Tessa woke with a heaviness in her chest that she’d never felt before. It was the first fight she’d had with Mason. They’d known each other their entire lives and this was the first real argument they’d had. She stopped to think about it. How could they have grown up together and never fought? She’d had a million fights with Lucas. They still argued. But she’d never had words with Mason. Actually, Mason never argued with anyone. Not even with Lucas. She couldn’t even remember him fighting with his parents when he was a teenager.
Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the hurt in his eyes. He had felt betrayed by his father, and she should have supported him. Instead, she joined in the crusade, exactly what she swore she wouldn’t do, and she felt awful. She had been wrong. She had no right to get involved with his relationship with his birth mother. The uneasy feelings she had about things that transpired between her and Kendall were easily explained away, and she felt foolish for bringing them up. She should have minded her own business and let Mason form his own opinion about Kendall without bringing in her past history, just as he had said.
After the argument last night, things had been cold between them and Mason had been quiet. He had a lot on his mind, and Tessa felt he needed time alone to sort through everything, so she had gone home. Alone. Now she wished she would have stayed. She felt as if she ran out on him when he needed her, and that wasn’t something she did to anyone. She was the shoulder to lean on in time of need and crisis. She had let him down, and she felt horrible. She reached for her phone to call him, but there was already a text message from him, and she sighed with relief.
MASON: Sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to snap at you and I shouldn’t have let you leave. I’m a jerk. Forgive me?
Her heart melted and she sobbed a short laugh. She’d been the one prying into Kendall’s past, stirring up ill feelings, and he was the one apologizing. She wasn’t wasting time replying to his text message and called him. Some things needed to be said out loud. “I’m so sorry,” were the first words she said as soon as he answered the phone, tears welling in her eyes. “You were right. I shouldn’t have said anything. The past is the past for a reason. It’s best to leave it there and move forward, not go backwards. Can you ever forgive me?”
A breath came through the phone. “My sweet Tessa. I yelled at you last night and here you are practically groveling for forgiveness when all you did was look out for my best interests. I know you were only making sure I didn’t get hurt. I know you’re not malicious.”
“I pushed too much. Too hard. I’m so headstrong sometimes. I should have just voiced my concerns and let it be. I’m sorry, Mason.”
“You fight for your beliefs. You don’t back down. You defend those you love with every ounce of breath in your sweet little body. I love that about you.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and a quivering smile permeated her lips. “Thank you for knowing me so well. Come over. I’ll make an early dinner. All your favorites.”
“You mean White Castle?” A smile punctuated his words.
She laughed, and sobbed a little. “If that’s what you want, I’ll serve them on a solid gold platter.”
“Aw, Tess. You know exactly how to get to me.” She imagined him putting his hand over his heart, wearing a dimpled smile that made her knees weak. “But I can have White Castle anytime. I want your home cooking. How about a nice big steak?”
“Anything you want. Give me some time to get everything ready. See you at 3:00?”
“Sounds great, babe. And, hey, Tess?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She hung up filled with the excitement of a newly reunited couple, which was ridiculous because they were never separated. She ran to the local farmer’s market for fresh produce and then to the meat market for two beautiful medallions of filet mignon. She made appetizers of tostones with sofrito salsa and frituras de calabaza, because he loved those little pumpkin fritters so much, and set them aside until they were ready to drop into the deep fryer. She prepared Cuban-style mashed potatoes, prepared the red beans and rice, marinated the beef and set everything aside. She showered and still had time to make a fabulous dessert. She decided on a rum cake, whipped it up and set the table with her best china and crystal glasses while it baked. The timer dinged and she pulled the pans from the oven and placed the delicate sponge cake on racks to cool. She put together a fresh berry compote for the filling and placed it in the fridge to chill while she put together a buttercream frosting to cover the cake. Next, she rummaged through the cabinet drawers for her piping bag. When she couldn’t find it, she remembered she had left it at her parents’ house when she and Papi had a bake-athon two weeks ago. Oh, no! She wanted the cake to be beautiful, and disappointment deflated her spirits. It probably wouldn’t matter to Mason, but it mattered to her, so she called Papi right away. “Can you bring over my piping bag? I made Mason a cake and have nothing to decorate it with!” Could she be any more dramatic? She sounded as if it was the end of the world.
“How awful, sweetheart! I’ll bring it right over.”
No one took cooking and baking as serious as he did, and she smiled at the genuine alarm in his voice. Her mom said something in the background that was directed at her, but she missed it. “What did Mom say?”
“She said she has something for you. Something for your guitar case.”
It was the leather patches with the band’s logo, part of the new band merch they had designed, and she was excited that they were done. “Great! Tell her to bring them.”
“We’ll be there in 15 minutes”
Tessa buzzed the doorman and told him her parents were on the way and to let them up when they arrived. While she waited for them, she assembled the cake and covered it with a layer of buttercream. Once she added white rosettes, and maybe some heart-shaped scrolls, it would be spectacular. Right now it was lackluster and a little disproportionate.
The intercom buzzed and she pressed the button with annoyance. “Is it my parents? I already told you to send them up.”
“I’m sorry Miss Garcia. Jonathan stepped away. I’m filling in while he’s on break. There’s a woman here to see you—”
“That’s my mom. Send her up.” She left the door ajar and returned to the table setting. It was missing something, and then she remembered the heavy crystal candlesticks her Grandma and Grandpa Blade gave her as a housewarming gift. Most people would think it an odd gift for someone in their early twenties, but they were perfect and she loved them. They complimented the dinner setting. As she stood back and admired the table, she heard the door creak open and her mother’s high-heeled shoes on the hardwood floor. “I hope you remembered the piping bag.”
“What, honey?”
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Tessa quickly turned around. “Kendall?” She dyed her hair, which was more shocking than the image of Kendall standing in front of the open door. “What are you doing here? How did you get past the doorman? He said my mother was here.”
Kendall presented a playful smile and waved a gloved hand with indifference. “He assumed I was your mother, and, well, I didn’t correct him. It’s not a big deal. Is it?”
Of course it was a big deal. The doorman was supposed to screen visitors and ask for identification, not send up strangers. Any lunatic could pretend to be someone else. A chill ran down Tessa’s back as everyone’s suspicions about Kendall, including her own, filled her head. “Why are you pretending to be my mother? And why is your hair black?”
Kendall touched the back of her head. “I love how dark and shiny your hair is. I thought I’d try something different.” She walked through the apartment and took Tessa’s hands. “I’m not trying to be your mother, but it does give us that mother/daughter resemblance, doesn’t it?”
“What?” Tessa cringed and tried to pull her hands away but Kendall held them in a tight grip.
“It’s really not a foreign idea. After all, once you
and Mason get married you’ll be my daughter-in-law. By that time, Mason will be calling me Mom, and, hopefully, in time, you will, as well.”
Tessa and Mason never discussed marriage, and Mason was a long way away from calling Kendall “Mom”. Tessa freed her hands and took several steps backwards. “What are you doing here, Kendall?”
“I thought we could go shopping.” Kendall glanced at the table. “I’m sorry, I see you have a beautiful dinner planned. Is that for my son?”
Although Kendall had referred to Mason as her son before, she never said it with such maternal familiarity.
“It’s all right.” Kendall said, when Tessa didn’t answer right away. “We can go shopping another time. I really just wanted to see you and ask you something.” She fussed with the back of her hair, smoothing it flat even though it was perfect. “I was thinking about not returning to London. I was thinking that maybe I could stay here.”
“Here?” Tessa’s voice rose with alarm, which made Kendall laugh.
“Not here in your flat. Not unless you want me to.”
Tessa’s eyes bulged, which made Kendall laugh even harder this time.
“I’m kidding. I don’t want to intrude. I meant that, maybe, I can get a flat in the City to be close to Mason. Or here in Long Island to be near you.”
Tessa took another step backwards. Uncomfortable went out the window twenty seconds ago and alarm took its place. Kendall was delusional or maybe she was drunk, because she wasn’t acting rational at all. Then she remembered the day on the beach and alarm turned to panic and fear. “How do you know where I live? Why were you on the boardwalk right in front of my apartment that day I was jogging on the beach?”
Kendall touched her chin with the tips of her fingers and presented a small guilty smile. “I saw you and Mason leaving his flat one day while I was in a taxi and asked the driver to catch up with you. I’m afraid we ended up following you all the way here.” She smoothed the back of her hair again. “It seemed inappropriate, so I just went back to my hotel.”
This crazy woman was spying on them. Kendall was stalking her. But she couldn’t understand why. It didn’t matter. She wanted Kendall out of her apartment and never wanted to see her again. “I think you should leave, Kendall.”
“Why? Isn’t Mason coming over? I want to see my son.”
“If you wanted to see him, why didn’t you go to his apartment? Why did you come all the way to Long Island to see me when he’s only a few blocks from your hotel?”
“Because we bonded.” She took hold of Tessa’s wrists in a death grip. “We’re like . . .”
If Kendall said “best friends”, Tessa was going to scream.
“Mother and daughter,” Kendall finished.
“Tessa is my daughter! Get the hell away from her!” Tessa’s mom’s voice pierced the air like a dagger.
Tessa and Kendall both turned their head sharply toward the doorway. All three of Tessa’s parents were there, standing in a row, three feet inside the apartment in front of the open door as if they had been too shocked to close it behind them.
“Angel.” The word left Kendall’s mouth in a breathy sigh, and she stared at him as if she had just witnessed an apparition.
“Kendall?” Papi looked as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I never would have recognized you. You look so different.”
Kendall glided across the room, eyes glued on Papi as if he was the only one in her sightline, arms open ready to embrace him.
Tessa’s mom immediately intervened, taking a step between them and halting Kendall with the palm of her hand. Her narrowed eyes pinned Kendall with an irate stare. “Don’t you dare touch my husband.”
Anger lit up Kendall’s face, quickly transforming her features into an ugly sneer. “How many husbands do you need? You already had a husband. You had to have Angel, too, didn’t you?”
Confusion spun Tessa’s head in circles. Thoughts invaded her mind, whirling around like a cyclone. She recalled Kendall’s reaction to seeing Papi on the video, hoping to see him in the background again – that’s why she had obsessed with watching all those videos of Prodigy perform. Tessa eyed Kendall’s newly-dyed black hair. She remembered the mother/daughter remark. The suspicion that her dad and Kendall had an affair popped into her head. Everything cleared. Her heart plummeted and her chest caved in on itself as she realized that it wasn’t her dad who’d had an affair with Kendall. It was Papi.
Tessa squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face, sobbing so quickly the tears didn’t have time to fall down her cheeks. How could Papi betray her mom and dad? It all made sense now. The obsession Kendall had with her the moment she found out Papi was her biological father. The hatred between Kendall and her mom. While tears finally fell and coated Tessa’s cheeks, she listened to the heated conversation taking place as if she was no longer in the room.
“He never wanted you, Kendall,” Tessa’s mom said. “You followed him around everywhere. You practically stalked him. He was too nice to tell you to fuck off. Why do you think Audra and Kira were always there to intercept you?”
“I could have had him if it weren’t for you! He was interested in me. Then you came along and stole his attention, flaunting your hot husband and your marketing skills, and he forgot I existed,” Kendall snapped back, her British dialect now replaced by a heavy Brooklyn accent.
Papi finally spoke. “I don’t understand this obsession, Kendall. Nothing ever went on between us. I explained to you a hundred times that I was gay and, although flattered, not interested.”
Wait. What? Tessa lowered her hands and looked at everyone through a blurry haze of tears. Papi didn’t have an affair. It was all one-sided on Kendall’s part. She took a shuddering breath. Thank God. Relief flooded her and sent a new wave of tears down her cheeks and she sobbed again.
“Are you still trying to tell me you’re gay, Angel?” Kendall asked with an angry, sarcastic tone. “You have a wife and a daughter.”
“I don’t know if I can put a label on my sexuality anymore. All I know is that I love Jessi very, very much, emotionally and physically. She’s . . .” Papi trailed off, shaking his head. “This is really none of your business, Kendall.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Tessa’s Dad yelled at Kendall. “You’ve continually tried to ruin our lives. Why? And why the hell are you telling our daughter to call you ‘Mom’? That will never fucking happen. You can’t have Angel and you can’t have my daughter!”
Kendall’s face grew bright red and contorted as she readied herself to reply, then turned abruptly to face Tessa’s mom. “You have everything I ever wanted!” she finally screamed, fists clenched at her sides. “Angel should have been my husband! Tessa should have been my daughter! Why does everything fucking work out for you? I tried so hard to make it as a singer. My big break never came. I tried everything. I even stooped to blackmailing Angel with that stupid DVD I found of him and Tommy, but you had to go and turn it all around on me! You left me no choice but to leave town!”
Tessa’s mom took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes into slits. “Don’t you dare try to make it sound like it was my fault you never came around to see Mason,” she hissed. “That had nothing to do with the DVD or my threat to go to the police if you went public with it. That was before he was born. When you came back with him, years later, no one told you to leave. I think I remember Jimmy telling you to stay. But you didn’t. You left of your own accord. I had nothing to do with it.”
“What the hell did you expect me to do? I had nothing left in Brooklyn. My life fell apart and yours just flourished. Everyone loved you. The fans. The media. Angel! Overnight, you became this big fashion designer. I stewed and festered as I watched you rise to the top while I hit rock bottom.” Kendall narrowed her eyes and her face contorted with seething anger. “I vowed to topple you and bring you down with me. But you’re fucking untouchable! When you opened your first clothing store, I planted that seamstress to sabotage your designs. But you f
ound out. How? How do you always know everything? How’d you know I’d be here right now?”
Tessa’s Dad looked like he was about to explode as he stepped forward and positioned himself directly in front of Kendall. Tessa had never seen him so angry. So livid. His eyes were like blue fire and hard as stone. Unforgiving. “I’ve had enough of this shit! I’m done with you meddling into our lives. I’m sick of this vendetta you have against my wife. You tried to ruin my marriage, and not just with the DVD. You paid that asshole reporter to write those twisted headlines so it looked like me and Angel were living it up without Jessi when we went to Asia. You made her think we didn’t want her as part of our marriage. How fucking dare you do something so sinister? I ended up punching that jackal and it cost me two hundred grand to pay for his camera, and God knows how much the label paid to shut him up. I’m tired of the way you chase after Angel and come on to him. Stay the fuck away from my husband. He’s mine. Stop baiting my wife. She deserves every privilege. She’s earned it. And now you’re trying to latch onto my daughter?” His arm flew wildly to the side, startling Kendall and causing her to jump back as he pointed at Tessa. “That’s my little girl! You’re gonna have to go threw me to get to my family, so back the fuck off!”
Tessa never saw her dad so angry or such fire burning in his eyes. Her mom and Papi stood on either side of him, arms folded across their chest, faces as hard as stone. Tessa’s head was whirling with the admissions finally brought to light and openly revealed, each one more disconcerting than the last. Her head volleyed back and forth between her trio of parents and Kendall.
“I don’t care about you or your perfect wife!” Kendall shouted back. “All I care about is Angel! And Tessa! The rest of you can go to hell!”
She tried to step around Tessa’s dad, but he gave her a warning glare that stopped her in her tracks. His brows pinched together. “It was you, wasn’t it? Creeping around outside our house the other night, triggering the alarm.”
MASON WILDER: Radical Rock Stars Next Generation Duet Book 2 Page 22
