Finally Opening Up

LAUREN

Mason stood across from me, his gaze unwavering but conflicted. The silence between us hung heavy, full of all the things we hadn’t said, all the things that needed to be laid bare.

“I would understand,” Mason began, his voice quieter than usual, yet steady. “If you didn’t trust me anymore. I’ve lied to you. I’ve hurt you. Even if it wasn’t what I meant to do.”

He ran a hand through his hair, the tension in his body visible.

“You deserve more than what I’ve given you, Lauren. And if you want to walk away, I won’t hold it against you. I’d—”

I didn’t let him finish. I couldn’t.

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him down toward me. I pressed my lips to his, cutting off the words that threatened to crush both of us.

The kiss was urgent, desperate almost, like I was trying to make him feel everything I couldn’t quite say yet.

For a second, he froze, caught off guard. But then he kissed me back, his arms wrapping around me as if he were afraid I might slip away if he didn’t hold on tight enough. The warmth of him, the way he fit against me, it was the only thing that made sense in the chaos of everything.

When I finally pulled away, his breath was ragged, his eyes searching mine for some kind of explanation.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered, my voice stronger than I felt. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

Mason stared at me, his expression shifting from surprise to something deeper, something raw and full of relief. He opened his mouth as if to argue, but I stopped him again, placing a hand gently against his chest.

“We’ve both been through hell, and yeah, you’ve hurt me,” I continued, my hand resting over his heartbeat. “But you also protected me. You did everything you could to make sure I was safe, even if it meant putting yourself in danger.”

“Lauren,” he started, but I shook my head.

“No, let me finish.” I met his eyes, trying to put everything I felt into words. “I know things between us have been... complicated. But you’re not the only one who’s changed. I’ve changed too. And maybe this it isn’t perfect. But it’s real. And right now, that’s enough for me.”

Mason’s expression softened, his eyes shining with an emotion I couldn’t quite name. He pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine.

“You’re more than enough for me,” he murmured, his breath warm against my skin.

He pulled back to look at me, his brilliant silver eyes exploring mine.

“What is it?” I asked.

He turned his head then, giving me a clear view of his profile, perfectly chiseled and devastatingly handsome.

I could see he was trying to formulate the best way to say the words he wanted to. But nothing could have prepared me for the words that came out of his mouth.

“Do you want to know about your father?”

I froze.

I wanted to pull my arms away from his neck, but he held my arm tightly.

“You’ve met him,” I said, my voice tight. “You were there when he died.”

He shifted uncomfortably.

“Vincent was your dad, nothing will ever change that,” Mason said. “I’m talking about your biological father. I know it’s not an easy topic for you, but I want you to know you can ask me anything. I will always tell you the truth, no matter what.”

Learning about Anthony Brown was the last thing I wanted to do. He meant nothing to me and the more I learned about him, the more I felt I had been lucky to have been taken away from him. There was one person I did want to know more about though.

“Can you tell me about my mother?” I asked.

“Your mother’s name was Catherine,” he said, holding my gaze. “I saw her picture once. She looked just like you. When I was with the Omens, I only ever heard people speaking kindly of her. I don't think she ever fully understood what Anthony was doing. She was too innocent and trusting and she was completely in love with him.”

I felt relieved knowing that my mother wasn’t part of Anthony’s crime ring. She was just another victim of his deceit and lies. If she was still alive, finding her would have been my first priority. It broke my heart when Ginny told me she died in childbirth.

Learning any small bit of information about her made me feel closer to her. I hoped she would be proud of me if she were still alive.

“Do you know when I took you, you didn’t scream or fight?”

Mason’s questions interrupted my thoughts. He looked at me with such pain in his eyes. I could see that he still felt guilty for what he did, but the truth was that he had saved me. Saved me from a life of violence and he had given me a family.

Without his actions, Vincent would never have entered my life. I would never have met Beth. They were the two people who shaped me into the person I was today.

The truth was, I would be forever grateful to Mason for taking me away from Anthony Brown, from that life.

“I held my hand out and you took it willingly.” His eyes were intense, making my heart pound.

“There was trust in your eyes, Lauren, and it took me completely by surprise. I almost didn’t take you with me.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Why do you think I trusted you?” I asked.

He narrowed his eyes, exhaling roughly through his nose.

“I don’t know, but it was the first time I had ever felt how heavy guilt was. It was the first time someone trusted me, and it had to be the girl whose life I was going to ruin.”

I cupped his face in my hands.

“You didn’t ruin my life. You gave me the best life,” I said, kissing the bridge of his nose as I heard his shaky breath.

“Before I found you again, I was living a life of loneliness. I was already used to it. It was one of the reasons why I joined Omens.”

“What did you really do when you worked for them?” I asked, not entirely sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Tears glinted in Mason’s eyes as he spoke.

“I was not allowed to ask questions,” His jaw clenched. “And the kids were quick to forget and play. They were so resilient, I didn’t even realize it at the time, but it was because they were forced to be that way. They knew that causing trouble would only lead to pain.

“I should have known better. I was old enough to know better.”

Mason hung his head low and let the tears flow. His shoulders heaved as he cried. I turned myself into him and wrapped my arms around him, just holding him to let him know I was there for him.

I’m sorry for all the pain you have dealt with, Mason. You didn’t deserve it. This guilt you carry, you need to let it go.”

His fingers curled around the back of my neck, his eyes closing as he rested his forehead against mine.

“Yeah.” He pulled back, his stormy gray eyes locking onto mine, his voice rough. “Lauren…”

“I love you,” I blurted out, my eyes widening in surprise at my own words.

His jaw tightened, as if he was struggling to contain a surge of emotion. “What did you just say?” he whispered, his voice hoarse, his eyes bright.

“Nothing.”

“I need you to say it again. I want to hear it.”

His voice was desperate, and I think he needed to hear it because he might not have believed I could ever love him, especially after what happened years ago.

A sharp pain pierced my chest.

His eyes were frantically searching my face.

I was just as frantic, taking in his breathtakingly handsome features, noticing that he wasn’t touching me anymore, maybe because he was afraid that if he did, this would all turn out to be a dream.

On impulse, I reached up and touched his face. The moment my fingers made contact with his soft skin, the words tumbled out of me.

“I love you. I love you so much.”

His breath hitched, and I rushed on. “More than I ever thought I could. I love all the warm and cold parts of you. I love it when you argue with me, the way you push me when I pull.”

He closed his eyes, and the emotions he was feeling hit me so hard, my own heart ached. I heard his soft, ragged exhale.

My voice shook.

“I love everything about you.”

He lifted his hand, cupped my face in his trembling hands, and pulled me into a hug. I shivered as I felt his arms around me again.

My heart pounded with the realization that this was the first night of the rest of our lives. No expiration date.

Mason scooped me up and set me back on the bed, leaning over me. I felt small beneath him.

“What if I hurt you again? You know I could. Lauren, you can’t say those words and then leave the first time I mess up. When you say it, you have to mean it. You have to stay. No matter what.”

“You have a knack for pissing people off, and being with you is going to be a wild, emotional ride. But I’m going to hang on tight, and we’re going to jump together because we’re both crazy.

“I want to be with you. I want to keep arguing with you. But you have to try with me. It can’t just be me, Mason.”

His eyes were a brilliant gray, and they lit up with a fire that warmed me to my core.

He lowered his head and gently met his tongue with mine, tracing my lips first and then stroking my tongue with his.

He pulled back to run the back of one finger down the side of my face. “There isn’t a single part of me that isn’t yours, Lauren.”

I sucked in a breath. That was his way of saying I love you.

I believed him. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t mine, just like there wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t his. He saw the acceptance in my eyes before he leaned down to kiss me again.

When he pulled away, he still held my head in his hands. He looked at me with an intensity that made my heart flutter.

‘There’s just one last thing I need to do.”