Fallen Crest Alternative Version

  are wrong. I’m an adult, for the most part. I can make my own decisions, especially when it comes to my brother. So is Mason. You’re family. You can’t undo that shit with us.”

  Family. That word soared through me. He still considered me family.

  Logan stepped closer. I glanced around, realizing the audience we were attracting. He lowered his voice. “I don’t know what you wrote in that note, but it killed him. I couldn’t even be fucking mad at him for what he did to me, but trust me, what you did to him trumps whatever he did to me. You broke him.”

  I was broken too.

  “I love you, Sam. You’re my brother’s girlfriend. You’re going to be my stepsister and maybe one day, my sister-in-law. I have no clue, but I know my brother loves you. Whatever I may or may not feel for you can’t compare, but that’s my decision. Not yours. It’s not in your court unless I decide it goes there. You understand?”

  Relief, hope, terror all slammed into me. What did this mean?

  “I love you because you’re family, okay? That’s all there is between us.”

  I was huddled against my locker now and he leaned over me. He was close, studying my face. Then he cupped the side of my face and pressed a kiss to my forehead. His lips brushed against my skin as he murmured, “Go to my brother. He’s the one that needs you.” Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me in tight for a hug. Then he pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I almost miss hearing the two of you screw.”

  A weak laugh left me. “Shut up.” We were not loud. We never had been.

  Logan’s chest shook as he laughed, still hugging me close. “Yeah, but I like giving you crap about it. Get your ass going.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s running.”

  “He’s running?”

  “Your old trail.” He lifted his head and spoke over my shoulder, “I hear you’ve been good to Sam?”

  Emily replied to him, laughing at something, but I tuned out. The need to get to Mason was the only thing I could think about. I wasn’t going to analyze what Logan said. I left before I changed my mind. Logan said I was family. No matter what happened, he was right. I couldn’t fuck up my family like my mother had. I just hadn’t realized that’s what I had done.

  *

  My heart was pounding in rhythm with my feet. Each step I took, a loud thud sounded in my ears. I lifted my arms higher and higher with each stride. Logan said Mason was running my trail. As soon as I had parked where I normally got on the trail, I hit the ground running. My keys were still in my hand, but I took off. Logan was right. I was an idiot. I had fucked up our family and I hadn’t realized it.

  At the reminder, I gritted my teeth and pushed forward with a new burst of speed. I had to get to Mason. Rounding a clearing, I kept going. When I ran, I ran. I never jogged, but this had been a full sprint since the car. My lungs were straining. The slap of the air was hitting my skin. I kept going. I didn’t feel any of it.

  Then I saw him.

  The trail turned, he was there, and then he was gone. There was another curve up ahead.

  “Mason!” I yelled and pumped my knees harder.

  The trail came to a clearing and straightened out in front of me. Nothing.

  I braked, pitching forward from the sudden stop, but I gasped, frowning. Where had he gone?

  “Sam?”

  Whipping around, he was behind me. He was drenched in sweat. Shirtless, his shorts rode low on his hips, and he was staring at me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m sorry,” I gasped out. My heart slammed against my chest. It wanted to go to him, but I reeled myself in. “I am so sorry. Logan told me about the restraining order. I had no idea. I can’t believe my dad would do that.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The restraining order.” I looked at him. “The one my dad put against you.”

  His eyebrows bunched forward. “Your dad put a restraining order against me?”

  “He…” I flushed. Logan. “He didn’t. Logan lied. I’m so sorry...again.”

  He gave me a half-grin. “So Logan lied and that’s why you ran me down? To apologize for the fake restraining order.”

  “No, to…” I stopped. I hadn’t thought this out. “No, I came to fix things.”

  “What do you mean fix things?” His chest was gleaming from sweat and he rested his hands on his hips, breathing in and out.

  “Fix you and me.” That wasn’t right either. “Fix our family. I messed it up.”

  His eyes narrowed and just like that, the old Mason was back. He’d been staring at me like I was a stranger, but at my news, his eyes flashed. They were fierce and I sucked in my breath. Shit. He was inside of me, just like that. I could feel him reading my thoughts. He had a grip on my heart. He was in me. There was no other way to describe it. The ache began in me. I had missed him so goddamn much.

  “Your note said there was no more us.”

  I closed my eyes. He was hurting. I heard it in his voice, and it hurt to talk. “I know.”

  “Your note said I was supposed to leave you alone.”

  “I know.”

  It was hurting all over again.

  He added, his voice was too soft, “You wrote that you had come between Logan and me and you were taking yourself out of the equation.”

  I flinched. Hearing it spoken to me, it was cold. I had been so cold.

  He bit out, “We were a damn math equation. That’s what you likened us to. We were math to you, and we didn’t add up.”

  “I was wrong.”

  “You were more than wrong.”

  There was anger in his voice now, and I prepared myself. He had a right to be angry. “I’m so sorry, Mason. I really am. I couldn’t bear the idea that I would come between you and Logan.”

  Fury flashed in his eyes. “That’s for me and Logan to decide. Not you.”

  “I know.”

  “You broke up with me through a note.” He took a step closer. “A fucking note, Sam.”

  “I know.” I had no excuse.

  “We took you in. We protected you. We treated you like family and you left us with a note.”

  Treated me like a family. Those words sent a stabbing pain through me. I thought I had been family? I cleared my throat and spoke, “I was wrong. I thought that’s what I had to do.”

  “By a note?”

  “I had to leave. I would always be a problem.” I was pleading with him. “You manipulated Logan because of me.”

  “I manipulated Logan because I was scared that I would lose my brother. I thought Miranda would realize what button she pushed and she would throw that in his face.”

  “I know. Because of me.”

  “No.” He shook his head and took another step closer. “Because of me. I chose that action. Whether because of you or another girl, I made that decision to do what I did.” He paused a moment. “I was wrong.”

  My gaze jumped to his and I frowned.

  He softened. “I was wrong to do what I did. I should’ve brought it up to Logan that night. We could’ve hashed it out, but it never had anything to do with you.”

  “It was feelings for me--”

  “He doesn’t have feelings for you.”

  I stopped. “What?”

  “Or he does. I don’t know.” He shrugged, regret flaring over his face for a moment. “That’s Logan’s issue if he does, but I assumed and I was scared. I fucked the family up, Sam. You leaving through a note, that hurts, but it was because of me that you even felt you had to do that. This whole thing is my fault.” He stopped, took a breath, and lifted a hand to cup the side of my face. “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m so goddamn sorry.”

  At the feel of him, my eyes closed. I was home again. His touch made me feel that I struggled against throwing myself at him. I wanted to bury my head into his chest and let everything go. He was home.

  He stepped forward and bent so his forehead rested against mine.
“I’ve been so angry that I couldn’t apologize to you the right way, but I couldn’t get to you. It hurt. It really hurt that you were scared to talk to me and I couldn’t fix this.”

  He cupped both sides of my face, and my hands lifted to hold onto his arms. I felt that he was shielding me again. Him and me. No one else. I murmured, “I wasn’t scared to talk to you. I was scared of myself. I wouldn’t be able to stay away if we talked.”

  “You were?”

  I nodded, my head moving his at the same time. “Logan showed up at school today and chewed me out. He said I was being stupid and I screwed the family up.”

  “No, that was me. All me.” He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “Logan’s pissed because he can’t fix it. He didn’t do anything to fuck this up so he can’t fix it. He yells at me every day.”

  “He does?”

  “Yeah.” He cracked a grin, pulling away. His thumb brushed one of my tears away. “He was really mad when I decided to give you space.”

  “He was?”

  “Yeah.” His eyes darkened, and he dipped down to kiss my cheek. It was soft and lingering. It sent my heart racing. He added, still against me, his lips brushing my skin, “I was going to start trying again, but I figured you were staying away for a reason. I hadn’t given up. I was just waiting. Hell, I planned on showing up in your bedroom one of these nights.”

  I grinned at the idea of that. It would’ve been over. The image of him in my bedroom would’ve destroyed any resolve I had against him. I would’ve crumbled, apologized over and over again, and then begged him to take me back. At that realization, I was humbled by my own stupidity. “I’m so sorry, Mason.”

  He pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me, and he held me there. His head dipped to my shoulder and he pressed a kiss there. I shivered at the sensation. Then his hands left and grabbed under my legs. He hoisted me up in one movement. My legs opened, wrapping around his waist in one movement and I felt him walking further into the clearing. When he got to the middle, he knelt down, and laid me on the ground. Holding himself above me, he brushed some of the hair behind my ear and smiled.

  There it was again. His love. I saw it and everything clicked back into place. Closing my eyes, I knew he was leaning down to kiss me. I didn’t see it. I didn’t feel it, but I knew he was going to, and when he did, when his lips touched mine, everything fled away.

  It was the two of us. Once more.

  His lips opened over mine and I answered. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I drew him down to me. The need to be with him was being fulfilled, but I was starving for more. I would always need more of him.

  It was later when we realized where we were. The tall grass had kept us hidden, but we heard a group of runners going past us. They were laughing and shouting at each other. Mason laughed in my ear, his chuckle quiet and low. He raised his head and glanced at them. When they were gone, he sat up, but kept his back against the trail so I was shielded from any last stragglers going by.

  Adjusting my clothing back into place, I gave him a rueful grin. I couldn’t stop myself—my face slipped into one of those dreamy looks every girlfriend gives her boyfriend when they’re in love. That was me. I was back to being cheesy again. Then I rolled my eyes at myself. An hour ago, my world had been shattered. Now it was back in place again.

  My fingers kept catching on my bra as I was trying to pull it back into place. It was rolled together and I needed to straighten it. I cursed under my breath, but Mason leaned over me. His arms went around me and he brushed my hands aside. He smoothed it out and ran his hand down the rest of my spine, trailing all the way down to my underwear.

  I held my breath, feeling the tingles from his touch, and he grinned at me, sliding his hand inside my underwear. His hand flattened and his other gripped my hip. He lifted me in one movement. My legs went around his waist again and I laid my head down on his shoulder. He carried me all the way back to the car.

  I shivered, feeling the drugged addiction I had for him reawakened and doubled. As he walked with me in his arms, I knew I could never leave him again. Nothing could pull me away now.

  EPILOGUE

  When I asked what happened the night I left, when Mason came home and Logan learned that he’d been manipulated, neither of them told me. James had to order new furniture for the downstairs media room and a new television so that gave me a good idea of what happened. Logan never talked about his feelings. If he had them for me or not, it was a conversation that was never discussed again. His actions never indicated anything either.

  I was cautious the first couple months, but then I relaxed. Both of them were right. If he did, that was his decision for when or if we would handle it. The only indication that there had been anything wrong between Mason and Logan was that Logan yelled at Mason. He yelled a lot, and he yelled about everything. If Mason got the wrong food, Logan would wink at me and then start yelling. Mason was sent back for the right order or anything Logan wanted. That went on for three more months until Logan yelled at Mason about a fork. He hadn’t given Logan the right size.

  Mason got up from the table, grabbed a fork, and came back. He stared down at Logan, who waited with his hand held out, but Mason gripped the fork like it was a knife. He leaned over and stabbed it into Logan’s steak. Then he turned, still leaning over his brother, and said, “That’s enough.”

  Logan laughed as Mason went back to his seat. “Wondered how long you were going to let me go.”

  “Yeah. Until now.”

  I got another wink from Logan and he leaned over his plate to eat.

  Mason nudged my plate over. “Eat, Sam.”

  I did. I was happy to do so.

  Analise had been watching the interaction and when I began eating my pasta, she ducked her head down. Her hand lifted and she wiped at a tear, then she rolled her shoulders back and started eating herself. James frowned, glancing around the table, but then he sighed and followed suit.

  I never moved back in with Analise and James. I lived with David. When his relationship deepened with Malinda Decraw, I moved with him into her home. We were across the street from Mason and Logan. The first month, Mason snuck in at night. After we kept getting caught, he just blatantly came over to spend the night. There’d been a meeting between the parents how to handle the situation, but nothing came from it. Malinda returned to the house that night irate at my mother.

  No one blamed her.

  Malinda never approved of Mason sleeping over, but she said they were both welcome at any time, any day, and any moment. That was followed up with a gruff, “Take that, Analitch,” under her breath and went to her bedroom.

  Garrett took a job in a law firm. Bella was promoted to the head chef at the country club. Because I stopped going to the country club with the Academy Elite, I didn’t see her anymore. The only interaction I had with Garrett was through a phone call. He called David to ask if I wanted to come for dinner.

  I didn’t go. He had his wife move back in and disappeared from my life before. I wasn’t ready to handle my biological father. There was an open invitation for me to go any night for dinner. All I had to do was tell David when I wanted to go. He would let Garrett know, but I hadn’t gone. I would someday, but that day hadn’t come yet.

  As for my future, it was up in the air. Mason convinced me to transfer to Fallen Crest Public School, so I assumed it would be with Kate and her friends. Things escalated at the last party where I saw them. Kate called me a whore, and I slapped her. We were separated right away, but I knew they would be a problem.

  That was the next thing for me to handle.

  “Sam?” Mason called, coming down the stairs.

  My door was open and I rolled over on my bed. “I’m in here.”

  He appeared in the doorway and paused there. His eyes darkened with promise. “Is Mark here?”

  I shook my head, a grin teasing the corner of my mouth. I knew what he was thinking.

  He came inside and closed the door. “Malin
da and your dad weren’t upstairs either.” He locked it next.