“You’re right. If you can get her to the house, I’ll make sure she gets the message.”
“It’s gonna be hard as hell, but I know what’s at risk here. I’ll make it happen, even if I have to call Lennon and Maddie and get them involved too. I hate being the bastard who makes it a family matter, but that’s where we’re at with this.”
“I agree. That’s exactly where we’re at.”
“Hell, I’ll carry her to the house caveman style if I have to,” he adds.
“Kicking and screaming?” I mock.
He snorts. “Wouldn’t be my first time.”
“And just in case she refuses to listen to me, plan B is you intervene and tell her he has a record, so she knows our concerns are valid. You didn’t break her heart, so perhaps she’ll give you more than five seconds to explain.”
We finish eating and go home. Liam goes to his room, and I rush to get ready for work and somehow make it on time. The day drags by, and Liam texts me in the afternoon and lets me know Sophie agreed to meet him for dinner tomorrow at the house, but she was apparently pretty vocal about me not being there. This might actually be a lot harder than I originally thought.
Mason: Fine. I’ll make myself “unavailable” for an hour, then I’m coming home, and we’re having an unavoidable chat.
Liam: She’s going to hate me as much as she hates you for this.
Mason. Then you can join the club.
I’ve been on edge all day thinking about seeing Sophie tonight. After Liam told me how pissed Sophie is at me, it’s bothered the fuck out of me, but I deserve it. I wish I could be the man for her, the one who makes her happy and gives her exactly what she needs and wants. And there’s no fuckin’ way that Weston gives her that. It’s more than obvious he’s a placeholder, which makes me sick to my stomach.
Instead of going straight home from work, I stay late, trying to keep my mind busy as I go through files and organize them into the electronic system. What I’m doing is nothing more than bitch work, but it’s a foot in the door until the fall. Eventually, all the internships and experience I’ve gained over the years will come in handy. Though my dad will take credit for it all, as he somehow manages with everything I accomplish, regardless if he agrees with my career choices or not. People in the department will think I got the job because of him as well. I have so damn much to prove either way.
I check the time and realize I need to get going. She’s been at the house for nearly thirty minutes, and I don’t want Liam to have to stall her. My nerves get the best of me as I head home. When I see her car in the driveway, I park behind her, knowing if she gets pissed and tries to leave, she won’t be able to. It’s a dick move, but I’m gonna make sure she listens to me.
When I walk into the house, I hear Liam laughing as Sophie tells him something. She turns around and glares at me, giving me her perfected go to hell look. I smile, but she rolls her eyes and turns around. If the way she just treated me is any indication of how annoyed she is I’m here, I can only imagine the daggers she’s throwing at Liam right now. But he’s so charming; he just keeps laughing and smiling.
Instead of starting the conversation right then, I go to the bathroom and take a shower, giving them time to chat, knowing she’s not going anywhere. Once I’m done, I walk into the kitchen and make myself a plate of food. Sophie and Liam are sitting on the back porch, but it doesn’t look like they’re saying anything. Just as I’m finished eating, Liam comes inside and drops a beer bottle in the trash. “You should go out there now.”
“How is she?” I ask.
All he does is shake his head. I place my plate in the sink, then walk outside. When I sit, Sophie turns her head and looks at me. It’s a stare down until I break the silence.
“How’ve you been?”
I see her biting the inside of her cheek. She looks like hell. Stressed. Agitated. “How do you think I’ve been?” she asks.
“Okay, I hope.” I’m trying to make conversation with her, though she’s not taking the bait, and I know the way I’ve treated her over the years has caused this. The attitude I’m getting is my fault.
“What do you want, Mason?” She cuts straight to the chase.
I suck in a deep breath and study her. Though I’m sure she’d deny it, the chemistry is still there, all of it. Regardless that she’s with Weston now, the underlying electrical current that’s always streamed between us still pulls us together.