by Sam Destiny
As much as Mason’s mother tried to hide it, Taylor could see the pleasure on her face each and every time Timothy said that. It was as if Mason’s mom finally had what she had wished for for Mason, her, and Becca. Taylor didn’t mind. Stella seemed to complete the hole that had been in her own family for way too long.
“Anything else you need out of town?” Mason called from the door, and Taylor leaned back until she could see him tie his shoes on the bottom of the stairs.
“Yes, you,” she answered, and he laughed, finishing his shoes before coming over to her side, leaving wet tracks on the floor. She eyed them, arching a brow at him.
“Sorry,” he apologized, sheepishly looking at her.
“You aren’t. And now, get moving so you will be back to help me cook,” she instructed, and he grinned, leaning in to kiss her. Her phone buzzed next to them on the counter, but Taylor ignored it.
The weekend after her accident, Andrew had called for the first time, and while she had ignored it back then, sure it was a one-time thing, he now called at more regular intervals, being more persistent the longer she ignored him.
“Who is it?” Mase asked, and Taylor sighed.
“Andrew. My ex. He bought my business, and while I never again wanted to talk to him, he keeps calling. I have nothing to say to him.”
“Want me to answer?” Taylor blinked. Mason’s tone was calm, but she worried that was just what he wanted her to see. Still, she nodded. If someone could get rid of Andrew, it probably was Mason.
“Stiles?” he stated after swiping right on the touchscreen.
He turned on the speaker, and she looked at him.
“This is Andrew Cane. Mason Stiles … never thought I’d talk to you one day,” her ex stated, and Taylor swallowed hard while Mason was clearly shocked.
“Why’s that?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
“For Taylor, you were the perfect dream. You were like a god to her. I don’t think anyone could reach up to the way you sing, the way you care, the way you are. It’s hard for a city boy to stand up against a cowboy ghost,” Andrew explained, and Taylor shook her head. She had tried everything to keep Mason out of her thoughts, but she had clearly failed.
“What?” she whispered, regretting the next moment that Andrew now knew she was listening.
“It was little things like a comment, or a look, or the way you carried his picture in your wallet. I knew, Taylor, that you’d never love me, but you were still good to me. And you were a remarkable businesswoman, which is the main reason I’m calling. I sold it.”
The floor threatened to drop out from under her feet. She knew it hadn’t been her baby in months, but somehow, her mind had been eased knowing that it still belonged to someone she knew.
“You what?” She placed her hands on the counter, trying not to collapse. Mason drew her into his arms, holding her tight.
“I’m going to leave the city. People loved what you turned this into, and someone paid a lot of money for it. I don’t want it. Any of it. I sent the check to your local bank. That’s all I meant to tell you. I figured you’d call me once you picked it up, but you never did.”
“Ash never said anything,” Taylor mumbled, and Mason kissed the side of her head.
“Who’s Ash?” Andrew wanted to know.
“My best friend,” she answered absent-mindedly, and Andrew laughed shortly. He sounded tired, but not like he hadn’t slept in days. More as if he was tired to his bones.
“Yeah, it was my name on the envelope, so I’m not surprised. She probably wanted to make sure I don’t get between you and Stiles,” he mused, and Taylor turned in Mason’s arms, kissing his shoulder. She was done talking to Andrew, still trying to get over the fact that he had sold her business.
“Dude, if that was all, thank you for sending her money, and fuck you for selling,” Mason growled, clearly catching on to her pain.
“I cannot stay here any longer. I need to see what is so tempting about the countryside,” Andrew replied.
“Good luck then,” Mason replied and then ended the call. “You okay?” he wanted to know, and Taylor shook her head, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. It was terrible how quickly a day could go down the drain.
***
Mason held onto his fiancée, sighing heavily. It was incredible how much the selling of her firm affected her. He had no idea what she’d done exactly in Michigan, and he had to admit that he never had cared because it reminded him of a time when she wasn’t his.
Then again, the way her ex had talked, she maybe always had been his. And she carried his picture in her wallet? Maybe they’d been more connected than he’d thought.
“I wanted to ... it was my baby. It was everything I wanted, and even though I never wanted to go back, it’s terrible knowing that it’s no longer there.” She sniffed, her body shaken by silent sobs. Suddenly, she pulled back, reaching for her phone. “Ash. I need to call Ash.”
She fumbled with the device until nearly dropping it with shaking hands, so Mason took over, dialing his ex’s number. She answered after a few short rings even though she was at work.
“Hey babe,” she chirped into the phone.
“Open the letter from Andrew,” Taylor demanded, her voice thick with tears.
“I didn’t say anythin’ because I figured nothing good ever comes from exes,” Ash replied truthfully, and Mason was surprised that she knew exactly which letter they were referring to since obviously it had been there months.
“Just open it,” Tay pleaded and then moved until her hands were resting left and right of the phone on the counter. They heard the tearing of the envelope, and then a gasp.
“Fuck, I gotta sit down,” Ash mumbled. “Holy shit, Taylor. Do you know what’s in here?”
Mason snorted. Of course, she didn’t, or Ash wouldn’t have to open the letter.
“Oh, while talking about ex,” Ash fussed, but by now the heat was missing in her voice with those statements. Clearly, she finally came to terms with being friends with him again.
“What does it say?” Taylor wanted to know, getting the focus back to the topic at hand.
“Note or check?” Ash asked back.
“Note first.”
“’I don’t want any of it, Taylor Collins. It was your baby and every damn day reminded me of the fact that I am not you, and that you aren’t with me anymore. I can’t woo people the way you do. So bye business. Bye Taylor. Bye sucky memories,’” Ash reported, and Mason wanted to get in the car and drive until he found the douche.
“How much?” his fiancée prompted.
“For how much did you sell it to him?”
“Ten grand,” Taylor whispered. Mason almost whistled. That was a lot of money.
“Well, I assume he took that out of the final sum,” Ashley mused, and Mason felt as if he needed to take a seat before hearing the sum. Ash was stalling, so it was either a lot of money or nothing at all.
“How much?” Taylor repeated, and Ashley sighed.
“Two hundred forty thousand.”
Two hundred forty thousand ... Mason was floored while Taylor didn’t seem surprised in the least.
“Turn the note,” she ordered.
“’I sold our client list for one hundred and fifty thousand. It could’ve been more, but I knew you were going to be pissed. Have a great life, TyCo. I loved you,’” Ash read the rest of the note.
“How high-class were your clients, Taylor?” Mason wanted to know, and Taylor swallowed, not looking at him.
“Tay, you’re rich,” Ashley pointed out the obvious, but it still looked as if Taylor couldn’t comprehend that.
“Open a bank account for each Tim, Tamara, and Becca. Put seventy thousand in each account and the rest in Mason’s,” Taylor instructed. “I’ll come and sign the permission slip tomorrow.” His fiancée looked up, meeting his eyes. Mason didn’t know what to say.
“Are you sure? Maybe you should think about this, Coll
ins,” Ashley urged gently, but Mason could see it on Taylor’s face. There was nothing to think about. She didn’t want the money.
“I am sure,” she assured her best friend.
“You won’t have any of the money, Tay,” Ash tried again, and finally, a first smile broke over Taylor’s face.
“I’ll be a Stiles soon enough, so he’ll have to share the account anyway. We don’t do things only halfway.” They hadn’t talked about it, yet Mason couldn’t deny that they were on the same page nonetheless.
“We’ll invest the money to make the house bigger,” he decided, and Taylor’s eyes widened slightly.
“You two make me sick and jealous. Have dirty sex for me, too,” Ash groaned. “See you at the bank tomorrow. Love ya, Tay.”
“Love you, too,” Taylor replied, grinning while ending the call.
“That’s a whole bunch of money, baby,” Mason whispered, and she sighed.
“It was pretty exclusive clientele. I was good at what I did, and Andrew was good at investing our money. I never lived the rich life, which is why our debts were paid off pretty quickly. I didn’t keep much of it. It was a good job, but that’s no longer my life. I prefer boots to heels, and jeans to pencil skirts,” she admitted, walking closer to where he had sat down. He pulled her on his lap, seeing something else in her eyes.
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”
She lowered her eyes. “You worry about Ash, don’t you? It doesn’t matter that he could’ve never held my heart the way you do. He was still a friend I shared a few years of my life with. Of course, I worry, and it won’t ever change. What bothers me, though, is that Andrew loved money. Seriously, he lived and breathed wealth. He could’ve sold the business, and I would’ve been none-the-wiser. Why didn’t he? Instead, he gave it all to me, but the little bit that I got from him for my part of the business.”
“Which, by the way, is ridiculously little, considering what it clearly was worth,” he scolded, and she shrugged.
“I didn’t want it. I just needed money to tide the farm over in the beginning if I messed up. Nothing else.” God, she was too damn perfect.
“Did you mean that with the shared account?” He cupped her cheek, making sure she met his eyes.
“Of course. Someone needs to spend all your money on books and decorations.” She grinned but then sobered. “Mason, with us, it’s all in or nothing at all. If we get married, we share a house, a bank account, and a family. If that’s not what you want, you might as well make me leave right now,” she demanded, her jaw set.
“I want at least two children with you. A boy and a girl.” He named his conditions, and she beamed.
“Family,” she repeated, and he leaned in, kissing her hard on her mouth. Never, in all his years, had he expected that a relationship could feel as this one did.
“So I need to get into town, and you need to finish cooking.” He grinned, getting up with her on his arm before putting her down on her own two feet.
“Deal,” she agreed, giving him one of those smiles that would forever warm him, no matter what would come their way.
they had to stop and talk to you, making sure you knew how much they appreciated and loved you. Sunburn took ‘love your neighbor’ to a whole new level during the holidays. Mason rarely was hugged as much as he was on that day. One more day to go until Christmas Eve; he was excited to bring home gifts and make everyone happy.
He had forbid Taylor to buy anything for anyone because her money would pay some of Becca’s college education if not all of it. He had a feeling, though, his stubborn fiancée wouldn’t really listen.
Making his way to the grocery store, he pulled out the list Taylor and his mom had compiled. He nearly groaned as he realized that he’d probably need two carts to get everything he saw on it. The store was filled to the brim with patrons, and while he didn’t mind, it just meant more small talk and hugs.
“Mason Stiles. One of the best guys I ever got the chance to teach.” Mrs. Crook, an old lady with white hair and a friendly smile, approached him. She had been his teacher throughout high school, always pushing him to do better. Only it hadn’t been her initiative that had gotten him where he was now. That had been Taylor.
“Mrs. Crook, hey,” he greeted, giving her a beaming smile. She still had been his favorite teacher ever, and only during her class had he bothered to really listen. “How are you doing?”
She patted his chest, clearly happy to see him. “I’m peachy, boy. My daughter and her family came to town, and she’ll be cookin’. In fact, she already invaded my kitchen, so I needed to get out of the house. My son and family will be here tonight, and so will my second daughter. The house will be stuffed with people like we stuff the turkey on Thanksgiving.” She shook her head, looking as if she regretted having them all over, but Mason could see that this wasn’t true. She was clearly excited, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining.
“How many people are we talking?” he asked, taking the time to talk to her even though he wanted to go home and just be with his family.
“Fifteen so far. Suzy’s been trying to get my sister and my brother to come, too. And then they’d probably bring their grandchildren. Of course, at some point, not everyone could stay at my house anymore. And you, Mason? Celebrating with that beautiful fiancée of yours?”
Mason nodded, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks as he realized that the whole damn town probably knew every little bit of their story. “Yes, Ma’am. She’s bringing her sister and her brother over and we’ll just mix the families,” he told her, and she nodded slowly, her expression going soft.
“The Collins kids need a family. It’s a shame what Bonnie and Wayne Collins did to their kids. Pressuring a young girl so much that she doesn’t see any other choice than to leave her hometown and never return.” She shook her head in regret. “I had Taylor in class, and then her sister, Tamara. Bright kids. Taylor was such a nice and outgoing person. Everyone wanted to be better for her. Tamara was the total contrary of her sister, though, always quiet, somewhat subdued. Not having her sister around hurt her bad,” Mrs. Crook mused, and Mason had no doubt about that.
“Taylor is back to correct that mistake,” Mason whispered, and the old teacher’s head snapped up.
“Mistake? If she hadn’t left, nothing would be saving the family now. Bonnie and Wayne never were meant to stay together. If Taylor had stayed back, letting her father and mother push her into a role she didn’t want, you wouldn’t have a fiancée now, boy. There’d be nothing left of the girl you fell in love with. Destiny is what it is. You wouldn’t be here now if Taylor had stayed. She would’ve destroyed herself over her family, and you probably would’ve left town because you wouldn’t be able to see that. No. Taylor and Tamara came out stronger on the other side, and that’s what matters. So how is Taylor doing with your daughter?”
Mason wasn’t the least bit surprised that people were curious about that. “What do you think?”
“Is she already calling her mom?” The old lady winked, and Mason took a deep breath.
“She is. It didn’t take that long, and I don’t think it bothers Taylor is at all. She’s doing everythin’ a mother should be doing. Sometimes, I think Becca loves her more than she loves me.” He grinned and Mrs. Crook chuckled.
“No wonder. People always preferred her to you,” she teased, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“She always has been amazin’,” he agreed and then checked his watch. “Okay, I gotta run, or said woman is gonna hurt me when I get home.” He winked, and his old teacher reached up and patted his cheeks.
“You’re a good man, Mason. Take care of the Collins kids. They deserve a happy life,” she mumbled, and he nodded, promising that he had no other intentions.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he sighed. It was most likely Taylor, wondering where he got lost, so instead of answering, he filled his cart and hurried to the checkout. Once finished, he pushed his cart toward his truck, patting d
own his pockets to find his car keys. It took a moment until he spotted Brad. His smartass greeting died on his lips as he saw the pale face of his best friend.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, starting to load the truck with the shopping bags.
“Your Christmas is going to take a turn for the worse,” Brad predicted, and Mason snorted.
“Taylor doesn’t cook that bad,” he replied, and Brad grabbed his arm, halting his movements.
“How about you take me serious for a second, Mase?”
“How about you tell me what got your panties in a twist, and I might actually be able to?” he snapped, feeling how the tension rolling off Brad infected him, too.
“Dude, this isn’t exactly … I had hoped someone else might have informed you already. I don’t wanna be the ass to deliver bad news,” Brad confessed, and Mason swallowed, uneasiness settling in his stomach.
“Bad news?”
“What could possibly ruin Christmas for you?”
As much as Mason wasn’t ready to play games, he sighed, putting serious thought into it. “If Taylor wasn’t there,” he finally replied.
“Or cryin’ the whole time?” his best friend suggested.
“I don’t like where this is going,” he admitted, and Brad closed his eyes before gritting his teeth.
“Mason, oh my God, I’m so glad I caught you before you went back home.” Ashley joined them, being out of breath from hurrying over. “Have you told him?” she asked toward Brad, her brows raised in annoyance.
“I was working up to. This isn’t easy to say,” his best friend defended himself.
“You just don’t have the balls to,” Ashley snapped. “Bonnie Collins has been seen back in town. Down at the gas station, she told the other patrons she was here to reclaim her family.”
Clearly, Ash had no problem holding back, making Mason feel as if the breath had been knocked out of him.
“When?”
Ash shrugged. “I just heard. Probably this mornin’ or late last night. I couldn’t get a hold of Taylor, but then I don’t know how she’ll react. I’m … Jesus, Mason, what are we going to do?”
