Page 16 of Unmasked

“We’ll bring dessert—if Maya doesn't eat it all,” Aiden added with a grin.

“She in that phase already?” Jaxon asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Aiden shook his head. “It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anyone eat so much.”

Roman grinned. “I’m sure she’d be thrilled to hear you say that.”

“For God’s sake, don’t tell her.” Aiden held up a hand. “I don’t have a death wish.”

Mason grinned and looked at Knox. “You in?”

“Sure, why not?” Knox couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a chance to relax. It’d been far too long. “Just tell me when to be there and what to bring.”

Mason looked around the room. “How about Saturday at one? I'll grill, you guys can bring whatever else you want.”

The conversation turned to talk of women and baby things and the medical bills that quickly began to pile up. Knox’s chest tightened, and his lungs constricted.

“I’ll leave you to it.” He caught Mason’s gaze and tipped his head toward the door. “I've got some paperwork to catch up on.”

The look Mason threw his way told him he knew Knox was full of crap, but he didn't say anything else. Knox escaped the room, not wanting to see the happy looks on the guys' faces. Everyone so far had met their match. They were settling down, starting families. All of a sudden, it was just too much. The memories he'd held at bay threatened to choke him, and he hurried back to his office where he closed the door.

Moving straight to his desk, he pulled open the bottom drawer and cracked the lid on the bottle of whiskey stored at the back. It wasn't something he did on a regular basis, but the memory of Everleigh and their unborn child stabbed at his brain, and he needed to drown them out, just for a little while.

He tipped the bottle up and pressed it to his lips, allowing the liquid to slide over his tongue and down his throat. It burned, but he relished the feeling as it settled in his gut. It was infinitely better than the constant ache that plagued every cell of his body.

He was still so pissed at her. He was furious about what she’d done when they were kids. He was furious that she’d come back. He was furious that she’d come to him for help. Why couldn’t she have stayed away?

Damn it all, why couldn’t he hate her the way he should?

CHAPTER

NINE

Everleigh's stomach twisted into a knot as she approached the reception desk where Vivi greeted her with a tight smile. Vivi didn't say a single word, just picked up the phone and tapped out what Everleigh assumed was a quick message to Mason.

Everleigh was sure that Vivi had seen her appointment on the calendar, so she didn't bother to tell her why she was there. Vivi seemed content to ignore her, and Everleigh let it slide even though it hurt her heart. Less than two minutes later, Mason stepped into the lobby, and his honey-brown eyes lit on Everleigh. “Ms. Beaumont, come on back,” he said.

As Everleigh gathered her purse and stood, Mason threw a quick wink Vivi’s way before leading her to the same conference room they’d met in just over a week ago. He gestured for her to take a seat while he closed the door, then dropped into a chair on the opposite side of the table. “Thanks for stopping in. I just wanted to review a couple of things in person before we proceed,” he said.

“No problem,” Everleigh assured him.

Mason studied her across the table. “Have you been settling in okay?”

Everleigh shrugged. “Fine, I guess. A little stressful living with my parents, but otherwise everything’s fine.”

She couldn’t begin to explain why she felt compelled to tell him that. The way he looked at her with those penetrating gold eyes made her squirm like a sinner in church. It was on the tip of her tongue to spill every single secret she’d kept over the past several decades—and there were a lot of those.

She shifted awkwardly in her chair and bit her tongue to keep everything from spewing out.

Mason nodded a little. “Are they aware of what’s going on?”

“God, no.” Everleigh's eyes widened dramatically. “I’d like to keep this between us if at all possible. My father would have the house locked down if he knew someone was sending me these pictures.”

A smile curled the corners of Mason’s lips. “I can only imagine. You’re an only child, right?”

Everleigh nodded. “Lucky me.”

“Lucky you didn’t have a twin who’s a know-it-all,” he deadpanned. “I would have given anything to get rid of him while we were growing up.”