Page 58 of Mason Wilder
“Look at your dimples!” the girl suddenly exclaimed, hands on her cheeks. “Oh my God. You’re so cute!”
Tessa smiled at him and squeezed his chin in her hand. “He sure is.”
“I have to get a photo of the two of you. You look so adorable together. You make the perfect couple.” She held up her cell phone. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” Tessa answered. After the girl took a photo of Mason with his arms circled around Tessa, she asked a bystander to snap a photo of the four of them together, which was probably the wrong thing to do because then everyone started asking for selfies. It was a miracle they got out of there in only 15 minutes.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Tessa said, enamored by the rush of fans.
“Get used to it, babe. You’re famous. And not because of who your parents are. You’re famous because you’re the frontwoman of Prodigy. Did you hear all those people ask when our next album is coming out?”
She nodded, full of enthusiasm. “I did. I always knew Prodigy would top the charts, but I still can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, because it’s only going to get better.”
“I guess word got out that we’re a couple.” Tessa glanced at Mason. She was smiling, but there was a look of apprehension in her eyes.
“Does that bother you?”
“No. I want to scream it from the rooftop of Lucas’ apartment. But, to be honest, I was a little worried. After all, you were the most eligible rock star bachelor in America.”
He laughed as he remembered the interview with the TV host who had flirted with him. “Well, I’m off the market now.” He slung an arm over her shoulder as they walked through the park, leaving the concrete behind them and continuing on a new terrain. Squirrels ran across the path and climbed trees. People sat on benches quietly reading. Children’s happy laughter and voices echoed from the playground. “I should have brought a blanket. We could have sat in the grass.” He clucked his tongue. “I was trying to be more romantic.” He gave her a lopsided smile, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring straight ahead, her entire face bright with excitement. It was the carousel. He cocked his head to the side. “Really?”
“I love carousels.” She stood up taller and gave him a playful smile. “It’s romantic.”
In that case, he’d have to take her for a ride. He steered her through the people who walked leisurely through the park. Ironically, once New Yorkers stepped inside the expanse of rock and greenery, their pace suddenly slowed. They stopped to look at nature, as if they left their stress and impatience back on the sidewalk.
“What are you doing?” Tessa asked when he bought two tickets.
“I’m taking my girl on a magical ride on a unicorn.”
“You’re kidding, right? I was only giving you a hard time. This thing is filled with kids. We’re the only adults.”
“No we’re not. Look.” He pointed to a woman with three children, darting from one to the other making sure the safety belts were securely strapped around their waists, and to a young couple with a small child.
“That’s different. They’re parents.”
Mason stepped onto the platform, bowed at the waist and extended his hand to Tessa. “Your chariot awaits.”
She laughed. “I haven’t been on something like this since I was 10.” He lifted her up so she straddled a beautiful white horse with sparkles on its hoofs and a mane made from long white silky fibers. It wasn’t a unicorn, but it was close. She threw her arms around the horse’s neck and hugged him, her long black hair mixing with the white mane, and he snapped a photo.
“For my Instagram.” He spoke as he typed. “Perfect day in Central Park with the girl I love.” The media was about to blow up. This would serve as their official announcement to the public about their relationship. He climbed on the horse and circled his arms around her.
“I didn’t know this was a two-person horse,” she said, with playful sarcasm.
“It is now.” He wrapped her tightly in his embrace, resting his chin on her shoulder, and she turned her face to the side so they could share a kiss. He snapped another photo and posted that on Instagram as well.
The ride started moving and Tessa let out an excited scream, then covered her mouth, embarrassed that she squealed. The woman with the three children was watching them with a gooey smile on her face, probably remembering when she was younger and shared a similar connection with her husband.
Mason laughed at Tessa’s exuberance and snapped another selfie, then examined the photo. They looked so good together and so happy. They could have been enjoying moments like this all along. They could have been together for so many years by now. “Why did you wait so long to tell me how you felt?”
“Timing.” She said it as if the answer was perfectly clear. “If I would have told you before I was 18, you wouldn’t have taken me seriously.”
“So why didn’t you tell me when you turned 18? I was 25. We could have had four years together.”
She leaned the back of her head into his chest. “Don’t you listen to anything I say? Our lives needed to follow a specific order. We needed to follow our destiny. Our destiny was Prodigy. Now, it’s our time.”
He watched her long dark hair float in the swift breeze as the carousel horse moved up and down. Her reasoning was precise and clear cut. It made sense. The age difference was too big back then. Their time was now. He had almost a decade over this amazing girl, yet she had more know-how and logic than anyone he knew.
