Page 121 of Home Grown Talent

“Yup,” Mason replied. ‘I’m making up for all those years I spent yearning for them while I made do with black, sugar-free coffee.”

“Ugh, milky coffee,” Owen said in mock-disgust, sipping his own resolutely black brew. He smiled, though, happy that Mason didn’t have to deny himself life’s little luxuries any more. Over the last few months, he’d even put a little weight on. It wasn’t much, just a few pounds—Mason was naturally slim, and his appetite was pretty moderate—but it made a difference. Somehow, it softened his edges, easing a subtle tension he’d carried when having to consider his calorie consumption and exercise regime every single day.

Owen rubbed his cheek affectionately over Mason’s head, smiling at the indulgent chuckle this provoked.

“You’re very friendly this morning.”

“I’m very friendly every morning,” Owen pointed out.

“That you are,” Mason said and gave a happy sigh.

For a few minutes, they sat quietly, sipping their coffee, Owen keeping the swing gently rocking with his foot. It was a sunny autumn day, and though not particularly warm, this part of the garden was nicely sheltered and got the best of the morning sun, so it was pleasant to just sit there and rock.

“So,” Owen said at last. “What do you want to do on your first weekend in your new home?”

For a moment, Mason was silent; then he sighed and shifted, turning himself around till they were facing one another. “If I’m honest,” he said, “I just want to chill with you, but…” He trailed off.

“What is it?” Owen asked, frowning.

“I got a text from Frieda.” He made a face. “She asked if she and Kurt could come round tomorrow to see the place.”

Frieda and Kurt were—to everyone’s astonishment except, apparently, themselves—back together. Regan had chucked Kurt out unceremoniously back in July. Luckily, Mason had been doing one of his last shoots at the time, in some remote part of the Scottish Highlands with horrendous midges… and terrible network connections. That piece of good luck had prevented Kurt from being able to crash at Mason’s—and thereby becoming Mason’s problem. Eventually, with nowhere else to go, he’d turned up on Frieda’s doorstep with his tail between his legs, and amazingly, she’d agreed to let him sleep on the sofa for a few days. According to Mason’s sisters, it had taken him less than a week to find his way back into the bedroom.

Now they were acting like newlyweds, both of them claiming that breaking up in the first place had been a huge mistake, and they’d known they’d end up back together one day.

On the plus side, Frieda was blissfully happy—and honestly, Kurt seemed happy too. After all, Frieda adored Kurt, and Kurt adored Kurt, so they had that in common, and after the last few difficult months with Regan, Kurt appeared to be enjoying the uncritical adoration of a woman who, despite being of the view that he was spawn of the devil for the last decade, now appeared to believed he could do no wrong. More importantly, it had certainly helped on the financial side. Now that Kurt and Frieda’s expenses were combined in one household, the main financial stresses around Mason’s decision to quit modelling were more or less eliminated.

Even so, Mason was understandably sceptical about the whole thing. He didn’t trust Kurt not to stray again, and he was worried about Frieda getting badly hurt. But, as Min had said when he’d discussed it with his sisters, this was the happiest Frieda had been in years, and it was, ultimately her decision to make. Mel had added, more practically, that Frieda and Kurt would probably last as a couple at least until Mel and Min had left home, and Mason had established his new path in life. And that was good for everyone since, if they broke up again in future, the break up wouldn’t involve any of the siblings—Frieda and Kurt would have to work out how to fund their new single lives for themselves.

Owen knew that Mason would never leave his mother in the lurch and was resigned to the fact that she would probably always lean on Mason, but that conversation with his sisters really had seemed to help him get more comfortable with his parents’ new situation. And honestly, it was impossible not to feel a little pleased for Frieda when she was undeniably so much happier. And hey—maybe she and Kurt would make it this time. After all, they had been together for fourteen years the first time around, which was ten years longer than Kurt had managed with anyone else.

Owen reached out to smooth Mason’s rumpled hair back from his face. “I’m taking it from your expression that you don’t want them to come round tomorrow?”

Mason sighed. “No, but you know how Frieda gets.”

“Okay, why don’t you text her and say we do really want to have them round once you’re properly moved in, but the place is a mess, and we need a little bit of time to sort things out? If you give her a firm invite for an actual date, that should keep her on side. We can invite them all over—Frieda, Kurt and the girls—and cook a fancy lunch.”

Mason’s tense expression softened. “That’s a good idea. She’ll like that.”

Owen shrugged modestly. “I’m full of good ideas.”

Mason leaned forward and kissed him. “You are,” he agreed, his lips grazing Owen’s. “And you’re lovely. I know my parents are a pain.”

Owen quirked a smile against Mason’s lips. “They’re not so bad. I mean, they’re part of the deal, aren’t they?”

“The deal?”

“You,” Owen said simply.

Mason pulled back, frowning a little. “You don’t have to put up with them just because we’re together.”

Owen just shrugged. “We don’t exist in isolation,” he said. He lifted a brow. “I mean, you have to cope with my insufferably rude little brother.”

Mason chuckled at that. “I like Lewis—but we make way better brothers-in-law than boyfriends.”

“Brothers-in-law?” Owen echoed, raising his brows.

Mason’s face flushed scarlet as he realised what he’d said.