I’ve never been to one of these before, but Violet told me a little of what would be going on. All the families are invited, and everybody gets to hang out with each other, without having to worry about working. Apparently, they try to have them once or twice a year, and it started after Trevor got hurt. Last night I was up late making potato salad and two different cakes. No matter if I’m tired this morning or not, it made me feel like a member of the team. I never had that sense of community with Braxton, or even with my own family, but here, I’m comfortable enough to pitch in and help whenever it’s needed.
“Yeah.” Mason holds up the bag he’s carrying, nodding to Caleb who has the two cakes in his hands.
“Okay, let me grab the paper plates, and then we can be on our way.”
“I thought Violet was bringing the plates,” Mason yells over his shoulder as we all walk out to his Jeep.
“Oh she’s been in a clusterfuck,” Caleb answers before I can. “The duplex she and Ace live in had a massive flood night before last. She’s been trying to rescue clothes and feeding the crew that came to dry them out.”
Violet had called me and let me know what was going on, and I’d immediately offered to help. “What he said, so I offered to bring them so she didn’t have to worry about it.”
“Shit, that sucks. Ace and I don’t typically work together, but it must not have made it through the grapevine yet.”
Caleb stows everything in the back. “No, it happened super late. Leigh and I had to do some serious maneuvering to cover the Saturday morning crowd today. But as far as I know, everything’s getting dried out, it’s just been stressful. I think Ace may have lost some of his military stuff, and she lost some of her books. It’s all material things, but those things meant a lot to them. Hopefully the company the insurance has called in can save some of it.”
“Same.” I nod. “The least I could do was bring the paper plates.”
“Well I guess I can offer some muscle, if they need help moving stuff,” Mason says as we get into the vehicle. “Somebody remind me to offer if they don’t mention it at the lunch.”
“Seeing you move my furniture was one of the highlights of my life, big guy. I am so totally there for you helping others.”
He glances over at me, giving me a smile before he drops a kiss to my cheek.
“Whatever makes you happy, babe.”
And with an answering smile on my face, we pull out of the driveway, and ride as a family to the MTF gathering.
* * *
I glance over to where Leighton holds Ransom in her arms, trying to shush the crying baby. He’s howled since they got here, and given the way her back is tight with tension; her nerves can’t take much more. My eyes find Holden, who’s standing with Mason, sipping on a beer.
“You think he’s going to go help her?” Violet asks as we watch the scene that’s unfolding.
“I hope so, he’s the father, but they both look completely exhausted.”
“It can’t be easy,” Violet sighs. “With all the guys on rotation being sick lately, I know he’s been pulling some doubles, which has left her at home alone with the baby.”
Leighton comes back in, and even from where I stand, I can see the tears in her eyes, frustration written plainly across her face. It looks like she doesn’t want to interrupt Holden, but Ransom takes care of that as he lets out a wail loud enough to bring the roof down. Interestingly enough, as Violet and I creep over to where they stand, I watch Mason set his bottle down and hold his hands out.
“Mind if I give it a try? Caleb had horrible colic. For a good three months none of us slept, until we learned a trick.”
She all but tosses the baby into Mason’s arms. “If you can make him stop screaming, I might kiss you.”
Holden makes a noise in his throat at what she says while Mason laughs.
“When Caleb had it, everyone gave us all this information, like put the window up, humidifier, everything, but nothing helped. We drove him around and that kind of helped, but we were young and neither one of us had money to drive around for hours at a time until our son would fall asleep. This could totally be why Caleb cradles a football today.” He gives them a grin as he turns Ransom around, draping him over his muscular forearm, belly and face down, resting in Mason’s huge palm. With his other hand, he softly rubs Ransom’s back. “When it was the worst, I’d have to rock Caleb too, but the pressure on the stomach seems to take care of whatever it is that makes them hurt so bad.”
Within minutes, what had been wailing cries have subsided to sniffles, and it looks like he could go to sleep in Mason’s arms.
“How hot is that?” Violet whispers to me as we watch the scene playing out in front of us.
There’s absolutely no way for me to tell her how hot it is for me to watch my boyfriend hold a baby. He’s self-assured, looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing, and it’s hot as hell. Back when he’d been a new parent with Caleb, I’m sure he hadn’t been sure of anything, but right now he’s showing what experience looks like, and it’s sexy.
“So hot, he’s getting laid tonight,” I joke, as she laughs, spitting out part of the drink she’s just taken.
“You two go get something to eat, enjoy your dinner. Ransom and I will be fine over here,” Mason’s telling them.
“Are you sure?” Leighton asks, probably scared to leave her son.
“It’s been a really long time since I held one this small, but I got this.” He gives her a wink.
“C’mon babe, let’s enjoy a meal.” Havoc turns her over to where the food has been set up.
As they excuse themselves, I excuse myself from Violet, walking toward where the two of them sit.
“Hey.” I give him a smile as I have a seat next to him.
“Hey,” he answers, his voice softer than normal.
“I had no idea you were the baby whisperer,” I tease as I reach over, pushing a small tuft of hair out of Ransom’s face.
He sighs in his sleep, pursing his lips, and in the blink of an eye I can see a child that looks like both Mason and I. Can see him holding the child like he’s holding Ransom, and a longing with which I’ve never felt hits me hard.
Mason shrugs. “Even though I was young, I was good with him. Typically, it would be me up with him at night.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” I try to keep my tone light, in case Caleb is anywhere around. I never want him to think I’ve said something about his mom, even if they don’t have any kind of relationship.
“I always wanted more.”
He blows my mind as he drops that bomb. “You did?”
“Yeah.” He looks down at Ransom, a longing in his eyes I’ve never seen before. The side of his mouth tilts up, disrupting the smoothness of his face. “But I never found anyone I could see myself having one with, and now I feel like I’m too old. I mean, I’ve raised Caleb. Do I really want to start completely over?”
My stomach does a drop I’m not prepared for when I hear those words.
“But then I think, this time I could do all the things I wanted to do. I wouldn’t be away for two years, I wouldn’t be struggling to put a roof over his head the first few years of his life, and I wouldn’t be growing up at the same time as him.” Mason bites his lip. “I don’t know, maybe I lost my chance.”
“Do you think you did?” I ask quietly.
His dark eyes lift up to mine. “Do you want the truth?”
The air between us is heavy with something I can’t name. It feels as if everything we’ve built, everything we’ve gone through with one another balances on this exchange. “I always want the truth; we haven’t come this far by lying to each other. Even that first night.”
“If I had the right woman with me, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”
The words flow out before I can think to stop them, before I can force myself to stop them. “A woman like me?”
He reaches up, cupping my jaw in his hand, shoving his fingers behind my ear and
up into my hair. “Yeah.” He leans in, kissing me softly. “A woman like you. You’re the only other person I’ve ever thought about having a kid with. There’s something about you, Rina.”
I close my eyes, leaning my forehead against his. “I never knew it was something I wanted until I saw you with Ransom, but fuck if my ovaries aren’t aching right now,” I giggle.
“That hot, huh?”
Pulling back, I give him a smile. “If you could see what I’m seeing, you’d get it, Mason.”
“I’ll remember this for later,” he threatens. “When I’m on your nerves and I don’t want you to put your cold feet on my legs, I’ll remind you of how hot I am right now.”
“Whatever works for you, big guy.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes, until he blows my mind again. “I’m serious, you know. I want more out of life than what I’ve been getting. The way I’m looking at it, that means a future with you, Rina. So if you aren’t down for that, we should probably stop while we’re ahead.”
“I’m totally down for it. Maybe not kids this weekend, but I’m on the same wavelength as you.”
He grins, one of those smiles that splits his face, showing off the experience there. Some would call them crow’s feet and the laugh lines, but I love them. As much as I’m coming to love this man sitting beside me.
“So we’ll hold kids off for a few weeks. No impregnating this weekend.”
Truth be told, it sounds fun. Not having to worry about protection with him, being able to be as spontaneous as we want to be. Dear God, don’t let me mess this up. If I’m not careful, I’ll be completely and hopelessly in love with this man, and there won’t be any going back from it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Karina
April
Today has been the longest day of the semester, I’m totally sure of that, and it’s probably because Spring Break is right around the corner. It’s sorely needed all the way around. From me to the kids, to the other teachers – I think we’re all burnt out. One more week and I get to spend all Mason’s free time with him. To say I’m giddy is an understatement. Lately things have kept us apart, and I need all the time with him I can get.
One more week – that’s the mantra I keep repeating. I know it’s bad. I love my job, really I do, but every once in a while the stress gets to me.
As I exit the school and head toward the teacher’s lot, I notice someone lying against the concrete sign in the quad that sits in front of the school. From where I am, I can only see shoes, but immediately I’m on edge.
Hurrying along, pulling the strap of my purse up around my shoulder as I get to a position I can see. It’s one of Caleb’s teammates, Maddox, better known as Dox. He’s one of the bigger guys who plays on the defensive line. Gazing down at him, I see he’s completely out of it. His head tilts to the side, mouth open, and it almost looks like he’s sleeping.
Leaning down, I shake his shoulder. “Dox?”
He makes a noise, letting me know that he’s at least alive.
“Maddox!” I shake his shoulder harder, and for the first time notice a smell coming off of him that I shouldn’t be noticing at school. Reaching down, I put my fingers to the pulse point on his neck. It’s faint but there. Taking my phone out, I quickly dial 911.
“Yes, this is Karina Holland. I’m a teacher at Laurel Springs High School, and I’ve got a student passed out in front. He smells heavily of moonshine, and I can barely get him to come around.”
The woman on the other end of the line talks like she believes everything is going to be okay, and I want to feel that in my bones, but right now I don’t. All I can think about is keeping the students from seeing this. After what happened at the barn party and how it affected the school, the last thing I want to do is bring back bad memories or to have blood on my hands. I know I’m speaking, can feel my lips moving, can hear a hushed voice in the background that I know is mine, but I have zero idea of what I’m saying. My hands shake as I continue to make inconsequential noises. In the distance I can hear the wail of an ambulance.
We hang up as the paramedics hop down from the back of the ambulance, stretcher between them. One of them I recognize as Blaze. “What happened?” she questions as I go over what little bit I know. If someone asked me to tell them what exactly I said to her, I don’t think I’d be able to repeat it.
“Is he going to be okay?” I finally find my voice; finally ask the real question of the day.
“His pulse is weak.” She looks up to me, and I notice the fear in her eyes. “Did he have anything on him, anything nearby that we can attribute this to?”
I shake my head, my hair blowing against my lips in the breeze. “Absolutely nothing. I was walking to my car when I saw his feet, and I thought it was odd to see feet there. Like they were. Honestly I was thinking about Spring Break.” My voice cracks. What if he doesn’t get to enjoy the Spring Break of his senior year? What if he’s ruined that for himself?
As fast as I can, I move back, allowing them room to work. An IV is put in his arm as a Laurel Springs police car comes to a screeching halt behind the ambulance. Mason gets out, all business. I’ve never seen him in uniform like this before, never seen him take command of a scene or investigation. He’s quiet, authoritative, and assured as he starts asking questions and setting up a perimeter. Watching him make his way to me, my hands get sweaty, and I have to remind myself that this is the man I sleep with every night, except for when he works late shifts.
“You okay?” he asks quietly as he steps up to me, directing me out of the line of what’s happening with Dox. He moves me over to the double doors that lead into the school.
“I thought he was dead.” My voice is flat, tears in my eyes. “He looked dead.”
“They don’t think he got a bad batch of moonshine.” He gives me a little piece of the information he’s discovered. “They think he’s drank too much. They’ll flush him out and pump his stomach full of charcoal.”
“How would he be doing it here at school?” My voice is a hushed whisper.
“He’s a football player. Is he dragging around a gallon container of water with him to stay hydrated?” Mason asks.
This semester I don’t have Maddox in class, but I put myself back to last semester when I had him, and I distinctly remember a large Yeti he carried, always drinking from it to keep from having muscle cramps because of dehydration. “He always had a silver Yeti he carried everywhere.”
“Wonder where it is now.” Mason jogs back over to where Maddox laid before they got him on the stretcher.
I watch, not allowing myself to breathe a sigh of relief until they have him in the back of the ambulance and they’re on their way to the hospital. Only then do I let my eyes travel to where Mason is bent over, rifling through a book bag. “This it?” he holds up a silver Yeti, just like the one I remember Maddox drinking out of.
“That’s it.” I nod the affirmation.
He opens it, sniffing, before holding it back from his nose. “Good God, I can’t stand the smell of that stuff, I will never get the fascination with it.”
Truth be told, I don’t either, but it’s cheap and these kids like to have what they think is a good time. “I guess I’ll go inside and make sure his parents are called.”
“You seen anyone acting suspicious around here lately, Rina?” he asks as he crowds up into my space. “Anyone give you a weird feeling, make you uncomfortable? This shit is coming from inside this school, and we’ve got to figure out who and where before another kid dies.”
The thought of something happening to any of the kids I think of as mine is enough to threaten tears falling. Immediately I tell him the one person who’s always made me uncomfortable, in one way or another, since I came here. “Mr. Cartwright, the science teacher. We started around the same time together, and anytime I’m with him, I feel gross.” I shiver. “There’s no explanation for it, other than the fact he’s asked me out a number of times and I’ve always said no. Sometime
s he’s more aggressive than others, but once in a while, he crosses a line.”
“How does he cross a line?” Mason’s voice is tight, his glare is intense.
“I just don’t like the way he casually touches people around him. He did it to me a few times when he first moved here, and I just didn’t like it,” I’m at a loss to explain the way this man makes me feel. There are certain people who give off a vibe. Mr. Cartwright is one of them.
“Know where I might find him?”
“He tutors after school. Do you want me to take you to his classroom?”
He’s got that fuck shit up look on his face, and I almost feel bad for Mr. Cartwright, but I also love when my man looks so fierce. “Lead the way baby, I have a few things I wanna talk to this guy about.”
Menace
When she mentions the same teacher that Jess had mentioned to me, and the same person I had a talk to the principal about, I want to rage. There’s no way in hell this guy should be allowed to do the things I think he’s doing. Since that first day when the dog hit on his classroom, I’ve had a bad feeling; have wondered if this man is hiding something.
“Here’s his room.” Karina walks us in. “Mr. Cartwright?”
The son of a bitch pops up from behind the counter where the K-9 had indicated.
“I’m Officer Harrison,” I walk over, introducing myself. “There’s been an incident out on the front quad and I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
When the guy gets a good look at me, I can tell he hates my guts. Call it intuition or whatever you want to, but immediately I can tell he doesn’t like me. Maybe it’s because he wanted Karina, maybe it’s because he wanted to be a cop at one point in his life and couldn’t swing it. Either way, he’s not impressed.
“I don’t know what I can do to help you. You’re Caleb’s dad, right?”
“That’s right.” And in my head I add don’t even think that you’re going to be fucking up his scholarship, asshole. “Have you noticed anything going on around here, anything out of the ordinary?”
Menace Page 13
