Flawless: A Relentless Series Novel (The Relentless Series Book 4)

by Alyson Reynolds

  "Em, don't be silly. We’ve slept in the same bed before. Lay down, I promise I won't touch you."

  I stared at him for a moment. It was tempting to lie down and sprawl out on the comfy bed. He smirked as I laid down next to him, curling up on my side, facing away from him. His breathing became steady and I thought he’d fallen asleep. I was surprised when he whispered, "Thank you for telling me about the baby."

  I reached back over and took his hand in mine. Remembering how well I fit against him made me long for the times when he could spoon me to sleep. I drifted off to sleep quickly as I laid next to Mason, feeling more comfortable than I had in a long time.

  ***

  I rolled down my window and stuck my hand out into the wind. Mason was driving up Highway 17, occasionally catching glimpses of the ocean on our way to Tybee Island for a special weekend getaway. It had been months since we’d really had any alone time. Between working at the record company my normal forty-five hours and helping Luke find his record deal, I was exhausted. Mason wasn’t doing much better working sixty hour weeks for his father’s firm.

  The sunshine felt amazing on my face. I could hardly wait to be stretched out on the beach. For the next seventy-two hours, it was just us. No phones. No technology. No family or friends. Only one gorgeous bungalow on the ocean, with a huge king size bed.

  “What do you want to do as soon as we get there?” I asked.

  Mason tilted his head and shot me a look over his aviators. “You know what I want to do.”

  I giggled. “You always want to do that. I meant after that.”

  “Let’s just spend time together. I don’t care what we do as long as we get to be together. These past few months have sucked.”

  “How did we end up being this busy again?”

  Mason shook his head. “I wish I knew. I hate that I only get to see you after you’ve gone to bed. It’s hard to get a response from you when you’re dead to the world.”

  I laughed. “No easier than me trying to wake you up in the morning. You were almost late yesterday because you slept through your alarm.”

  “I should have been late anyway. It wasn’t fair that you woke me up in just a bra and a thong.”

  “I had on a robe.”

  “It was see through, Em. You were trying to kill me.”

  I grinned. “No, I was trying to get you excited for our trip.”

  “I’m excited. Maybe we should just stay in bed all weekend. We don’t need to go to the beach.” He reached over and squeezed my leg. “I’ve missed you, baby.”

  I rested my hand over his. “I’ve missed you too, Mase.”

  “I do have something special planned for us tonight.”

  I raised an eyebrow and looked at him from over my sunglasses.

  “Do you now?” He smiled and squeezed my leg again. “Can I guess what this surprise is?”

  “Be my guest.”

  “Are we…going deep sea fishing?”

  “No, remember I got sea sick the last time we did that. I never want to be on another boat out in the open ocean after that experience.”

  “Okay. Are we going skinny dipping tonight?”

  “We do that every year. That’s not it.”

  I tried to think of some of the more creative ideas Mason had had over the years. “Does it have to do with food and sex?”

  He chuckled. “Not this time. You can keep guessing, but you won’t get it.”

  “I might.”

  “God, you’re stubborn.”

  “Always.”

  He threaded his fingers through mine and brought my hand to his mouth to kiss my knuckles. “I love that about you. Don’t ever change that, Emmy.”

  I smiled back and squeezed his hand. “So, tell me what my surprise is.”

  I woke up with Mason’s arms still around me as I remembered the time he proposed. None of the past few years seemed fair as I thought back to how happy we were. You didn’t just forget the love of your life, and you never stopped grieving the loss of your relationship with them. I’d tried to move on with my life, but it wasn’t easy. There were days I wished I hadn’t taken the job in New York and I had pushed harder to get Mason to tell me why he wanted me to go so badly. If he still loved me as much as I loved him, how could he be so awful to get me to leave?

  ***

  Jaxon met us at the airport. He wrapped me up in a huge hug and whispered in my ear how thankful he was that I was there. His eyes showed just how tired he was from trying to take care of everyone basically by himself. At least Gage was helping take shifts at the hospital. Their calm demeanors had probably been the only thing keeping the girls sane. Mason shook Jax's hand and we walked towards the waiting car. Jax and Mason had met briefly a few times and despite the fact that Mason knew Violet's ex husband, Aaron, and hung out with him sometimes, the two got along pretty well.

  "No one knows you're coming. I told them I was going home to sleep for a little while." He sighed. "If you can, try to get Taylor to sleep. I don't think she's had more than a few hours since the accident happened. Lexi seems okay, but she's really snippy with Taylor, so I've been trying to keep them apart as much as possible. Violet is…lost. I've never seen her like this, even after her father died."

  "We're going to the hospital right?" I asked.

  "Unless you want to take your bags to the house first?"

  "No,” I said quickly. “I need to go see my girls and check on Stephen first, please." Mason had been quiet and I looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

  He nodded distractedly. His eyes never met mine though. I worried he was taking this harder than he was letting on. We seemed to be in a good place after our long nap on the plane, but we hadn't said much to each other since we’d woken up.

  Jax's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror and I shrugged. Jax didn't know Mason well enough to help me figure out what was wrong, or if we would even be able to help.

  When we got to the hospital, Jaxon led the way up to Stephen's room, but stopped at the door and said he was going to go down to the cafeteria before coming inside. He seemed beaten down, like he needed more time before going back into the room. I hesitated for a split second before pushing the door open. I sucked in a sharp breath when I entered the room. Stephen's normally huge body looked small in the hospital bed. There were too many tubes running from his body for me to count and his bruises, especially around his face, stood out in stark contrast against his pale skin. Mason's hand wrapped around my shoulder and I turned in towards him. I tried hard not to cry, but tears still pricked at my eyes and fell down my cheeks. When I looked up at Mason, his eyes were damp too.

  Taylor looked over her shoulder and saw us standing there. She did a double take before standing up and walking over to me. Mase dropped his arm and I stepped forward, wrapping Taylor in a soul crushing hug. She clung to me and sobbed harder than I’d ever seen her. My heart broke for her. I couldn't even start to imagine what she was going through. No matter how bad the divorce was, I still knew Mason was alive and safe. Her pain was so palpable, I could feel it slowly suffocating her.

  Mason rubbed Taylor's back as she cried on my shoulder. When she finally slowed down, he gave her a sad smile, stepped back, and walked out, leaving us alone in the dark room. I wrapped my arm around her waist and led her to the chair next to the bed. She sat down, exhaustion showing in every move she made.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked.

  "Why wouldn't I be here? You guys needed me and I love Stephen too."

  "Oh, my god. Em?" I heard from behind us. Violet's arms wrapped around me from behind. "You came."

  I nodded. "Where's Lexi?"

  "Getting coffee.” She paused. “This was all Jaxon.”

  I shrugged. "You know your husband well. He knew you guys needed me, but wouldn't admit it. Stephen is my friend too and work can wait. I know that you guys were trying to help me, but I was too worried to stay at home. As soon as Lexi was on the plane I was looking at flights."

&nbs
p; Lexi and Mason walked into the room together. Violet shot me a look. Mase handed Taylor a bottle of water and she took it gratefully.

  "You got here fast," Lexi said, as she walked to the bed.

  "How many people are allowed in here? Are we going to get in trouble for this?" Mason asked, looking around.

  Vi chuckled and walked over to hug him. "Stephen's a freaking rock star around here. They let us have as many people as will fit in this tiny room. The nurses love it when Gage and Scott come to visit."

  I walked over to the bed and took Stephen's hand in mine, ignoring the conversation behind me. This wasn't right. Stephen was supposed to be teasing me for being so worried about him and telling me to suck it up. He was supposed to be asking me why Mason and I weren't back together yet, because we both knew it was supposed to be that way no matter what happened. I thought back to the last conversation I had with Stephen a few weeks ago where he was telling me exactly that.

  "That man loves you more than life itself, Emmy. He would do anything for you, including let you go so you can follow your dreams. I don't know why he didn't file the divorce papers, but I bet it has something to do with the fact that he still loves you. You two are supposed to be together. Nothing has ever kept you apart and this shouldn't do it now. Admit it, you still love him."

  Stephen's words rang over and over in my head. I kneeled down next to the bed and put my forehead against his limp hand. "It's not supposed to be this way, Stephen. Wake up. Please," I whispered.

  Mason was behind me, tugging me into his arms as I broke down. I went willingly, sobbing into his chest. Big, fat, ugly sobs that shook my whole body as he held me. His hands ran through my hair and over my back, calming and strong. He had always been my rock and this threw me, because I shouldn’t do this. How was I supposed to move on from what I had with him when we always fell back into the same patterns?

  This time was different though. My life was in New York, and his was in Savannah, and neither of us wanted to give up anything for our careers. Suddenly I wasn't just crying for Stephen, I was crying because even though Stephen was right, I didn't see a way for it to work out.

  I still loved Mason and it scared the hell out of me.

  I woke up to the sounds of the ocean floating in from my open window. The waves were calming after my rough night. Mason had comforted me at the hospital, but when we got back to Violet and Jaxon's house for the evening, I pulled away. I wasn't ready for the conversations that needed to follow what we’d discussed on the plane. My head and my heart weren't agreeing with what I wanted to happen between us. Picking up my phone, I dialed Adam. I needed to check in and let him know what was going on here. To my surprise he picked up on the first ring.

  "Hey Emmy. How are things? Any changes with Stephen?"

  He sounded stressed and not about Stephen. I hoped it wasn't something serious. It wasn’t really possible for me to be supportive and comforting from across the country.

  "Nothing yet, but the doctors seem optimistic. It's just really hard seeing him like this."

  He spoke to someone in the background before answering. "You know if there's anything I can do for you or Lexi, you just need to ask."

  "I know and we both appreciate it. She seems to be holding it together pretty well.” I paused when I heard him speaking to someone else again. “Are you sure you can talk right now, you seem preoccupied."

  "That's Lexi for you, and it's fine. I'm signing off on charts and getting ready to head into surgery. I have a few minutes though.” He paused. “I'm sorry; I probably shouldn’t have answered, but I wanted to make sure I talked to you this morning."

  Multitasking. Adam was great at that, but I wasn't used to him doing it with me. "I can call back later, or you can call me after you get out of surgery."

  "No, honey. I'm stepping into my office now. Talk to me."

  I hesitated. "It would be better if Lexi wasn't so pissed at Taylor, but there's nothing I can do to fix that. She's is just looking for someone to blame besides Stephen and the semi driver."

  "Those two have been friends for a long time, I'm sure she'll figure it out."

  "I'm sure they will. I just hope it’s before they ruin their friendship."

  We talked for a few more minutes about how things were going for him and his schedule for the next few days before getting off the phone. It felt forced, which threw me because it had never been that way between us, and I hated it.

  He hadn't been thrilled when I told him I was going with Mason to California. Why would he be though? His girlfriend was on a plane with her ex-husband. Adam knew I still loved Mason in some way, even if I wasn't willing to admit it to him. Adam had taken me to the airport the morning I flew out of New York, and it killed me that our kiss goodbye felt so final. I didn't want to believe that Adam was giving up on our relationship, but it seemed like he’d already started to let me go. A week ago we were talking about taking a romantic vacation and now it felt like he was just done.

  A light knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

  "Hey, I was just coming to see if you were awake,” Mason said, as he peeked his head inside the door. “Jax and I are about to head back to the hospital. Lexi and Taylor finally agreed to come home and sleep."

  "Good. They both look exhausted."

  "Can you stay here and make sure they sleep?"

  "Of course. Where's Violet?"

  "She's...uh…oh, hell." He grimaced. "I'm not going to lie to you. She's pregnant and having horrible morning sickness right now. They haven't told anyone yet, but I heard her throwing up this morning and Jaxon told me. It's awful because they found out the morning of Stephen's accident and they planned on telling everyone after he got home."

  My stomach was in my throat and suddenly I felt sick.

  "Oh damn."

  "Yeah. Can you please not let Jax or Violet know that I told you? Jax and I are just starting to get along. I don't want to fuck that up, but there’s no way I can keep this from you, or lie to you. Especially after everything you told me on the plane.” He stepped further into the room. “Are you going to be okay, baby?"

  "I think so," I said softly. His drunken phone call still loomed over me, reminding me that he could keep a secret from me. Now wasn't the time to bring that up though, maybe if Stephen woke up or things got a little better, but not now. "I'll just bug Violet until she tells me herself."

  Mason smiled and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Let me know if you need anything, or even if you just want to talk. I'll text you if there's any change with Stephen."

  He turned and walked out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I couldn't think about Violet having a baby or I would lose it. All I could think about was his drunken phone call. Mason had promised something to someone, and it probably was either his mom or his sister. Those are the only two women I could see him giving anything up for. My head ached and I needed coffee.

  When I made my way down to the kitchen, Violet was sitting at the table looking miserable. I hid my face as I poured a cup of coffee and added creamer. I was happy for her, but I was so jealous that she had what I wanted.

  "You look like shit."

  "Gee thanks, Em. Love you too," she said flipping me off.

  "That’s a bit of an overreaction,” I said grinning. “Do you need something?"

  Violet shuddered. "I don't want anything, but it would probably help if I ate."

  "Want me to make you some dry toast? Ginger tea?" I asked, innocently.

  "Oh give it up, I know Mase told you. He never could keep a secret from you and Jaxon told me that he heard me throwing up earlier."

  It was obvious she didn't want to talk about her pregnancy. I threw a few pieces of bread into the toaster and turned back towards her. "Apparently, he can keep a secret."

  She shot me a look and I told her about the drunken phone call and the miscarriage. I filled her in on everything, down to cuddling on the plane. Violet was as suspicious as I was about who would have mad
e him promise to stay in Savannah.

  "You think it's his momma?"

  "It's possible. She's always been manipulative when it comes to her kids."

  "I remember when Kaleb had his enlistment ceremony she pretended to be sick so she didn't have to go because she was so upset." She rolled her eyes.

  "Mason was so pissed off at her over that." I took a sip of my coffee and leaned back against the counter. "It doesn't matter anyway, the divorce is almost final."

  "It is? When the hell did this happen?"

  "A few months ago. After I went to Georgia, I filed. That is, I filed after we had dirty, end of marriage sex." Violet snickered, and I continued, "One drunken phone call months after I went to confront him won’t change things. I love him, I always will, but he isn't going to change his life for me. My life is in New York and his is in Savannah."

  "He loves you, you know that right?"

  I smiled sadly. "Sometimes love isn’t enough."

  We were quiet for a few moments. "I'm going to go forward with the IVF. Adam gave me a list of donors."

  "Aren't you forgetting the part where he offered up his own boys to get the job done?" Lexi chimed in from the doorway.

  "I thought you were sleeping," I said, exasperated.

  "I woke up. Tell Vi the truth about Adam. He's so in love with you it's not even funny, but you can't make a decision to save your life right now, unless it has to do with work."

  "Damn it, Lexi. Just because I'm not sure that I want Adam to be the father of my children doesn't mean that I can't made a decision. He's sweet and sexy and everything I could ask for in a man, but we haven't been able to have a real relationship. It can't be easy on him that while we were dating I found out I was still married. Every time it seemed like things were going good something else happens to derail our entire relationship."