Page 73 of Played
It doesn’t seem prudent to tell him that I’ve been known to take my one-night stands to my dad’s for Sunday brunch, and on one occasion I invited a guy I’d just met to Thanksgiving. “They’ll be cool with it. I can call ahead and let them know if that makes you feel better. But it’s your decision.”
He chews on the inside of his cheek, looking more adorably nervous than before. Now I really want him to come meet my family, and I could kick myself for not inviting him sooner. Maybe if he’d been given time to get his head around it…
“Okay,” he says with a definitive nod. “If you’re sure it won’t be a big deal.”
I can’t help the huge smile that spreads across my face. It’s the biggest fucking deal ever, but I know that’s not what he means. “It won’t be.”
“Do I need to get him a gift? Am I dressed nice enough for dinner?” He glances down at his clothes.
“No, he doesn’t need a gift, and you’re perfectly dressed for dinner.” I tug him closer and our chests collide. “Relax, it’s going to be fun.”
“I haven’t been to your house in a long time, Mase. Not since…” His voice cracks.
I seal my lips over his and slip my tongue inside his willing mouth. He wraps his arms around me and kisses me back like he might never get the chance again. I don’t want to think about the last time he was in my childhood home. When he gave me that goddamn jacket and told me he’d wait for me when he wentoff to Harvard. It’s all in the past now, and there’s no room for it here.
Chapter
Thirty-Five
KING
I’m nervous as hell meeting Mason’s family, at least like this. Drake is already a friend, and I know Nathan and Elijah well enough now. But this is different. This is me meeting the entire James clan—and doing it as Mason’s boyfriend.
We climb out of his Lamborghini, and I look up at the house. It’s a stunning two-story mansion with balconies and beautifully landscaped gardens. It would look more at home in the English countryside than New York. I haven’t seen this place in eighteen years, but it looks as I remember it. This is where I spent the best nights of my life for eighteen precious months. I can hardly believe I threw it all away for the approval of a man I can barely stand to be around. From here, I can see the balcony of Mason’s room, the same one I climbed up onto so many nights.
Mason slips his hand into mine, a present wrapped in silver-foil paper clutched under his other arm. “You okay?” he asks.
“It’s…” I swallow hard. “It’s strange being back here.”
He glances at the house, a wistful look in his eyes. “Yeah, I guess.” Then he clears his throat. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise.”
I had absolutelyno reason to be nervous about Mason introducing me to his family. Every single one of them has been nothing but warm and welcoming.
Elijah was somewhat surprised about Mason’s and my relationship, but only because he didn’t pick up on it himself. There was no hostility from him. No negative feelings at all. In fact, he hugged me and pushed a glass of expensive Scotch into my hands.
Drake and Nathan seemed happy for us, and all the wives were eager to meet me. And I got to meet Maddox, the birthday boy and the brother I’ve heard so much about. I really like him. Of course there was Dalton too, and I was probably most nervous about meeting him. But the man is a real old-fashioned gent, and he reminds me a little of a younger version of Grampa. None of them were perturbed by Mason’s request that we keep our relationship under wraps either.
Maddox cooked us all the most delicious Thai curry I’ve ever tasted in my life. The guy is a culinary genius. And when I complimented him on his skill, he told me about his time traveling in Asia and Europe.
None of them seem to be aware that I visited this house countless times before, albeit via climbing through Mason’s bedroom window rather than using the front door. I wonder if he ever told them about me without mentioning my name. Did he tell them how I broke his heart? I have no idea why, but I suspect he didn’t.
A few years after I left, I read about his mom’s death following a long battle with cancer. The dates suggested that she got sick soon after we broke up, and if I know Mason, I would bet that he hid the pain of his heartbreak for his family. That’s the kind of person he is. Despite the shallow playboy persona he cultivates for the outside world, he’s one of the most selflesspeople I’ve ever known. With his employees, with his family. With me.
The evening has been almost perfect. Almost because of Mason. He was fine when we got here, but he’s barely spoken to me since dinner, and now he seems… off.
“Unca Mase!” A child charges into the room and throws himself on Mason’s lap. This must be Luke.
He was in bed sleeping when we arrived, but he woke up half an hour ago. Nathan went to settle him, but the weary look on the man’s face as he trudges in behind his son tells me he must have given up.
Mason gives Luke a squeeze, and then the excitable toddler charges around the rest of the family, dishing out hugs and sloppy kisses before wandering over to me.
“Luke, this is Uncle Mason’s boyfriend, King,” his mom, Melanie, tells him.
“King,” he declares triumphantly, flashing me an adorable toothy smile. Then, to my surprise, he clambers onto my knee and holds his toy airplane in front of my face. “Unca Mase, plane,” he tells me earnestly.
“Did your uncle Mason give you this plane?”
Luke nods happily and giggles. “Luke plane.”
