I find it ironic that that he moved in on my girl when I wasn’t around. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t care, but Ashford – it pisses me off.
“Is there anyone who would like to say a few things about Mason?”
I let go of the girls’ hands and stand up, straightening out my jacket. People are whispering as I make my way to the podium, but I don’t care. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.
I wink at Josie before clearing my throat and speaking into the microphone.
“Ten years ago I made the decision to change my life. In the process I lost the only family I truly cared about: Mason, Katelyn and Josie. I was selfish, confused and wanted away from the stigma of being Beaumont’s golden boy. What I never banked on was losing Mason, my best friend since kindergarten. He was my partner in crime and my go-to on the field. Everything about my life and who I was growing up was because of Mason. When I heard that the world had lost him, a piece of me died. For the first time in a long time, I cried. I wept for every moment that I missed with him. I missed his engagement to Katelyn, his wedding and the birth of his beautiful girls who have opened their amazing hearts to me even though I don’t deserve it. I let him down and for that I’ll always be sorry.
“Mason, my friend, I’ll do what I can to watch over your family and make sure they never want for anything.”
Katelyn wraps her arms around me as soon as I make it back to the pew. The twins both grab a hold of my hand and squeeze tight.
“My name’s Peyton. Will you watch football with me on Sunday?”
I look down at the little girl that is clearly all Mason with her Beaumont High football jersey on. “Hi Peyton, I’m Liam and I’d love to watch football with you.”
CHAPTER 8
JOSIE
Nick pulls me out of the church and into the parking lot. I knew he was pissed when I saw his face coming down the aisle, but it’s not like I knew Liam was going to show up here. Nick walks us behind the church and swings me around so that my back is against the wall.
“How long, Josephine?” God I hate it when people use my full name. It’s like I’m in trouble even though I’m an adult.
“He showed up last night.”
“You didn’t want to tell me?” I really thought Nick and I were better than this, that we had a stronger relationship.
“Nick, I’m not keeping anything from you. He showed up last night, we argued and he left. I didn’t know he was going to be here today and honestly I’m more focused on Katelyn. Today isn’t about Liam; it's about Katelyn and the girls.”
“How does he know Noah?”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. I have my suspicions but I wasn’t going to ask Liam and I’m definitely not bringing this up with Noah.
Nick starts pacing, pulling at his blond hair. He talks to himself. It looks like he’s having a fight with an imaginary person.
“Tell Liam we want to meet with him later.”
“Why?” I ask curiously. Nick stops in front of me and grabs my arms, pinning me to the wall. I’ve never seen him like this before. This is a side of him that I don’t like.
“Because I’ll have my lawyer draw up adoption papers and he can sign his parental rights away.”
I can’t believe my ears. I know he wants to adopt Noah, but we’ve never discussed it. I don’t even know if this is something I want him to do. Noah’s mine, he doesn’t need to have Nick’s last name. Even if we are married, things can stay the same between them.
“Um…”
“Hey guys, Noah’s looking for you.” I look over to find Jenna standing just a few feet away. Nick moves away, letting go of my arms. I try not to wince when the blood starts flowing again. I smile at Jenna to let her know that everything is fine.
“Thanks, Jenna.” She smiles and walks away, leaving us to figure this shit out.
“Nick, just because Liam is here doesn’t mean anything.” I pull him into my arms. He relents and kisses me softly on the lips.
“I’m sorry, babe. I don’t know what came over me. Seeing him here and winking at Noah, I just… my blood started to boil. He may have created that boy, but this is my family. The sooner he’s gone the better.”
“I agree, but let’s not give him a reason to stay, okay?” Nick nods and leads me back to the crowd of people gathering. We find Noah and head to our car so we can follow the hearse and family car. The pall bearers need to be in line so they can be there too, standing guard, as my dad would say.
The funeral procession drives through the town, by the high school that has turned into a shrine for Mason. This week’s game was postponed. It’s the first time in Beaumont High history that the team won’t be taking the field. Mason touched so many people this loss will be felt for years to come.
When we pull into the cemetery, some people have already gathered. I try not to look around for Liam when I get out of the car, but my eyes wander. He’s spotted easily. He’s the guy with the single and some not-so-single women standing around.