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Mason is the man for me.
On that first forbidden night in that motel room, a dead seed carelessly fell on the parched land that was my heart. His touch was the water I craved. His smile was sunshine. And that forgotten seed quickly started to grow. In such a short time, Mason Westbrook’s roots are now knotted in and around and right through the center of my heart. How am I supposed to run away from that? I can’t. I’ve accepted that I can’t.
I need a plan for how I’m going to fix this.
At the clinic, I robotically make it through the day. I get home, feeling dark and dreary. I’m so distracted by the chaotic feelings in my heart that I almost walk right past the big brown envelope peeking out of the mailbox.
It’s a package from my former college roommates. I instantly chafe at the reminder of all my failures. But I’m tired of cowering away from my shit. I just want to face it all, instead of ignoring it like a coward.
Taking the envelope inside, I tear it open at the kitchen counter. Pulling out the contents of the package, I discover that the girls have forwarded me all the mail that came for me after I left campus.
I listlessly flip through a bunch of junk mail until my fingers land on an envelope that catches my attention. I spot the emblem of a university. All the way out in Arizona. A university that had initially turned down my med school application weeks ago. Why the hell are they writing to me now?
My hands instantly start to shake. I rip open the envelope and pull out the folded sheet of paper.
Dear Ms. Brighton,
We are pleased to inform you that additional spots have become available in the medical program here at The University of Middle-of-Nowhere, Arizona. Upon careful reevaluation of your application, we are please to now offer you admittance into…
The words blur on the page, melting into inky stains as my tears hit the paper.
I got in.
I got into med school.
52
MASON
Imarch through the front door of the North Node Tavern, knowing full well that I’m entering enemy territory. Knowing that the band of brothers who once considered me a friend, might well form an army against me tonight.
But Karli is worth it. A life with her is what I want more than anything in this world. I’d gladly take an ass beating if there’s even the slightest possibility that the woman I want might still want me in the end.
At the bar’s threshold, I stop and adjust my tie, trying to convince myself that my heartisn’tattempting to make an emergency exit from my chest. Instead of an angel on my shoulder, there’s a hopeful miniature Ziggy standing there, wearing one of her hippie dresses, waving around an incense stick and giving me a pep talk.
You can do this, Mason. You can face them. This is part of your hero’s journey. If you ever want to get Karli back and live the life you deserve to live, you have to face this. You can’t hide from this anymore. The only way out is through.
Little Ziggy is right. I need to have a heart-to-heart with Felix. With all of the guys. This isn’t something I can run from. What I had with Karli—the future we could have together—is worth the fight.
The bar isn’t packed tonight, but the faces of the patrons I spot here became familiar to me during my time living and working in Starlight Falls. It doesn’t take long to locate the Brighton boys at the back near the pool tables. They’re deep in conversation with grave looks on their faces. I get a vision in my mind of them collectively beating me to a pulp with their pool sticks. But despite the thoughts trying to scare me off, I head off toward the guys without hesitating one second longer.
Because life without Karli has no meaning. I want mymeaningback, dammit.
Ronan catches sight of me first. He taps his twin on the shoulder, and within two seconds, all the brothers are staring in my direction, eyes on me as I approach their lion’s den.
The guys each lift their chins at me in greeting. Wait—this is a good sign, isn’t it?
At least they aren’t grouping together and tossing me out of the bar, into a ditch. I march forward, my courage growing with each step.
Felix holds my gaze, his eyes dead, his jaw hard. “Mason. We were just talking about you.”
I swallow down the fear that tries to rise up. “You were?” I’m a little bit surprised by that. I think a part of me had expected that the Brightons had already put me out of their minds like a bad memory.
The brothers exchange glances and then Nolan steps forward, slinging a bar towel over his shoulder. “Look. We’ve thought about everything that happened and…it’s pretty obvious to us that you love our sister.”
I blink.What?
Ronan heaves a breath. “The time when that loser was harassing her at the bar, you were the first one to jump in. Granted, we all know that she would have knocked that guy to the ground if you hadn’t intervened. But she didn’t have to swing a punch that night…because you were there.”
