Page 37 of Raised On It (Between the Pines #1)

Mason

“ I t’s so good to have you home and on a Thursday, no less!” Arianna, my adorable publicist, exclaims from the other side of the table.

She may be a petite little thing, but she’s as tough and fiery as they come. When it comes to her friends and her job, she doesn’t play. Always the sweetest person in the room until she’s not.

“I’m so glad to be home, but you guys, Oregon is really great. And I can’t wait for you to meet Miles. You’re gonna love him.”

“We better if we’re letting him infiltrate Thursday night girls’ night.”

Keeping it real is Jackie, one of the copywriters I met during my time in the publishing world. She’s fabulous and beautiful, loud and honest. She isn’t from the Upper East Side, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she owns her place in the city.

“Billie will be here shortly. She had a late shoot and is coming from set…well, speak of the devil, here she is. ”

Face wiped clean and hair up on top of her head, casual in leggings, Birkenstocks, and an oversized sweater, she is perfection as always. I pop out of my seat to squeeze the cover model.

“You’re home, and you’re in love! I want to hear every dirty detail!” she squeals, not wasting a moment.

The four of us take our seats, and for the next hour, I recount the past couple of months in Eastlyn.

Starting with my first night at The Verdict all the way through today and our walk through Central Park.

It’s like one long verbal journal entry, only they ask questions and sigh in all the right places.

I don’t tell them all the dirty details, but I share enough.

It’s clear things are hot and heavy between the two of us.

“Now, he’s determined to christen every room in my place, and so far, we’re right on track to get it done in the next two days.”

“Holy shit,” Arianna says, looking as though she’s seen a ghost.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” I ask, turning to look over my shoulder as she shouts at me not to.

It takes me a few seconds to get past the shock of seeing my past and my future colliding. But once I do, I can’t shake the confusion of what’s in front of me.

Why?

How is this happening?

“Baby, there you are!” Miles shouts over the noisy restaurant.

“Miles…I don’t understand? What are you…? What’s going on?”

“Sorry, Mase. I know it’s girls’ night, and I shouldn’t have brought a friend, but Mr. Kennedy and I hit it off and I wanted you two to meet.”

“What do you mean your friend?”

“Aw, come on now, Mason, don’t be that way.”

Grant puts his arm around Miles, his hand landing on his shoulder, and Miles does the same. The sight is disturbing on so many levels. Please tell me Miles doesn’t know who he is because I’m not sure I could handle another betrayal of this kind of magnitude.

“Grant, why are you here?”

“No, honey, his name is Leland.”

“Correct, Leland Grant Kennedy.”

Grant has a sickening smile on his face, one I’ve seen on more than one occasion.

I can feel the bile rising in my throat, and before I know what’s happening I’m fleeing the table and praying I make it to the bathroom in time.

I hear Billie hot on my heels the entire way, and she takes up the role of security guard outside the bathroom stall I find refuge in. But much to my surprise, nothing happens. Maybe getting the vision of the two of them with their arms around each other out of my head was all I needed.

“You okay in there?”

Pushing the stall door open, Billie is waiting for me with open arms.

Hugging me, she says, “So, Miles is cute.”

We both giggle, but it’s short lived.

“Billie, how could Miles bring him here? Did they already know each other? Have I been played?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

The door slams open, and Arianna looks like she’s in need of a paper bag or she might hyperventilate. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, are you?”

“You better get out here, Mason. Miles put two and two together, and I have a bad feeling.”

She turns rushing back to the table. Billie and I are right behind her.

Only the table is empty when we get there except for a shell-shocked Jackie. Past the table, I see the back of Miles and Grant as they press through the door and onto the sidewalk .

“Guys, what in the world is going on? I am so confused,” Jackie asks from her chair.

Ignoring her question, I rush for the exit.

When we get to the street things seem calm. Grant is leaning against the building, and Miles is standing on the curb, keeping his distance. Relief washes over me until I hear their conversation and realize things aren’t as civil as they appear.

“Listen, your little girlfriend fucked me over and wasted five years of my life.”

This pisses Miles off, and he’s no longer standing on the curb.

“So you thought you would fuck with her by fucking with me?” Miles says nose to nose with the asshole I wasted years of my life with.

Grant smirks. “Nah, seemed like a sound investment, to tell you the truth. Getting to see her face when we walked in together was just the cherry on top.”

Comments like these from Grant are to be expected, but I’ve never witnessed the rage on the face of my sweet Miles. I should probably intervene before Miles ends up in jail.

Stepping between them, I address the one person I hoped I’d never have to see again.

“Grant, how did you even know we were together, and why do you care?”

Both men look at me, but Miles doesn’t back away from him.

Unfazed, Grant answers. “Your mom follows all your Eve Villanelle social media bullshit.”

“What does my mom have to do with you and your investments?”

“Oh, that’s right, I got your parents when your stupid ass left me. God, you really are a selfish bitch.”

I feel Miles leap forward, trying to go around me to get to Grant, so I turn to face him and push him back.

“Call her a bitch again! I fucking dare you!” he yells over my head, pointing at the asshole from my past who apparently has decided he needs to mess with my present as well.

Now, there are people watching through the restaurant window and the facade of civility is long gone.

“Miles, he isn’t worth it. Just stop.” I lift on my tiptoes to try to catch his eye, but he won’t look at me. “I’ve heard it all before. I really don’t care what he calls me.”

Miles turns away from me on the sidewalk, but only makes it two steps before he turns back in my direction, finally looking me in the eye. He stares at me for a long beat, and when he believes that I really am okay, he settles in next to me, and we face Grant standing side by side, hand in hand.

“So tell me what in the world does this have to do with my parents?”

“You haven’t heard then? Really?”

“Heard what, asshole?” Miles chimes in pulling me into his side.

“Just the fact that her dear old dad and I went into business together. He’s my silent partner in LGK Inc. Turns out, I didn’t need to marry her boring porn-writing ass to get what I wanted after all.”

All the blood in my body rushes to my head, and it feels like I’m in a fog.

“Hey, she doesn’t write porn!” I barely hear Billie yell from behind us.

“And she is far from boring!” Arianna chimes in, but it sounds like she’s a million miles away and not two feet behind me.

“My dad knew about this?” I ask under my breath.

“What’s that, baby? I can’t hear you,” Miles says.

“My dad knew you were meeting with Miles today?” I try again, finding my voice and praying I sound calm when, in reality, what tiny bit of my heart that still belonged to my parents is crumbling .

Miles squeezes my hand when he hears the sadness I clearly wasn’t able to hide from at least him.

Grant just smiles like he’s just won some unknown contest, but my farm boy isn’t done.

“Well, you can tell Mr. O’Brien, not in this lifetime. I wouldn’t let either of you pricks anywhere near my board or my company.”

“Mason, you’ve really picked a winner, haven’t you? I’m sure your dad is really going to love to hear how your new boyfriend called him a prick before they’ve even had a chance to meet.”

Before I can comment, Miles ends the conversation.

“If her parents chose you over her, then they don’t deserve my respect, and I’d happily tell them that face to face.”

“And how do you feel about that, Mason?” Grant addresses me again.

This time, I get to say my piece.

I’m not sure if it’s having the support of Miles and the girls behind me, or if it’s from spending time with everyone I’ve met in Eastlyn, but I simply don’t care anymore.

I thought I was over losing what little relationship I had with my parents, but I realize until this moment that hadn’t been true.

“You know what, Grant? You can have them. My well-being means as much to my parents as it did to you. They don’t love me.

They loved what having a daughter might have done for them, but it looks like you made all their dreams come true without me.

And now that I think about it, the three of you were meant to be family.

I know this because one of the most important things I’ve learned since I’ve been gone is that family is where you find it.

You don’t need the same blood coursing through your veins.

When you meet people who matter to you, you get to choose.

I’m choosing my family, and it’s not you, and unfortunately, it’s not my parents. ”

“Yes! You hear that, Grant? You don’t matter!” Jackie yells from behind me .

Turning away from my past, I find Miles, my future, beaming down at me. Is it with pride, because I fought back? Joy that I alluded to choosing him to be my family? I’m not sure what emotion it is, but it feels good to be on the receiving end.

“I love you so damn much,” Miles says through his gleaming smile.

“Still? Even after all of this?”

“Babe, like you just said, I choose you. You are my family, City Mouse.”

I don’t mean to start crying, but God, he always says the right thing, and right when I need him to say it.

I hear one of the girls sigh. “Oh, my God. They’re perfect together.”