“All three of us!” Sarina wound her other arm around Mason and pulled the three of them into a hug. “Thank you for being there for her at the end. You made her last few years so much better,” she said to Mason.
“Eh, it wasn’t a big deal and Sam loved his afternoons with Nana.”
It was averybig deal to Sky. He’d told Mason that he was scared of losing Nana and he’d done his best to keep her here for as long as he could.Thatwas the Mason Cartwright that Sky knew and loved. He didn’t know what to do with all the gratitude and guilt he felt for believing that Mason could ever hurt him or Sarina.
“I owe you,” he said to Mason, not entirely sure of what he meant.
What did he owe Mason? Five years’ worth of apologies? A few free punches? His heart? His body? Everything? Mason had given Sarina and Sam a perfect life and helped heal the rift between them, with some help from Nana. Sky had his family back—the part that really mattered to him—and had made his name and his legacy into something he could be proud of.
“What else did Nana say?” Sky asked Mason, expecting him to laugh or roll his eyes and recount some caustic remark but he flinched and paled.
“A few things… She really threw me for a loop when she said she knew the truth about Sam.” He laughed weakly, making Sky frown.
“But you already knew about that. Sina says you’re losing sleep about it.”
“How would you know?” Mason asked her and she rolled her eyes.
“What do you do when you can’t sleep?”
“I don’t know…” Mason cringed in the direction of the stove. “I usually bake and get a head start on the week’s meals,” he mumbled but waved it off. “It was a pretty heavy day, I guess.”
Sarina’s lip pushed out as she reached for his cheek and patted it. “I’m so sorry, that had to be hard with Sam there. Maybe you should tell Dr. Collins about it when you see him again.”
He chuckled in agreement. “I’m sure I will, we usually talk about your family during my therapy sessions.”
“God, I love you.” She kissed his cheek, then turned and reached for Sky’s face so she could kiss him too. “I have to be up early so I’m turning in. Don’t party too hard without me.”
“We won’t,” Sky promised. “Love you.”
“I love you even more, Sky,” she said, then left them.
Mason sighed happily as he watched her skip down the hallway. “All is right in her world again. Thank you.” He gathered the empty paper cups. “Another round? There’s four more shots and you look like you could use a refill.”
“Why not?” Sky drained his glass and followed Mason to the fridge. “I think…things might be right in my world now too,” hesaid hesitantly. “I don’t want to jinx myself but I don’t hate my life at the moment.”
Mason’s brows rose as he filled Sky’s glass and topped off his own. “I’m really glad to hear that. So are you…in a good place in the city?”
That got a snort out of Sky. “Still living in my shoebox with Kayla, but that’s out of necessity.”
“Necessity? I thought it was a commute to the office.”
Sky shook his head. “No. I’m not editing anymore. I just write and dodge my agent’s calls. I live with Kayla because I have to and we like our shoebox. It’s home,” he explained simply, smiling as he recalled his last conversation with Kayla. They chatted over FaceTime the day before Nana’s funeral and she dropped the phone when he told her who Sam’s biological father was.
“Do you think you’ll ever move back here? You can write pretty much anywhere now, right?” Mason asked.
“Here?” Sky laughed as he sipped from his glass. “Not if I can help it. I’m hardly Roseview’s favorite son and as much as I complain about dating men, I don’t want to die alone.”
“Right.” Mason spun and retrieved the plate of Jell-O shots from the fridge. “Are you seeing anyone?”
Sky grinned into his glass. “I’m seeing lots of people, but I’m not really paying attention to names.”
“Sounds…fun.”
“Trust me: I’m doing them a favor. You know I’m not a picnic on a good day but I’m the opposite of fun when I’m actively working on a manuscript. I don’t want to doanythingbut write, workout, and fuck. I barely care about eating and sleeping and I don’t want anyone in my space when I’m concentrating.”
“You’re not that bad.” Mason handed Sky a shot and they saluted each other, then knocked them back.
“Mmm!” The coolness of the Jell-O and the soft strawberry flavor made him feel like he was lifting off so Sky hopped and giggled. “I’m turning all my alcohol into Jell-O from now on! This was a brilliant idea, Mase.” He caught Mason staring and grinning. “What?”
