Great, see you then!
Caleb: Thank you, Sophie. You don’t know how much this means to me.
Sophie: Of course. You’re welcome.
We’re halfway through another episode, cuddled on the couch when Mason furrows his brows and looks at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Didn’t Caleb say they would be married seven years this fall? So wouldn’t their anniversary be at least a couple of months away?” he ponders, and I rack my brain, remembering when he mentioned that during Mason and Liam’s interrogation.
“Hmm…yeah. Maybe he meant this week was their dating anniversary or something. He wasn’t specific, so I’m not sure.”
“Do couples keep track of their dating anniversary?” he inquires with a knowing smirk.
“Yeah, I think most do. How else do you know when to celebrate another year together?”
Mason brings me closer. “So when is ours?”
“Well, I don’t think we can use the date of the first time we had sex, so…” I taunt, chuckling. “I guess, tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? That’s when we’ll be official?” He grins with a nod. “Which means I have one more night of freedom. I better go meet up with Liam and make it worthwhile!”
I elbow him in the gut, making him groan. “You’re funny.” Rolling my eyes, I continue, “But if that’s the case, then I better go out too. One last hurrah in the bar bathroom with a random guy.”
Pushing myself off the couch, I feel Mason’s hand grip my wrist, then pull me down on his lap. “Sit your pretty little ass down, woman. If there’s a second round of bar bathroom sex, it’s going to be with me. Got it?” he says in my ear, sending shivers up my spine.
“Is that so? Think you can handle another round?” I look over my shoulder, wiggling my ass against his noticeable erection.
“Jesus Christ, you gotta stop doing that,” he warns, wrapping his arm around my waist to hold me still. “I’m trying to be nice and keep our agreement of not rushing things, but you make it nearly impossible.”
“You lasted years. I think you can last a few weeks,” I taunt.
“I barely made it through last night,” he growls, arching his hips so I can feel how hard he is, and I release a throaty moan just thinking about how he felt inside me.
“Thinking about all the ways I wanted to take you, how badly I want to hear you scream my name, how desperate I am to feel you come around my cock. It took all the fucking willpower in the world to keep my dick in my pants.”
I swallow, pushing myself off him.
“Where are you going?” he asks, worried.
“Going to take a cold shower with my vibrator.”
I hear him laughing all the way out of the living room.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mason
Saturday mornings have become my absolute favorite. Seeing Sophie first thing with her messy bed hair and zombie eyes makes me fall for her even harder. She doesn’t try to impress me by fixing herself up before coming out or pretending to be someone she’s not. I know she’s quiet until she’s had at least one cup of coffee to wake her up and is ready to shower after her third, and by noon, she’s eager to face the day.
I love making her breakfast even if it’s nothing special like eggs and toast. Spending time with her, even if it’s to do nothing more than eat together, makes me appreciative of how far we’ve come. We’re both so busy during the workweek that it’s nice to just sit and enjoy each other’s company.