“Go!” Carter shouted.
My mind spun as Mason pulled my legs around his shoulders and behind his back. He was solid and strong and telling me to hold on. Carter charged at me and Mason, and I let out a squeal.
McKnight chicken was much more aggressive than regular chicken. While I tried to push Parker off Carter’s shoulders, Carter was doing all he could to upend Mason.
“Hey! Since when does the horse fight?” I cast him a disapproving look.
Mason grabbed his arm and pulled at the same time I pulled on Parker. Since they were going the same direction, they managed to stay up. I glanced down at the same time Mason glanced up, and we instantly knew I’d push while he pulled next time. Carter hooked a foot around Mason’s knee and yanked. Mason buckled slightly, bringing us closer to the side of the pool, and I grabbed onto the sides of his face to hold on. I didn’t want to go down over here, and I twisted a little to let Mason know we needed to move.
Parker leaned forward and pushed my head at the same moment that Carter tugged again, and, with me already off center, Mason and I went under.
I saw the side of the pool rush up toward my head and tried to twist away. Mason somehow found his way between me and the concrete. I bumped into him and heard his underwater grunt as he took the brunt of our fall.
I was under him and swam out and up, pulling on his arm as I did. My hair flipped across my cheek and over one eye. Mason burst through the water with a grimace. Parker and Carter celebrated their victory.
I ran my hands down Mason’s arms and then back up over his shoulders, panicked. “Where did you scrape?” I asked quietly, not wanting Parker to worry.
“My back, but it’s no big deal.” He brushed my hair off my face and tucked me closer to the side so I could grab on. With a wink, he surged out of the water and grabbed a spongy football sitting on the deck, turning to throw it to Parker and then swim over to him.
I clung to the wall, needing a moment to gather myself. Mason threw himself between me and danger—again.
Another memory surfaced. After I’d found out about Camden and Miss Pom-poms hooking up under the bleachers, I’d run to the parking lot and hid behind a truck.
Mason’s truck, though I didn’t know it at the time.
I stayed there until most of the school had gone—I didn’t want them to see me cry. I just couldn't face the scorn of being cheated on. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong, but there was this sense that I wasn’t enough.
Mason and a bunch of guys from the team came out of the locker room—freshly showered and bragging about their win. Mason’s eyes locked with mine. He saw my tears, my embarrassment, and he turned the group in another direction, giving me time to collect myself.
Maybe it wasn’t a huge thing, but it meant everything to me that night.
There were other times too.
Had he always been watching out for me? What did he say the other night—no one had ever compared?
“Oh, Mason.” His name slipped from my lips, too quiet to draw attention.
What if things had worked out differently? At the party, two weeks after my break up with Camden, where I’d met Adam and we’d started flirting, Mason had been there. I remembered the way he’d looked hard between the two of us and then smiled much too big.
Had he really liked me since then? Loved me?
And he’d never said a word.
He couldn't have. Not without betraying his best friend.
If that was true. Then he was a man above men.
And he was hurting. Hurting because he’d lost Adam in a horrific way. Maybe there was something I could do for him.
I could love him.
Love him like he deserved to be loved.
And I could be the person who put herself in harm's way for him. Not physically like he did by facing off with criminals or slamming into the pool wall. But emotionally—by offering my heart.
The question was, would it be enough?
Chapter 17
Mason
Monday morning came too quickly. After the too-perfect evening with my crazy family and Sadie, I went to bed feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time. There was something about good weather, good food, and good company that healed the soul.
And it wasn’t until I had these experiences that I began to realize how much I needed my soul healed.
That, perhaps, I might be as broken as Mom and everyone kept saying.
I showered, dressed, and ate breakfast like my normal ritual. I wasn’t excited to spend the day hanging out at my desk, but I also knew that Potts hadn’t meant anything personal by putting me on probation. And if I was a danger to my community, I couldn’t fault him for sidelining me.
It wasn’t like this was forever. I just needed to get my crap together. The only problem was, I didn’t know how to start.
It was times like these when I wished Adam were still alive. He always had the best advice, and when it came to matters of the military, he was spot on.
I finished pouring my coffee and popped on the lid as I made my way out of the house. An all too familiar ache settled in my chest, and I was hard-pressed to push it out. The pain that came from missing Adam was as poignant as ever. And after spending the night smiling and flirting with Sadie—so was the guilt.
“Mason!” Parker’s voice startled me, and I turned to see him running over. His hair was slicked down and he had his backpack on. It bounced and jostled as he approached.
I squatted down and smiled at him. “Hey, man,” I said as I pulled him into a hug. It was probably strange, me suddenly hugging this kid, but I needed it. Especially with how I felt. I’d been up last night, and the dawn was fast approaching.
“Ready for school?” I asked as I pulled back but remained eye level with him.
He wrinkled his nose but then leaned in, cupping my ear with his hand so no one could hear what he said. “Not for reading, but to see Cheralyn.”
I chuckled as I offered him a fist bump. “Don’t forget about studying as well. That will help you get into college. And if you go to college, you can buy Cheralyn pretty things.”
Parker nodded and then saluted me. “Yes, sir,” he said and then began to march stiff-legged to the car.
“Thanks for that.” Sadie’s soft voice washed over me, and my entire body responded.
My eyes, my face, every part of me shifted to face her. It was like I was a sunflower and she was the sun. I would find her, no matter what. When I met her gaze and took in her gentle smile and the open and unabashed way she was staring at me, my guilt heightened.
She had a similar look in her eye, like Mom had gotten a few days ago. A look that said they saw me as incredible. And that terrified me.
“Well, Parker’s a great kid. Only an idiot wouldn’t see that.” I shrugged as I took a sip of my coffee.
“Don’t do that,” Sadie said, her voice falling flat.
Confused, I glanced over to see that her smile had disappeared and her expression had hardened. I took a moment to mentally scroll back to what I’d said. When I couldn’t uncover what upset her, I took a deep breath and asked, “Do what?”
She stepped closer to me. Suddenly my entire body lit on fire from her proximity. The memory of holding her up on my shoulders came over me. The feeling of her skin on my fingertips, the way she laughed as if she didn’t have a care in the world—they were all a part of me now, and I doubted I would ever be the same.