She poured a glass of lemonade for Bella, handed it to the girl, and when she looked up, Kira was heading toward the kitchen and Mason was gone.
Kira bounced into the room as excited as a teenager and wanted to hear all about the tour and the new album.
“It was a whirlwind.” Tessa’s adrenaline kicked up several notches as she remembered the rush of the stage and the incredible reception from fans, which made her forget about the talk between Kira and Mason. “I know I’ve been waiting for this my entire life, but it’s exhausting!” Laughter flowed from her lips. “I don’t know how Immortal Angel still performs at their age.”
Audra grunted a laugh. “Are you calling my husband old?”
Tessa smiled at Audra without trying to answer gracefully. “He’s my parents’ age, so, yeah.”
Everyone laughed, except Audra who was trying very hard to hide her smile and to act insulted, with a balled fist on her hip. “I’ll have you know that Jimmy is as voracious in the bedroom as he was when I first met him, and he looks just as hot with his clothes off.”
Tessa immediately put her hands over Bella’s ears, but really wanted to put them over her own. “Children are present.” What was with the overtly sensual relationship that both her parents and Mason’s parents displayed? She would’ve thought that things had cooled off after being married forever, but apparently not. At least Damien and Alyssa were private with their physical affection for one another.
Bella playfully tugged Tessa’s hands off her ears. “Can we bake? Mommy doesn’t know how to make stuff that tastes good like you, Tessa.”
Kira laughed at the blatant honesty of her daughter. “Thanks a lot, Bella.”
“Sorry, Mommy. But it’s true. You don’t make stuff as good as Tessa.”
This little girl was adorable, and Tessa wished Kira would have given birth to her 14 years earlier so they could have been kids together. “I’d love to bake with you, sweetie.” Tessa looked off to the side, trying to think of something Bella would like that wouldn’t be too complicated. “How about I come to your place tomorrow and we can make pastelitos? They’re those little cheese pastries, remember how much you love them?”
Bella pouted. “Can we do it now? Pleeease?”
Tessa frowned. “I don’t think your Aunt Audra has the right ingredients.”
“Can we buy them?”
“No, honey,” Kira told her daughter. “We’re visiting. It would be rude to leave to go shopping. Tessa can come to our house tomorrow.”
Tessa had no idea how Kira could say no to that precious little face and her heart broke for the girl. She tenderly cupped Bella’s chin in her hand. “I’ll come by first thing in the morning. I promise. We can make three kinds of pastelitos – pineapple, cheese, and guava. We can have pastelitos for breakfast! How does that sound?”
Bella clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Pastelitos for breakfast? Yay!”
“Wonderful.” Kira let out a small laugh. “Pastry for breakfast. I hope you’re gonna stick around and deal with her sugar rush, Tessa.”
Ronnie ran into the kitchen holding up a brand new virtual reality game. “Bella, look at the new game Uncle Jimmy got me!”
Bella forgot all about baking and rushed to her brother in order to see the new electronic device. She inspected it with awe, then pouted. “I didn’t get one. No fair!”
Jimmy walked in, a dimpled smile on his face that looked just like Mason’s. “Would I forget about you, darlin’?” He waved an identical shaped present in his hand.
“Yay! Thank you Uncle Jimmy!” Bella ran to him and Jimmy lifted her in his arms while she ripped the paper off. “Look Mommy, I got one too!”
“That’s fantastic, Bella. Now you and your brother don’t have to learn to share.” She shook her head at her brother-in-law. “You spoil these kids, Jimmy.”
“You spoil mine. I spoil yours. That’s the law of the land.” Still holding Bella, Jimmy took Ronnie by the hand and left the kitchen.
As Tessa watched the twins and Jimmy go into the other room, she noticed Mason on the other side of the apartment standing by himself. Concerned, she went to him.
Mason’s head turned in her direction as she approached, his signature brilliant smile now lackluster and wilted. “Hey.”
“Did Kira say something about Kendall that upset you?” she asked softly.
“I don’t care what anyone has to say about Kendall. I’m making up my own mind about her.”
Tessa realized that he wasn’t staring at the wall, as she thought. He was staring at the elevator that led to the second floor of the penthouse, and grief washed over her. She gave him a wrinkled smile, slipped her arm around his waist and waited for him to talk.
“It still strange to be here without Aunt Mary.” He put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. “I keep expecting the elevator doors to open and see her wheelchair glide across the floor.” He looked to one side of the room and then to the other. “I feel her presence everywhere. Memories are constantly jumping into my head. When my dad had this elevator installed for her, she was so overwhelmed that she cried. She said she would have been happy with one of those chair things that goes up the stairs.”
“I know what you mean. I feel her here too.” Tessa exhaled a deep breath as she eyed the ornate elevator doors. When she first passed them on the way to the kitchen, she immediately thought of Aunt Mary and almost expected to hear her sweet voice calling to the twins with her arms wide open. Aunt Mary loved children. It made Tessa think back to when she, Lucas and Mason were kids and how Aunt Mary had doted on them. The hollowness in her chest reminded her that the woman she loved like a grandmother wasn’t going to be rolling in from the other room. Not now. Not ever again.
Tessa had vast knowledge of Cuban and American cuisine, but really didn’t know much about Brits and their love of tea, so when she had decided to join Mason and Kendall for afternoon tea at his apartment, she made sure to visit a specialty store first. She had no idea what condiments went with tea, but the salesperson had said that orange slices would pick up the flavor. Lemon was traditional. And, well, everything in Cuban cuisine was made with lime, so she added it as a choice. She put the kettle on the table and poured Kendall a steaming mug of tea, alongside a small dish of quartered lemons, limes and oranges. She returned to the kitchen and retrieved the platter with scones, alongside finger sandwiches made with smoked salmon and goat cheese.
“What’s all this?” Kendall asked.
“Just a little something to nibble on.”
Mason slipped his hand under the table and rested it on her thigh as he sent her a swoon-worthy smile that turned her insides to butter. “She was up early this morning baking, after stocking the fridge,” he told Kendall. “I have to remember to go shopping.” He snagged a scone, took a bite and raised his brows to indicate how much he liked it.
It didn’t matter that everyone always raved about her culinary skills. She cooked and baked because it was her passion, not to garner praise. It was the slightest compliment, the smallest indication that Mason enjoyed the things she prepared, that made her spirits soar.
“You made these?” Kendall picked up a scone and took a nibble. “They’re divine. And this tea. It smells positively delicious.” Kendall inhaled the steam while cupping the mug under her nose, closing her eyes as she took in the aroma. “I smell cinnamon and citrus.”
“Thank you. I hope you like the tea,” Tessa said. “We’re coffee drinkers in my house.”
Kendall squeezed a bit of lemon in the tea and stirred some sugar into the cup. She blew on the hot liquid, sending a plume of steam away from her and took a small sip. “Mmm. Orange spice. It’s excellent.” She paused with the cup to her lips and glanced at Mason. “You’re a coffee drinker as well, isn’t that right?”
Mason nodded, holding up his oversized mug. “Yep. When you put in long hours writing, recording and playing music, coffee is a must.”
Kendall lo
oked back to Tessa. “You mean you purchased this especially for me?” Her hand went to her chest. “That is so kind of you. You’re such a dear girl.”
“It really wasn’t any trouble,” Tessa said, unused to someone having such gratitude for purchasing a simple box of tea leaves.
Mason put his arm around Tessa and gave her a little squeeze. “That’s what my girl does. She loves to cook and be the hostess.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“You two are such a sweet couple.” Kendall was quiet for a few seconds while she stared at them. “How long have you been dating?”
“Not long,” Mason answered. “Only a few weeks. A little over a month.”
“Really?” Kendall sat back in her chair. “I’m surprised. Shocked, actually. You seem like a couple who’ve been together for years. What took so long for you to get together?”
Tessa exchanged a smile with Mason. “It’s a long story.”
Kendall leaned forward clutching her cup. “I hope it’s a scandalous tale about an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend that one of you needed to chase away in order to claim your one true love.”
Mason laughed heartily. “No. We were just friends for so many years that it took a while for me to see Tessa in a different light. Now I don’t know why I didn’t see it years ago.”
Kendall’s smile faded a little and she looked into her cup, apprehensively. After a moment, she asked, “Did you have a pleasant childhood, Mason?”
He looked surprised. “Yeah. I had a great life.”
Tessa watched Mason’s expression. He didn’t get the connotation, but she got it right away. Mason didn’t have a normal childhood. He’d been a celebrity, in the spotlight since he was 10 years old.
“I’m glad.” Kendall nodded solemnly. She stared at his fingers, tapping against his coffee mug, and smiled. “Just like Jimmy. You really love the drums, don’t you?”
Again, his eyes widened with surprise, as if the question was absurd. “The drums are everything to me. If I couldn’t play the drums, I may as well stop breathing.”
“I would love to hear you play sometime. You wouldn’t happen to be playing any gigs in the next few days, would you?”
“I can play something for you right now. I have a drum set in one of the spare bedrooms. It’s the drum room.”
Tessa saw that coming a mile away, and she didn’t know whether to roll her eyes or smile at his obsession.
“Really?” Kendall asked. “Won’t it be too loud for the other occupants in the building?”
Mason stood up and started for the drum room without waiting for either of them. “It’s soundproof. C’mon.”
Kendall took another sip of tea, blotted the corners of her mouth with the napkin, and placed her cup down on the saucer.
“You can bring it,” Tessa said.
“Tea? In the bedroom?” Kendall let out a whimsical laugh. “How impolite. It’s fine. I’ll finish it in a minute.” She looped her arm through Tessa’s. “Do show me where this drum room is. I’m very excited to hear Mason play.”
A feeling of ease and comfort filled Tessa as she walked with Kendall through the apartment. This was nice. Kendall was nice. She couldn’t understand the unsettling reaction people had to Kendall’s return. It didn’t seem fair.
When they reached the doorway to the drum room, Mason was sitting behind his purple Tama kit, spinning a drumstick between his fingers. A smile practically split his face in half. “Come in and shut the door.”
He never looked happier than when he was behind his drums, and that’s when Tessa loved him the most. She shut the door and led Kendall to the farthest wall. “It’s loud. Do you want ear plugs or headphones?”
Another whimsical laugh left Kendall’s throat. “I spent all of my teenage years in bars listening to bands and loud music.” She touched the French braid at the back of her neck. “I was a bit of a groupie, I’m afraid.”
It was hard to believe that this woman, in a pressed Saint Laurent dress and Manolos, used to be a groupie. The boom of the drums startled the both of them. There was no warning once Mason sat behind his kit. One minute he was spinning a drumstick, the next he was making the floor shake and your ears rattle. Pride swelled in Tessa’s chest as she watched Mason play with total abandon and inhibition. His arms flew like mad. Sounds cascaded across the room and bounced back from the walls. The small enclosed area made the sound twice as loud, and Tessa pressed her hands to her ears and laughed.
Kendall covered her lips with the fingers of both hands, eyes wide with wonder. Her gaze never left Mason, and she started to tear up. Her hands went to her chest and she whispered, “He’s amazing.”
Tessa couldn’t hear Kendall over the noise, but she read the woman’s lips. The pride projecting from Kendall’s eyes, face, and stance, quite possibly outshone Tessa’s. It was comforting to witness, and made Tessa genuinely happy for Mason.
After about 15 minutes of Mason banging away as if he forgot they were in the room, he twirled his sticks like twin propellers, threw one up in the air and caught it.
Kendall stepped forward and clapped. “Brilliant! That was incredible, Mason! You possess so much talent it’s mind boggling.” She abruptly turned toward Tessa. “Can you sing something? I’d love to hear the two of you collaborate.”
There was no music, only the beat of Mason’s drum. She could easily go a cappella, but it felt awkward to be put on display like that. “Um. We have plenty of videos if you want to see Prodigy.”
Kendall’s hands flew to her cheeks. “That would be amazing!”
They moved to the living room, where Mason paired his laptop to the giant flat screen TV, and a video taken last year popped up. “That’s us rehearsing for the tour,” he said.
Kendall grew animated as she watched, bouncing her knee and bobbing her head. “This song is wonderfully rhythmic. Tessa, your voice is incredible. Such power and strength. And look at your brother. I’d swear I was looking at Tommy Blade.” She was disappointed when the song was over. “Do you have another we can watch?”
“Sure. These are all from the same rehearsal.” Mason was beaming as he clicked the next video. And the next. And the next.
“I’m enjoying this so much!” A lock of hair broke free from Kendall’s perfectly styled braid as she grooved to the beat, and she didn’t bother to smooth it back in place. She was carefree, and Tessa could envision a younger version of this woman enjoying local music.
The music in the video suddenly stopped. Something interrupted Prodigy, mid song. It was Papi, talking off camera. Lucas said something to Papi and then they both laughed.
“Was that . . .?” Kendall leaned forward, hands on her knees, and stared at the screen but didn’t finish her sentence.
“It was Angel,” Mason answered, matter-of-factly. “This is at the studio.”
“The studio?” Kendall slowly turned her head toward Mason. “Is this Angel’s home?”
“Yeah. That’s where we record.”
“I thought you would be contracted to Falcon Records. Does Angel own his own record label now?”
“No. We were all set to sign with my Grandpa Ron, but Lucas made us realize that we could do it on our own,” he explained. “So, we formed BGW Records. It’s an acronym for Blade-Garcia-Wilder.”
“You mean, you own your own label?”
“Yeah. Lucas is really smart. A friggin’ genius actually. He made us realize that we could swing it on our own and keep all—”
“Is that Angel again?” Kendall leaned toward the TV and scooted to the edge of the couch.
In the video, Prodigy had taken a break from playing and were talking among themselves. In the background, Angel was walking back and forth looking for something. Lucas called to him, and Angel turned to face the camera with a bright smile.
Kendall gasped. It was low and brief, but Tessa heard it. She continued to watch Kendall, poised on the edge of the couch, riveted on the TV screen, even after the video ended.
; “Do you want to see another one?” Mason asked.
“Yes. Yes. Please.”
They watched video after video, all at Kendall’s request. Her energy shifted. Instead of the playful bounce of her head, she was still as she remained fixated on the screen. She continually smoothed back the lock of hair that came loose earlier, trying to tuck it into the braid, annoyed that it kept falling loose. Two hours had gone by and Kendall was still asking to watch more videos, specifically requesting videos of rehearsal rather than live performances.
“Do you have any of when you were children?” Kendall asked Mason. “I would love to see them, if you do.”
“Nah. These are just of the band.”
“Oh.” Disappointment was clear in her voice. “That’s all right. I’m enjoying watching these.”
“You want to watch more?” Mason asked, surprised.
“No.” Kendall smoothed her hair back again and rested her hand on the braid at the back of her head. “It’s late. I’m sure you have things to do.” She stood and wrung her hands nervously. “Thank you for a lovely afternoon. I truly had a wonderful time.” She turned and took Tessa’s hands. “Thank you so much for your hospitality. It’s truly a pleasure to spend time with you.” Without warning, Tessa received a tight hug. When Kendall released her hold, she cupped Tessa’s cheek in her hand. “You’re a treasure, darling.” She smoothed her hand down the front of her dress several times, even though it wasn’t wrinkled, then took Mason’s hands in the same way she just held Tessa’s. “Goodbye, Mason. You’ve been a dear.” She hugged Mason, still hesitant about the display of affection and gently kissed his cheek. “I’ll ring you tomorrow.”
MASON WILDER: Radical Rock Stars Next Generation Duet Book 2 Page 18
