“Thanks.” His finger lifted, brushing hair behind my ear, his eyes tracking mine. How could a simple touch make me tremble? Mason had a power over me I couldn’t explain. I had lived so long wanting security, choosing safety over what might actually make me happy.
And he made me happy.
No longer wanting to fight what was between us, I leaned forward, my mouth grazing his. He let me move first before his lips responded, claiming mine wholly. Our kiss was slow and deep, filled with so much passion and emotion. It felt different from any of our others. There wasn’t any rush, no timeline.
As if we had a future.
His tongue parted my lips, deepening the kiss, letting me feel it penetrate my bones. Declaring me as his, etching his name into every fiber.
“Mason?” Grace’s voice sang out to us, her head peeking into the garage. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
I tried to jerk back, but Mason didn’t let me go, holding me so close there was no mistaking the intimacy between us. His attention remained hungrily on my mouth for another beat before he exhaled and slowly dropped his arms away from me.
“What do you need, Grandma?”
“Just wanted to tell you they are driving up now,” she reported, then smiled at me. “Hello, dear.”
“Hi, Grace.” I gulped, still shocked by her nonplussed attitude at seeing Mason and me together. Did she not realize who I was? Or think I was some other girl?
“Shit.” Mason frowned. “I forgot.”
“You forgot?” Grace replied.
“I had my mind elsewhere.” He smirked, his gaze moving over me as if I were the cause.
“Well, I have some refreshments inside.” Grace shuffled back for the door. “Good to see you, Emery.” She smiled warmly at me again, her focus sharp and clear, not mistaking who I was, before she closed the door.
Taking in that Grace seemed perfectly okay catching us kissing, I barely gave notice to the silver-colored Lexus parking in front of the house.
“Sorry, I totally forgot about this.”
“About what?”
“You don’t have to stay,” he continued, his attention going to the car. “Honestly, I’d run while you can. Going to be pretty intense.” His mouth brushed the crown of my head, kissing it softly, his mood shifting to somber. He turned for the exit, his shoulders stiffening, his head tipping back as if he was preparing for battle. An emotional one. I instantly wanted to protect him. To shelter him from what was coming.
He stepped out of the garage, heading for the visitors climbing out of the car. I came out right behind him, my hand threading with his, giving him support. I instinctively knew he needed me by his side. I watched an older couple come around together, their attention on Mason.
“Hi, you must be Mason?” The woman was the first to speak.
My world slid from under me.
My brain stuttered, not comprehending what I was seeing. The woman turned to look at me politely, but her head snapped back, her eyes going to where my hand linked with Mason’s, widening with shock and confusion. “Em-Emery?”
Her husband approached her side, his gray eyebrows furrowed in a bushy row. “Emery? I don’t understand.” He shook his head in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
I stepped back. No. This can’t be happening. The ground dissolved, pulling me down like quicksand, ripping the oxygen out of my lungs. How was this possible? Why were they here?
Alisa and John Roberts stood right in front of me. Not belonging in this world, not fitting here at Mason’s. My past and present collided and crashed into each other, shattering me into pieces.
My lungs collapsed, making it hard for me to breathe, slowing time.
Mason looked back and forth. “How do you know each other?”
Alisa’s mouth pinned, her frame rigid. “Emery is our daughter-in-law.” Her eyes went between us, her voice taut. “She was married to our son Ben.”
“Ben?” The name clicked in and Mason went so utterly still, I couldn’t even see him breathing. His head snapped to me like he wanted Alisa to be wrong, begging me to refute it. “Your married name was Roberts? I-I thought it was Campbell?”
“I changed it back to my maiden name,” I whispered. Even focusing solely on Mason, I could feel Alisa’s penetrating gaze on us, picking up every nuance.
“You dropped my son’s last name?” Alisa gripped her purse tightly. “Our last name?”
Accusing. Condemning. Bitter.
“Emery?” John cluelessly peered around. “I still don’t understand how you are here.” Because fate was twisted and sick. “We thought when you moved away, gave all his stuff up, you no longer wanted to be part of his life.”
I couldn’t breathe, dots sprinkling my vision, sensing I was about to be swallowed into the void. Mason’s eyes were the one thing keeping me afloat and the very thing drowning me.
“How did you know about Mason? Only Alisa and I had the paperwork.” John still utterly befuddled.
“Please,” I said so low it only hummed in my throat, my attention still on Mason, acid lining my throat. “Please, no.” I mentally pleaded for this not to be true.
I took another step away, wanting to flee before they could say it, escape the truth, live in the innocence of a few moments ago. To not face this unbearable certainty.
“How did you know Mason received Ben’s heart?” John stared right at me.
His words snapped my last hold on hope, plunging me under. Everything blurred, time no longer making any sense. My body and mind separated, taking me back to the day Ben died. To the despair I thought I had finally escaped.
It came flooding back to me in the most cruel, horrendous way. Punishing me for moving on. For daring to be happy.
A sob hurtled up my throat. My mind and body went on the defense, pulling me away from what was happening. The pain. I turned and ran, hearing my name being called behind me. I couldn’t stop, feeling fate crawling up from the grave and pulling me back down under, smothering me with the thump of my husband’s heart, turning me crazy, like I could hear it beating under the floorboards.
Haunting me. Tormenting me.
Ben was dead, but his heart continued to live on… finding me once again.
“Emery!” My name rang out louder behind me, my legs not moving fast enough, tears burning my vision. I reached my front door, pushing through with force, causing Addison to leap up from the sofa, her eyes widening seeing my state, then to the person charging in behind me.
“Emery, wait!” Mason caught the door before it could close on him, reaching for me.
“No!” I screamed, whirling around to face him, though I couldn’t directly look at him. “Go back! Alisa and John are waiting for you.”
“Alisa and John?” Addy’s voice tapped at my ear, her confusion at hearing Ben’s parents’ names, but I wasn’t able to put my focus on her, my legs barely able to hold me up.
“Fuck them!” Mason growled. “What the hell is going on?”
“What is going on?” A wild laugh burst out of me. “Fate really wants to screw with me because for one moment, I found happiness again. I’m being punished for moving on. For being with you!” Anxiety pumped my lungs roughly. “Did you know about Ben? Was this some sick joke?”