Page 87 of Finding Forgiveness

“Since when?”

My eyes move to Cass. “A few months now,” I say.

“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?” my sister gripes.

“We don’t have to tell you everything,” Cassie grumbles. “I’m sure you and Mason do lots of things we don’t know about.”

“Like how he just brought me to orgasm with his fingers in the lift on the way down?”

The mouthful of drink I’ve yet to swallow goes spraying across the room. “For fuck’s sake,” I manage to get out in between racking coughs. Mason chuckles as he leans in to tap my back. “Get your fucking hand off me,” I bellow, slapping his arm away.

“Relax, I used the other one,” he says, like that makes it okay. When I narrow my eyes at him, he shrugs. “This baby has made your sister insatiable.”

“La-la-la-la,” I sing, trying to drown out his words as I spin around and stomp towards the kitchen. I swear these two do shit like this on purpose.

“I think they actually cooked it,” I hear Jacinta say to the rest of our guests sitting at the table. “I saw the dirty dishes in the sink, and Connor was making gravy with the pan juices. It doesn’t appear to be staged.”

I look over at Cassie who’s in here helping me place everything on the serving platters, just in time to see her roll her eyes. “Why is it so hard to believe?”

“Probably because it’s something we’ve never done. Don’t worry, Princess, they’ll be eating their words soon enough … the proof is in the tasting.”

“Ugh.”

“Jacinta’s pregnant. Is it even safe for her to eat their food?” Mason chimes in.

Do they not realise we can hear every word they’re saying?

A tiny growl permeates in the back of Cass’s throat as she grabs one of the baked potatoes from the platter and runs it across her tongue, licking it. I give her a strange look as she places it back down on top of the others. “That one is Mason’s,” she grumbles.

Chuckling, I proudly lean in and place a kiss on the side of her head. “That’s my girl.”

“For the record, I like being your girl, Maloney.”

Those words have my heart swelling in my chest. All that heartache I went through seems so pointless now. I’d go through it all again if it led me right here, to this moment, with her.

We pick up a platter each that has a chicken sitting in the middle, surrounded by a plenitude of baked potatoes and roast pumpkin. Cassandra is grinning as she puts hers down at the end of the table where Mason is sitting, and I place mine in front of my parents.

“Wow, it looks delicious. I’m proud of you both.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

We both head back into the kitchen to grab the rest of our meal. We have honeyed carrots and a broccoli and cauliflower cheesy bake.

Jacinta sits forward in her chair, inspecting everything we’ve laid down. “It looks really good.”

Cass rolls her eyes again as I pull out her chair. “The table setting looks beautiful too,” Brooke chimes in.

“Cass did all that, and she made the cocktails from scratch.”

“Good job,” Brooke says, leaning in to nudge her shoulder with Cassie’s. When a pink hue forms on her cheeks, I give her leg a quick squeeze. “We should get you to do the place settings for the upcoming wedding.”

“The company I hired is taking care of that,” Jacinta states.

“O ye of little faith,” Cassandra mumbles under her breath.

“You’re cooking and quoting bible scripture now? Who are you?” Jacinta retorts.

“Your ex-BFF if you insult me one more time tonight.”