Mason cooked Friday to Sunday. Sierra did the cooking during the week.
She loved that they found a rhythm and everything synced so easily.
Seeing Mason embrace the new structured chaos in his life and enjoy it so much made her feel safe and secure. Mason took on her and the boys with enthusiasm.
Sierra now sipped her coffee in the kitchen Mason had redone just for her.
Not only had he welcomed them into his home, he’d made it feel like theirs, too.
“What are you thinking about?” Mason walked in and went to the sink to wash his hands.
The boys chatted down the hall in their bathroom doing the same after helping Mason feed and water the horses.
“I’m standing in our beautiful kitchen thinking about how much I love living here with you.”
Mason shot her a surprised and exuberant look. His smile made her heart melt. “Everything about this place has changed. Especially the feel of it.”
She knew exactly what he meant. This was a big place for a bachelor to live in alone. Now, the house had a family. It was cozy.
It felt like home. A place where they laughed and loved and shared their lives.
Mason dried his hands, hung the towel from the oven door handle, then closed the distance between them. “You look amazing in that dress.” His gaze skimmed down to her toes and back up again, momentarily stopping at the deep V in the pretty wrap dress she’d chosen for the engagement party her mom was throwing them in half an hour. The simple white dress had tiny pink flowers sprinkled over it. It felt feminine and flirty.
With Mason’s hot gaze sweeping over her, she felt sexy and desirable.
She placed her hands on his chest. “I thought you might like it.”
Mason traced his fingers along her shoulder and settled his warm hand on her neck. “Are you ready for today?”
She heard what he didn’t ask in that question. “I asked my mom to invite Heather and Hallee to the party.”
His eyebrow shot up. “You did?”
“I listened to your argument, thought about it, and decided you were right. I can’t ignore her forever. What she did doesn’t erase the fact we are family and at some point I need to accept that the boys have a sister they should get to know better.”
“And you and Heather need to have a real talk about what happened. It’s not good to keep your feelings all bottled up.”
“I know. I heard you, Counselor. I’m not sure today is the day to do that, but as you said, I don’t want to look back and miss having everyone together to celebrate with us.” She wanted to see if she could be in the same vicinity as her sister and not want to kill her. “If nothing else, this will make my mom happy. It’s the least I can do, since she’s throwing us the engagement party.”
“Wait until she finds out we’re getting married in less than three months.”
Sierra felt the nervous butterflies in her stomach. “We have so much to do in such a short time.” The ocean view boutique hotel she fell in love with had a cancellation and because the owner and Mason were friends, they got first dibs on booking the date. They planned to keep the guest list to family and close friends, but on Mason’s side that meant a lot of people because of his status in the community. She didn’t mind. Not when it meant she’d be Mason’s wife.
“We have a lot to celebrate.”
They sure did. Besides their upcoming wedding, Sierra had sold the property in Napa for a better than decent price to a developer thanks to Mason’s brilliant negotiations on her behalf. Most of the insurance money she’d received went to paying off the loan and setting up college funds for the kids, but she invested the property money and set aside a chunk in savings for a rainy day.
Going forward, she and Mason would combine their funds. Mason’s income far exceeded hers. He’d told her she could quit her job or scale back her hours. Whatever she wanted to do. He had no problem supporting them. At first, she’d balked at the thought of not working. After what David had done to her financially, she wanted to know she had the money if something happened. But then she reminded herself that Mason wasn’t David. He didn’t hide things from her. He didn’t lie. She trusted him.
So she talked to her boss and scaled back her hours to thirty a week so long as she was available by phone for emergencies. After the wedding, her new hours would take effect.
And who knew, maybe she’d quit altogether when a new baby came along. Talk of marriage had sparked talk of expanding their family. They planned to start right after the wedding, and Sierra couldn’t wait. She wanted another child. Mason loved the boys, but he dreamed of a child of his own. She wanted to give him one. Maybe two.
“You’ve got that sweet smile again.”
“This year we’ll celebrate our wedding. Maybe next year we’ll celebrate the birth of our child.”
Mason’s hand brushed down her arm and swept over her hip. “I can’t wait.”
“A few months ago, I had nothing left of my old life. The boys and I came here with next to nothing. We have a whole new life and it’s wonderful and so full I couldn’t ask for more.”
“I didn’t know how much I was missing in my life until you came back into it. I can’t help but feel like this is how it was always meant to be.” He kissed her softly.
“Kissing again,” Oliver announced to Danny who followed him into the kitchen.
“Aren’t we supposed to leave now?” Danny finished buttoning his white dress shirt.
Oliver had also changed into his party outfit.
The boys looked great in their black pants and white dress shirts.
“I guess I better get dressed.” Mason kissed her on the forehead and gave each boy a shoulder squeeze on his way out.
She smiled at Danny and Oliver. “How lucky are we?”
They both stared back at her, wondering what she meant, but deep down they understood. In the years to come, with the life she and Mason would give them, they’d understand.
Home is where you are always loved and welcome.
Chapter Forty-One
Dede wanted the party to be everything Sierra and Mason deserved for this happy occasion. So far, the guests seemed happy, the food and drinks were plentiful, and everyone gathered in small groups to chat on this beautiful sunny day.
She checked her watch. Almost time for the cake and a toast to the happy couple. The caterer was already setting out the plates and forks.
The poster by the cake table caught her eye again. She loved how Sierra had blown up the old Polaroid of her and Mason sitting on the dock when they were teens. Amy had snapped a new picture of the pair in the exact same pose. The poster showed the two pics side by side. They’d grown up, but their smiles—and the way they looked at each other—were the same.
“Thank you so much for the party, Mom. It’s beautiful.”
Dede encircled Sierra’s waist with one arm and used her other hand to point to the poster and the old photo. “Those two belonged together.”
“It took us a while to get here, but we’re really happy.”
Dede turned and faced Sierra. “Thank you for including Heather and Hallee. I know it’s hard, but I think it’s important for both of you to keep a connection no matter how tenuous.”