Page 81 of Obsessed

Grabbing some tape, he walked over to the wall, placing their photo in the center. This time, the shrine would be for them.

His pocket buzzed and it was so nice to answer it without hesitation; however, once he saw the caller his mouth went dry and his heart leapt into his throat.

“Hello, Ms. Chauhan.”

“Hello, Mr. Hart. I told you that the next time we spoke I would have good news. It’s handled. The house is yours.”

“…the house is mine?” Mason echoed, letting it sink in. Rain appeared in the doorway, eyes wide, hands clasped against his chest.

Ms. Chauhan chuckled and even that sounded threatening. “Yes. It’s yours. I would sayofficiallybut you do need to come in and sign a few things. I’ll have the front desk call you with an appointment.”

“I don’t have to go to court?” Hope bloomed in his chest, matching the excitement in Rain’s eyes.

“Not if I’m your lawyer. It turns out that the willwasas solid as I thought.” Mason could practically see the expression on her face. “Congratulations, and I’m looking forward to our portrait session.”

She hung up before he could reply and he stared at his phone, trying to process, barely able to form words. He’d been carrying the burden of losing the house for so long that he hadn’t realized its weight until it vanished. All of a sudden, he felt light as a feather, his heart free. The house was his. No. It wastheirs.

Looking at Rain, he smiled.

“We won.”

“What!” Rain jumped into his arms with a happy shriek.

“We won!” Mason said louder, just to hear it again, and Rain let out a laugh.

“That’samazing! Ohmygod you’resoooogonna need to send Liam a cookie basket or something for hooking you up like this.”

“I will.” Mason set Rain down and cupped his cheek, heart beating fast as Rain leaned into the touch, his eyes like an endless slate sky. “Thank you for all your help. You found Ms. Chauhan for us, you put the file together, and you saved this house. Our house.”

“Our house?” Rain blinked, tears shimmering in his gaze. “I like the sound of that. You know, even though I never met Joyce, I’m sure she would be really proud of you.”

I am, Cricket. I’ve always been so proud.

Mason’s eyes stung even though he smiled. “Yes, she would.”

21

RAIN

“Idon’tunderstand,”Olliesaid, putting cards into netted bags. “John is fixing everything from the fire, adding a glass ceremony room, another reception room,andhe’s doing it all before Valentine’s Day? It took a year for them to put up the steakhouse on Main Street.”

Owen squinted. “He knows the right people.” Adding candies to the bags, he passed them to Rain, who tossed in bottle openers with Marci and Isaiah’s wedding date on them.

“Even with the right people he should-”

“It’s bribes, Sunshine. He’s paying everyone off.” Finn gently took the bags from Ollie, keeping the assembly line going as Marci appeared at the head of the table, looking over their progress.

“Good job, everyone!” In a cute white wraparound dress, Marci shone as the bride-to-be. With less than two months to go, she’d assembled everyone she could to make wedding favors and help out with the planning, and Isaiah had volunteered Bar None for it, making it somewhat of a working party.

“How many of these do we have to make?” Emma asked, eyeing her tinned soy candles as more bags approached.

“Three hundred and fifty. But my family is splitting the work.” It was true, her parents, siblings, and cousins had amassed quite a pile at their table. Emma grunted something about competition but Rain was too busy wondering about Mason to listen. Marci had snatched him up as soon as they’d walked in, wanting to go over the shot list, and Rain had been relegated to wedding-favor duty. “Drinks, anyone?”

“Are you driving?” Finn looked at Ollie, who nodded. “I’ll have a beer.”

“Can I get some fries from the kitchen?” Ollie asked sheepishly and Marci’s smile widened.

“Of course, hun.”

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