by Kennedy Fox
I raise my brows, surprised by her question after the way things went down the last time Serena was here.
“Never,” I tell her honestly. “Not then, not when she moved in, and not now.”
Sophie nods as if she understands, her cheeks reddening.
I tilt her chin so our eyes lock. “When I said before that I had no interest in dating after Emma, I meant it. Didn’t look at women, had no desire to move on, didn’t feel like I deserved to. That was, until I met you.”
She blinks and looks at me with sad eyes. “Really?”
“You lit something inside me that I can’t explain. I met chicks at bars, but I didn’t take any of them home, or to bar bathrooms…” I tease. “But you were different, and even though I couldn’t get you off my mind, I also knew I wasn’t ready to date. I didn’t want to be with another woman until I met you. Soph, you ruined me.” I flash her a wink as I wrap my arms around her waist.
“I think Serena likes you in more than just a friend kind of way,” she tells me, her cheeks flushing. “So I just wanted to ask if there was something more there than your shared history.”
“The only history Serena and I have revolves around trying to get her sister help. We’ve only ever been friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be. I can promise you that.”
“Do you think she’s on the same page now?”
“Well, she’s aware that I’m head over heels in love with you. That’s all she needs to know.” I shrug, confident Serena wouldn’t interfere with a relationship that makes me this damn happy. “She’s so career driven, she’ll probably end up with someone in the same field.”
“I’m kinda surprised Liam didn’t try to score with her once she moved in,” Sophie says, laughing.
I snort, nodding. “You and me both. But Liam’s smart enough to know you don’t shit where you eat. Sleeping with someone who lives with you would be his definition of stupid.”
“Why doesn’t he want to date?” she asks, emptying the noodles into the boiling pot of water. “I know he travels for work a lot, but has he ever dated for real?”
“Nope, not since I’ve known him. From what I gather, he doesn’t want a relationship because he doesn’t trust himself not to hurt the other person. He’s jaded when it comes to that stuff.” I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her. “He has issues. Eventually, the right girl will come along and change him. And he’ll marry her in a heartbeat.”
“I sure hope so. I’d like to see him happy with someone.” Sophie smiles. “When he’s ready to settle down, that is,” she adds.
“You might be waiting a while.” I chuckle.
“Oh, that reminds me of something. Does Liam gamble?”
“Like poker? He did in college but mostly for beer. Why?” I furrow my brows, then reach into the cabinet and grab two plates. After setting them down on the counter, I grab us both a drink.
“Well, I was doing his laundry, and when I checked his pockets, I found a receipt and a poker chip from a casino in Vegas. I just found it weird because he never mentioned going there to either of us.” Sophie turns down the burner before stirring the pasta.
“He must’ve been there for work or something.” I shrug. “Was it for a lot?”
“Yeah, sixteen grand,” she says, and I spit out my beer. I took a drink at the wrong time.
“What? Really? Holy shit. That’s definitely something he’d be way too happy and brag about.” I grab a napkin to wipe the beer off my shirt.
“So it’s weird, right? Do you think I should ask him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe say something when you give him the chip back, but without it coming off like you’re being nosy.” I smirk, knowing Sophie will want to pry anyway.
She thinks about it for a moment, pursing her lips back and forth, then smirks. “Yeah, I think I can do that.” She fists my shirt, pulling my lips to hers. “And then you’re going to tell me about your day while we eat.”
I can’t even hold back the grin that forms because my girl knows how to read me so damn well.
Chapter Twenty
Sophie
“So now that your fall concert is finished and you’re not stressing about rehearsal, you think I can take you on that official first date?” Mason asks me over breakfast. “I mean, it’s only about three months overdue. Plus, you did introduce me as your boyfriend to your director, which is pretty serious if you ask me.” He’s being playful and is in high spirits this morning, which I adore.
I smirk, taking a sip of my coffee. After the performance last weekend, Mason surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of roses and looked so damn handsome in his suit and tie. I kissed him, and of course, we weren’t alone, so I introduced him to the other violinists and our director. Now Mason looks at me as though he’s won the lottery, but I’m clearly the lucky one.
“It took me calling you my boyfriend in public for you to consider us serious?” I tease. It’s Saturday morning, which means we don’t have to rush out the door and go our separate ways. Mason’s been so busy with work, and sometimes he doesn’t get home until after eight.
“Oh no, baby. We were serious long before either of us were willing to admit it.” Mason flashes me a wink, and even after all this time, it still gives me butterflies. We finish eating, then move to the couch but not without filling our mugs full.
“Okay, so this first date. What’d you have in mind?” I ask, setting the cup down on the coffee table.
“I’m thinking it has to be epic.” He smirks, inching closer to me. “Probably a long weekend.”
Arching a brow, my eyes widen. “Really? Aren’t you usually on call?”
Even though he got his big promotion, he has to be available if they need help. I hadn’t realized until Mason explained it that forensic investigators aren’t always fully staffed, which means if there are a lot of cases, they’ll need extra people to collect and process a crime scene. He’s been called in at three in the morning and then had to work an entire shift afterward.
“Not over Thanksgiving weekend. It’s my off holiday, which means I’ll be one hundred percent yours.” He leans into me until our lips touch. “So what do you say? Will you go on a date with me, Sophie?”
“Hmm…a holiday weekend. That sounds super serious.”
“We could have three full days. Just the two of us. No interruptions.” He waggles his brows, his implication clear as day. “I mean, unless you’re busy and have plans with another boyfriend during that time.”
“Well, if we’re rotating holidays, then I better check my schedule just to be safe.” I hold up my finger, then grab my phone. “Let me take a look…” I click on the calendar app and scroll through the months. “I think you’re in luck. I’m free that weekend.”
Before I can set my phone down, Mason lunges for me and towers over my body. “You’re quite sassy, you know that? I just might have to punish you.”
“Oh yeah?” I wiggle beneath him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “What kind of punishment?”
“Mmm…my sweet Sophie.” Mason hums in my ear, brushing his nose along my skin. “Always taunting me, aren’t you?”
My legs wrap around his waist, arching my hips to feel his erection. Our bodies move together, the friction building between us. “We better move this into the bedroom before Liam catches us,” I say, half-laughing, half-moaning when he sucks above my collarbone.
Before we can move, the doorbell rings.
“Motherfucker,” Mason hisses, causing me to chuckle. This isn’t the first time we’ve been interrupted by someone at the door. “Ignore it.”
Hard pounding on the door comes next. Then another ding.
“For fuck’s sake.” Mason growls, getting to his feet, then helps me up as I adjust my clothes.
“Might want to…” I point at his sweatpants that don’t hide a thing. That earns me a small smirk before he sighs, then leaves to answer the door.
“Father…”
My eyes widen at Mason’s boomi
ng tone, and I can only imagine the daggers he’s throwing right now.
“What do you want?”
“We need to talk. Can I come in?”
Before Mason responds, I hear shoes against the hardwood floor coming my way.
“Oh,” he says and freezes the minute he sees me. “Sophie, right?”
“Yes,” I say, forcing a smile. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Holt.”
“If you hadn’t barged inside, I could’ve told you my girlfriend lives here and that now wasn’t a good time.” Mason’s so annoyed, his tone could cut glass if his father even paid attention.
“Well, perhaps she wouldn’t mind giving us some privacy.” Mr. Holt shoots his gaze at me, and I’m appalled by his directness. I already had one man push me around and nearly kill me, and I’ll be damned if I allow him to control me.
Before Mason can respond, I straighten my spine and give him a straightforward smile. “With all due respect, this is my home too. If you wanted privacy, you should’ve called Mason ahead of time and let him know you needed to speak with him instead of coming here unannounced. It’s rude and inconsiderate.” I keep my hands folded in front of me, locking my gaze on him. “However, if you’d like to speak with him in my presence, feel free. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
I steal a glance at Mason who’s standing tall and proud with a wide grin on his handsome face. Mr. Holt turns to him, his jaw clenched with frustration as if he’s expecting Mason to defend him. When he doesn’t, Mr. Holt returns his gaze toward me.
“Sure, cream and sugar.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” I walk around him and into the kitchen, my body shaking with the reality that I just spoke that way to the district attorney. I don’t know where it came from, but enough is enough. He’s pushed Mason over and over again and then to come here and act like a total asshole was my limit.
“Have a seat, Dad,” I hear Mason say. I’m purposely taking my time to give them some privacy even though I can still hear them. Hopefully, Mr. Holt will quickly say why he’s here, then leave. “What do you want?”
“I need a favor,” his dad responds with a heavy sigh as if he’s not used to asking anyone for help.
“Really? What kind of favor?”
“I’m in a bit of trouble,” his dad says, which by his defeated tone, he’s nervous to admit.
“Spit it out,” Mason demands, and I can tell he’s anxious. “What do you need from me?”
“I need you to claim to be the father of a woman who’s pregnant with my baby.”
Everything goes silent as I nearly drop the bottle of creamer I grabbed from the fridge. My heart is pounding so hard, I hear it throbbing in my head. What did his father just say?
Mason starts laughing as if he’s sure he’s heard him wrong too.
“You can’t be serious. Do you ever learn your goddamn lesson?”
“This isn’t funny,” his father snaps. “This involves you more than you realize. If news comes out about the affair, it’ll come back to you.”
“What the fuck? How? Please enlighten me how your wandering dick involves me? Or rather, how about you learn to keep it in your pants for once?” Mason’s tone is sharp and cruel, and I want to go in there and support him. However, I’m not sure I should be in the same room as Mr. Holt at this point because I might junk punch him myself.
“Don’t you talk to me like that, Mason. Remember who pays for this house. Who’s paid your tuition. Who’s gotten you out of murder charges and from going to prison. Without me, your life would’ve been fucked up ages ago, son.”
“Yeah, and you use every chance to throw it in my face, don’t you?” Mason’s voice goes up an octave, and I’m scared shit’s about to go down if I don’t intervene.
“Okay, sorry it took so long…” I say sweetly, carrying a mug, then handing it to Mr. Holt. “Careful, it’s hot,” I tell him, flashing him a wide grin.
Mason sits on one end of the couch, and Mr. Holt is in the old recliner on the other side. Knowing they were just about to rip each other’s throats out, I plop down between them.
“He won’t have time to drink it because he was just leaving,” Mason says between gritted teeth.
“Mason…” his dad pleads, setting down his coffee. “If a scandal breaks out and my character is questioned, they could dig into anything they wanted to prove I’m not suitable to be the DA. All of my cases, your cases. Our family. You, your girlfriend, your friends. Is that what you want? After everything you’ve been through?”
Mason scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “You don’t know what I’ve gone through nor have you given two shits about it. You haven’t a clue what it’s been like, so stop acting like you know.”
I don’t want to help Mr. Holt any more than Mason does, but if what he’s saying is true, and it could affect his previous case or our personal lives, I want to know more.
“What would he have to do?” I blurt out, directing my gaze to Mr. Holt. “To prevent the scandal,” I clarify. “What would Mason have to do or say?”
“Soph—” Mason starts, but Mr. Holt interrupts.
“Claim that he’s the father of the baby and that any rumors of an affair with me are false. State that he was seeing her before you two got serious, and that he’s taking on the financial responsibility to raise the child. That way it’ll leave me out of it completely, and no one will go digging, and the baby can still keep the Holt name,” he answers as if he had it rehearsed.
“You’re crazy,” Mason huffs. “I’m not putting Sophie through that, and I’m not lying for you. This is too far.”
Mr. Holt sits up straighter and swallows. “It’s your lawyer,” he says, his tone quieter than before.
“What?” I say. At the same time, Mason says, “Excuse me?”
“Serena. She’s pregnant.”
I gasp, my jaw nearly falling to the floor. I hadn’t expected that news in a million years. Mason looks like he’s chewing glass, and he has every right to be upset. His friendship with Serena is special, but this is unreal. He looks completely betrayed.
“Get out,” Mason says in a tone that sends shivers down my spine, and not the good kind. “Get the fuck out of my house before I call the cops and have you removed.”
Mr. Holt stands, not the least bit shaken by his threat. In fact, he chuckles darkly. “Think about it.” Then he buttons his suit jacket and turns toward me. “Thank you for the coffee, Sophie.”
I nod but don’t move. I want to slap his shit-eating grin off his face. The woman he knocked up wasn’t just a random nameless homewrecker. The person I worried wanted Mason and had the potential to interfere in our relationship is now the woman who could ruin everything for him—for us.
Our perfect Saturday together ended the minute Mason’s father came knocking. Liam comes stumbling down the stairs in only his boxers, hair sticking straight up, looking all kinds of fucked up. He came home from his work trip late Thursday, slept most of yesterday, and partied last night. I heard him stumble in at six this morning.
“What’s with all the yelling?” He raises his arms above his head, stretching as he lazily makes his way to the couch. “You two?”
Liam looks at me, worried, and I quickly shake my head but don’t say anything.
“Mason? What is it?”
I look at my boyfriend who hasn’t blinked in the past few minutes. His jaw is set tight, and I don’t know what to do or say to him. I feel helpless. His father put him in an impossible situation.
“Soph?” Liam turns toward me again. “Who was here?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I release a sigh. “Mr. Holt.”
“What was that fucker doing here? Was it about you?” he asks me. “About the Westbrooks?”
I shake my head. “Not directly.” I guess it could be if this scandal breaks and people start looking into the cases he worked on or assisted, inevitably anything to do with me or Mason.
“Serena’s pregnant,” Mason blurts out, gr
abbing Liam’s attention. “With his fucking child.”
My heart breaks for the man I love so damn much. I see his pain and can feel and hear it.
“As if my father could infuriate me anymore, he has an affair with the only person I trusted after Emma’s death. One of my friends. Someone I lived with and confided in for years.” Mason’s head falls as he rests his elbows on his knees. “I can’t believe she’d do that to me. She knows how much I hate him.”
“Holy fuck,” Liam says, blinking. “Serena and your dad? There’s no way.”
“According to him, there is…already has,” Mason says. “The worst part? You ready for this?” Mason’s voice switches to a crazy high-pitched tone. “He wants me to claim it, tell the press it’s mine to cover up his goddamn affair.”
“Jesus Christ.” Liam brushes a hand through his hair, shocked. “And why would he think you’d do that?”
“Oh, he thinks if news gets out, they’ll basically question his character and start digging into his history. They’ll look for anything suspicious, and once they find it—which if he’s so concerned means there is something for them to find—they won’t stop. He’s suggested it could come back to me, considering he’s been a key player in all of my legal cases. I’m being coerced to cover his ass or have my skeletons dragged out of the closet too.”
“Can they really do that? Can they reopen cases and charge you?” I ask.
“You know he’s full of bullshit,” Liam says before I get an answer. “They’d have to find something first to give them probable cause to re-investigate everything. He’s just trying to rattle you, so you’ll do it.”
“Well, it’s fucking working. This is the last thing we need right now. Not to mention, it’s not fair to Sophie. Lying for my father…it makes me fucking sick to even think about.”
“Mason…” I move closer and wrap my arm around him. He’s so worked up, he’s shaking. “I’m not leaving. You have me by your side no matter what, okay?” I lean my head on his shoulder, but a second later, he pulls me into his chest and hugs me.