Page 53 of Fun and Games
Mason straightened up and settled back into his chair with a sigh. He was quiet. I thought maybe the conversation was over.
"My dad was wealthy," he said without preamble. "My mom was young and beautiful." He cast a glance at me out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sure you can see where this is going."
I wasn't going to say the words Sugar Daddy out loud, but I was certainly thinking it.
"If they had ever loved each other, those feelings were gone long before I could remember," Mason continued. "It wasn't like they hated each other or had crazy arguments. But my dad cheated on my mom openly. He was always off on so-called business trips. We barely saw him. She didn't care. As long as she could continue spending his money, things were fine in her mind. She shopped, and traveled, and partied, and was never home."
I kept my face smooth, trying not to let my expression reveal the dismay I was feeling inside.
"My dad eventually left her for a younger woman. He started another family." Mason's voice was even, but there was bitterness beneath the words. "The only thing my mom cared about was how much she could squeeze out of him in the divorce."
I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, not speaking.
"I hate thinking about my parents," he continued. "I hate thinking about how I grew up. I hate thinking about my dad cheating on my mom once she got too old for him, and I hate thinking about her using him as a walking bank machine. There was no love between them. They just used each other."
It was so similar to what he'd said about the music industry during the safari ride. There were so many people without good intentions, so many people willing to use you to get what they wanted.
That explained Mason'slove-is-a-liemonologue. He hadn't grown up seeing a healthy marriage modeled for him, and then he'd joined an industry where the exact same thing happened in front of him again and again. No wonder he had a warped point of view when it came to relationships.
Even though I'd lost him, I'd always had David, and my parents, and my sister, as smothering as she might have been.
I didn't want to imagine what it would be like if I'd grown up without that supportive, loving environment.
I supposed I might have ended up like Mason.
I linked arms with him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I told him. "No one should have to grow up like that. It isn't fair to you. You deserved better."
He shrugged listlessly.
"It doesn't matter now," he said. "It's all in the past."
One of the puppies left its food dish and came to paw at Mason's feet with a cute, tiny bark. He bent down and picked up its squirming body, bringing it to his face.
"Look at this cutie," he said, his sunny smile returning. "Am I more important than food, then?"
The puppy barked again and wagged its tail so hard its butt shook back and forth. Mason laughed and brought the thing to his chest for a snuggle. The puppy licked at his cheek.
"I think he likes you," I said.
"I like him, too." Mason's eyes shone with delight, the last vestiges of that stormy gaze having disappeared as he cuddled the warm, furry body to his. "You mentioned adoptions, hm?"
A sunny smile of my own broke out on my lips.
I'd known coming here was a good idea.
Twenty-One
Mason wasn'table to bring the puppy home right that minute. They needed to do background checks, take it to the vet, and other various administrative things. We were promised we could come back within a week, but that wasn't soon enough for Mason. He was already raring to go.
"Let's go to a pet shop," he said. "I can pick up a dog bed and some toys and some food."
"Eager, aren't you?" I asked.
"I want everything to be ready when Lucky gets home," he replied.
"You've already named him Lucky?" I asked.
