by Sandi Lynn
She turned on some music and the four of us danced while we drank another bottle of wine. We moved around the living room, laughing and dancing the night away. I was drunk, and I didn’t want the fun to stop.
Chapter 33
Mason
Nathan, Elijah and Tommy headed back to the penthouse, and I decided to join them and bring Sara home with me. Not to mention the fact that I wanted some cookies. As the elevator doors opened, loud music greeted us.
“What the hell?” Elijah said.
We walked into the living room and found the girls dancing and laughing.
“I do believe they’re all wasted,” Nathan spoke.
“Yeah. I think so.” I laughed.
We followed Elijah into the kitchen to get some cookies, and there weren’t any.
“Where are the cookies?” Tommy asked.
“Doesn’t look like they got around to baking any,” Nathan spoke.
Elijah walked into the living room and turned the music off.
“Oh, hey. We didn’t hear you guys come in,” Aspen slurred.
“Sweetheart, where are cookies?”
“Cookies?” She cocked her head. “Oops. We forgot to make them.” She laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked over to Sara.
“Are you ready to go home? You’re very drunk.”
“I know. Don’t tell anyone.” She giggled. “I love your family.” She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’m happy you love them. Let’s go,” I spoke as I removed her arms from my neck and hooked my arm around her to make sure she didn’t fall on the way down to the cab.
When we reached our building, I helped her out of the cab and placed my arm around her as her head rested on my shoulder. Once we reached the apartment, I slid the key in the lock and opened the door.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” I spoke as I picked her up, carried her to my room, removed her clothes and dressed her in one of my NYFD t-shirts.
“Sex?” she asked as I pulled the covers over her.
“Not tonight. You’re too drunk.” I smiled as I kissed her forehead.
“You’re no fun.”
“Close your eyes and go to sleep.”
“I love you, Mason,” she spoke as she closed her eyes.
I stared at her for a moment as I swallowed the lump in my throat, while the beating of my heart picked up its pace. Stripping out of my clothes, I climbed into bed and turned the opposite way from her. Things just became very complicated.
The next morning, I climbed out of bed and went for a run while she still slept. I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said last night. Did she mean it? Alcohol always seemed to bring out the truth in people.
When I got home, I saw her sitting at the island gripping a cup of coffee between her hands.
“What are you doing up already? You don’t have to be at the hospital for a few more hours.”
“I wanted to nurse this hangover before I have to get ready. I can’t be going to work and treating patients when I feel like shit. Ugh. Why did I drink so much?”
“I don’t know. Why did you?” I asked as I took the carton of eggs out of the fridge.
“Aspen just kept pouring the wine, and it was so good.” She took a sip of her coffee.
“Do you want any eggs?”
“No thanks. I think I’ll go lay down for a while.”
“Okay. Maybe you should do that in your room,” I said.
“Um, Sure.”
“It’s just I’m going to take a shower, and I don’t want to disturb you.”
“Of course. I’ll see you later.”
She seemed to be acting normal. Maybe she didn’t remember telling me she loved me. But she said it, and I couldn’t forget it. The words kept replaying in my head over and over. I loved what we had. It was fun, and I was enjoying every second of it. But even good times had to come to an end at some point. I ate my eggs and then took a shower.
When I finished getting dressed, I walked to the kitchen and found Sara making a cup of coffee.
“I thought you were laying down.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” She turned to me and seductively ran her finger down my chest. “I was thinking maybe something else would make me feel better.” A smirk crossed her lips.
“Listen, Sara. Remember that rule we agreed to? The one where we should check in with each other periodically to see how things are going and if we have any concerns?”
“Yeah.”
I inhaled a sharp breath.
“I think maybe we should take a break from our friends with benefits relationship.”
“What? Why?” she asked in shock.
I knew this would upset her and maybe now wasn’t the right time, but would there ever be a right time for this conversation?
“I just think things between us may have gotten a little out of control, and I think we both need to take a step back.”
“Where is this coming from? I thought things were great between us.”
“They are. It’s just—”
“It’s just you don’t want to have sex with just me anymore, right?”
“No—that’s”
She turned away as I could see the tears swelling in her eyes.
“Did something happen last night? Did I piss you off or something? Because I barely remember you bringing me home.”
“No. Nothing happened. We just can’t keep doing this. It’s not healthy for either of us.”
“Just all of a sudden you think that?”
“No. I’ve been thinking it for a while. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Fine. Consider our friends with benefits relationship terminated. We’ll go back to being just roommates. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready for work.”
“Sara, this has nothing to with you. It’s me,” I shouted as she walked away. “I need you to understand that.”
She shut the door, and that was the end. I felt like a complete asshole. I hurt her and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. I was stupid to think we could do this without any ramifications. I grabbed my key off the counter and left. Where was I going? I hadn’t a clue. All I knew was I needed to get out of there.
Chapter 34
Sara
Tears streamed down my face as I sat down in the shower and let the hot water pour over me. I couldn’t believe what just happened. Why the sudden change? Everything was perfect between us, at least for me it was perfect. Maybe for him, it wasn’t. I would bet money he wanted to sleep with someone else but felt guilty if we were still having sex. I was a fool to think we could have a normal couple relationship. I let my guard down, even when I knew better, and it would be the last time I ever did that again. I finished my shower, dressed in a pair of scrubs and headed to the hospital.
I was still feeling the effects of the hangover and now I was nursing a broken heart. I felt shattered, just like I did when my father left. The hurt and pain of rejection stung, and I couldn’t see how I would heal from this one. My last relationship, as much as he betrayed me, didn’t hurt this bad. Probably because I was never in love with him. I used him as a way to learn to trust again. But with Mason, it came naturally. I didn’t have to learn because it happened so easily. I felt like this was my punishment. A punishment cast down on me for being stupid to think that a guy could ever truly love me. My father didn’t, my ex didn’t, and Mason didn’t. The best thing for me to do was to stay away from him and his family as much as possible.
It was my dinner break, so I went up to see Jack. I wanted to reassure him that he had nothing to worry about, but I also wanted answers. Answers maybe he had that would satisfy my need to know why my father chose his other family over us. I went up to his room and lightly knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Jack, how are you feeling?” I asked as I stepped inside.
“Sara. I’m surprised you’re here.”
“I do work here, you know.”
“Y
ou know what I mean. Have a seat if you want.”
I walked over to where the chair sat next to his bed and sat down.
“You’re looking better,” I spoke.
“Better for a guy who’s dying.”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I know how hard this is for you.”
“Nah. I’ve made my peace with the knowledge that I’m going to die, and now I’ve made my peace knowing that my sons are good, respectful and successful men who have their own families.”
“All except Mason,” I said.
“You can’t fool me, Sara. I know what you two have been doing.” He smirked.
“Yeah, but that’s over now.” I looked down. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How could you just leave them like that?”
That was a question I’d been wanting to ask my father for years.
“I did what was best for them. For both Caitlin and the boys.”
“You left them a note saying you didn’t want to be a father anymore, and you wanted more out of life. How was that doing what was best for them?”
“I wasn’t a good husband all the time and Caitlin would tell you that. I had a lot of problems and I did things I wasn’t proud of. Shortly after I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, I left them. And I did it because I loved them, and it was the right thing to do.”
“If you loved them so much, you would tell them who you are and what’s going on. You will never make peace with yourself until you talk to them and explain your story.”
“What happened between you and my son?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. He cut it off. He doesn’t want a relationship with me.” Tears formed in my eyes. “Mason has a lot of issues because of you, and I have a lot of issues because of my father. He had another family that he chose over me, and that is something I will never forgive him for. But you still have a chance with your sons. You left because you were sick. Maybe you didn’t go about it the right way, but you did what was best at that time.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Don’t be. It is what it is, and it set a pattern in my life.”
Suddenly, my pager went off.
“The ER needs me. I have to go. Do what’s right for your soul, Jack. Don’t die with unfinished business.”
I walked out of the room and headed down to the ER.
Mason
I hadn’t seen Sara in over a week. On my days off, and if she was home, she’d stay locked in her room. Her side of the refrigerator was empty, and she had stopped posting her work schedule on the refrigerator.
Another person I hadn’t seen in a while was Jack. I went to the hotel where he stayed and the workers behind the desk told me he hadn’t been there all week, but he didn’t check out. I expressed my concern and the manager was kind enough to let me in the room as long as he stayed with me. All of Jack’s belongings were there, including his suitcases, which led me to believe he was still in New York. Where the hell was he? I had tried to call him several times, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I took a cab over to Elijah’s office to talk to him.
“Hey, bro. What brings you by?” He smiled as I stepped inside his office. “Hey, Mason.” Aspen grinned.
“You know my friend, Jack?”
“Yeah.”
“I think he’s missing.”
“What do you mean?” Aspen asked.
“I haven’t heard from him in over a week. I keep trying to call, but his phone goes straight to voicemail. I went by his hotel room and all of his things are there, so he didn’t leave town. I’m worried about him, Elijah.”
“Did you ask Sara if he came into the ER?”
“Sara and I aren’t speaking at the moment. But no, I didn’t.”
“Why not?” Aspen asked in a stern tone.
“We had a disagreement. I haven’t seen her all week.”
“A disagreement about what?” Aspen asked as she narrowed her eye at me.
“Sweetheart, it’s really none of our business.”
“The hell it isn’t. Everything that goes on in this family is everybody’s business.” She walked over to me and pushed her finger into my chest. “Did you hurt her, Mason?”
“Aspen, please.”
“Shut up, Elijah. I’m not talking to you. Answer me now, Mason Wolfe.”
Shit. She wasn’t playing around.
“It’s complicated, Aspen.”
“Complicated my ass. Everything with you Wolfe men is complicated. I know about your little arrangement.”
“How the hell do you know about that?” I looked at Elijah and he slowly shook his head.
“We talked about it that night she was over. She didn’t voluntarily tell us. Your mother dragged it out of her. In fact, we all suspected anyway, so we helped. You know, being lawyers and all, the poor girl didn’t stand a chance but to tell us the truth.”
“Fine.” I threw my hands up in the air. “I told her our ‘friend’ relationship wasn’t working out, and I ended it.”
“A typical fucking Wolfe move. I am so disappointed in you.” She shot me a look and left Elijah’s office.
“Great. Now you’ve pissed her off and she’ll take it out on me. Good going, bro.”
“It’s none of her business and it’s none of this family’s. I did what I had to do because she told me she loved me that night she was wasted.”
His brow arched as he stood there with a smirk on his face.
“Hey, bro,” Nathan spoke as he walked in. “Oh, hey, Mason. I didn’t know you were here.”
I sighed as I rolled my eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Elijah asked him.
“I just came to drop something off to Mom, and I thought I’d stop by and say hi. What’s going on in here? I smell and feel some brotherly tension.”
“Our little brother had a friends with benefits arrangement with Sara. She told him she loved him, and he called it quits,” Elijah spoke. “Now they are not speaking to each other.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t you say a damn word.” I pointed at him. “Anyway, Jack is missing.”
“What do you mean he’s missing?”
“When was the last time you saw him?” I asked Nathan.
“About a week ago.”
“Me too. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.”
“Did he leave town?” Nathan asked.
“No. His stuff is still in his hotel room.”
“That’s strange. Talk to Tommy and file a missing person’s report. He has connections.”
“So do I,” Elijah spoke as he shot Nathan a look.
“Anyway, back to Sara. Bro, you didn’t tell me you had an arrangement and were sleeping together.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know because I didn’t need shit from you.”
“Ouch. That hurt.” He placed his hand over his heart.
“Elijah.” Our mother opened the door as she stared at the three of us. “Mason, I didn’t know you were here. Anyway, I’m leaving for the day.” Her voice was shaky, and she didn’t look well.
“Mom, are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine. There’s something I need to do. I’ll be in touch.” She shut the door and the three of us looked at each other.
“What the hell? Did you see the look on her face?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah. Something has her shaken,” Elijah spoke.
“She said she’s fine, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” I said. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you two later.”
“Wait,” Nathan said. “I want to talk to you about Sara.”
“Drop it, bro. I don’t want to talk about her.”
Chapter 35
Sara
It had been a tough week. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and most of all, I couldn’t stand to be in that apartment. I picked up extra shifts just so I didn’t have to be home when he was. This morning before I left, I packed a small bag so I could stay at th
e hospital since I had to be back tomorrow by six a.m. All of my co-workers knew something was wrong, but I didn’t tell them what. Nobody knew about me and Mason and now wasn’t the time to fill them in. After I discharged a patient, I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw I had a text message from Aspen.
“Hi. I just saw Mason, and he told me what happened. How are you? I’m so sorry. He’s an asshole. We should talk. Let me know when you’re available and we’ll meet up somewhere.”
“Thanks, Aspen. I’m not doing okay. I won’t lie. I’m busy with work for the next few days, but I’ll be in touch as soon as I have some time.”
“Okay. You’re my friend, Sara, regardless of what happened between you and Mason. Don’t forget that.”
“Thanks, friend.”
Just as I placed my phone in my pocket and began walking down the hall, I saw Mason walking towards me. My heart raced beyond control.
“Sara.”
“What do you want?” I asked as I continued walking.
“Have you seen, Jack? Has he been in here?”
I swallowed hard as I held a patient’s chart tightly against my chest.
“No. And even if he was, I couldn’t tell you that.”
“He’s missing. I haven’t been able to get a hold of him in over a week.”
“Maybe he left town.”
“He didn’t. I checked his hotel room, and all of his things are still there.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I have patients to see.”
His concern about not seeing Jack in a week over me was sickening and made me feel even worse.
“Sara.” He lightly grabbed my arm. “I don’t like this tension between us. We should talk.”
I stopped, looked down at his hand and then diverted my eyes up to him.
“Do not touch me and there’s nothing to talk about. You said everything you needed to that day. We’re roommates, Mason. We don’t need to say anything to each other. Just leave me alone.” I walked away.
Tears filled my eyes as I stepped into the bathroom to compose myself before seeing my next patient.
Mason
