“You should still tell him, Daisy.”
“Okay, fine. I will.” But it would make no difference at all. He might be ticked off for a couple of days, but after some space, he would come back and be compliant. “But other than that, you’re happy, right?”
Dad grabbed his fork again and pushed his salad around, dipping it in the dressing.
I exchanged a look with my mom.
He took his time compiling his thoughts, his eyes still down. “If that’s what you want, then yes, I’m happy.”
“Well, you don’t sound happy. Derek and Dex both moved in with their partners before they got married, so—”
“That’s not the reason for my hesitance.”
“Okay… Care to enlighten me?”
He lifted his gaze and looked at me. “I guess I’m sad…because I’m not going to be the only man in your life anymore.”
I sat at my desk in my office when my assistant spoke through the intercom. “Dr. Hamilton, someone is here to see you.”
I finished my train of thought, scribbled down my note, before I pressed my finger to the button. “Is this a new patient that I forgot about…?” As smart as I was, I forgot things really easily.
“No. He said his name is Mason?”
What. The. Fuck. “Mason what?” It had to be a coincidence, right?
“Uh, he didn’t say…”
“Is he tall, blond, and handsome?”
He must have been standing right there because all she said was, “Uh-huh.”
What the hell was he doing at the clinic? He’d never visited me here before. “I guess send him in.”
A moment later, he appeared in the glass, in denim jeans that sat low on his hips, a t-shirt that squeezed his biceps, triceps, all the ceps. With blue eyes and a jawline as sharp as a shattered piece of glass, he was as beautiful as I remember. And just as arrogant too, judging from the way he gave me a smirk.
I got to my feet and moved around the desk. “What are you doing here?”
He came closer, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I hope you don’t mind—”
“I do mind.” I raised my hand, motioning for him not to come any closer. “This is my office. I’m working.”
“I thought about stopping by your place, but I thought that would be inappropriate.”
“Because it would. Just as inappropriate as this is. What the hell is this about? You only want me because you can’t have me? Because I was wrapped around your goddamn finger like a fucking moron, and you didn’t seem to give a shit then.” I didn’t mean to raise my voice, but I was pissed off. My man, the guy I was about to move in with, was on the other side of the lobby.
“Daisy, let’s just take a breath and calm down—”
“Ooh, that is not something you want to say to me. I’m not the kind of bitch that calms down. Ever.”
He remained calm and cool, as always. “I just want to talk to you. Can I talk?”
My arms crossed over my chest. “I told you I’m in a relationship—”
“Can I talk?” he repeated.
My eyes narrowed to slits. “Fine. What?”
“I heard what you said before, at the tournament. Loud and clear.”
“Not loud enough, apparently.”
“But I didn’t really get a chance to say anything because you shut me down pretty harshly.”
“Harshly?” I asked incredulously. “Dumping me when I’m standing outside the restaurant where my family is waiting to meet you is pretty harsh. You fucking humiliated me. Humiliated me.”
He had the humility to drop his gaze, to abandon his confidence for a moment. “I still feel like shit about that—”
“You should always feel like shit about that.”
“Well, your dad made me feel a little less bad about it…”
There wasn’t an ounce of compassion from me, and I didn’t apologize for my father’s actions. It was wrong, but I didn’t care. Wouldn’t say a damn thing about it.
He stared me down, as if expecting me to acknowledge some remorse, but he realized it wasn’t coming. “Daisy, I wasn’t ready to settle down. I didn’t expect our relationship to take off the way it did. It totally turned my world upside down. I was weak and chickened out because committing to just one woman for the rest of my life was something I just wasn’t ready for. Marriage? Kids? Not in that headspace at all.”
“I didn’t ask you to marry me, Mason. I didn’t mention kids at all.”
“But meeting your parents…that was the start of it.”
“Look, asshole. If you didn’t want to be in a relationship, you shouldn’t have been in one. I was fine being casual, but you’re the one who wanted more…and more.”
He dropped his gaze again.
“If you weren’t willing to even try, you shouldn’t have wasted my time.”
He continued to look away.
“But it doesn’t matter now because I’m with a man who’s not wasting my time.”
The mention of him made Mason look back at me. “This time apart has made me realize that I made a mistake. I left because I wasn’t ready, but going back to my old lifestyle of complete freedom didn’t feel the same way anymore. The girls are just girls…they aren’t you. I know I fucked up, I know I did a lot of stupid shit, but…I’m ready to try again.”
“Oh, you’re ready?” I asked, my hands moving to my hips. “Oh good. I’m so happy that you’re ready to be what I deserve. Let me just dump my boyfriend real quick so we can get this party started.”
He rolled his eyes at my sarcasm. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I know how you feel about me. I know what we had. And I just had—”
“Felt about you. Mason. That was almost two years ago.”
“And I haven’t forgotten you these last two years, and that says a lot.”
“Not showing up when you said you would be there, that says a lot more.”
His eyes hung heavy, the insult hitting him hard. “Daisy—”
“Whether I have a man or not, the answer is no. My dad would never accept you—so that ship has sailed.”
“It doesn’t matter what he thinks—”
“Yes, it does. His opinion means the world to me. And if you’d actually cared about that, none of this would have happened. You would have shown up and broken up with me later if that’s what you still wanted. But you disregarded the opinion of the people who matter most to me. You fucked up, Mason. Permanently. It’s over.”
My office door opened behind Mason.
I glanced at the door, expecting to see my assistant or Anthony.
Nope. It was Atlas.
And he looked pissed.
He must have walked by and recognized Mason through the glass doors.
Mason didn’t turn around, as if he didn’t hear the door.
“You should go,” I said, bringing my voice to an inside volume. “And you should go now.”
Mason stayed, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to find something to say. “I can win your dad over—”
“I really don’t think so.” I shook my head dramatically because that was just impossible. “Honestly, he’d probably beat your ass again.”
“Won’t need to.” Atlas stopped right behind him. “Because I’ll do it myself.”
Mason stilled when he heard the baritone behind him, and slowly, he turned around to face his potential assailant.
They stared at each other for a while.
I thought Atlas might actually throw a punch, his look was so intense. “Bother my woman again, and I’ll make you my bitch.”
Another standoff ensued.
My hand moved to Mason’s arm and shifted him away. “Time for you to go.” I guided him to the door to my office and opened it for him. “Bye-bye.” I gave him a gentle shove before I shut the door behind him, locking it from the inside.
Mason looked over his shoulder to give me a final look.
It was probably the last time I’d ever see him.
&n
bsp; And then he finally walked off.
Atlas was still in fight mode, his clenched arms rigid by his sides, his eyes still full of violence. His eyes followed Mason until he was gone from our sight. It took a full minute for Atlas to look at me.
“He just showed up. I haven’t talked to him—”
“I know.”
I released a sigh of relief, happy to be in a relationship where I didn’t have to explain myself.
He just knew. “That should be the last time. And if it’s not…I’ll handle it.”
“He won’t come back. Not after that.”
“For his sake, I hope you’re right.” He stepped close to me, leaned down, and gave me a kiss. Without a word, he walked out, heading back to work like nothing happened.
I met my brothers after work for a drink—and Atlas tagged along.
His arm was over the back of my chair with a beer in his hand, fitting in with us like he was the missing piece.
“That’s great,” Derek said. “Where are you guys shacking up?”
I pointed at Atlas. “His place…because of the elevator.”
“Sweet,” Dex said. “You’ll have to invite us over sometime for a game.”
“Anytime,” Atlas said. “Well…if my roommate is okay with it.” He looked down at me, grinning.
“Psh, I’m not your roommate.” I smacked him. “I’m—”
“We don’t want to know.” Dex shoved his hand in my face so I wouldn’t say whatever I was about to say. “Mom and Dad were probably excited.”
“Mom was,” I said.
Atlas looked at me again, this time with trepidation. “Your dad wasn’t? Was I supposed to ask him first?”
“No, he was happy,” I said quickly. “Just a little sad.”
“Why?” Derek asked.
“I think it’s hard to let me go,” I said with a shrug. “To know I have a new man to look after me now.”
“Makes sense,” Dex said. “Because you’re the favorite.” He waggled his eyebrows as he took a drink.
“But should I have asked him?” Atlas said. “The thought didn’t even cross my mind—”
“God, no.” I threw my hand down on the table. “And don’t you dare ask his permission to marry me. Because my ass will say no.”
“Well…I would probably mention it to him,” Atlas said.
“Mentioning is fine,” I said. “But no permission-seeking.”
Dex looked at Atlas. “No, you should ask.”
I waved my hand in front of my brother’s face. “I literally just said no—”
“Yes,” Derek said. “Ask him.”
“Ask us too,” Dex said.
“What?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” Dex said. “It’ll be fun.”
“Deal.” Atlas took a drink.
“Do I have no say in this?” I asked. “The woman potentially getting married?”
Derek shrugged. “Guess not.”
“My brothers are idiots.” I dropped my bag and set it on the couch. “Don’t listen to them.”
“Sorry, baby.” He did the same, setting his bag on the coffee table. “I’m with them on this one.”
“Guess I didn’t update my calendar because I had no idea it was 1803.”
He gave a smirk as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out everything he would make for dinner. “Come on, it’s not like that.”
“Just on principle, I don’t like it. It’s archaic.”
“But it would mean a lot to him, and knowing he accepts me into his family means a lot to me too.”
“He already does accept you.”
“Not in the same way. And it’s not a male thing. I’d ask your mom too.”
“Still…”
He washed the veggies then started cooking, working a couple pans at once.
I hopped on the counter and watched him. “So, I’m surprised you didn’t mention Mason.”
“Because I forgot about him the moment he left.” He uncorked a bottle of wine and handed me a glass, even though he was the one slaving away in the kitchen while I just watched.
It was as if Mason had never happened, as if he didn’t show up at my office, which would piss off anyone more than it seemed to piss Atlas off.
He changed the subject. “So, when are you moving in?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have much to move.”
“Then how about this weekend? We can get a couple boxes and rent a U-Haul.”
“Sounds good to me.” My dad’s suggestion came into my head, that Atlas should know what we were working on before we actually started that process. I didn’t want to provoke Atlas with the topic because I knew he’d be upset about it, and after telling me about his family and then Mason showing up today…I just wanted to be happy.
So, I decided not to say anything.
We had a routine after dinner.
I did the dishes, and then we worked on paperwork in front of the TV. We both always had stuff to do, so it was nice to be in a relationship where I didn’t have to worry about neglecting the other person.
The guy was busier than I was.
When we went to bed, I washed my face and used his toothbrush.
He never once complained about it.
Whether I wore makeup or I washed it off, his desire was exactly the same, his dick rock hard and throbbing inside me.
My life was pretty perfect.
I sat beside him on the couch, my mind too fatigued to continue my focus. I shut my laptop and called it a night. “What are you looking forward to the most? About me moving in?”
He finished reading the sentence on the screen of his laptop before he looked at me. “The fact that you’ll have your own toothbrush.”
I couldn’t control the grin that came on to my face. I couldn’t control the smack I gave to his arm either.
He chuckled at the hit.
“I thought you didn’t care.”
“I don’t care. But now I don’t have to wait around until you’re finished to brush my teeth.”
“I guess that’s fair.”
“What are you looking forward to?”
“Oh, that’s easy.”
“The home-cooked meals.”
“No…but it’s definitely a close second.”
“Then what?” he asked. “Watching me in the shower?”
“Very nice,” I said. “But getting dick every night—that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
He wore a slight smirk as he returned his laptop and papers to his bag. “You’re a simple person. All you care about is food and sex.”
“And watching you in the shower.”
“Very easy woman to please.”
“Oh, I’m definitely not easy. But you make it easy.” I organized my things and put them in my bag too.
He finished off the rest of his beer and left the empty bottle on the table.
Was it too soon to move in with him? Probably. But it sure didn’t feel that way. I looked forward to doing this every night for the rest of my life. It was like being with a best friend, not just the best sex I’d ever had. I could literally tell him anything, and he’d understand. I guess my dad had been right the whole time…that I needed a man like Atlas. “So…I have this idea I wanted to run by you.”
He settled back into the couch, one arm over the back, his head turned to look at me. He was in his black sweatpants without a shirt, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. “Shoot.”
“Well…I know this is kind of weird…but I want you to hear me out.”
An invisible wall rose in front of his body, the mood around him different.
“Doctors are wrong about reproduction all the time, and Dad and I agreed that we would bring in Dex and basically form a team—”
“Is this a joke?” Ice. That was what his voice sounded like.
“I asked you to hear me out.”
“I’m hearing you—and I’m not liking it.”
“My dad knows two really great sp
ecialists, one for reproduction and another for your blood disorder. Dad said we can use one of his free labs, and we can—”
“Oh Jesus.” He immediately leaned forward and pressed his face into his palms, his entire body tight with anger.
“Atlas—”
“Don’t fucking Atlas me.” He got to his feet and stepped away, like he needed distance so he wouldn’t scream at me. “You organized a fucking task force so you can rip my balls open and try to understand what’s wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Whoa… I did not expect this reaction. “That’s not what we’d be doing—”
“I can’t have children.” Nostrils flared, his eyes wide, he looked maniacal.
“Doctors are—”
“I can’t have children. You need to get that through your big-ass brain, alright? It’s not going to happen.”
“Or maybe you just haven’t found the solution. My dad is the smartest person I know. Together, maybe we can figure it out. What’s the harm in at least trying?”
“The harm?” he asked incredulously. He dropped into the armchair across from me. “I spent years doing these fucking tests. Never got the news that I wanted. Kept trying anyway…and had miscarriage after fucking miscarriage. I had to sit there and watch my wife go through that over and over again. And you want to subject me to that cruelty again? For no reason?”
“It’s not for no reason—”
“You’re fucking unbelievable.” He pushed back into the chair, his leg crossed, his eyes vicious. “I told you to think about this. I told you to be sure this is something you could handle—to be with a man who can’t give you the life that you want. And you fucking looked me square in the eye and said yes.”
“And I still feel that way—”
“Obviously, you don’t.” He threw his arms down. “You’re going to subject me to this fucking humiliation? In front of your own fucking family? You’re going to make me go through this because my word isn’t enough for you? I spent years doing this. I’ve seen so many other doctors. I’ve done so many tests. If it were possible, my wife and I would have accomplished it, but it was fucking impossible. I finally got to a place of real happiness because I thought I’d found a woman who loved me anyway, who accepted me as I was, with whom I would adopt children and love them like our own. But that was a goddamn lie.”
The Girl Who Always Wins (Soulless Book 13) Page 8