She tipped her head back and touched the wetness on one of his cheeks in awe. “Are you crying?”
He hid his face in her hair, hugged her tighter, and blinked a few times quickly. He didn’t care what others might think of his emotional display. All that mattered was that she had come to him and how good it felt to hold her again. “I should have called you. I wanted to. I don’t know why I didn’t.”
She gave him a smile full of such love his eyes misted up again. “We can talk about that later. Right now, all that matters is that we’re here for you. All of us.”
Mason raised his head and looked around the hall. Chelle’s parents were there, along with Charles, Melanie, Sarah, and Tony. “You’re all here for the press statement?”
Chelle nodded and stepped back. “More would have come if Charles’s plane had been bigger. We’re here to stand beside you while you defend yourself, or cheer you on from the back of the room, or wait for you here. Tell us what you need.”
Mason looked around again and ran a hand through his hair. He gazed down at Chelle. “You’re not angry with me?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I’m furious. You hurt me, Mason. You really did. We are far from okay right now. But where I come from, even when we have our differences, if trouble comes for one of us, it’s handled by all of us. You’re not alone, Mason. Not unless you want to be.”
Charles nodded his agreement from behind Chelle. Chelle’s mother wiped tears from her eyes. Sarah and Melanie were in similar states. Tony watched without saying anything, which from Mason’s experience was a sign of support in itself. Chelle’s father appeared less than happy about being there, but Mason couldn’t blame him for that. Mason had hurt his daughter.
Millie reentered the hallway and approached Mason and Chelle. “Senator Thorne, the press is getting antsy out there. Are you ready?”
Mason frowned at his assistant and asked, “Did you arrange this?”
Without batting an eyelash, Millie answered, “I told your fiancée if she cared about you, she’d better get her ass on a plane and get here. I didn’t say more than that.”
Mason stepped away from Chelle and gave Millie a hug so tight it had her laughing and gasping for air. “You are amazing.”
Millie backed away, adjusted her hair, and returned to her usual unflappable self. “How would you like to do this?”
Mason addressed the group as a whole. “I don’t know what to say. None of you should have to be here today. The press can be unpredictably ugly. I didn’t mean for any of you to get caught up in this.”
Chelle slid under his arm and hugged his side. “The only question you need to answer is if you want us here.”
He met her eyes, and for a moment the world disappeared around them. “More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my whole life.” He kissed her gently, then turned back to everyone else. “I can’t control how the press will spin this, but if you’d like to stand behind me while I make my statement, I’d be grateful to have you there.”
One by one everyone showed their agreement by either a nod or a word or two. With his heart thudding loudly in his chest, Mason said, “Then let’s do this.”
Mason walked out to the podium holding Chelle’s hand and waving for the others to follow. Chelle stood beside him while the others stayed behind, off to one side but in view of the reporters. Mason crumpled up his initial speaking points and said, “I am not a perfect man. You don’t have to dig deeply if you want to find dirt on me. Hold your questions today. I am not here to defend or explain myself. My opposition can try to muddy the waters with photos and lies, but voters are smart enough to see through that. I am here to respectfully request that we turn our attention away from my personal life and back to the very real issues facing our state. We need to ensure that our coastlines are protected, that we have enough water to support our population, and that we don’t allow corporations to bully us into legislature that lines their pockets instead of ensuring our future. Let’s work together to solve these issues.” He flashed the press his most charming smile and added, “And if you’re real nice, some of you may get invited to our wedding.”
Just like that, the tide turned again. Several of the reporters called out questions about when the wedding would be. One called out, “Is that the Takedown Cowgirl? Can we get a photo of her with Mr. Dery?” Mason guided Chelle away from the podium without responding to the questions.
Once outside the conference room, Chelle shook her head in amazement. “That’s it? That’s all it took to get them to forget about the photo?”
Mason cupped her face with his hand. “You have to understand the nature of the beast. They need a story. They don’t care what it is.”
Millie was beside the group again and said, “I’ve taken the liberty of securing a few suites for the night at the Grand City Hotel. If you’re ready, the cars are outside and will take you there now.”
As they walked toward the cars together, Mason pulled Chelle close to his side. He lagged behind the rest so he and Chelle could have a moment alone. “We need to talk.”
She spun around to face him. “What you need to do is apologize. And then I need to somehow believe you’ll never do it again. I don’t know what happened out here, but there was no reason you couldn’t have called me, even if it was just to say you had nothing to say. That’s not the way to treat someone you say you care about.”
Her reprimand rocked him back onto his heels. “You’re right.”
His quick agreement seemed to confuse her. “I know I am.”
“Would it help if I said when I saw you in the hallway, I knew I’d been a fool? I love you. I was afraid to let myself see it, but I can’t imagine a day of my life without you in it. I’ve been considering running for governor, but I can make my life wherever you are. I’ve never had anyone stand with me the way you and your family did. I don’t know how to thank you except to promise that I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”
Chelle raised a hand and placed two fingers on Mason’s mouth to silence him. “If this is a proposal, I can’t accept it.”
Mason’s mood plummeted, and his gut twisted painfully. He took her hand in his. “I hurt you. I understand it’ll take you time to forgive me, but I’ll ask you every day if that’s what it takes to get you to agree to marry me for real.”
A funny expression passed over Chelle’s face. “My dad and I made a deal when I told him I was coming here. I will not accept any proposal from you unless he gives us his blessing. He’ll want to talk to you tonight.”
Mason’s gaze flew to where Chelle’s father was standing, waiting for them. He didn’t doubt he could persuade Chelle to defy her father, but he didn’t want to.
This time, he was doing it the Fort Mavis way.
Chapter Twenty
After one of the most awkward dinners he’d ever attended, Mason asked Chelle’s father if he could speak to him, and the two walked away from the group so they could talk in private. Mason was used to knowing what to say, but he didn’t normally care so much about the outcome of a conversation. He wanted to choose his words perfectly. “Roger.”
“Mr. Landon for now.”
Okay. “Mr. Landon, I love your daughter.”
“I’m listening.”
“I want to marry her.”
“I guessed that much already from your display at the statehouse.”
Mason cleared his throat. “I’m asking for your blessing.”
Chelle’s father rubbed his chin in thought. “Mr. Thorne, I want you to put yourself in my position for a moment. You talked my daughter into some crazy fake engagement you both took as far as two people could take that lie. You let us have a public celebration for something you knew wasn’t true and then embarrassed my daughter in front of the entire nation. You hurt her. And you disappointed those of us who took you at face value. She might have forgiven you, but I’m not as quick to. Why should I believe you’re good enough for my daughter?”
>
Mason squared his shoulders. “I don’t know what to say besides I love her. I’m sorry I lied to you and to everyone in your town. I didn’t mean for it to go as far as it did. And I certainly never meant to hurt Chelle. I regret that the most. I know I haven’t lived a spotless life so far, but I’m a different man when I’m with your daughter. She makes me want to be a better man.”
“Prove it.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a man who uses fancy words and talks his way out of trouble a bit too easily. Words mean nothing to me, son. You want me to believe you love my daughter, show me.”
“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“We’re all heading home tomorrow morning. Chelle is coming with us. You want to prove you love my daughter? Bring your father to the ranch to meet us.”
“I haven’t talked to my father in over ten years.”
“Then it should be a mighty interesting visit.”
Mason fisted his hand. “It’s never going to happen. Ask me to do anything else. I’ll do it. But not that.”
Roger folded his arms across his chest in a move that vaguely reminded him of a stance Chelle would have taken. He said, “Son, you’ve got a lot to learn about love. You think it’s all passion and excitement? That is only a small piece. Real love requires strength of character and courage. I’m not yet sure you have either. Go find your father. Bring him to Fort Mavis. Show me I’m wrong about you.”
Mason went for a long walk after speaking to Chelle’s father. He was angry at first. He shouldn’t have to prove himself to anyone. Then he thought about how Chelle had come to him—in the face of damning rumors and his seeming desertion.
Chelle had what her father referred to as strength of character and courage. He wanted to be a man who deserved that kind of woman.
He was leaning on a wall outside the hotel when Chelle found him. She met his eyes, then blushed. “My parents asked me to sleep in their suite tonight. I didn’t feel like I could say no.”
Mason pulled her against him and looped his arms around her waist. “It’s no longer shocking you stayed a virgin until twenty-five.”
Chelle swatted at his shoulder. “You love it.”
He growled and kissed her neck. “I do. And I love you.”
Chelle pulled his head up and studied his face. “I love you, too. I’m still angry with you, though.”
“I know. I spoke to your father. He said you’re all going back to Fort Mavis tomorrow.”
“I hope you understand why I have to,” Chelle said. “Part of me wants to stay with you, but I can’t when all I’d be thinking about is if you’d leave me again. Trust is a funny thing, Mason. It’s as fragile as it is important. I want to believe you love me. I want that more than you know, but . . .”
Mason exhaled slowly. “You need me to show you.”
Chelle tensed. “I guess I do.”
He kissed her lightly. “Your father wants me to do something before he’ll give us his blessing.”
Chelle let out a shaky breath. “Did it involve castration?”
“No, thankfully,” Mason said with a slight laugh, then gripped her hips. “Your father wants to meet mine. He asked me to bring him to your ranch. My father may not even want to talk to me, but I know where he lives, and I suppose it’s time for me to face my past.”
Chelle hugged him tighter. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“I want to say yes, but my father and I have some things to say to each other, and that won’t happen if you’re there.” Chelle’s acceptance humbled him. He didn’t know what he had ever done to deserve to be loved by such a kind woman, but he swore he would spend the rest of his life earning that love. He kissed her soundly, then said, “Which doesn’t mean I don’t want you with me. Chelle, I want to explain about Ruby.”
Her heart was in her eyes as she answered, “You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.” He knew in that moment that no matter what happened between them, Chelle would never betray Ruby or him. “There are things you don’t know about me, but you need to.” He told her about how much his life had fallen apart after his mother’s death. He described his relationship with Ruby and didn’t gloss over how mutually destructive it had been. By the time he repeated what Ruby had said to him the night of their engagement party, Chelle was wiping tears from her cheeks. “I promised Ruby I would never say what I did for her, but I couldn’t not be there for her. I know that place all too well. I couldn’t leave her before I was sure she was going to get help. That doesn’t mean I still have feelings for her. I hope you understand that.”
Chelle wiped both of her cheeks with her hands and sniffed. “You make it impossible to stay angry with you.”
“I don’t want you to forgive me. Not yet. I want to earn your trust.” Mason rested his chin on her forehead. “That’s why I’m going to speak to my father. You see something in me that I want to see, too.”
Two days later, Mason parked his car in the driveway of a modest home in the suburbs of Elk Grove, a far cry from the mansion his parents had purchased with the money from Mason’s first blockbuster movie.
Mason was halfway up the steps of the house when the door opened. Hearing his father’s voice on the phone when they’d made arrangements to meet up had felt surreal, but seeing him standing in the doorway brought the past crashing back. It felt as if only a day had passed since he’d gotten the call announcing his mother’s death. His memories of how little his father had said to him during and after that time were vividly painful.
He forced himself to walk up the rest of the steps. He wasn’t sure what he expected to feel for his father, but at first, outside of anger, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Chelle’s father could meet Jarrett Thorne if he wanted to, but if he was hoping to witness a touching father-son reunion, he’d be disappointed.
“Mason, it’s good to see you.”
His father looked very different from the man he remembered. He was older, but that wasn’t all it was. The father he’d known had always worn specially tailored clothing and had his hair cut in the latest style. This man was in jeans and a T-shirt. He looked . . . normal. Mason could imagine him donning a suit for a nine-to-five job, then spending his weekends mowing his own lawn. It was further evidence of how little of a bond there was between them. The father Mason had known was nonexistent in the man before him. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
Jarrett opened the door wider. “Come on in. Pardon the mess. Emmett and Austin are in an after-school club. Every creation they come home with is precious, at least that’s what they’ll tell you. Cristy should be back with them shortly.”
Mason wanted to be gone before then, but he didn’t say so. He followed his father into the house and then the living room. It was furnished tastefully, but definitely with comfort in mind more than fashion. Mason took a seat in a chair, and his father sat across from him.
The silence rested between them long and heavy before Jarrett said, “I still can’t believe you’re a senator, but I always did say you could do anything you set your mind to.”
“I’m not here to discuss my career. I also don’t need you to pretend you give a shit about how I’ve been.”
Mason’s father leaned back in his chair with a sad, resigned expression on his face. “Then why are you here?”
Mason let go of the last shred of hope he’d had that there was anything left between him and his father. “I’m getting married.”
Jarrett smiled. “I know; it’s all over the news.”
Mason didn’t smile back. “Her father wants to meet you. I realize it’s a lot to ask, but I’d appreciate it if you flew down there to have dinner with him. I’d pay for the trip, of course.”
Jarrett gave Mason a long, measured look. “I can afford the flight. When would you like me to go?”
Mason’s eyes flew to his father’s. He hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. “Friday night would probably work best for ev
eryone.”
“All I need is a time and address, and I’ll be there.”
Mason gave him both, then stood. “Thank you.”
Jarrett moved to stand next to him. “That’s all you came for?”
“Yes,” Mason answered shortly. “What else is there?”
To Mason’s surprise, his father’s eyes shone with emotion. “I was hoping you came to talk.”
Mason shrugged. “Whatever we had to say stopped being important a long time ago.”
His father blinked quickly and sat on one of the arms of a couch. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Mason.”
Mason waved an angry hand in the air. “Don’t you dare make it sound like what happened between us was my choice. My life went to shit after Mom died, and where were you? Did you pick up the phone once to see if I was okay? No. You didn’t. So you’ll have to excuse me for not believing this whole fatherly act.”
Jarrett rubbed a hand over his face. “I couldn’t imagine you’d want to hear from me. I didn’t have anything to offer you. Your mother loved to spend money, and we went through much more than we had. I couldn’t hate you for not wanting me as your manager anymore; it had stopped being healthy for any of us. After your mother died, I was in bad shape for about a year. Not just financially. Her death made me see who we’d become, who we’d made you into, and I was ashamed. I drank myself nearly to death. Is that a man you would have wanted to call you?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Mason said.
His father’s face went white with emotion. “I didn’t know how to be a father to you, Mason. You were a star from the day you were born. I chased the fame and money, failed you and your mother, and I have to live with that knowledge every day of my life. But Cristy helped me see that beating myself up over it wasn’t undoing what I had done. My death wouldn’t have brought your mother back.” He reached out a hand toward Mason, then let it drop. “I wasn’t a good husband or father the first time around, but I’ve had a second chance to get it right, and I can look at myself in the mirror now without reaching for a bottle of Jack. I know I should have called you. But I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me.”