“Thanks for that, by the way.” I smile widely.
My phone chimes in my pocket as I’m leaving the bowling alley. I pull it out to see a message from Tony. Want to come over?
You know I do. Be there in a sec.
I slide the phone back into my pocket and climb behind the wheel.
In minutes, I arrive and make my way to his door. I knock, and he answers in nothing but a loose-fitting pair of jeans.
“Hi, blue eyes.” He gives me that cocky grin of his.
I smile because I can’t stop it when I’m around him. “Hi,” I say, moving in for a kiss.
Chapter Twelve
Lennox
Mason and I are in the kitchen cooking dinner when Emma walks in.
“Hey, are you hungry? Dinner’s done,” I tell her.
“Awesome, I’m starving. Jax stole half my fries at the bowling alley today. Where’s Preston?” She begins pulling plates out of the cabinet.
“Pres!” Mason yells.
Within minutes, he’s running down the stairs. “About time. I’m starving.”
We all head into the dining room and take our seats at the table. Everything gets passed around, and they’re too busy shoveling in food to realize that I’m sitting here completely still. I can’t help but look at each and every one of them.
“We need to do this more often,” I say, finally picking up my fork.
“Do what?” Mason asks.
“Have a big family dinner like this,” I motion toward him and the kids. “Usually, everyone is busy with their own things, so we eat in shifts. Em’s going to be leaving soon. I want more of these dinners.”
“I promise, Mom,” Emma says.
“Speaking of promises.” Mason looks at Emma. “When do I get to meet this guy?”
Emma rolls her eyes and lets out a long breath. “I was hoping you forgot, but since you haven’t, I can ask him to dinner tomorrow if you want.”
Mason nods. “Great. I don’t know why you’re so nervous about me meeting him.”
Em is picking at her food more than eating it. “Because he doesn’t have callused hands.”
I burst out laughing. I can’t help it.
Everyone turns and looks at me.
“What?” Mason asks, confused.
“I remember you saying I better not ever date a guy with soft hands because that means he doesn’t work hard enough.”
I’m still laughing as I say, “Oh, my God. I remember that!”
Mason looks from Em to me. “When did I say that?”
“I was twelve and had to kiss Charles Weston in that school play. Remember?”
A knowing look covers Mason’s face. “Oh. I was just joking. But it’s a good rule to live by. What does this kid do anyway?”
Em takes a bite of her dinner roll and shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t think he has a job. He’s getting ready to start college.”
His fork clatters to his plate. “Then how is he living? Who buys his things?”
Again, Em shrugs. “I don’t know, Dad. I guess his mom back in Texas?”
He scoffs and shakes his head. “I’m not hiring him,” he says, looking at me.
I inhale quickly. “I wasn’t going to suggest it.”
“I think he’s working part-time at the bowling alley, actually,” Preston says, drawing all of our attention to him.
Em squares her shoulders. “What? No, he doesn’t. I was just there today, and he wasn’t there.”
“Yeah, he was,” Preston argues. “He was the one who handed me my shoes.”
“Then where’d he go when I got there?”
Preston thinks it over. “I don’t know. Actually, now that you mention it, I don’t remember seeing him while you were there. Maybe he was embarrassed and was working in the back.”
“Why would he be embarrassed? A job is a job,” Mason says.
Preston just shrugs before shoving another massive bite into his mouth.
“Mom!” Emma squeals from beside me, causing me to jump. “You’re seriously not going to wear that, are you?”
I look at my jean shorts and tank top in confusion. “What’s the big deal, Em?”
She looks me up and down. “You cannot wear that to dinner with Tony here.”
Mason walks into the kitchen. “I agree. Those shorts are too short, and I don’t want him checking out my wife’s rack.” He grins.
“Ew, Dad.” Emma shakes her head like she’s repulsed.
“What?” Mason spins around to face us both. “How do you think you got here?”
She gags before running from the room with Mason laughing.
“What is wrong with you?” I pop him with the towel in my hands.
“What did I say that was so bad?” He holds his hands out at his sides, palms facing upward.
I grab ahold of his shirt and pull him closer. “Kids don’t like to be reminded of how they’re made.”
“How about we go make another?” He leans his forehead against mine.
I laugh. “No more kids. But we sure can practice.” I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine.
“Deal,” he says, breaking the kiss.
“I guess I better go upstairs and change.” I release him and take a few steps away, then turn back. “So, what would be appropriate? A turtle neck and jeans?”
He smiles. “Now you’re thinking.”
I smile and flip him off as I head up to our bedroom.
Rifling through the closet, I find a pair of skinny jeans and pull them on. I’m usually more of a flip-flop girl, but I decide against them and take down a pair of knee-high boots. I look at every shirt I own, but almost all of them are low cut, showing off some cleavage. I don’t want to embarrass Emma or give Mason a reason to think this kid if checking me out, so I pull off a thin, white, long sleeve shirt with a V neckline.
I walk back downstairs, holding my arms out at my side. “Is this better?”
They both turn and look at me. “Much,” Mason says.
“Isn’t it a little hot for long sleeves and boots?” Emma questions.
“Well apparently, I’m a bit of a floozie and show off way too much cleavage.”
She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t say that.”
“I’m just now realizing all of my shirts are low cut.” I turn to face Mason, and we share a look. Just another reminder about the breast problem I’m having.
I think Emma is picking up on our awkwardness, but the second she opens her mouth, someone knocks on the door.
“I’ll get it,” she says, running from the room.
“Be nice,” I threaten my husband when she’s out of earshot.
Mason scoffs. “I’m always nice.”
We walk into the foyer and see Tony and Emma pulling away from one another. I know they were kissing, but Mason either chooses to ignore it, or he doesn’t realize it. He holds out his hand. “I’m Mason, Emma’s dad.” He motions toward me. “And this is my wife, Lennox.”
Tony smiles shyly and shakes both our hands. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Dinner is done if you’re hungry,” I say, breaking up the awkward silence.
“Starving. I haven’t had a homecooked meal since I moved here,” Tony says.
“Why’s that?” I ask, leading the way.
He pulls out his chair and sits down. “I don’t really know how to cook anything.”
Mason and I both freeze. “Oh, you live alone?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, I moved here for college in the fall. I just thought it would be nice to be settled before the craziness of freshman year starts.”
When I look at Mason, he’s turning all new shades of red.
I try to distract everyone by picking up the bowl of mashed potatoes and passing it around the table, but Mason isn’t easily distracted.
“Tony,” he says with acid in his voice, “what is it that you do for work?”
I look at Em. Her face turns pink before she rolls her eyes.
&
nbsp; Tony looks at Mason, to Emma, and then back at Mason. “I actually just got a job at the bowling alley.” I notice his Adam’s apple bob like he’s nervous or embarrassed. His eyes are suddenly downcast as if he’s afraid to look at Emma to see her expression.
She picks up on his embarrassment and places her hand on his that’s resting on the table. His head pops up, and their eyes meet. “Why didn’t you tell me you got a job there? I would’ve come to hang out.”
“Really?” he asks so quietly I almost can’t make out what he says.
She nods with a small smile.
“You wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with the shoe disinfectant guy?”
“Not at all. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
My heart melts like it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Mason looks at me and rolls his eyes. I mouth the words, stop it.
Mason clears his throat, stealing their attention away from one another. “What are your parents like? What do they do?”
Tony takes a sip of his water. “Um, my mom is a manager at a hotel in Texas. She’s about to marry a man who’s a police officer. But I never knew my dad, so I can’t tell you anything about him.”
Pain fills his eyes just from thinking about the father he never got to know. I finally decide this is enough of the interrogation.
“Why don’t we all just eat dinner. We can talk later.”
Tony and Emma pick up their forks and begin eating. Mason does the same, but he doesn’t do it happily. He gives me his angry eyes, but I’ve become used to them over the years.,
Emma shows Tony out after dinner while Mason helps me clean up.
“Why’d you do that? I had more questions,” he says as he rinses a plate and hands it to me to load in the dishwasher.
“If you have more questions, you can ask him later. It was turning into an interrogation in there. He hasn’t done anything wrong and doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“He has done something wrong,” he mumbles.
I stand upright, placing my hands on my hips. “Really? What did he do wrong?”
“He picked my little girl. Out of all the girls out there he could’ve picked, he picked mine.” He doesn’t look at me, instead he keeps his eyes trained on the dishes he’s rinsing.
“If you haven’t noticed, she’s not a little girl anymore, Mason. She’s eighteen. She’s an adult who’ll be moving out in less than two months. You’ve got to start trusting her at some point.”
He looks up, glaring out the window in front of the sink. “It’s not her I don’t trust. It’s him. Would you look at that?” He motions toward the window.
I step over and look out to see Tony and Em saying goodbye. With a kiss. He has her pinned between him and his car. It looks like a passionate kiss, but they aren’t groping each other or anything.
“What am I looking at? They’re kissing. Big deal.”
“Right here! Right where I can see them! In my driveway!”
I laugh. “This is really getting to you, isn’t it?” I place the last dish inside and add the pod before turning it on.
“You think?”
I smile. “Is there anything I can do to get your mind off it?” I take his hand and pull him toward the stairs.
He follows behind like a child in trouble, and I laugh the whole way.
Chapter Thirteen
Mason
It’s been a few days since our dinner with Tony. And to be honest, I don’t hate the kid and that pisses me off. I hate the way he looks at my daughter. I hate the way she looks at him. I absolutely hate what I saw happening in my driveway. But… he seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. He holds down a job while preparing to go to school and seems to make my little girl happy. I hate to admit it, but I guess there are worse guys she could date.
After our dinner, I promised Len I’d cut the kid some slack, but there’s still more I want to know. Things such as: what are your intentions with my daughter? I want to know what they plan on doing when it comes time for her to leave for college. I want to know if he’s been poking things around where they don’t belong, but I’m a little afraid of that answer.
All of this flows through my head every time I see them together. Just now, I pass them by and walk into Dane’s office. I barge in, not even thinking about it, and he and Alissa pull apart quickly.
“Whoa, sorry about that,” I say, covering my eyes while she buttons her shirt up.
“What the fuck, Mase? Don’t you know by now to always knock if I’m in a room with a closed door?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “I should, but fuck, I didn’t know Alissa was here.”
“You can open your eyes, Mason. I’m all covered.”
I let my hand fall away from my eyes in time to see her press a quick kiss to Dane’s lips and turn to leave. “See you at home,” she tells him. “Bye, Mase.”
“Bye, and sorry again,” I say as she leaves.
I look at Dane, and he holds his hands out. “What’s so important?”
I laugh and shake my head. “The favor, remember?”
He looks quickly at the computer screen and back at me. “Or… you saw that Em’s Jeep was here and wanted to spy on her and her new boyfriend.” He offers up his signature grin.
“You caught me. What are they doing?” I ask as I lean over the desk to see the computer screen.
“They’re just eating and talking. Not even touching, so you can chill.”
I let out a loud breath. “Dude, you have no idea how stressful having a daughter is,” I say as I fall back into my seat.
He scoffs. “Are you kidding me? You know Jax. He spreads it around more than I did! I live in fear every day that a pissed off mother is going to march in here and rip off my balls because my son got her daughter pregnant.”
I can’t hold back my laugh. “Kids, man. How’d we get so damn old?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, but I think it started with the words, I’m pregnant.”
I rub my hand over my face and look at the ceiling. “Man, wouldn’t Dad be laughing his ass off right now at us?”
Dane laughs. “I’m sure he’s laughing that Jax is just like I was. I’m getting my punishment tenfold.”
I wave him off. “Jax is nowhere near as bad as you were. He’s still at home and going to college,” I point out.
“And leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him,” Dane adds on.
“As long as it’s not babies, we’re doing alright.”
“Ain’t that the truth. I’m sweating just thinking about it.”
Jax walks in unannounced. “What are you two laughing at?”
“Man, you should be glad you walked in on this and not what I walked in on,” I tease him.
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t even want to know what that means.” He shakes his head while pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What do you need, Jax?” Dane asks.
“Mom wanted me to ask you to pick up some milk before you came home.”
He looks at his son. “I’m closing tonight. Why can’t you do it?”
He shrugs. “I don’t have any money.”
Dane lets out a long breath before standing and pulling a twenty out of his wallet. “I want change.”
“Rigggght,” Jax says as he takes the money and walks out.
“Kids, man,” Dane mumbles, taking his seat once again while reaching around his desk, pulling out his guitar.
I pull my chair closer and try to pay attention as his lesson begins. I don’t have much time to learn this, so I make sure he has my complete attention.
Almost two hours later, I know the song I’m trying to learn, now all I need is practice.
I sigh. “Well, I guess I’m going to get out of here.” I stand and lean over one more time to spy on Emma and Tony, but they’re gone. “Fuck, where’d they go?”
Dane just sits back, laughing.
“Babe, want to get in the bath with me?” Lennox asks while I’
m lying in bed, watching tv.
“What kind of question is that?” I get up quickly and run towards her, picking her up and carrying her to the bathroom with her giggling the whole way.
The tub is already full of water with floating rose petals on top. Tiny, white candles are lit and scattered around the room, and the lights are off.
“Mmm, this took a lot of effort. Is someone hoping to get lucky tonight?” I ask as I start littering her neck with kisses while pulling at her clothes.
She pushes against my chest and removes her shirt herself. “That depends. Got anyone in mind?”
I bite my bottom lip and look at the ceiling like I’m thinking it over. “I might know a guy.”
“I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m a married woman with two children.” She removes her bra and lets it drop from her fingertips.
“Oh, he doesn’t. He doesn’t have any morals.” I close the distance between us, pulling her against me, skin-to-skin.
I wake in the morning and make a pot of coffee before sneaking out the front door, trying not to wake anyone. I’m leaving earlier than usual for a meeting with the construction company that’s going to be building the new shop when and if my offer on the property goes through. I told them I wanted it exactly like the shop I own now. They came in a few days ago, took measurements and spent time drawing up a plan.
When I walk into the office, in the center of the room is not only the floor plan, but a scale model. It looks just like the shop I’ve grown to love. The only difference is the name change. It’s always been known as Reynolds and Sons since my dad named it after him, Dane, and myself. But now, it’s just going to be Reynolds Place. Under that, it says two kings and one queen, for Preston, Jax, and Emma.
“Mason, how ya doin’?” Nathan says, walking out of his private office.
I turn and shake his hand. “Great. It looks like you’ve got everything under control here.” I motion toward the model.
“Yeah, everything is going great. We’re just waiting on your go ahead.”
One More Chance at Forever (The Chance Series Book 5) Page 9
