“And I’m doing it, see.” Mason holds up his pen and notepad and points to the TV where the game film is running on loop.
Peyton and Elle are climbing all over him, hanging from his arms. It doesn’t faze him, but it does me. I don’t want to see him get angry with them for bugging him while he’s working.
“I’ll take them to the store with me.”
“Why?”
“Because they are bugging you.”
Mason sets down his pad and pulls each girl off of him. He stands and comes over to me, pulling me into his arms.
“Are you jealous of your daughters?”
“What? No. Why would I be?”
Mason shrugs. “I don’t know. I have two very gorgeous brunettes showering me with attention and my very sexy wife trying to make them stop. I think you want to hang on me for a while.”
I bite my lip to stop the smirk forming and shake my head. “You’re impossible.”
Mason kisses my neck, working his way to my ear. “I love you, Mrs. Powell and I love those two girls right over there. If they are bugging me, I’ll ask for help. I’d honestly like for you to come sit in between my legs and help me work.”
I push him slightly. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You love me.”
“I do, more than anything.”
I wish I had a camera at the time to capture those moments between Mason and the girls. I’m not sure I ever thought to take a picture when they were climbing all over him or sitting on his lap while he was scouting. So many memories that I’ve missed and I’ll never get back or be able to show the girls just how great their dad was.
I’m relishing the fact that she’s letting me hold her for so long. I don’t want to put Peyton down. I want to cuddle with her until she feels safe enough to open up. Josie’s right, the girls need to speak to someone about what they’re dealing with. Clearly, I’m not enough, and I need to be okay with that.
I sit down on the couch and immediately regret it. She’s out of my arms faster than I can ask her to stay. She goes to Noah and sits down. He doesn’t acknowledge her, but Quinn does. I can’t hear what they are talking about, but Peyton smiles and Noah rolls his eyes.
The bus roars to life and the kids all cheer. They should be sleeping, but tour life doesn’t allow for normal hours. We’ll drive for a few hours before getting to our hotel, where we’ll stay for a few days and take the kids to Disney World. This will be a first for Noah, Peyton and Elle. This was something Mason and I had talked about many times and I hate that he’s not here to share it with us.
Liam sits down next me and hands me a bottle of water. “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I get a bit stressed and the flowers, they set me off.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” he says as he shakes his head. I watch as he downs the bottle of water in one gulp. I’ve always wondered how he and Mason could do that. I’d choke if I tried.
“It is. I just don’t want to be fired.”
Liam laughs. “I couldn’t fire you if I wanted.”
“Yeah, why’s that?”
He looks around and his eyes land on Harrison who is talking with the kids not a few feet away from us. “He’d kill me.”
I shake my head. I know Liam and Josie think he’d be a good fit for me, but I don’t. We have nothing in common.
“You need to stop.”
“Stop what?” he asks nonchalantly.
“Trying to fix us up. He’s not my type.”
Liam leans back and puts his arm on the back of the couch. He grins so brightly when Josie comes down the aisle. He loves her just like Mason loved me. I can see it in the way he looks at her.
“Am I Josie’s type?”
“Of course.”
Liam looks at me questioningly. “Seriously? Look at me, with my tattoos, motorcycle and music. This is the not the Liam that she fell in love with. That Liam was a football star. He woke up every morning and ate some gross protein shit. He worked out during and after school. He was football. Now look at him. He’s the exact opposite of who she fell in love with.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is that you fell in love with Mason when you were fifteen. He’s all you’ve ever known. Who’s to say that he wouldn’t have gotten a tattoo when he entered the NFL? Would you have loved him any less? Probably not, I’m guessing. Thing is, Katelyn, love doesn’t know the way someone looks. Love knows the inside of who that person is. I’m not saying you need to fall in love with Harrison or Joe Smith, but I don’t want to see you pass up what’s in front of you. I’m not saying you have to get over Mason, but just open your eyes a little and see what’s out there. You’re young and beautiful and some man is going to be so lucky to be by your side.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“You’re right, it’s not. I looked for ten years for a way to replace Josie and failed. You can’t replace Mason even if you tried, but you can find some happiness and love if you allow yourself to.”