“Lennox, you’re doing it again,” Alissa says as we’re sitting at my dining room table.
I push my hair away from my face and shake my head to clear it. “I’m sorry. I stayed up late last night waiting for Em to get in,” I use as my excuse for not paying attention to the samples we’re supposed to be sorting through.
A few years ago, Alissa and I started our own company. We have our own brand of makeup, perfumes, and haircare products. It was something that I’d always wanted to do, and I’d needed a job that would allow me to be home with my family instead of running around the country. To my surprise, the venture has gone really well. That first year, we made more money than I expected. And since then, it’s only grown.
“What’s going on with you?”
“I told you, I stayed up late last night.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s something else. Are you and Mason fighting?”
I give her a sidelong look. “No, don’t be silly.” In all our years of marriage, I can’t even remember having a fight with him. I know that sounds stupid. What married couple doesn’t fight? But we never do. We don’t always agree, but we never fight.
“I’ve known you for most of my life now, Len. I know when something is off. What is it?” She reaches out and places her hand on mine, squeezing it for comfort.
I look up at her eyes, feeling a little nervous. “They found a lump in my breast yesterday,” I admit. Just saying the words and getting it off my chest makes me feel a little relief. But I know I won’t feel entirely better until Mason knows.
Her loud intake of breath fills my ears. “What? Does Mason know?”
“No, and you can’t tell anyone, understand?”
Her face scrunches up. “Why? I mean, I won’t — of course. But why doesn’t Mason know?”
I stand and walk to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee with her following behind me. “Mason’s mom died from breast cancer. I know that if he knows, he’ll freak out. I’m not telling him anything until I know one way or another.”
She leans against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding. “I understand, Len, but don’t you think it’d be a little easier to go through if he was by your side?”
I take a sip of the fresh cup of coffee. “He is by my side. No sense in making him worry for nothing. I’ll talk to him after I do the imaging and get the results. I need to see what it is we’re dealing with.”
Alissa closes the distance between us, pulling me to her for a hug. “I’m sure everything will be okay. I mean, it’s 2033. Cancer treatments have come a long way.”
I take a deep breath and nod. “I know. I’m not worried.” I’m lying. I’m totally worried even though I know what she said is true. Not as many people die from cancer as they used to. Early detection is key, that and fighting it aggressively. The fatality rate is down by fifty percent. But sometimes, the cancer has progressed too far to stop. I’m praying that’s not the case.
I clear my head. “Let’s get back to work.”
Alissa leaves around three in the afternoon. When I’m alone in the house, I slide deep into a hot bath. The lights are down low, soft music plays, and tea light candles flicker all around me. It’s quiet and relaxing. Leaning back, I close my eyes, picturing my future.
How is it that I’m forty-years-old and still thinking about this? Emma is leaving in a few months. And in two years, Preston will be following behind her. It’ll just be Mason and me in this big house. It hasn’t been just us since before the kids were born. The touring part of my life is done. I retired from that long ago, so what’s the next step?
“Hey, babe. Did I miss a date?” Mason asks, walking into the bathroom.
I open my eyes and look up at him with a smile. “No, I just needed to unwind. What are you doing home?”
He shrugs as he sits down on the floor beside the tub. “I had a bit of a weird day.”
“Tell me about it.” I place my hand in his that rests on the edge of the tub.
“Well… I was at the shop, and someone came in wanting to buy the place.”
“What?” I sit up suddenly, splashing him.
He lets out a laugh and stands, removing his clothes. He steps into the tub and takes his place behind me. I rest the back of my head against his chest as he wraps his arms around me.
“He said that he wants to buy the shop and open a few more up and down the coast.”
“If he’s opening more, why doesn’t he just start his own marina?”
I feel him shrug. “He said my place has a reputation, and he wants the brand I’ve created.”
It gets quiet, and I feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles. “What are you going to do?”
He lets out a long breath. “I don’t know. I mean, I can’t even believe I’m thinking about selling out, you know? My dad worked so hard to build that shop. But it would be nice to not have to worry about it.”
I sit up and spin around to face him. “What do you want, Mason?”
He shakes his head. “I want you. Everything else is just secondary.”
Something washes over me, and it scares me. It makes me want to spill my secret, but I can’t do that to him. Not until I know for sure. Now, more than anything, I’m afraid this lump in my breast is cancer. I’m worried about what Mason will be left with if he sells the shop, and I’m taken away. He will lose his mind. He needs something to focus on.
“How much time do you have to think about it?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t given a time limit. I just told him I’d think about it. I mean, we have enough money to do anything we want for the rest of our lives — it’s not about the money.”
I crawl up into his lap, needing to feel him with these heavy thoughts.
He pushes my hair behind my ears as he looks at me. The love radiating from his eyes warms me. Still to this day, my heart pounds when he looks at me like this.
“What is it?” he asks, searching my eyes for whatever it is I’m not telling him.
I smile and divert my eyes, not able to bear looking at him as I avoid telling him the truth. “I just love you.” I lean forward, pressing my lips to his.
His fingers tangle in my hair as he holds me to him. His lips glide against mine as his tongue dives deeper. I feel him twitch beneath me, and my insides light on fire. My need for him hasn’t burned out in the slightest.
Suddenly, he stands with me in his arms, and he walks us to the bedroom. We fall into bed still dripping wet. His lips leave mine as they make a slow descent down my body, licking and kissing on their way. He doesn’t stop until his lips are wrapped around my hard nub with his tongue flicking against it. Waves of pleasure wrack my body as his hands hold firmly at my hips. I call out for him as my eyes fall closed from the blinding passion pumping between us.
When he slides two fingers inside of me, my orgasm explodes, forcing me to ride out every last wave. When he pulls away to position himself at my entrance, I push against his chest until he’s on his back with me crawling up his body. Taking his shaft in my hand, I pump a few times. A drop of dew is already beaded up on the end. I keep my eyes locked on his as I lower my mouth to him, licking off the drop before sliding him further into my mouth. His hands fly up to his head. His fingers lace through his own hair as he pulls and lets out a gasp.
“Fuck, Lennox,” he whispers as he lifts his hips to meet my motions.
I keep pace for several minutes. I don’t stop until I know he’s close. Every muscle in his body is hard. He’s almost shaking, trying to control himself. “Baby, you have to stop. I can’t hold on.”
But I don’t. I keep going until he’s exploding inside my mouth with a loud moan. After I’ve drained him of every drop, I lean back and look at the glassy look in his eyes.
He grins. “I’ve never been able to resist that beautiful mouth of yours.”
I offer my own flirty grin. “I’m not done yet.” I begin crawling up his body, littering his overheated skin with kisses on my wa
y. By the time I’m in position, he’s hard and standing at attention once again.
His thick cock is already in place on its own. All I have to do is slide down his length. And the second I do, his hands glide to my hips, squeezing them as I ride him.
He’s only been inside me for a few minutes, but already I feel my release building. My head falls back, and my eyes flutter closed as my lips part with my heavy breathing.
“Look at me, Lennox,” Mason says in a whisper.
I open my eyes and lock them on his as I keep moving, getting closer and closer to the passion that’s threatening to flood over me.
“I love you.”
I smile with his words. “I love you, too.”
He begins thrusting up into me while his hands egg me on. He rolls his hips beneath me, rubbing that exact right spot. Before I know it, I’m shattering again.
I go limp on top of him, but he’s nowhere near done. He rolls us over and thrusts into me deeply while pressing kisses to my neck, my jaw, my lips.
Chapter Seven
Mason
When we finally manage to pull away from one another, I give her a kiss and leave her to dress while I run back to town to close up the shop. As I turn into the parking lot, I see Preston and Levi walking into the grill.
I quickly park and run inside to see what they’re up to. They’re sitting at a table by the empty stage. I walk over and sit down at their table. “What are you two up to?”
Preston shrugs. “Just hanging out.”
“Where are Em and Jax?”
Preston smiles. “Levi is mad at Jax because —”
Levi reaches over and punches Preston in the arm. I look at the two of them. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Levi says, leaning back and crossing his arms.
I look at Preston. “Em is dating that Tony guy. He threw her a birthday party at the beach last night, and Jax didn’t try to keep them apart. That’s why Levi is mad.”
Levi scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Dude!”
I shake my head. I want to tell Levi to give it up. I mean, he’s sixteen, and Em is eighteen and about to leave for college. It won’t work. But I’m too distracted by learning that my daughter went to a beach party last night with this guy I don’t know. I remember beach parties. I remember Lennox and I sneaking out to have sex. I can’t even think about Em doing the same shit I did.
“Where is this Tony kid?”
Preston shrugs. “Probably with Jax and Em,” he replies.
I push away from the table and walk back into the office to find Dane at the computer. “Where’s your kid?”
He spins to look at me. “How the hell should I know? I’ve been here all day. Why?”
“He’s with Emma and this Tony kid. They went to a beach party last night.” I fall into the chair across from him.
“So?”
“So? Do you remember what goes on at those parties? I need to meet this guy if Em is going to be seeing him.”
“So, where’s Em?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
He frowns at me. “So, you’re back here giving me shit for not knowing where Jax is, and you don’t know where Emma is?”
I laugh. “I’m not giving you shit. I’m just trying to figure out where this guy has taken my daughter.”
“Look, I understand why you’re worried, but if Jax is with them, they can’t be doing anything too bad, right?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I stand to leave.
“Emma’s a good kid. I’m sure she’ll be home by curfew,” Dane says, standing and leaving the office with me.
We both freeze when we see Jax sitting at the table with Preston and Levi. We look at one another like we know what the other is thinking before walking over to them.
“Jax, where ya been?” Dane asks.
He looks at the both of us, tossing his hair to the side. “The arcade. Why?”
“Was Em with you?”
“She was earlier, but she left with Tony,” he answers.
Dane smacks the back of his head. “You just let her leave with this guy?”
Jax rubs the sore spot on his head. “I didn’t know I was babysitting. What’s the big deal?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, turning to leave.
I stride to the shop and help close up as quickly as possible. When I’m done, I climb in my truck and call Len.
“Hello?”
“Hey, is Em home?” I ask.
“No, why?”
I let out a deep breath and rub my forehead. “She’s with that Tony guy… alone.”
She lets out a small chuckle. “Everything’s fine, Mase. I talked to her last night. She’s not ready to go there, if you know what I mean.”
“I hope you’re right. I’ll be home soon. I love you.”
“Love you too,” she says before hanging up.
I pull the truck up to the grill and run inside to see if Preston wants a ride home. He climbs into the passenger side, and we take off. I drive through town as slowly as possible, looking for Em’s Jeep.
“Why are you driving so slow?”
“I’m looking for your sister,” I tell him.
“Stop stressing. She’s fine,” he tells me.
I let it go and drive home. We walk in to find Lennox in the kitchen, attempting to cook.
I grab a beer from the fridge and press a kiss to her forehead. “How’s it going?”
She rolls her eyes. “I give up. We’re ordering pizza.”
I walk over to the stove and look at the burnt stuff in the pan. I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. “What is this?”
She rolls her eyes and smacks me on the arm. “It was supposed to be stir fry.”
I motion toward the pan with the wooden spoon. “This was vegetables?”
She laughs. “Was being the keyword there.” She grabs her phone and places an order for some pizza.
We’re all gathered around the tv when the doorbell rings. I jump up and answer it. As I’m paying for the pizza, Em’s Jeep pulls into the drive. I take the pizza while holding the door open.
“Hi, Daddy,” she says sweetly before sliding past me.
I carry the pizza over to the coffee table and follow her into the kitchen. “What did you do today?” I ask as I gather plates.
She grabs a soda from the fridge and follows me into the living room. She plops down on the loveseat next to Preston. “I hung out with Jax and Tony at the arcade.”
“What’d you do after that? I saw Jax with Levi and Preston at the grill.” I place two pieces of pizza on a plate and hand it to her.
She leans forward and takes it. “Nothing, just hung out with Tony. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that you’ve been doing God knows what with this guy I don’t know.”
“We weren’t doing anything. We were at the arcade, and then we went to the beach and walked around.”
“I want to meet this guy. Why don’t you invite him over for dinner?” Now that everyone has some pizza, I put some on a plate for myself and lean back. Lennox is at my side, and she’s quiet, just watching the exchange between Emma and me.
Em sighs. “Seriously?”
I nod. “I want to meet the guy you’re spending so much time with. Make sure he’s treating you right.”
“Fine,” she says, but doesn’t sound too happy about it.
I smile, pleased I’m getting my way, and I settle back to eat my pizza and watch tv with Lennox and the kids.
“I can’t believe you got her to agree to bring him over,” Lennox says once we retire to the bedroom.
Quickly, I yank my shirt over my head. “Oh, I was going to meet him regardless of her being okay with it.” I toss my shirt into the hamper before pulling off my jeans and climbing into bed.
Lennox walks into the closet. “Have you thought any more on what you’re going to do about the shop?” When she steps out, she’s wearing one of my large t-shirts. She s
tops at the dresser and takes out her earrings.
“I haven’t even had time to think about it. I went to town and found the boys and no Emma. I was a little preoccupied,” I reply as I watch her move to the bed.
She climbs up to my side, resting her head on my shoulder and her hand on my stomach. Even a touch as simple as this has me wanting to roll her over for the second time today.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “What do you want me to do?”
She looks up at me. “Me?”
I nod. “We’re basically talking about the rest of our lives here. I want your input.”
She tears her eyes away from mine while she thinks about it. “I think that place gives you something to do every day. You wouldn’t go stir crazy without it?”
I laugh. “I’ve thought about that, but really, I’m not there much now. I mean, I go in and make sure things are running smoothly. I sign checks, and that’s about it.”
“You could always keep it. Maybe Preston will want to run it. It’d be three generations of Reynolds men.”
That thought fills me with joy but also dread. I don’t want Preston feeling like he has to stick around here like I did. I don’t want him held back. “I don’t know. I don’t want to burden him.”
She twists in my arms and looks up at me. “Hey, why don’t you keep it and expand yourself?”
I laugh. “Really?”
She pushes herself up. “Yeah, I mean, it would give us extra income. And it could always be something the kids could fall back on, you know? People come from miles around to go to your marina. Build another one up the coast. Then hire people to run it for you. It could be something you leave to the kids.”
“That’s really not a bad idea,” I say, already thinking about it.
She leans in and presses her lips to mine before lying back on the bed.
“I think tomorrow I’ll look around and see if there’s any property up for grabs on the coast.”
Lennox turns out the light and snuggles closer, but I’m not ready for sleep. I’m too excited from thinking about expanding, building a bigger and better name for myself — something to pass along to the kids when I retire.
One More Chance at Forever (The Chance Series Book 5) Page 5