Page 80 of The Golden Hour

Conflict can be resolved without raising voices or getting upset. It is the same thing she tells her toddlers, and she has always believed in leading by example.

But goddamnit, she’s just so angry and hurt and resentful and doesn’t want to be in this hospital anymore.

“I’m saying I understand, not because I can place myself in your shoes, Honey, because I can’t,” Mason says, his voice gravelly. “I can’t understand how I made you feel. I can’t understand the hurt I placed in your heart, or the distrust I allowed to grow. I’m saying I understand because I’m listening. I’m hearing you, baby. I should have heard you all along, and that…”

Mason’s entire face breaks. He bends his head down toward Daisy, placing a kiss on her head as if to soothe himself or maybe to ground himself.

The sight makes Honey’s heart flutter once more, which only makes her angrier at herself.

“That will be my greatest regret for the rest of my life,” Mason admits, his voice cracking on the last word. “Not being present for your pregnancy. Not being there to support you, to hold you, to rub your feet and your back, and to cook for you. I still can’t believe I just… wasn’t there. It was like one day I looked around, and you were eight months pregnant, and I had missed everything.”

“Because you were here.”

“Because I chose to be here,” Mason corrects gently. “I knew I should have been home, but the rush of this place was what I chose. And I apologize for that, from the bottom of the very heart that you own, baby. I am so sorry, Honey.”

Honey does not say anything right away.

She keeps her eyes on Mason’s red-rimmed ones, his lifted chin meeting her gaze. He is not cowering, blubbering, or so self-deprecating that she ends up comforting him.

No.

He holds her eyes evenly, with an expression of true sorrow, regret, and remorse.

She doesn’t give him soothing words. She doesn’t minimize anything he says.

“I accept your apology,” Honey says, and almost hates that she has to kill the hope in his eyes once more. “But that doesn’t mean I forgive you. I don’t even have the bandwidth to consider forgiveness yet, Mason.”

“That’s alright,” Mason nods. “I have not even begun to earn it yet.”

Honey nods, agreeing with his words and feeling something loosen in her chest because he has the self-awareness to say them.

“But I will,” Mason nods. “I’ll prove to you, day by day, that I will always choose you.”

Honey doesn’t respond to that.

Instead, she looks over at her mother, standing in the corner of the room by her bed. And she feels proud of herself. She and Mason had gotten into disagreements before that were resolved with apologies, kisses, and wonderful makeup sex.

But this cannot be solved with that, and she is proud of herself for holding her ground.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MASON

The flash drive feels as fragile as a grenade in his pocket.

“Too many people are in her chart, Carpenter,” Dr. Farah had told him days ago, when she asked to speak to him in the hallway.

From the look on her face and the hushed tone she spoke in, he knew it was bad before she even said anything.

“People were poking around,” Farah said, giving him a significant look. “People who have no reason to be there.”

Her eyes flickered up, a signal toward the admin offices.

Mason felt the anger twist in his stomach, every muscle in his body tensing.

“They’re trying to cover their asses,” Mason hissed, anger welling up inside of him. “Deleting things from her chart to cover the fact that Mortimer almost killed my wife.”

“They won’t delete things,” Farah snorted in derision. “They’re not that stupid. But they can soften language. Add late notes. Make it look like she was advised, informed, and left every appointment voluntarily with instructions. Make it seem like Honey wasn’t concerned, so Mortimer had no reason to be either.”