Chapter 65: Chapter 30: Blinded by Baby

Jamie

The clock ticked closer to five, closer to the end of the workday. The thought of a long hot bath with a naked man had kept me going the entire day.

~Speaking of a naked man, Mason is picking me up in fifteen minutes as per his orders. He doesn’t want me being out alone, so I’m basically escorted everywhere I go.~

He’s lucky he’s gorgeous. Otherwise, I might not put up with his crappy rules.

“I’m leaving now, Jamie,” Sam said as he walked around the reception desk.

He was pulling his jacket on over his work uniform. “We should plan something soon. I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“Sure. Text me. We can work something out.”

“See you tomorrow then. Don’t forget it’s your turn to bring the coffee and doughnuts,” he shouted back and winked at me.

I chuckled, but that laugh fell flat when I saw her walking past him.

Carmen!

It was weird to feel this way when I saw her. On a normal day, I was excited and happy to see her face. But our friendship was far from normal these days.

This was the first time I’d seen Carmen since she married him. She left apology flowers on my doorstep, and she’d been calling me religiously.

I didn’t need apology flowers. What good were they to me after what happened?

~Why is she here?~

“Hi, Jamie.” She smiled just a little.

I didn’t smile in return. It was a waste. “I’ve been calling you.”

“I know you have.” I didn’t look up from my laptop screen. I found it hard to even look at her.

When it came to my friends, I was totally weak. I never expected to be betrayed by her. We’d been by each other’s side through thick and thin.

“I sent you flowers too. I hope you liked them,” she said, but again I didn’t reply. “Can we sit and talk somewhere?”

“I can’t. Mason is picking me up soon.” I found it so hard being like this with her, even after everything.

I was willing myself to bring my anger to the surface, to show that emotion and not weakness.

“Just a few minutes. Please, Jamie,” she pleaded. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

~Sorry, perhaps!~

I have a couple of minutes. I want to hear what she has to say. I think I need to hear it, and she needs to hear me too. “Okay!”

We were sitting at a table in the hotel bar across from one another with an awkward silence hanging between us. Carmen had said she wanted to talk, but I didn’t think she knew where to even start.

Carmen looked at the menu. “I’ll just have a cappuccino and one of those yummy brownies you do here. Would you like a drink, Jamie?”

“No, I’m fine. I only have a few minutes.” I mustered a smile for the sake of the wait staff taking our drink order.

He left to fetch Carmen’s cappuccino. I didn’t want the silence to hang between us. I wanted this over and done with. “So, you want to talk?”

“Well, I want to apologize. I’m really sorry about the way things went down between all of us. Brent and I got married in the end, but it wasn’t the same without you there. We missed you.”

An apology at last. I thought hearing her say the words would make me feel better somehow, but it didn’t. They meant nothing.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Ethan told me. I never expected to miss out on your wedding day—but I didn’t feel like I had much choice after what happened. I couldn’t be around him.”

“You mean Brent!” She sighed. “Jamie, whatever happened between you and him, you know I one hundred percent forgive you for that. I forgave him too.”

~Forgive me? Seriously!~

“You forgive me?” I asked sarcastically. “I didn’t do anything that you need to forgive me for. He came on to me, Carmen. It was totally one-sided.”

“Okay. But as Brent explained before, he was drunk, and he didn’t even know what he was doing. You don’t actually think that he has a thing for you, do you?”

She laughed it off like it was just a big joke.

It wasn’t a joke to me. I was scared that night. Having him come on to me like that and continue to do so, no matter how hard I fought him away, wasn’t something that I took lightly. Unlike her!

Brent was very vocal that night about how much I turned him on, yet she didn’t believe it. He was drunk, and that excused him as far as Carmen was concerned.

~Should I tell her about the things he said to me? Would that be evil?~

“Well, actually…” I paused, trying to choose my words carefully. “Brent came on to me before he even met you, remember?”

She rolled her eyes. “That was years ago!”

The waiter placed Carmen’s cappuccino and brownie in front of her and left our table. “Anyway, he’s a man. Brent’s eyes wander from time to time. I’m sure Mason’s do too.”

“I don’t think so. Mason’s not like that.” She was trying to make this out like it was completely normal, and it bugged me. It’s time for her to face the fact that he’s no good for her.

“Well, some of us don’t get as lucky!” She released a sigh, rested back in her chair, and looked around the room. “I really wish you had come to the wedding. It really wasn’t the same without you.”

“Like I said, I couldn’t—”

“Be around Brent,” she said, continuing my sentence. “I know. What does this mean for us? Can we move past this?”

My screen lit up on the table in front of me, and I saw that it was a message from Mason. “I don’t know, Carmen. Look, I have to go. Mason is out front.”

I grabbed my things and stood up from the table. I didn’t have any more to say, so I walked away.

I thought, ~What good would saying any more do me?~ She wasn’t listening. She didn’t want to hear it.

I was walking through the lobby when I heard her footsteps behind me. “Jamie, please!” she called, and I stopped walking. “

I’m sorry, okay? I want you in my life. I want to be back to how we used to be.”

I turned around to face her. “I can’t be in your life if he’s in it. I never want to be around that man again.”

“I don’t know what you want me to do with that.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “He’s my husband, and you’re my best friend. I want you both in my life. I don’t want to have to choose between you.”

“I was your best friend. I’m not anymore. Your husband tried to rape me. How do you expect me to move past that?” I shouted in anger.

Everyone around me heard, but I didn’t care. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve already made your choice. Don’t come crying to me when you’ve come to your senses. It’ll be too late!”

~Fuck!~

Carmen was standing in front of me with tears in her eyes, but I was too angry now to care. I turned around and left her standing there.

When I walked out of the hotel, I saw Mason standing by his car waiting for me.

“I was starting to worry. You’re usually not out this late.” His lips pressed against mine.

“I know, I’m sorry! Something came up.”

I didn’t want to explain it to him now. At times like this I was extra grateful to have Mason in my life. I didn’t want to keep bringing up Brent. I knew it angered him.

Mason was looking behind me. “Carmen,” he whispered.

“Jamie.”

She called my name, but I didn’t even turn around. ~What now?~

I wished she would just leave this alone. Our friendship couldn’t be fixed.

“I’m pregnant!”

~Pregnant!~

That word stayed in my head all that evening. I guessed that was the big thing she wanted to tell me when she arrived at reception.

~I don’t know how she expected me to react. I won’t change my mind about everything that happened just because she’s having a baby.~

“Penny for your thoughts,” Mason said and then smirked. He walked from the double doors to the yard to join me on our outdoor seating.

I was on the wicker two-seater, and he sat on the single one across from me. It was dark now, and the stars were out.

The backyard was pretty much my favorite place to be when I was feeling like this.

“I was just thinking about Carmen.”

“I figured as much. I can’t believe she’s pregnant. How do you feel about that?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. It’s not really any of my business. She’s not part of my life anymore.”

I released a sigh. “I think Carmen thought that her being pregnant would change my mind. I can’t be around that man again.”

“No one says you have to. Personally, I don’t want you around him either. She’s obviously blinded by love!”

“Or the baby! She told me that she found out she was pregnant the morning of her wedding. Do you think she stayed with him because of the baby?” I asked.

“I guess that would make sense. She might be afraid of raising a baby alone, so in her eyes, it’s easier to marry him.”

“She was around to watch me do it. She knows how hard it was.”

When I realized what I’d said, I looked his way. “Sorry! I didn’t think. I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty.”

“It is what it is, Jamie.” He stood up from his chair. “I’m going to check in on Penelope.”

Mason walked back inside to check in on his daughter for the third time in an hour. I’d never expected him to be such an overprotective dad.

I walked back inside too since it was starting to get chilly. I’d been craving a glass of wine all night, so I poured myself one and sat on top of the kitchen island.

A couple of minutes later, he walked back into the kitchen. “She’s still asleep. What are you doing up there?”

“Waiting for you.” I threw him a wink. “I’ve lost my best friend, so I decided to have a drink to drown my sorrows.”

Mason walked toward me and stood in front of me at the island. “You have a lot of other people in your life, Jamie. You have me too!”

“Yes, I do,” I replied, rubbing his facial stubble gently. “You know, I’ve been watching you with Penelope. You’re so protective of her, and I love that. It’s kinda hot seeing you in dad mode!”

“Well, she’s my daughter. It’s my job to protect her. It wasn’t easy at the start, coming into Penelope’s life and being a stranger to her. I’m pretty sure she’s grown to love me, though!” He grinned.

~I’ve grown to love you too.~

Love had been the big elephant in the room since the night before Carmen’s wedding. Things happened that night that prevented us from talking about the fact that he didn’t say it back.

Mason had come back into my life, won me back, and was now living in my home. He’d expressed that I was the only woman for him and that I was his future.

~But he can’t tell me he loves me? Why? Does he really not love me back?~

It hurt that he didn’t say it back. And honestly, it did feel like history repeating itself. The last time I tried to express my love for him, he’d left me.

I pressed my lips against his in a slow and intimate kiss. Mason’s hands made their way up my thighs, and he gripped my hips and pulled me toward him.

Our bodies were so close, my nipples hard and rubbing against his chest. Even through my clothing and his, I was sure he could feel them.

When he moved his thumb over them both, I chuckled a little.

“Is something funny?” he asked as his mouth made its way down my neck.

“Nothing. It just tickles a little!”

We came back to our kiss, lips locked and hot for one another. Mason sneakily undid the buttons of my top, leaving it open and exposing my bare breasts.

He cupped one in his hand, rubbing his thumb over my nipple and causing it to become more erect. He pulled back from the kiss and looked at me.

“You’re so fucking hot!” He came back to my body, kissing my neck and making me feel good. “Take your pants off!”

“Ethan is just upstairs. He could come down.”

“He won’t. It’s way past his bedtime.” Mason smirked mischievously. He removed my pants and my underwear, throwing them to the floor.

He laid me back on the kitchen island, no part of me covered except for the top that was only covering my arms.

He started to devour my pussy like only he could. I wanted to scream in pleasure every time he licked my clit, with every flick of his tongue causing my back to arch from the marble island top.

Mason was driven crazy, just watching me lose control. I wondered if this was his way of expressing his love for me. Maybe he wasn’t ready to say the words but was trying to show it in his actions.