by DC Renee
He watched her, but she hadn’t moved. The minutes ticked by, but still she hadn’t moved. His heart was pounding in his chest and then she walked over to the door and he wanted to shout out, begging her not to go, asking her not to leave, but he clamped his mouth shut. And then she did something that shocked him to his core, she closed the door. She had her ticket out, she had her easy way to escape, but she stayed. He wanted to cry, but he wasn’t sure what the tears would be for. Because he was so damn happy she stayed. Because he was so relieved. Because of the possibility she almost walked out and maybe turn him in and then it would be back to prison. Because he had been the biggest asshole to her and yet she didn’t leave. Because he had taken away her freedom, broken her down, and she chose this life over one without him. One thing was certain, he was over the moon happy she hadn’t walked out that door, although God knows he probably would have chased her down and begged her to stay. But this was a test she just passed. It seemed like maybe it was his turn now.
Before he could think anymore, he slipped back into the room and lay back so she wouldn’t know he had just witnessed all that.
After another few minutes, the bed dipped as she climbed in. He felt her trace his jaw with a featherlight touch and then she placed a kiss on his lips before she whispered words he didn’t even know he was dying to hear. “I love you.” He fought the urge to open his eyes and make sure he wasn’t imagining it. Her words sent a jolt of electricity right through his core. It was the most insane feeling he had ever felt and he loved it. What this woman did to him…wow! When she moved her body closer to his, he was truly in heaven. She loved him, she chose him, and she wanted to be with him. Life was fucking great!
Chapter 34
The next couple of weeks were the same as before, which were pretty darn great for Kat, especially now that she had come to terms with her feelings for Mason. He was still kind, gentle, and wonderful with her. He kept opening up to her and showing her small gestures that led her to believe that he loved her too. But she couldn’t help the tiny feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her she had given up freedom for uncertainty. He hadn’t told her he loved her, but neither had she. The difference was that she had chosen him over her own sanity, even though he didn’t know that. She really thought that if he truly loved her, he would be willing to set her free.
She wondered if maybe he was afraid that if he let her go, she’d run, fast and far. Or maybe he didn’t want to lose her. Or better yet, she just needed to give him a little more time. Whatever it was, it was too late now. She made her choice, and she was sticking to it. It’s not like she had any choice in the matter since her heart had already given in.
But now, Mason had been acting weird all day. He was back to avoiding her, and he left the place a few times without letting her know. He came back with bags and was being incredibly secretive. He had even been shooing Kat away, finding excuses to get her out of the living room and out of his room.
Then she heard Mason talking to someone and he seemed animated. She may have been eavesdropping when she heard Mason say something about having to go get ready for a hot date and her heart dropped. Now, it all made sense. He was preparing for a date. A fucking date. How could he? She thought they had something special going on, but she had no claim to him. He was technically still the man who wanted revenge on her. Well, if this wasn’t the biggest revenge of it all…Get her to fall for him and then break her heart.
She wanted to know who the hell this woman was that he was treating to a date. But more importantly, she wanted to know why. And what would he do with Kat? Lock her in her room? Or tell the woman she was the crazy sister again? She cringed just remembering that night. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall and somehow stumbled her way to her room and closed the door behind her. God! She couldn’t just stand by and watch Mason take some woman on a date. Or if they stayed here, she definitely couldn’t listen to him laugh and flirt with someone else. She felt like her heart had been ripped apart. When she heard Mason finish his shower, she did the only thing she could think of and rushed to the bathroom to hide her tears behind a curtain of water.
Kat took the longest shower known to man, but she couldn’t help it; she didn’t want to face Mason and her own heartache. And the darn tears hadn’t stopped pouring down either, so she stayed until the water became cold and then some. But, when she finally came out, Mason was standing outside the door, almost as if he was waiting for her. He had a gleam in his eye and was smiling broadly, making him look younger and it hurt that much more. He was happy, and it was killing her.
What was worse was how he looked. He was dressed in a suit, a clean cut silver grey suit, fitted to accentuate his amazing body. His hair was cut and styled and he had shaved. She could smell his woodsy cologne. She wanted to pull him toward her and melt his body with hers. She wanted to stake her claim and force him to stay with her. But if he didn’t want her, she couldn’t force him. He wouldn’t love her and she had blown her damn chance and now she was stuck loving a man who didn’t want her back.
She took him in and then looked in his eyes where she caught a moment of nervousness before he frowned as he stared back.
“Kat? What’s wrong? Is it the suit?”
“No.” She couldn’t help herself and reached out to straighten his jacket and tie, “You look quite handsome, I’m sure the lucky lady will approve.” She tried to hide the disdain and hurt in her voice, but she knew she hadn’t succeeded. She felt the tears sting her eyes, and she turned to run into her room. She couldn’t let him see her like this.
“I don’t understand,” he called out after her, confusion lacing his voice.
She opened the door to her room, the tears falling freely and then stopped short. There, on the bed, was a stunning lavender gown with thin straps, a gauzy material covering the breasts with a keyhole for sex appeal. The rest of the gown was satin that flowed down. It was beautiful, and she knew it would look great on her. Beside it was a single red rose and on the floor was a beautiful pair of strappy heels.
Her face grew flushed as she turned to Mason, who was staring at her, an unreadable expression on his face. But now he was holding the rest of the rose bouquet in his hands.
“I’m your hot date?” she asked, but it sounded more like a squeal.
“I hope it wasn’t presumptuous of me to assume you’d agree to a date. But I wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer.”
“But you…I…but I thought…” She couldn’t get any words out. And then she realized his tie matched her dress. She almost giggled at how thoughtful he had been and how she felt like she was in high school where all the guys matched their ties to their dates’ dresses for the endless dances she never got to go to. This was so much better than a high school dance though. His date was with her? His date was with her! He had planned a surprise date for her. It wasn’t some other woman. And now she cried again, silent tears, but this time, they were from more than joy, they were from elation.
“Oh God, Kat, please don’t cry.”
“No, no, these are good tears. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a little sketchy today, but it’s hard trying to plan a surprise when you are right here seeing everything. Now the cat’s out of the bag and I hope you’ll join me for our date. So please go change. Do whatever it is you girls like to do and I will be waiting for you in the living room.”
She nodded, unable to speak. He smiled widely and turned, letting her get ready.
*****
Mason sat waiting for Kat in the living room. He was nervous and was tapping his foot. After his birthday, he was on cloud nine and rode that wave for a few days until he realized how big of a step Kat had made. It was his turn to do something just as drastic. He had immediately told Benny what had happened.
“So, she loves you, tell me something I didn’t know.”
“You always have to be right, huh?” Mason laughed.
“The sooner you learn that, the eas
ier your life will become.” Benny chuckled right back.
“Okay, so now what?”
“You love her, right?” Benny asked, but the way he said it was more like a fact.
“Damn, Benny, this is so fucked up. Yeah, I love her, but how the hell is that possible?”
“Oh, so you can choose who you fall for, is that it?” Benny asked sarcastically.
“No, but, fuck! She ruined my life. I kidnapped her for crying out loud! She was supposed to be revenge. I was supposed to break her, be happy, and then move on. But she got to me. She got under my skin. She’s kind, and sweet, and feisty, and caring, and damn, I love her. Okay, there, I said it. I love her.”
“She’s not the person who ruined your life, Mason. At least not anymore. People change, they become different people. She’s great, wonderful even. Hell, I half-love her. And somehow, she has forgiven you for taking her and keeping her captive. And not only that, but she had a chance to escape and didn’t. That’s love, real love. Even without her words, it’s obvious that you are it for her. Is she it for you?”
Mason didn’t really have to think about that answer, but the fact that he wanted to shout, “YES,” gave him pause. When the hell did he fall for Kat? It didn’t matter. He loved her, and he needed to fix things.
“Yes, Benny, she is.”
“Well, then, what the hell are you talking to me for, go tell her how you feel.”
“I can’t just tell her. What good are words?”
“Oh, damn, I have to spell everything out for you, huh? Fucking show her you love her.”
“Oh yeah, and how do you propose I do that?”
“Show her that you choose her. Fuck, I could tell you exactly what I’d do, but I think it would be better if you came up with it yourself. You’re a pretty damn fine guy, Mason, and smart too. Just get your head out of the clouds for a few minutes and you’ll figure it out.”
“You’re right, and I think I know what to do.”
He spent the next week figuring out the details, preparing, and most importantly, giving himself pep-talks. He hoped Kat would hear him out and understand. He hoped she would agree. He was pretty sure she would, given her actions, but one could never know. Damn, he was a nervous wreck. And then she walked out of her room and she stole his breath away. She was a vision. She was an angel, sent to turn his shitty life around. And she loved him. She was smiling. And she was his.
*****
Kat took her time getting ready, doing her hair and makeup, and then putting on the exquisite dress. She gave herself a nod of approval as she looked in the mirror and then walked out of the room.
When Mason saw her, he lit up like a kid on Christmas and it made her heart soar. She looked at the dining table, where there were candles and flowers and an elaborate set-up for dinner. He did all this for her.
“What is the occasion?” she asked as she stepped up to him and he hugged her close.
“I want to kiss you, but you are too beautiful to touch.”
She kissed him and when she did, she felt a shock pass through their lips. Something was different, different in a good way. She felt his warm breath against her lips as he exhaled and sighed in relief. She could stay like this forever, she thought to herself. This was perfect.
“Shall we?” he asked and took her arm and led her the few steps to the table. He pulled her chair out for her before serving her and then himself.
“You didn’t answer my question, is there something special about today?”
“Yes, actually there is, but let’s eat, and then I’ll tell you.”
She obliged, and they feasted on steak and chicken and grilled vegetables. She felt like she was in an upscale restaurant right here at home. Home. Funny how that word sounded in her mind. This was her home.
When dinner was over, Mason stood up and turned on a slow song. He made his way over to Kat and asked, “May I have this dance?”
She bit her lip to hide her enormous smile as she allowed him to guide her to the living room. They danced to a beautiful song whose words spoke of a one-and-only love. This was wonderful. This was amazing. Kat felt like she could walk on water. And then the song ended and Mason pulled back a bit. He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, but he was shaking.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, actually, more than all right,” he said and then led her to the couch and sat down facing her. “Kat, damn, I had this whole elaborate speech in my head, but looking at you now, I can’t remember a single word. I know what we have here is unconventional and strange and the definition of every weird name in the book. How this all came about, our history, how this even started, is stuff for movies and Lifetime TV, and yes, I actually know what the heck Lifetime is.” He laughed as one of her eyebrows rose. “From the minute you entered my life this time around, I’ve been different. You are not the woman I thought you were, you are so much more. You are beautiful and smart and funny and you don’t let me push you around. You are extremely caring and compassionate and you see the good in everything. You take whatever life hands you with a smile on your face. And the more time I’ve spent with you, the better I have gotten to know you. And the more I know you, the more I want to be around you. Somewhere along the way, I fell for you. Kat, I love you. I love everything about you. I’m in love with you.”
Tears were falling freely down her cheeks as he spoke. His words were beautiful, everything he said made her feel like she was special, but his final words were the deal breaker.
She grabbed him and hugged him. “I love you too. I love you, Mason,” she told him as she assaulted his lips with her own, crushing him into a soul-searing kiss. And she felt it, she felt his love. She felt the walls around her heart shatter. She felt the weight lifted off her chest. This was perfect. The moment was perfect. He was perfect. They were perfect.
After a few minutes of passionate kisses, he pulled away. “Wait, as much as I want to carry you into the other room and make love to you, I’m not done.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. It was too big to be a ring box, and Kat exhaled. She was pretty sure if he asked, she would marry him in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t ready for that. They weren’t ready for that. She was still his captive, technically. They had a long way to go for that sort of commitment.
He handed her the box and she opened it to find a set of keys. She looked up, bewildered.
“Kat, I want you to stay with me.”
“I’m already here,” she answered.
“Yes, but I want you to choose to be here. I want you to live with me, but not as a prisoner, not as a captive. I want this to be your home. I want to wake up with you every morning and go to sleep next to you every night, but not because I grabbed you one night and circumstance forced you to be here. I want you to be here because you want to be. I want this to be your home too, not just mine. These keys, they are to all the doors and windows. We can even replace them all so they aren’t such a pain to open, but they are yours. You can come and go as freely as you want, just say you’ll move in with me for real.”
This was everything she wanted. She couldn’t have asked for more. Every fiber of her being was singing, every nerve felt like it was feeling something amazing. Not only did Mason love her, he wanted her to be free, but to choose him. Didn’t he already know there was no choice? She would be with him forever. She would choose him always. She already had. But now, he chose her too. He was giving her the greatest gift – he was giving her freedom – knowing she might walk out that door and never come back, and yet, he was taking the risk. He was showing her just how much he loved her.
He must have misunderstood the silence because he started speaking again, almost stuttering his words. “I know you might not feel the same way, I know you might want to take these keys and leave. And if that’s the case, then I’ll accept it, but Kat, I love you, and I know you love me. I want us to have a real relationship.”
She opened her mouth to speak, to
tell him she wanted that too, but he cut her off.
“And, Kat, I truly am sorry for all the times I’ve hurt you, but I can’t be sorry for everything I’ve done. I don’t regret it because it’s what brought you to me. If it wasn’t for everything that happened from the very beginning, eight years ago until now, I wouldn’t have you. We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know each other, and I wouldn’t have fallen hopelessly, madly, in love with you. I just hope you can forgive me for everything I’ve done to you for the same reason, and say you’ll move in with me.”
“Oh, Mase, there is nothing to forgive. Sure, we had some bumpy moments, but I wouldn’t have changed the past months either because I love you too.”
“You still haven’t said anything about moving in with me. If it’s the past you’re worried about, don’t be. Like I said, whatever happened eight years ago is history. In fact, it’s fine because we are together now. It’s in the past. I forgive you for taking away that life because you aren’t that person anymore and in fact, you gave me this life instead.”