Page 41 of A Second Chance At Forever

9

Mason

After droppingLennox off Sunday morning, I stopped by the shop to make sure the weekend crew didn’t need anything before heading back home to think about how I was going to break the news to Nicole. I never should have gotten into a relationship with her, I knew that, but I did it anyway.

Since all that happened with Lennox, I knew I had to do it as soon as possible. I cheated on her. I’d never been a cheater before, but one day with Lennox was all it took. I couldn’t help myself. I had it in my head that I was going to break up with Nicole and that was all that mattered. Lennox was there and wanting me after I had wanted her for all those years.

I hung around the house waiting for Nicole, I knew she would be by. I practiced what I was going to tell her over and over. I was in my bathroom, looking in the mirror when I heard the front door open. It was time.

“Mase?”

“Yeah, I’m up here,” I said walking out of the bathroom and starting for the stairs. In my head, I just kept telling myself I could do this, it’s for Lennox.

“Can you come down here please?” she asked when I reached the top of the stairs.

I looked down and saw Nicole standing at the front door with an older man and woman. I was confused.

“Mason, this is my mom and dad, Jerry and Shelly. Mom, Dad, this is Mason.” She wrapped her arm around my waist.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I reached out my hand to her dad.

What is going on? This isn’t supposed to happen tonight.

“It’s so nice to meet the man our daughter has been seeing,” her mom said, shaking my hand.

“What’s going on?” I asked Nicole, shoving my hands into my pockets.

“The dinner, remember?”

“The dinner,” I repeated while nodding my head. “I didn’t think we had finished talking about that.” I remembered her asking me to have dinner with them but we never agreed on anything.

“I know we didn’t, but with me working all weekend we never got the chance to and Dad called this morning and he already had the reservations.”

“If you’re busy we completely understand. We can reschedule,” her dad offered.

“Oh, umm,” I looked down at Nicole who gave me that, ‘please don’t do this in front of my parents’ look. “No, it’s fine. I just wished I could have cleaned up a little, that’s all.”

I excused myself to go change and made my way back to my room with Nicole and her parents downstairs.

How am I supposed to break up with her tonight? Do I wait until we get back from dinner and do it? Do I wait until tomorrow so I don’t ruin her evening? However I do it, it has to be done and soon. I’ve already slept with Lennox and she believes we’re getting back together. I want to get back together with her more than anything, but I need to let Nicole down as easy as possible. I will endure dinner tonight and see how it goes.

“So, Mason, what is it that you do for a living?” Nicole’s father asked over dinner.

“I own a boat rental,” I answered, grabbing my glass of wine.

“That’s nice,” Shelly, Nicole’s mother, responded.

“The business was actually Mason’s late father’s. He took it over when he passed away.” Nicole rubbed my shoulder while offering up a sad smile.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Shelly gave me a sincere look.

“Thank you.” I politely smiled and nodded.

Nicole and her parents passed the time by having polite chitchat while I sat back thinking about Lennox and how I had screwed everything up. Not only did I cheat on Nicole, I had to sit and endure a dinner with her parents.

“Isn’t that right, babe?” Nicole asked, snapping me out of my daze.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What?”

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