Page 165 of Please Hate Me

I softly ran a finger down the gentle slope of her nose, silently praying for the world to learn to be kind to Mason Albright.

Chapter 45

Sophia

When I woke up, a small headache pounded behind my eyes. The sunlight beaming in through the giant windows in my bedroom didn’t help matters. As I rolled over to cover my face, a wave of nausea hit me.

Ugh, why did drinking have to be like this?

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, only to be soothed by a gentle pat on the back from Lucian.

Cameron was nowhere to be found, so I assumed he would be downstairs with Mason. Honestly, I was almost shocked Lucian hadn’t chosen to sleep down there with them.

He had grown incredibly attached to someone he claimed he couldn’t stand. Funny how that worked. The bed shifted as I tried to get up, leaving Lucian to peer at me with squinted eyes.

“I miss Mason.”

His voice was so heavy with sleep that I doubted he was fully awake. Still, it was fun to tease him.

“What am I, chopped liver?” I gasped.

Lucian rolled his eyes before sinking into the pillow.

“I want her to sleep in bed with all of us tonight.”

“Oh, yeah? What happened to Mason beingvindictiveandflighty?”

A smile formed on his lips as he dug his palms into his eyes.

“She said she likes me.” Lucian’s gentle tone was odd to hear, but it was a much-welcomed change from his normal brooding.

“Is someone inlove?”

His content sigh said more than words ever could. “I have a show tonight, and I want to take her… do you think she’ll come?”

I leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I can’t imagine her saying no.”

His smile widened, and his hands crept back into his hair. He looked proud of himself, like he had just won the lottery after years of playing.

“Are you going back to sleep?” I asked.

Normally, that was a stupid question. Lucian was useless before ten in the morning—that was just part of his charm. But not today.

“I think I want to make breakfast,” he mumbled, dragging himself from the bed.

After showering and dressing himself, Lucian prepared a beautiful meal for us, with pancakes and hashbrowns and strawberry syrup. As he cooked, hungry creatures began to find their way to the kitchen one-by-one. Even Sebastian emerged from his hideaway. Seeing my beautiful little family around the table, praising Luci for his hard work, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

Lucian’s cooking was a rare treat, usually limited to Sunday dinners and special occasions. His schedule just didn’t allow him to be around or awake for most mealtimes. He was easily the best cook of the three of us, which made this the perfect way to start a perfect day—minus the fact that James Albright washalfway across the world, dying alone while his daughter was none the wiser.

Mason speared a strawberry with her fork as she offered it to Lucian with a smile, one he returned before taking the fruit between his teeth.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell Mason about her dad. I just didn’t know how. Keeping this kind of thing from her seemed wrong to me, and I was pretty sure Cameron felt the same way. But I couldn’t betray Lucian’s trust by telling her. For years, he was forced to exist without his other half, and I knew we couldn’t risk her leaving again.

Someday, Mason would learn about her dad, but it didn’t need to be today.

After we ate, the kids ran to their room to play, leaving most of the adults to sit with coffee and Mason with tea. But, while Luci looked happier than I had seen in years, Sebastian was obviously seething. Each time one of my boys doted on Mason, Sebastian’s expression soured further. I understood that jealousy was difficult to overcome, but literally zero people in this house were mind readers. If he had a problem, he needed to say it.

“Masie,” Lucian said her name like a prayer, and his face softened as she looked at him. “I’m playing at a bar tonight… Do you want to come?”

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