All Time Love

by Beverley Hollowed

  “Then what is the problem?” Mason asked, confused as to why he was getting this pep talk.

  “I just want you to be careful, Mason,” Sadie said as her eyes slowly drifted towards Amelia. “You have a chance at real happiness with a beautiful, and very sweet girl. I want you happy. That’s all I have ever wanted for you…”

  “But?” Mason asked, sensing there was one coming.

  “But,” she replied. “Andrew has told me about the people you work for. Promise me you will take no chances. Don’t do anything that could get you or that precious girl hurt.”

  “I promise,” Mason said and gave her a reassuring smile before he kissed her on the cheek.

  “She is a lovely girl,” Sadie said as she linked Mason’s arm and he escorted her back to the seating area. “She would make a great mother someday.”

  “Don’t start that crap,” Mason laughed. “One step at a time.”

  “I want more grandbabies,” Sadie replied as she gave Mason a broad smile. “That’s all I am saying.”

  “Well, for now,” Mason laughed. “Let’s concentrate on the one that’s about to make an appearance.”

  As if on cue, a shell shocked looking Andrew appeared in the doorway of the waiting room, dressed in scrubs and wearing the biggest smile Mason had ever seen.

  “It’s a boy!” He exclaimed and was met with a cheer from everyone who had been sitting there waiting. “I have a son!”

  Mason walked to his friend and shook his hand firmly, truly happy for him. Mason knew that having a son meant the world to Andrew.

  He wondered how it would feel to be the one telling everyone that his child had just arrived, that he had a son.

  He looked over at Amelia and was greeted with a warm smile. Then for the first time in his life, Mason realised what it was he truly wanted. He wanted a family.

  Chapter 24

  Amelia sat quietly in the car, smiling to herself as she and Mason headed back to his apartment. Today had turned out to be one of the best days of her life. She had a wonderful time at the hospital with Mason and his family. They were all so welcoming and sweet.

  She loved seeing this new side to Mason, and if it was possible, she thought that she actually loved him more.

  Then she suddenly thought about her dad and her smile faded. Why couldn’t he see this side of Mason? Why couldn’t he love her enough to just try and make an effort?

  She had called her mom a few times during the week, and every time she asked to speak to her dad, she was told he wasn’t there. Amelia knew her mom was lying to protect her. She knew the truth was that her father just didn’t want to talk to her and it broke her heart, but she played along for her mother’s sake.

  “Are you okay?” Mason asked as he pulled into the car park of his building. “Has something happened?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” Amelia lied and forced a smile. “Just tired I guess. It’s been a long day.”

  “Are you sure?” Mason asked as he pulled the car to a stop in his assigned parking space. “You seem sad.”

  “I’m just tired,” Amelia replied. She didn’t want to tell Mason she was sad about her father, because she knew he would feel guilty and she didn’t want that, especially not today. Today he was happy and she didn’t want to change that.

  “Come on,” Mason said with a smile. “Let’s get you home.”

  Amelia’s stomach knotted at Mason’s words. She knew he still wanted her to stay with him, but she still felt it was too soon. So she was dreading telling him the little bit of news she had herself. She had found the perfect apartment. It was not far from Mason’s place, and close to her job and the best part of it was, she could afford it on her own. She was going to go view it the next day.

  Granted, it was much smaller than her last apartment, and she knew Mason was not going to like that the security on the building wasn’t so great. Nevertheless, it would be her home and she was excited.

  When they reached the penthouse, Mason asked Amelia if she wanted a night cap before they went to bed. She shook her head and told him she would prefer some hot chocolate which would help her sleep better.

  He laughed but before he could reply, his phone rang.

  “Damn it!” He sighed as he pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen.

  “Is everything okay?” Amelia asked as she took the milk from the fridge and set it down on the counter.

  “I’m really sorry,” Mason sighed once again, and gave Amelia a ‘please forgive me’ look. “I really need to take this.”

  “It’s okay,” Amelia assured him. “I will just make my hot chocolate. You go answer your call.”

  Mason excused himself and Amelia continued on with what she was doing in the kitchen. She had just poured her hot chocolate from the saucepan to her cup, when Mason returned.

  “I made enough in case you wanted some, too,” she said as she turned to him, but she stopped the minute she saw the expression on his face. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine,” Mason said but the look on his face told Amelia he was hiding something. “Just work crap. Nothing major.”

  “Anything you would like to talk about?” She asked, already knowing the answer. Mason rarely talked about work.

  “Not really,” he sighed and kissed her on the forehead. “Look, I know you’re tired. I have some paper work I need to do. You go on to bed, and I will be there as soon as I can.”

  Suddenly the sound of the fax machine down the hallway in Mason’s office, echoed through the apartment.

  “I need to go get that,” he sighed and kissed Amelia again. “I will try not be too late.”

  “Okay,” Amelia said with a smile, before Mason disappeared back out the door. She stood there in the kitchen for a moment and thought. Something was definitely wrong, but she had no idea what. She drank her hot chocolate and when she was finished, she cleaned up after herself before she made her way down to the bedroom.

  As Amelia, walked down to the bedroom, she paused outside Mason’s office. She considered going it to check on him, maybe kiss him goodnight, but something stopped her. Something was wrong. She could feel the tension in the air.

  She sighed deeply before she turned and headed towards the bedroom. As she stepped into the room, she thought that maybe for tonight, she should sleep in her own room, but she didn’t want to upset Mason further, so she stripped off her clothes, and pulled on one of his t-shirts from the chest of drawers and climbed into bed. It wasn’t long before the tiredness took over and she was fast asleep.

  “Good morning,” Mason said as Amelia walked into the kitchen the next morning. She found Mason standing against the kitchen counter clinging to a large cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” Amelia said looking at Mason. He looked exhausted. “You never came to bed last night. I was worried.”

  “I know,” he said as he set his coffee down, and walked towards Amelia. Taking her by the hips, he drew her closer to him and softly kissed her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t finish until after five. I didn’t want to wake you. So I grabbed an hour on the sofa in my office.”

  “I see,” Amelia said and tried to seem unfazed by everything, but she knew something had changed. Something was definitely wrong. “Well I have an extra shift in the book-store this morning. We are stock taking, but I should be finished by twelve.”

  “You’re not mad at me, are you?” Mason said, holding Amelia at arm’s length. “Over last night.”

  “What?” Amelia replied with a laugh. “No, of course not.”

  “Good,” Mason said and pulled her into his embrace again. “How about I take you to lunch today? You know, to make it up to you for last night. I could take you somewhere nice.”

  “Firstly,” Amelia replied with a smile. “You don’t need to make anything up. Secondly, I can’t today. I have an appointment at lunch time, but how does dinner sound?”

  “Sounds like a date,” Mason replied and gave her a questioning look. “What’s the
appointment about today? Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said knowing she couldn’t put off telling him about the apartment any more. “I um…I am going to see an apartment. It’s not too far from here actually. Above that deli we got the sandwiches from the other day, you remember?”

  “Yeah, I know the place,” Mason said as he released Amelia from his arms and returned back to pick up his coffee. “How come you never told me you found somewhere?”

  “Well, I only found out yesterday,” Amelia explained. “I was going to tell you last night, but with the baby and everything, I thought I would wait until today. So I am telling you now.”

  “I see,” Mason replied in a tone of voice that Amelia hadn’t heard before. “Well I hope it works out for you.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, not really knowing what else to say.

  “I need to go into the office for a couple of hours myself,” Mason said as he poured the remainder of his coffee into the sink then put his cup into the dishwasher. “I will talk to you later.”

  Without saying another word, Mason walked out of the kitchen and left Amelia standing there, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  It was a little after midday when Amelia left the bookstore. She was running late for her appointment so she ran the three blocks to the apartment building.

  She could barely breathe when she reached the building. She stopped and bent over, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She looked up and saw the letting agent coming out the door, locking it behind her.

  “Oh hey, I’m here,” Amelia gasped as she jogged up the steps. “I am Amelia Wells, we have an appointment. I’m so sorry I am late.”

  “Okay, it’s okay Sweetie,” the middle aged woman said, as she smiled brightly at Amelia. “I was trying to call you anyway, but it seems I had the wrong number, so I came down here to talk to you myself.”

  “Oh, okay,” Amelia said, looking at her expectantly. “Is everything okay? There isn’t a problem with the apartment is there?”

  “I am afraid I have some bad news, Sweetie,” the lady said, giving Amelia a sympathetic smile. “I got a call this morning. Some guy offered me one hundred dollars a month over the asking price. He faxed over the paperwork before I left the office.”

  “It’s gone?” Amelia asked as her heart sank.

  “I am sorry,” the woman said genuinely. “But the man that owns the apartment would have gone postal if I turned down the extra money.”

  “I understand,” Amelia said forcing a smile. “Thanks anyway.”

  Amelia sat down on the front stoop and watched the letting agent walk away. She felt beyond disappointed. She rested her head in her hands and blew out a deep breath.

  A car horn sounded and Amelia looked up to see Mason smiling through the open window of his car.

  “Hey,” he said as she stood up and walked towards the car. “I thought we could grab a late lunch. You know, to celebrate you getting your new apartment.”

  “There is nothing to celebrate,” Amelia said as stood up and walked to the car. She pulled open the passenger door and sat inside. “Someone beat me to it this morning. So I am still officially homeless.”

  “You will never be homeless, Amelia,” Mason sighed. “You will always have a place to stay as long as I am around.”

  “I know,” Amelia sighed and smiled weakly. “And I am grateful, Mason. It’s just it’s the second time…”

  Before she could finish, she could feel her head spin and her stomach heave.

  “Amelia, are you okay,” Mason asked. “You look like you have seen a ghost.”

  “I just feel a little light headed,” Amelia replied and waved her hand dismissively. “I think I just need to eat something.”

  “Didn’t you have anything at breakfast?” Mason asked.

  “No,” Amelia replied looking down at her hands. “I didn’t really feel like eating.”

  “Why?” Mason demanded but Amelia didn’t reply. “Amelia, talk to me. Why didn’t you eat anything?”

  “Because you were upset,” Amelia said without looking up at him. “You were upset about me going for the apartment. I thought it was best if I just left and gave you some space.”

  “Look at me,” Mason said, this time his voice was less forceful. Amelia looked up and Mason smiled at her. “I am sorry for my behaviour this morning. I promised you I would respect your decision to move out. It’s true I don’t want you to leave, but I promised, and from now on, I will support you.”

  “Thank you,” Amelia replied, grateful for what he had said.

  “Now, let’s get you fed,” Mason said as he pulled the car away from the kerb. “I know just the place to take you.”

  “Okay,” Amelia replied as she sat back in the car and smiled to herself. She noticed that Mason seemed a little less stressed out than he had been the night before.

  She figured whatever he had to go to the office for, had made the difference. She wondered if she should mention what had happened the night before, but she decided to leave well enough alone for now.

  Instead, she was going to just enjoy an afternoon out with the man she loved.

  Chapter 25

  Mason sat at his desk on Monday afternoon and smiled to himself. He had just received the call he had been waiting for. Carter Grant had called with the information he needed to be able to walk away from the firm and, more importantly, Simone Anderson.

  Carter had gone over Mason’s partnership contract with a fine tooth comb and there was a loop hole that allowed him to walk away, free and clear. Mason felt so relieved, it was almost over now.

  He quickly typed up an email to Simone, informing her that her son’s case would be handed over to one of the other partners. Then he printed out and signed the letter of resignation he had prepared earlier that day. Finally, this was happening.

  As he walked down the hallway to Rodger Bryant’s office, he smiled to himself as he thought about telling Amelia. He hadn’t wanted to mention anything until he was sure he could do this, but now he was resigning, he couldn’t wait to tell her.

  “Is he free?” Mason asked Rodger’s assistant when he reached his office. He stared at the girl expectantly.

  “I will check for you now, Mr. James,” the girl replied giving Mason a big smile as she picked up her phone. A moment later, she gave Mason another smile and set the phone back down. “You can go in, Mr. James. Mr. Bryant is free.”

  “Thank you, Victoria,” Mason said as he took a deep breath and headed for the door. He knew he was doing the right thing.

  “Mace!” Rodger exclaimed and stood up as Mason walked into the office. “Great news on the Newbrook case. The witness has retracted her statement. The prosecution doesn’t have a leg to stand on now. We are back in court tomorrow, and that will be that.”

  “I am pleased for you, Rodger,” Mason said, forcing a smile but inside felt sick. This was the kind of bullshit he now hated and it made him sick that he was once a part of this crap.

  “So, what can I do for you, Mason?” Rodger asked as he held a crystal decanter of whiskey up, offering Mason a drink. Mason shook his head and instead, took a seat.

  “I am afraid I have some news you’re not going to like,” Mason began. There was no turning back now.

  Thirty minutes later, and after some angry words spoken, Rodger shook Mason’s hand and wished him good luck before he left his office.

  Mason hurried back to his own office, asking Sophie if she could join him for a moment when he reached her desk. He felt he owed the girl an explanation before the office whispers started.

  “Is everything okay, Sir?” Sophie asked as she followed Mason into his office and closed the door behind them.

  “I am afraid not, Sophie,” Mason said as he took his seat behind his desk. “I have decided that I am leaving Bryant, James, Colby and Associates, effective immediately. I have spoken to Rodger and he assures me, there will still be a place here for you at the company. H
owever, if you are interested, I will be needing an assistant once I work out the details of my next move, I would love to have you come work for me again.”

  “I would love to, Mr James,” Sophie said with a smile. “I enjoy working for you. Thank you so much for considering me.”

  “That’s great to hear,” Mason said as he pulled open his desk draw and removed a brand new iPhone from inside. “This is to be your new phone. I will contact you on this, once I have sorted out the finer details, but it won’t be long. I will ensure you are still paid until I set up my new venture, at that point, we can negotiate your new contract. I just ask, you give no one the phone number for now. In fact, I must insist on it.”

  “Of course, Mr. James,” Sophie nodded. “I promise.”

  “Excellent,” Mason said with a smile. “I suggest you pack up your belongings, and say your goodbyes because I am pretty sure, once we leave here, we will not be allowed back into the building.”

  “Very well, Sir,” Sophie said, before she turned and headed for the door. She was just about to reach for the handle, when the door burst open and an angry looking Simone Anderson came barrelling into the office.

  “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE PLAYING AT, JAMES?” Simone shouted as she marched up to Mason’s desk and slammed her hands down on the wooden surface. “If you think I am going to just sit here and let you do this, you can think again. No one treats my family like this and gets away with it.”

  “That will be all, Sophie,” Mason nodded at his assistant, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. Then he turned his attention to the blonde bimbo, standing before him. “Have a seat Simone and we can discuss this matter like grown-ups.”

  She stared at him for a moment before she begrudgingly sat in the chair in front of Mason’s desk.

  “Now,” Mason said giving her a satisfied grin, feeling happy he had suitably upset the queen bitch herself. “What exactly seems to be the problem?”

  “If you think you are walking away from Colton Junior’s case,” she growled as she leaned forward in her seat and glared at Mason. “You can think again, James. No one walks away from my family like that.”