Page 61 of Mason Wilder
It was a knife in his chest, one he’d been trying to dislodge his entire life, but he never thought Tessa would push it in a little deeper. “Yes you did. Everyone loves to throw it in my face that Kendall abandoned me. That she didn’t want me.”
“Mason . . .” She placed a hand on his arm to comfort the hurt in his heart, but he pulled away.
“I’m tired of everyone telling me that my birth mother isn’t worth it. That she’s no good and not to be trusted. I know I’ve never talked about her. I stopped asking about her when I was six. But it doesn’t mean I stopped thinking about her. She gave birth to me. She may not have been a mother to me, but sheisstill my mother.”
Tessa’s mouth hung open in shock. “She’s your birth mother. All that means is she gave birth to you. There’s a big difference.”
He knew she was right, but he didn’t have the strength to argue anymore. He hated conflict, and there had been more unease in the last few weeks than he’d had in his entire life. “I’m just so tired of this. I know my dad was just here saying how much he distrusts Kendall, but he’s not the one who has a problem with her. It seems like it’s your mom that has the problem with her.”
Tessa jerked her head back, stung by his statement and defensive of her family. “Maybe there’s a good reason. My mother said—”
“I’m done talking about this. I’m almost 30 years old. I don’t need my girlfriend or my dad or my girlfriend’s mom warning me about my birth mother. I’m giving Kendall the benefit of the doubt, and if I get burned, so be it. If you don’t want to be friends with her, fine. I don’t care. Just stop telling me to watch out for her.”
