Fallen Crest Alternative Version
Page 10

Logan tipped his head back. The hyena laugh came out again. “He thinks you’re not getting a divorce.”
“Are you waiting until our mom gets tired of you and you’ll go back to your wife? Did you tell her you’re not sure when to set the date? Or did you tell her your wife is contesting the divorce settlement?”
Garrett choked out a laugh. “I can’t believe the two of you. You have some nerve—”
Mason sat forward as well. “You’re jerking our mom around. We’re guys. We know what you’re doing.”
“And what are you doing with my daughter?” Garrett was stiff in his seat now. His jaw was clenched as his hands were forcibly together in his lap. He tried to stare Mason down.
Tried.
“I’m not jerking her around.”
“You’re having sex with her.”
“It’s none of your business,” Mason clipped out.
My heart should’ve been pounding. My palms should’ve been sweaty, but there was no panic. I felt no anxiety. As I sat there and the questioning turned towards me, I felt safe. Protected. I knew Mason would shelter me, already had in fact.
“Samantha?” Garrett prompted. “Don’t you think I have a right to be concerned? Mason’s never had a girlfriend, from what his mother’s told me—”
Logan jumped in, “Yes, he has—”
“—when I was stupid.” Mason grinned at his brother, whose smirk widened. “But I’m not stupid now. I picked the right girl, and it’s none of your business what I do with my girlfriend. I treat her right. She knows that—”
“I’m her father.” His voice raised a notch and a fisted hand came down on the table. It wasn’t hard, but the promise was there.
Mason never reacted. He started to look close to being bored. “By blood. You gave her a bucket of condoms. That promotes your fatherhood? That promotes friendship. You’re trying to be her friend.”
I glanced down. I hadn’t realized he’d found the tub. Then again, he didn’t miss much.
Garrett cleared his throat. His eyes started to twitch, but he pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck as he took a few breaths. “Look,” his voice was strained, trying to be calm. “I have concerns for Samantha. She’s my kid. She’s the reason I’m out here—”
“The only reason?” Logan had started to tap the table with a finger. He’d grown intense with the conversation, and I knew he wasn’t aware of my presence beside him anymore.
Mason met my gaze and shifted his eyes to his brother. I gave him a small nod and touched Logan’s leg softly. He jerked to me and blinked a few times before he saw me again. Then he gave me a rueful grin.
I gave him a soft one back. Logan had been about to go in for the kill. I wasn’t sure why Mason didn’t want that, but there was a reason. There was always a reason.
“The only reason?” Garrett scoffed. He smoothed out his shirt and straightened his pants’ legs. “I love your mother. She’s another reason I’m here.”
“Our mom lives in Los Angeles. That’s a few hours away.”
He turned to Mason with a heated look. A darker emotion mixed with it and my heart stopped for a second as I saw it. Then it skipped a beat and bombarded back. I blinked back tears in reaction and gasped slightly. It tore out of me, over a knot in my throat. I looked away. I didn’t want to see it again, whatever my biological father felt for Mason.
When I risked a look back, it was gone and my heart settled down. A breath left me and my arms loosened in my lap, slightly.
“Why are you on my case? I’m here to get to know Sam. Why are you three jumping on me about that?”
“They’re not.” I sat forward. My voice came out quiet, but all of them turned. I gulped at the sudden attention and the intensity in the room. I grew firmer. “I don’t think they’re concerned about me. They’re concerned about their mom.”
“She’s already had a guy jerk her around most of her life.” Logan frowned and slumped down in his chair. His glower grew.
“I have no intention of jerking your mother around, but I don’t feel that I owe either of you an explanation about my relationship with your mother.”
“Why not?” Everyone seemed surprised the question came from me. I lifted my chin. “I’m not saying I’m a fan of Helen, but they’re her sons. Don’t they have a right to ask you?”
“Not when they try to bully it out of me.” Garrett held my gaze a moment longer than necessary. There was a message there, but I didn’t care to figure it out. I shrugged and looked away.
Mason bit out a laugh. “Like you would’ve respected a straight question. You’re not that type and don’t play us for a fool. We’ve been around enough bottom-feeder adults to know how the game goes. You might not be one of those, but you tried to play us like it.”
“I’m not trying to play you at all. You’re Samantha’s boyfriend.” His gaze swung to Logan. “Both of you care about her. Everyone can see that. That’s why I invited you here. It’s why I wanted to get to know you.”
“And not because of our mom?” Logan looked up. His voice had grown soft. I glimpsed a five year old who was asking that question.
Mason’s mouth twitched, but he pushed up from his chair. The food hadn’t been touched. “Let’s go, the game starts in an hour.”
Garrett stood as well. “I’m assuming my invitation’s been rescinded?”
“No.” Mason gave him a polite smile that had an attached message to f**k off. “We’d love it if you still played.”
They stared at each other with narrowed eyes before my biological father sighed. His napkin had been clenched in a hand, but he let it drop to the plate now. His eyebrow arched. “I’m all for it.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
Logan sighed and shoved back his chair. He stalked from the table and shoved out the door. It slammed with a bang behind him.
Mason met my gaze for a moment. I saw the goodbye in them and gave him a quiet nod in response. His eyelids shuttered close, and he followed behind his brother in the next moment. Then Garrett asked me, “Did you enjoy that?”
I turned, startled that I felt attacked by him. “What are you talking about?”