Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Palmer
Mason’s body tensed when I’d asked about Charlie’s mother. Maybe it was a step beyond what a nanny should be asking, but I also knew Mason and I were becoming friends. Plus, Charlie had asked me about his mother the other day, and I’d had no idea what to say to him. I’d changed the subject but had decided to talk to Mason about it.
We both sat down on the sofa, and I turned my body to the side and tucked my feet under my legs. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a quick story.
Mason took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it all whoosh out.
“I met my ex-wife, Ashley, when I was in medical school. She was in nursing school nearby, and we were set up on a blind date by my brother and her best friend, who were dating at the time. We hit it off and started dating. Things were great at first, just like with any new relationship, I guess.
“My brother, Nick, and Ashley somehow started to play tennis together each week. His girlfriend at the time—Lisa was her name—was in law school, so she was busy. Just like I was busy. So, while Lisa and I were buried in school and internships, Nick and Ashley struck up a friendship. When Ashley told me she wanted to get married, I was in love with her and thought, why not? Let’s do it. We got married at the Justice of the Peace because I couldn’t take any time off. Nick and Lisa were there as witnesses.
“About a month or so after we got married, I got off early from a shift at the hospital. I came home and found Nick and Ashley together in our bed.”
My chest ached with a familiar pain. I knew what it was like to have someone betray you, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all. I reached for Mason’s hand, and he gave me a soft smile.
“The crazy part was…I wasn’t angry at all,” he said. “What does that even say about my feelings for Ashley? I don’t know. Or maybe I knew all along.”
His eyes met mine, and I could see the confusion in them. He slowly shook his head and let out a humorless laugh.
“How do you not get angry when you find your brother and your wife in bed together?” he asked.
I gave him a one-shoulder shrug. “I’m not sure. Were you in shock?”
“I suppose I was, but the anger never really came. Don’t get me wrong, I was pissed they’d betrayed me. So maybe I should say I wasn’t sad.”
“Did you not have a good marriage?”
He tilted his head as he thought about my question. “I think it was an okay marriage. I don’t honestly think I was ready for it, though. Later, Ashley told me she’d panicked because she realized she was developing feelings for Nick, so she thought if we got married, they would go away.”
I rolled my eyes. “Lord, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Mason grinned. “I thought so, too, but I guess in her mind it made sense. Anyway, I moved out the next day. Then about a month and a half later, she found out she was pregnant. Our divorce was finalized after she had Charlie, and I confirmed he was mine.”
I brought my hand up to my mouth as I gasped. “She didn’t know who the father was?”
A look of pure anguish crossed Mason’s face, and all I wanted to do was pull him to me and hold him. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It must have been hell for him if what I thought was true. Did Mason agonize over whether Charlie was his or not during her pregnancy?
“She didn’t. We had to wait until Charlie was born, and then they did a DNA test.”
I gasped again. “But you’re brothers. How were they able to determine which one of you was the dad?”
“We’re not twins, so we don’t share the same DNA makeup. They could find out the exact paternity. Obviously, since I have Charlie, you see how that went. After Charlie was born, Ashley told me she didn’t want anything to do with him. She never held him. Never once even looked at him.”
I slowly shook my head, no words coming to me. How could a mother do something like that after giving birth to her child?
When I finally found my voice, I asked, “How could she do that? How could she walk away from him?”
Mason’s eyes filled with so much sadness, I had to blink back tears. “He wasn’t Nick’s son. She wanted to be with Nick, and the only way she could was to walk away from me and our son.”
“Did he tell her that?”