They entered the kitchen. Rhett was sitting at the table, while Tiana’s mom bustled around trying to make everything look perfect. She looked up at the sound of the door closing and wiped her hands on a towel. “There you are. It’s so good to meet you, Mason.” She thrust her hand out eagerly.
“Good to meet you.” He flailed around, not sure what to call her.
“Philippa.” She smiled brightly. “Sit. Both of you sit, it’s all ready.”
“Don’t you want me to help?” Tiana asked.
“No, I can manage. You sit and make eyes at this man of yours.” Philippa winked at Tiana, who gave her mom a warning look.
“What? If he were mine, I’d make eyes at him,” Philippa joked, and Rhett stifled a laugh.
“Did you make eyes at dad when you first met?” Tiana asked, offering around the naan bread.
“Things were different in our days,” Philippa informed them as she passed over the plates filled with rice and topped with curry. “But he knew I liked him.” She looked up, her eyes dreamy as she reminisced. “We were subtler about things those days.”
“I was telling mom about your plans,” Tiana successfully steered the conversation toward discussing the house.
“I’d like to hear what you have to say,” Philippa told Mason as she sat down. Tiana poured the wine and the conversation took on the excited tone of people who were planning for the future.
Mason quickly and eloquently conveyed the ideas he had for extending the house. He had a captive audience in Tiana, Philippa, and Rhett.
“And you can help us with the work?” Philippa asked for the third time.
“I can,” Mason assured her. “It’s what I do.”
“How much will it cost?” Philippa asked. “We don’t have much in the way of savings for big projects.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Tiana said quickly before Mason could offer to do the work for free.
“You have?” Philippa asked. “Because I know you don’t have savings either.”
“But I have this house.” Tiana glanced at Rhett. “I know it’s our home. But maybe it’s time for a fresh start for all of us.”
“You want to sell the house?” Rhett asked.
“Yes.” Tiana looked at her son apologetically.
“What about Dad?” Rhett asked. “Where’s he going to live? You and Mason aren’t going to want him living with you.”
“I’ll give him some of the money from the house.” Tiana glanced sideways to see Mason’s reaction. Not that it was any of his business. He didn’t much mind if Tiana gave all her money to Quentin if it would give them some space to live without him overshadowing their lives. “It’s only fair.”
“It’s not fair,” Philippa said hotly. “He left you and his child. Left you to fend for yourselves.”
“He paid me child support when he could.” Tiana clasped her hands, rubbing her thumbs together. “I want us all to have a fresh start. That includes Quentin.”
“Tiana, this is your fresh start. He had his,” Philippa began.
“We can discuss this at another time,” Tiana said firmly, her eyes locked with her mother’s.
“Tiana tells me her dad loves gardening,” Mason interjected as the two women stared at each other.
Philippa switched her attention to Mason. “He does. It’s torture for him lying in bed not being able to get out into his garden. Every time I see him, he tells me of all the jobs he should be doing. I told him you and Tiana went there today and cleaned the place up.”
“Do you think he could go for a visit?” Mason asked. “I could collect him in my car and drive him up there.”
“Would you?” Philippa beamed. “I think it’s just what he needs. Don’t you, Tiana?”
“I do. We’d talked about taking him there for a short visit, but we don’t think we can get him in and out of the car alone,” Tiana said as she got up from the table and began to clear the dishes.
“Why didn’t you ask me? I could help,” Rhett offered.
“Why don’t we all go?” Mason asked. “Maybe tomorrow?”
“I have work in the evening,” Tiana replied. “How about in the afternoon? You have a free period, don’t you, Rhett?”
“I do.” Rhett nodded, although he appeared a little preoccupied.
“And you’d like to come and take a look at what we have planned for Grandma’s house?” Tiana asked.
“Sure.” Rhett nodded, then got up and left the room, heading out into the back yard.
“I won’t be a moment.” Tiana got up and made to follow, but Mason placed his hand on hers and stopped her.
“Why don’t I go? Let him know I’m not a threat.”
Tiana nodded and let him go, her bottom lip trembling as she twirled her wine glass between her finger and thumb. “Thank you.”
Mason opened the back door and left the kitchen, taking a look around for Rhett. “Are you okay?”
Rhett was sitting on the lounge chair, staring across the garden. “Yeah. I just hate hearing people talk about my dad like that. I know what he did was wrong. He knows what he did was wrong.”
“But that doesn’t make him a bad person,” Mason finished.
“No, it doesn’t.” Rhett rocked back in his chair. “I want everyone to be happy. I’m scared what will happen to Dad if he doesn’t have us around. After Nicky died, he was in a bad place. What if he goes back there again?” Rhett pressed his fingers to his eyes and looked away, sniffing loudly.
“I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make it work for all of us.” Mason understood how families worked only too well. If one member was unhappy, the whole family was unhappy. It seemed as if to make his relationship with Tiana work, he needed to ensure everyone was happy, including her cheating ex-husband.
Chapter Eleven – Tiana
“You should go after them,” Philippa suggested as they cleared the dishes.
“I’ll give them another minute.” Tiana wiped the table clean while listening out for Mason and Rhett. She glanced at her mom. “Are you sure you’re good with Mason’s plans?”
“I am, yes.” Philippa turned around and studied her daughter. “And you?”
“What about me?” Tiana straightened up.
“Are you going to be happy living under the same roof as your parents at your age?” Philippa asked.
“Well, if you put it like that…” Tiana took the cloth to the sink and then dried her hands. “I want you and Dad to be happy. That’s all.”
“What about your happiness? A new relationship with Mason, while living with me and your dad? You don’t think it’ll put too much strain on you?” Philippa’s concerns were genuine and with any other man, Tiana would have been forced to confront them head-on.
“We’ve known each other two days, Mom.” Tiana folded her arms and leaned back against the counter. “He’s a shifter.”
“Thought as much,” Philippa said as she wiped the last of the dishes dry. “He’s a keeper.”
“Because that’s what fate says?” Tiana asked, her temper rising. “Just like that, fate decides I need a second husband.”
“He’s proposed already?” Philippa asked excitedly, defusing Tiana’s impending bad mood.
“No!” Tiana laughed. “I suppose that would suit you and Dad, get me off your hands again.”
“You know we only want the best for you. And I believe Mason is the best thing to come into your life since that little boy of yours was born.” Philippa wrapped her arms around her daughter and patted her back. “You deserve happiness. And I believe that man will give you that happiness.”
“You know, I think you might be right.” Tiana rested her head on her mom’s shoulder, grateful for the reassuring comfort. “Who would have thought that a forty-something-year-old woman would still need her mom?”
“Children always need their parents, just as parents always need their children. You know that well enough,” Philippa said, then she straightened up. “Now, don’t you
have a man you need to rescue?”
“I don’t think Mason needs rescuing.” Tiana was certain Mason was more than ready to look after himself. And if his human side couldn’t, he had a massive bear as backup.
“Don’t be too sure, Quentin’s walking up the garden,” Philippa said in alarm.
“What?!” Tiana spun around and headed for the back door, yanking it open and going outside with Philippa hot on her heels.
“Dad.” Rhett got up from his sun lounger and Mason followed. This looked like a train wreck in progress. Unless Tiana could defuse the situation.
“Quentin. What are you doing here?” Tiana asked, sliding herself between Quentin and Mason.
“I saw you had company. And since Rhett said you had a new boyfriend, I thought I’d come and check him out,” Quentin said, his voice strained as he switched his attention from Mason to Tiana and back again.
“If there’s any checking out to do, I’m sure Tiana is more than capable of doing so herself,” Mason said, squaring his shoulders.
“Okay, boys, that’s enough,” Tiana said with a sigh. The evening had been wonderful and she hated the thought of it all being spoiled by a testosterone-fueled standoff.
“Tiana, I’m simply here to check if your boyfriend is a suitable person for Rhett to be around.” Quentin looked nervous as they all stared at him.
“Dad, I’m old enough to look after myself and decide who I hang around. I’m eighteen.” Rhett didn’t look happy and his shoulders slumped forward as his body language softened. “I know you’re just being protective, Dad, but it’s okay. Honestly.”
Quentin nodded, his lips pressed together as he tried to contain his emotions. “I just wanted to make sure you were all okay.”
“I know, Quentin.” Tiana reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I know.”
“Come on, Dad.” Rhett put his arm around his father.
“There are some leftovers if you want something to eat,” Philippa offered, her earlier animosity toward Quentin passed.
“Shall we go inside, Dad?” Rhett looked apologetically at Tiana, but she nodded, telling him it was okay.
Philippa, Rhett, and Quentin went inside and shut the door, leaving Tiana and Mason alone. “Sorry about that.”
“I can understand Quentin being protective of you and Rhett. But I don’t understand why you invited him back to your home.” Mason looked to her for an explanation.
“Because he needed us. And my son needs his dad.” Tiana took a step closer to Mason, reminded of the moment earlier today when his bear approached her so cautiously, afraid she might run. Now she was afraid he might run. That she’d say the wrong thing and her mixed-up world would go back to how it was before he entered her life.
Mason nodded. “And you loved him once.”
Tiana gave a short laugh. “Yes, I did. We got married. We had a child together. I know I should shut him out. I know I should hate him. But I’m over that.”
Mason looked at the ground and then looked at Tiana. “I can’t share you, Tiana.”
She folded her arms across her chest and her jaw tightened. “I’m not yours alone, Mason. I can’t be. But if we are together, I will always be faithful and love only you in that way. But my heart is big enough for more than one kind of love.”
“I know.” Mason’s mouth turned up at one corner. “We’ll work it out.”
The tension left her, and she stepped forward, her arms wide open as she went to him. “That’s all I ask. He needs us now, but time will heal him, and he’ll move on.”
Mason wrapped his arms around her and held her close, his head resting on hers. “I’m just scared he’s on the rebound and the safest person for him to rebound onto is you.”
“Oh, that is never going to happen,” Tiana told him firmly. “Quentin should never have married me, he knows that now.”
“He didn’t love you?” Mason asked gently.
“In his own way. But not in the same way as he loved Nicky.” Tiana tilted her head back and looked up at Mason. “He did what he was brought up to do, meet a girl, get married, have kids. But he knew he was living a lie.”
“You mean he rushed into marriage too soon?” Mason stroked her cheek, his eyes flicking to her lips, but he didn’t kiss her.
“I suppose you could say that.” Tiana glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen door and then turned back to face Mason. Her cheeks flushed pink as she said, “Quentin’s partner, Nicky. He was a man.”
Mason sucked air into his lungs as if winded. “Wow. I never got that from the name. I just presumed.”
“As most people do.” Tiana’s expression filled with sadness. “At first I was ashamed. I should have seen it. Then I was angry. But then I looked at my precious baby boy and learned to be thankful. Thankful that something so wonderful had come out of a relationship that never should have been.”
“Fate,” Mason whispered.
“Fate,” she agreed. “Now, are you going to kiss me?”
He lowered his head and captured her lips, his tongue sliding along her lower lip. Once again, the need for him overwhelmed her. Being with Mason gave her a new insight into her relationship with Quentin. He wasn’t the only one who had wanted the fairytale ending. She played her own part in their doomed relationship.
Quentin was safe, she knew when she married him theirs would never be one of those great dramatic love stories. They were more of the slow and steady types.
And that was okay with her. Especially when Rhett came along so soon after they married. Tiana had never told anyone, not even Haley, how after their son was born their sex life died.
It happened. She’d read about it in magazines how a child can affect a relationship. But in truth, Quentin had done his duty, he’d fathered a child and once that was done, he was happy to provide for their material and emotional needs. Rhett couldn’t have asked for a more doting father. But he could no longer bring himself to provide for Tiana’s physical needs.
Only in the months and years afterward did she suspect he wasn’t attracted to her or any other woman. However, she was happy to play along for their son’s sake. And they did love each other. That part hadn’t been a lie either.
“What now?” Mason asked as they held each other while the light faded from the sky.
“I don’t know.” She broke away from him and sat down on a sun lounger. Mason did the same and they sat in silence as the stars came out.
“Maybe I should go.” Mason reached for her hand. “We’re still on for tomorrow?”
“Yes. Nothing’s changed. Not for me,” Tiana reassured him.
“Nor me, Tiana.” He slid off the chair and knelt on the ground by her feet. “This is what I want. You are what I want. If I have to take on the whole of Bear Creek and give them all homes to make that work, I will.”
Tiana cupped his face in her hands. “Not quite the whole of Bear Creek.” She leaned forward and kissed him, wanting him to know how much it meant to her that he was willing to make sacrifices to make this work. “I can’t believe we only met two days ago.”
“I’ve waited a lifetime for you.” Mason’s words caught in his throat as he took hold of her wrists. “I don’t want anyone or anything to come between us. Not now.”
“It won’t,” she said, his intensity no longer scared her. If anything it excited her. His passion was for her and no one else. He’d never betray her, never walk away from her for another.
All she needed to do was grasp ahold of it and never let go.
“You should go inside and see if they’re all right.” He kissed her lips and then released her. In one fluid movement, he stood up and held out his hand to her. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving?” Her disappointment sounded in her voice.
“I am. For now.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I think I have the strength to walk away. For one night only.”
With that, he kissed her cheek and left.
; Chapter Twelve – Mason
Mason drove back to the hotel, preoccupied with the events of the evening. But not in a negative way, despite knowing Quentin was going to feature in their lives, at least in the near future.
Hopefully one day Quentin would move on and make a new life. Until that day, Mason would have to deal with it and accept him as a member of Tiana’s family.
His bear grumbled his dissent but didn’t object. They both were in agreement; Tiana’s happiness was more important than a petty squabble with Quentin. Now that they knew the reason Quentin left Tiana, they were willing to let the matter settle, if only for Tiana’s sake.
As Mason pulled into the hotel parking lot and got out of the car, he breathed in the night air. It was too early for bed, so he locked his car and instead of returning to the hotel, he made his way toward the trail that led to the mountain.
However, before he turned off onto the trail, his senses prickled. Tiana was close.
Mason stopped in his tracks and looked across to the parking lot, where a car had just entered.
She’s here, his bear said in surprise.
Mason jogged back toward the hotel, arriving just as Tiana got out of the car. “Hello.”
Tiana jumped, then turned around to face him. “Do you always sneak up on people like that?”
“Only you.” He closed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms, kissing her lips, hungry to taste her, eager to claim her.
She kissed him back, her lips hot and sensual on his. Tiana’s fingers threaded through his hair and she sighed, content to be here with him. Mason pressed his hand into the small of her back until there was no air between them. If he could he would meld them together, body and soul.
“We should get a room,” Tiana said breathlessly as their kiss broke. She clung to him. Were her knees as weak as his?
“Funny you should mention rooms. I have one we could use,” he said, his voice light, but his meaning serious.
“You do?” She cocked her head to one side as if in shock. “Well, what a coincidence.”
“Want to see it?” His fingers entwined with hers and he guided her toward the hotel, not waiting for her answer. He didn’t need her mouth to speak the words, her body had already given him the only answer he needed.
Silverbacks and Second Chances Page 53