Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight
They were both quiet for a long time and Mason couldn’t answer her. What did he say to that? Andrea hadn’t been there and Grace was too young to understand why. He wasn’t sure if he could ever tell Grace the reasons for everything that had happened. Perhaps one day, when she was old enough to understand that the world held more evil than one person could imagine, maybe then he'd tell her the whole story.
They snoozed on the couch and when Grace’s elbow hit his face he carried her back to her bed and tucked her in. It was still early but Mason knew that sleep would elude him. Mason unlocked his safe and sat staring at the velvet box that held the ring Jude James and given to Carey when he proposed.
Carey had given it to him when she married John. It had been his grandmother’s ring first and then his mother’s. It was a family heirloom from his father’s side of the family and should be worn by his wife as well. Mason hadn't given marriage any thought but the thought now made him feel nervous.
He took it out of his safe and headed down the hallway. He stood in front of Andrea’s room and looked at the closed door but decided to head to the kitchen instead. He sat at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee when Andrea walked in slowly, probably half an hour later.
“Morning,” she said.
Mason turned sideways to look at her. “Morning.”
“You look like shit,” Andrea said and Mason smiled.
“So do you.”
“Touche,” she replied.
She filled her own cup of coffee and sat down across from Mason and looked at the velvet ring box on the counter in front of him. Her breath hitched and Mason stared at her. He hadn’t planned on asking her right then but she was there and the ring was there. Mason had always been just a little impulsive.
“Andrea,” he said and swallowed nervously.
Andrea lowered her head, her shoulders seemed stiff, whether from tension or from pain, Mason didn’t know. Things had been a bit awkward between them since her return from the island. She’d slept in the guest room at Kelley’s house and even in his house.
They hadn’t been intimate, not since that night they’d been caught on the couch by Lee. Andrea had seemed to avoid him, avoid being alone with him. She’d been the perfect house guest though and he wondered again if this was the right move, especially now.
“We need to talk,” Mason said and Andrea’s gaze lifted to his.
“I know,” she whispered.
“You’re Grace’s mom and I’m her dad, we could …” Mason's voice trailed off and he briefly closed his eyes.
“We could what, Mason?”
He swallowed again. It was now or never. “We could be a family, Andrea. I know you’re still recovering and I’m not suggesting that we jump into bed together,” Mason said, not sure how to proceed.
“What are you suggesting? I’m not sure I follow.”
“Marriage. If we got married, we could be a family. A dad and a mom raising their daughter. You lost custody of her in that hearing with Marcus but the adoption’s legal. You’re her mom and I’d never take that away from you, I don’t want to.”
“You want to marry me?" Andrea looked at him like he'd suggested they jump off the roof. "Why?”
“For Grace. She doesn’t know you and you don’t know her,” Mason said with a frown on his face. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this.
“You don’t love me, Mason, and I don’t love you. What we had was eight years ago and we hooked up, we weren’t even dating really.” Andrea’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes filled with emotion.
“And that night you came over?”
Andrea shook her head and Mason could already feel her pulling back. “We have chemistry … we had chemistry.”
“Andrea.”
“I can’t marry you, Mason. You’re trying to do the right thing but marrying me isn’t the right thing. I realized a lot of things on the island and this week here, in your house. I won’t ever be Grace’s mom.” The first tear slid down her cheek and Andrea wiped it away.
“Don’t say that.”
“You don’t know what they did to me, Mason. I’m too damaged. I won’t be any good for Grace. I can’t be here anymore, I can’t do this with you. I get nauseas at the idea of you even touching my hand. Too much happened to me and the best thing I can do for Grace is to leave. You’re her father and you’re a great one. I know you love her more than you love yourself and I know you’ll always look after her,” Andrea said.
“You can get help,” Mason said in desperation.
“Nobody can help me, Mason. I’m not Grace’s mom, I’ve never been her mom. You can move forward, meet someone great, someone that can be a mom for her, but that’s not me. I’m leaving in an hour and this time I won’t ever come back. Please don’t try to stop me, this is the best thing … for everyone.”
Mason remained sitting at the kitchen counter, his coffee now cold. The ring box still stood exactly where it had been. He heard Andrea a bit later as she came down the stairs again. The front door opened and then she was gone.
Mason exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He felt … relieved. He didn’t know what Grace would feel when he had to tell her that her mother was gone, again. Half an hour later, he heard Grace’s footsteps on the stairs and turned with a smile on his face just as she barged through the door.
“Good morning, Daddy,” she said and kissed his cheek.
“Morning, Princess. What are we doing today?”
“Roller skating!”
Mason chuckled as he placed her on the counter and started on breakfast. He didn’t need a wife and Grace didn’t need a mother. She hadn’t had one before and they’d been fine. They would always be fine, they had each other.
