Taken Home

  Mason was at a loss for how to respond to his father’s raw, emotional display of regret. “How old are your sons?”

  His father smiled with a flicker of sadness. “They’re both seven. Emmett was born four minutes before Austin and takes his role of big brother very seriously. They’re not identical. Emmett looks more like Cristy’s side of the family than mine. He has her eyes and often her expressions. Austin reminds me of you. He’s going to be a heartbreaker when he’s older. Girls already fawn all over him.” Jarrett stood. “I won’t make the same mistake with him that I made with you, Mason. I don’t have a career path chosen for him. Both of them will have normal childhoods. We should have let you have the same.”

  A long awkward moment passed. Mason motioned toward the door. “Text me about Friday and your flight.”

  “Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer? Emmett and Austin were hoping to meet you.”

  “Another time,” Mason said. Seeing his father again had been enough for one day. He hadn’t known what to expect and was somewhat relieved that it had gone better than expected, but he was realistic enough to keep his expectations low. He had done what he came for. More than that was just asking for trouble. He walked out of the house the way he had come in. His father followed, then stood at the top of the steps watching Mason walk around to the driver’s side of his car. Mason opened the door but paused before getting in. “This is important to me.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Mason nodded, slid into his car, and peeled out of the driveway, eager to put distance between himself and his past. On the way to his apartment, he called Chelle.

  “How did it go?” she asked in a rush.

  “Tell your parents my father will be there Friday.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “So it went well?”

  Mason cut in and out of traffic, grinding the gears of his car as he took out some of his frustrations on his vehicle. “Define well. I saw him. We spoke. I asked him to fly down to meet your parents, and he agreed to. That’s it, really. Honestly, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

  “That can’t be all that happened. He must have said something.”

  “He tried to justify the last ten years. I understand now what your father meant when he said words mean nothing to him. All he wanted to talk about was how he’s going to do better with his new sons. It meant nothing to me.”

  “He has children? You didn’t tell me that.”

  “I didn’t know about them until recently. I haven’t exactly kept up with my father’s life.”

  “Are they his biologically?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve always wished I weren’t an only child, but my mother couldn’t have any after me. You have brothers, Mason.” Chelle sounded a hell of a lot more excited about it than he did.

  “Half brothers.”

  She made a little sound, and he could picture the exact expression she’d have on her face as she made it. God, I miss her.

  “How old are they?”

  “His kids?”

  “Your brothers.”

  “He said they’re seven.”

  “Did you meet them?”

  “No. I didn’t see a reason to. It’s very unlikely I’ll even see my father again after this week.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, ‘Why?’”

  “Why wouldn’t you see him again?”

  “Chelle, my family isn’t close like yours.” He gave Chelle a quick summary of what his father had said his life had been like before and after his mother had died. “My father cares about his new wife and kids, not me. I’ve made peace with that.”

  “Have you, Mason? What happened was awful. You lost both of your parents when your mother died. My grandfather used to say we are the best and worst of everything we’ve been through, but the art of living is taking that and making something good out of it. Your father didn’t believe you could love him, so he turned his back on you. You don’t believe he can love you, so you’re doing the same to him and your brothers. When does it end? And how long will it be before you decide I can’t love you and you do the same to me?”

  “That would never happen.” Mason pulled off the highway into a rest area. He gripped the steering wheel.

  “It might if you choose to run from this instead of face it. Mason, my father doesn’t care about actually meeting your father. He wanted you to go see him. There is nothing more important to my father than family, and honestly, I feel the same way. I want to build a life with you, but I’ll admit it scares me when I see you shutting people out. What are you going to do when I disappoint you one day? I will. There isn’t a single perfect person on the planet, Mason. Not me. Not you. Will you stay and work it out? I need to know you will. Otherwise, why marry at all?”

  “I would fight for us, Chelle. You have to know that.”

  There was resolve in her gently spoken request. “Then show me. Go meet your brothers, Mason. Find it in your heart to forgive your father. Not for him—for us. It doesn’t matter if they’re the good people we hope they are; it matters that you can open your heart enough to show them you are.”

  “That’s quite an ultimatum, Chelle.”

  “I’m worth it,” Chelle said with her usual surety and hung up.

  Mason pulled his car back onto the highway and headed to his apartment. He didn’t get angry with Chelle the way he had when her father had said something similar to him. Chelle loved him. She was the one person in the world he was 100 percent certain of. He wanted her to feel the same certainty when it came to him. Before he went to bed that night, he called his father and asked if he could visit again the next day. “I’d like to meet Emmett and Austin if they’d still like to meet me.”

  His father said, “We’ll be here.” Although his answer was brief, his tone revealed that he was happier about it than Mason had expected.

  Mason spent the night thinking about what Chelle had said. Could he face the past without becoming the person he’d been back then? As soon as he asked himself that question, he realized he’d hung on to the fears of a young man well past when he should have.

  He wasn’t eighteen and alone. He was a successful man with a loving fiancée, and friends who had shown their loyalty to him. Chelle was right; it was time to forgive—but not just his father. Sometime around midnight Mason realized he was still angry with his mother for leaving the way she had and with himself for falling apart when it happened. He didn’t need to talk through each revelation with his father; he needed to let the anger go.

  Very late that night Mason called Chelle. Her voice was groggy from sleep. “Mason? Is everything all right?”

  “I love you, Chelle, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you.”

  “It’s two a.m.,” she said adorably, still half asleep. “But I love you, too. Is that all you called for?”

  “I’m going to see my father again later today, and this time I asked to see my brothers.”

  Her voice was warm and pleased. “Mason, that’s wonderful.”

  “I wish I were there with you.”

  “Me too. Are you still coming on Friday?”

  “Yes, but I have a question. How would your father feel about more company? They may not want to go, but if things work out tomorrow, I’d like to ask all of them to come along.”

  “Mason Thorne, do you have any idea how much I love you?”

  He smiled and rolled onto his back on his bed, picturing her naked beside him. “No, but I have ideas about how you can show me.”

  “Show you, huh?”

  “Isn’t that how this works?” He was only teasing her, but it was too much fun not to. “I show you, and then you show me?”

  “I’m hanging up now, Mason,” she said, laughing before she ended the call.

  Mason threw the phone on the bed next to him and smiled.

  Later that day, Mason arrived at his father’s house while his b
rothers were still at school. They talked about nothing in particular, but the conversation felt better than yesterday’s. He didn’t have to—and didn’t want to—rehash everything that had happened between them. He wanted to move on, and that’s what they were doing.

  The door of the house burst open, and two young boys ran directly into the living room and came to a halt in front of Mason. They stood before him, looking him over, before one of them said, “He’s old.”

  The other was kinder. “Not as old as Mr. Kensley.”

  A beautiful blonde woman in her early fifties entered the room behind them, looking a bit flushed. “Austin and Emmett, didn’t I tell you to bring in your bags from the car?”

  The taller of the two defended his decision. “We were afraid Mason would leave again.”

  The other boy, who was just a hair shorter, rounded his big blue eyes and flashed his mother a smile that would melt any woman’s heart. “Can we get them later, Mom? Please?”

  Oh, he’s good, Mason thought. Too good.

  Cristy ruffled their hair and sighed. “I guess. It’s not every day you meet your brother.”

  Brother. It wasn’t until he heard the term while the boys were in front of him that he felt the full impact of who they were. He had brothers. Two young boys who were looking at him expectantly without anger or resentment.

  Chelle had once said to him, “You’re not alone, Mason. Not unless you want to be.” Mason looked at his father and his new family, and the sight filled him with hope. If he was the best and worst of who his father was, then he could start fresh and succeed just as his father had. He could have a simpler life, one where family and friends replaced drugs and partying.

  Jarrett stood between his oldest and youngest children and said, “Mason, this is Emmett and this is Austin. Boys, this is Mason, my oldest son.”

  Emmett looked him over critically. “I saw a few of your movies. You could totally tell the spaceships weren’t real.”

  Mason smiled. “At the time, those special effects were considered cutting-edge.”

  Emmett held his gaze. “Dad says you live in Sacramento.”

  “I do,” Mason answered. He could see the wheels in his brother’s head turning and anticipated the next question.

  “Why have you never been here?”

  Mason looked up at his father, then at a concerned Cristy. She rushed to say, “Emmett, now isn’t the time to ask a question like that. Mason is here now.”

  “It’s a valid question,” Mason said and crouched down so he was eye to eye with Emmett. “I’ve never had a brother, so I suppose I didn’t know how to be one.”

  Austin leapt forward enthusiastically. “It’s easy.” He tackled his twin to the floor. “All you have to do is grab Em like this, toss him down like that, and sit on him.” Austin sat on the middle of his brother’s back with a huge smile.

  Jarrett rolled his eyes. “Austin, don’t sit on Emmett.”

  “He likes it,” Austin claimed and bounced on him.

  “I do not,” Emmett said loudly. “Get off me.”

  “Make me,” Austin jeered.

  Emmett spun around beneath him and skillfully whipped Austin under him, then pinned him to the floor. A vase on one of the side tables teetered, but Cristy steadied it. “Off the floor, now.”

  Emmett bounced on Austin. “He started it.”

  “We’ve talked about wrestling in the house,” said Cristy. “I’m going to count to three, and if I don’t have two well-behaved sons standing beside me, no one is watching TV for a week.”

  Emmett stood and offered his hand to his brother to help him up. Austin took it, and in a heartbeat, they were back to being buddies again.

  Jarrett looked at his suddenly angelic young sons and said, “We put them in karate because we thought it would stop them from fighting, but now they just do it with more finesse.”

  Mason chuckled. “I can see that.”

  “Would you like to stay for dinner, Mason?” Cristy asked. “We’d love to have you.”

  Mason’s first impulse was to say no, but both of his younger brothers froze and waited for his answer. He could walk away from them. There was no law saying he had to have a relationship with them, but Mason knew too well how it felt to be rejected. Back then, it hadn’t mattered how many fans adored him if he didn’t have his father’s approval. “I’d like that, Cristy. Thank you.”

  His father walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

  Mason let go of the rest of his anger. It had no place in the life he was making for himself. “I do, Dad. I finally do.”

  From behind him, he heard Austin say, “If I jumped from the back of the chair, I bet I could take him down.”

  Emmett added, “It’ll take two of us, but wait till Mom leaves the room.”

  Mason glanced over his shoulder, and both of his brothers smiled at him innocently. He flexed his arms, silently challenging them to bring it on, then winked and turned away from them.

  His parents had sent him to enough martial arts classes that he could hold his own against two little ninjas. He heard them whispering and plotting against him and laughed. I hope.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  That Friday night, Chelle sat snuggled up to Mason on the swing on her parents’ porch. “Everyone seemed to get along well,” she said.

  “My favorite part of dinner was when I was asking you to marry me, and my brothers started roughhousing at the table. Your father ended their nonsense with one ‘Enough.’ Was he a drill sergeant?”

  “He was,” Chelle said dreamily, enjoying the conversation, but loving the feeling of being in Mason’s arms more. “He’s a big marshmallow on the inside, but he brings out that voice when he needs to.”

  “I thought my father was going to fall out of his chair in shock when Emmett and Austin listened to him.” He kissed Chelle on the temple. “I never thought I would want children, but I’ve changed my mind. What do you think of six?”

  Six? Chelle sat up in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  Mason laughed. “You don’t remember the first night we met? That’s how many you said I wanted.”

  Chelle relaxed. “Let’s start with one or two and see how it goes.”

  “We’ll need to live in California for at least two years.”

  Chelle hugged Mason tightly. “I’m okay with wherever as long as we’re together.”

  Mason hugged her just as tightly. “That’s exactly how I feel.” He nuzzled her cheek and said, “Millie had an idea about a career for you.”

  “Really?” Chelle asked. “I love Millie. What was it?”

  “She thinks you’d be a perfect travel agent. You could help people see the world and have a good excuse to check out all those places yourself. I happen to know someone who is well traveled and would love to show you what he knows.”

  Chelle pulled his head down near hers and murmured against his lips, “I do like a man with experience.”

  “You’d better,” Mason growled between kisses. “Hey, I didn’t buy you a new engagement ring. Did you want one?”

  “No.” Chelle’s voice grew husky. “I love the one I have. If you want to buy me another diamond, I know the perfect shop that has them set in some intriguing devices.”

  Mason laughed out loud. “I love the way you think.”

  A few weeks later, Mason and Chelle were in London sipping champagne in a private capsule on the London Eye. They were only there for a long weekend, but the long flight had been worth the look in Chelle’s eyes when she’d realized where he’d taken her.

  His phone rang. He ignored it at first, but when it continued to ring he checked the number. Ruby.

  “Who is it?” Chelle asked, not taking her eyes off the view of London’s skyline.

  Mason hugged her from behind and held out the phone for her to see. “It’s Ruby. She’s probably contacting me as part of her program.”

  Chelle leaned into his hug and sa
id, “Answer her.”

  Mason did. “Ruby.”

  “Mason, I wanted to say thank you. You didn’t have to come when I asked, and I was nasty enough to you that anyone else would have left me. I have no idea why you stayed, but I’m glad you did. I don’t know if I can do this, but I’m going to try. I’m going to really try this time.”

  “I know you can do it, Ruby. Keep telling yourself that you deserve better than the life you have when you’re using. And tell yourself that every day. Eventually, you’ll start to believe it. That’s what happened to me.”

  Ruby was quiet for a moment. “Are you still with Chelle?”

  “I am. We’re actually on the London Eye right now.”

  “Can I speak to her?”

  Mason hesitated, then handed the phone to Chelle. He understood now that it didn’t matter if Ruby lived up to the person he hoped she was. What mattered was that he trusted his relationship with Chelle to be solid enough in the face of whatever life threw at them. They’d decided to make their life together in California until the end of his term, then decide if they wanted to stay or return to Texas. Either way, he saw himself with Chelle; wherever and however that worked out didn’t matter as long as they were together. “Ruby wants to speak to you.”

  Chelle held the phone to her ear, and Mason heard Ruby explaining how Mason had helped her. She wanted to make sure Chelle wasn’t under the impression that there was anything between them. His heart was thudding loudly in his chest as he heard Chelle speak to Ruby warmly, kindly. Chelle had never been more beautiful to him, and he had to blink several times to see the skyline clearly.

  Chelle hung up and handed the phone back to Mason. “Ruby said she is halfway through her program. I hope she stays with it.”

  “Me too,” Mason said and kissed Chelle lightly on the head. “Me too.”

  They stayed like that for a few long moments, then Mason decided to lighten the mood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square box. “I have a present for you.”

  Chelle turned in his arms and leaned back so she could see his face. “You don’t think London was enough? Mason, you don’t need to give me more gifts. I have you. That’s all I need.”