Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 321(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 321(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
“You are right. Let’s talk.”
Mason unbuckles and leans forward in his seat, so his face is closer to mine. “I came because I was scared you would do something stupid and get yourself hurt,” he admits. “Yes, I don’t trust you at the moment, but that wasn’t the reason I came on this trip.”
“I’m sorry I went behind your back and left. I know what it must have looked like to you… to everyone. But I thought I was doing the right thing. You were so quick to give up on Mom, to blame her as the bad guy, and take her out like any other target. I thought if I could just get to her. If I could talk to her face to face, I could have saved her.”
“I knew she was gone when I saw her that night she kidnapped Teagan. I looked into her empty eyes and knew that our mother was no longer with us,” Mason explains. “Whatever they did to her altered her mind, and I knew there was no going back. I’m sorry.”
“I just wanted Mom back,” I mutter, my voice barely audible.
Somehow, my brother hears me over the loud jet engine. “I know you did. I wish I could have brought her back. I wish I could bring all of them back, but it’s not possible, and now you are all that I have left.”
My throat is thick with emotion. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to physically hold myself together.
“And you are all I have left,” I murmur, because that’s all I can get out without crying.
“I’m going to be honest with you. It’s going to take a while to build the trust back up between us, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You’ll always be my little annoying sister, and I don’t want anything to happen to you, which is why I’m on this trip.”
I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, drying up the few tears that escaped before somebody can see them. “I’m glad you don’t hate me.”
“I could never hate you,” Mason says, his voice calming me down.
“I could never hate you either,” I respond with a genuine smile. We’re not big on telling each other I love you, so this is the closest we’re getting today.
“How are you and Dallas?” Mason asks low enough so only we can hear.
I shrug. “Fine. Why are you asking?”
“Honestly, I was feeling a little bad about the way I handled seeing you two together. It’s none of my business what you do. I guess I was just a little shocked. You always seemed so close to Griffin. I almost expected it there, but Dallas? I just didn’t see it coming.”
I press my lips into a thin line, forcing what I really want to say down. “And then the overprotective brother came out?”
“Exactly. If he is staying away from you now because of me, I can talk to him.”
“I don’t think you’re the issue,” I tell him without telling him what the actual problem is. He’s not ready for that one.
Mason raises his eyebrows, waiting for me to explain more. When I don’t, he continues, “All right then. I won’t get involved in your business when it comes to your love life. At least I’ll try.”
I really hope he’ll stick by it, especially if he finds out I had a threesome with his two best friends.
“Thank you. I’m gonna go and sit back down,” I say, as I get back up on my feet. “But I’m glad we had this talk.”
He grabs my hand as I pass him, squeezing it gently before saying, “Same.”
I give him one last smile before I make my way back to my seat. While I’m up, I look over the seat behind me at Dallas, hoping he will look my way. Instead, I find his eyes closed, and his head tipped back against the seat. I guess he is napping before the big day.
Griffin looks at me in confusion before twisting his neck to find where I’m staring. “We should do the same. Get some sleep, I mean.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I say as I climb over him to get back to my seat.
“You didn’t bring any snacks,” Griffin whines.
“Shit, I started talking to Mason, and I totally forgot. Want me to go back?”
“Nah. I’ll go. You settle down and get comfy.”
I try my best to get comfortable, scooting my butt from side to side, turning my head, lying against the window frame, but nothing is even remotely comfortable. Using my thumb, I press the round button on the side of my armrest and throw my body back to recline my seat as much as I can. It moves about an eighth of an inch before the mechanism tells me it won’t go any further.