Page 63 of Coastal Rewind

“What happened with MJ’s mom?” It was the question I’d been dying to ask but was too nervous to voice aloud. I didn’t want to pry but if Mason wanted me to consider continuing to explore this relationship then I needed to know.

He exhaled a long breath. “Shay and I met when I moved to Atlanta. She was a local and came from a wealthy family. I think, for her it was a fun rebellious stage. She loved coming to games and partying all night long with the team. It was a dangerously fun time, until she got pregnant. When MJ was born the entire view of my life changed, and I knew from the first moment I held him that I’d do literally anything to make sure he had a great life. Shay didn’t feel the same. She wanted to party and have fun. She had no interest in settling down and becoming a mom. When I got the offer from the Sparrows, she told me she wouldn’t come with me. I had to make the choice that was best for me and MJ, and that was California. She signed away her rights and we never looked back.”

“Do you ever hear from her?” My heart ached for the little boy who was confused about why his mother didn’t love him. MJ thought there was something wrong with him, when in reality his mother was an immature girl who never deserved such a bright son.

He shook his head. “She called a little at first but that faded pretty quickly. I have no clue what she’s up to now and, honestly, I don’t really care. She gave me MJ so I’ll always be grateful for that, but I don’t care to have anyone in our lives wo doesn’t want to be.”

“You’re a good dad.”

“Thank you, baby.” Mason leaned in for another kiss.

We sat there for another hour, listening to music in comfortable silence. Occasionally telling a story or two about our pasts. Mason told me about his college years in Louisiana, and I told him about my favorite national parks.

By the time we got home, I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was curl up with Mason and drift off to sleep after one of the best nights of my life.

twenty-seven

Ryleigh

I pulled up to the sports complex and rolled the car to a stop. MJ unclipped his seat belt and leaned forward in his seat.

“Are my birthday invitations in my backpack?”

“They sure are, bud. Give them out to all your friends.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Ryleigh.” He smiled so wide as he jumped out of the SUV and grabbed his gear. This week was basketball week, which I was grateful for because it was the least amount of equipment MJ needed so far this summer.

We were spoiled with time with Mason two weeks ago. They had two series at home in a row which meant he was home every night. We went to most of the games, and MJ was elated to be able to spend so much time with his dad.

I was pretty elated myself.

After our date, Mason stopped holding back. For the entire week he was home, I never had to question where I was falling asleep. We made sure to lock the door so MJ didn’t wander in and catch us together, and luckily he didn’t seem to notice.

Now, Mason was back on the road and we were back to business as usual. When he left on this trip, he insisted I stay in the master while he was gone. Part of me wanted to protest, but a bigger part of me wanted to fall asleep with his smell on the pillow next to mine.

I watched as MJ walked up to the doors, fishing out invitations to his birthday party next weekend and handing them to kids as he passed.

He requested a sports-themed party—because of course he did. The kid loves a theme. The invitations encouraged the guests to wear their favorite players’ jersey and informed them there would be swimming, pizza for all, and beverages for any parents who chose to attend.

Mason and I agreed that having the party at his house might not be the best idea, so we asked Aiden and Rori if we could use the Malibu house. The open-gated driveway was perfect for setting up various activities for the kids and there was plenty of space on the back patio for everyone.

I’d never planned a child’s birthday party before, but the moment I mentioned it to my sisters, they started ordering decorations. The way they were showing up for not only me, but also Mason and MJ made my heart burst.

I was about to pull out of the parking lot when I noticed a kid bump into MJ. My hackles were up immediately as he ripped MJ’s water bottle out of his little hand and threw it on the ground. My hand was on the handle in a flash, but before I could open the door, MJ picked up his water bottle and handed the kid an invitation to his party. He walked past him with his chin held high and pushed through the arena doors.

I wanted to deck the little snot for messing with such a sweet boy, but MJ was a better person than I was apparently. I took my hand off the door handle and shifted the car into drive. Pulling out of the parking lot, I took a right toward Santa Monica.

Today was one of the rare days Rori was off from the hospital, so us girls decided to spend the day relaxing and hanging out together. We were gathering at Maeve and Colin’s house for a day of chilling by the pool and drowning in margaritas.

When I walked into the house, I could already hear the giggles coming from the pool deck.

Maeve, Maggie, and Lottie were standing in the pool while Keegan and Rori sat on the edge with their feet dangling in the water. There was a tray sitting next to Keegan with a pitcher of water and a carafe of what I could only assume was mimosas, given that it was eight in the morning.

“Hey, Ry!” Maeve shouted when she spotted me.

“So glad you decided to play hooky with us today.” Lottie giggled, taking a sip from her champagne glass.

I dropped my bag onto one of the lounge chairs and stripped down to the bikini I put on this morning before walking into the cool water. Keegan poured me a glass from the orange carafe and handed it to me with a smile.