Page 76 of The Spare

It's only ten in the morning, but I fix a double shot of whiskey, needing it to survive the next hour with my mom. Though my mother is softhearted, I get my emotional streak from her. When I was younger and had a hot-headed temper, she was always the one to seek me out, usually hiding out in a random room of the house.

Where everyone else made it worse, she always knew what to say or do to pull me out of it. Sometimes it took hours, but she never left me.

"You didn't answer any of my calls, Mason. I'm hurt."

And there it is.

She doesn't care that I lost my shit in her home the day before, or that I kept a secret from her at all. She only cares that I cut myself off from her.

My eyes flit to my mother's, who's staring at me with a look of carefully veiled pain, waiting patiently.

Walking over, I sit down carefully on the plush cushioned couch across from her, crossing my legs and taking a sip of my drink. Needing the liquor.

"Por favor, mamí," I say, trying to appeal to her gentler side. It works; her eyes soften just a bit. I look down at my drink. "You knowhow hard being in this family has been for me at times. It wasn't on purpose. I just was angry, and I needed time. But like everything else, this family never respects what I want.Thatis why I'm so fucking upset all the time, mamà."

My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it.

Mother puts her drink on the table in front of her, getting up and sinking onto the cushion next to me. She takes a second to smooth her dark blue pencil skirt down her thighs before leaning over so close I can smell her familiar perfume. Memories of hours spent being held in her arms as she comforted me as a child swamps me with just one smell, causing tears to well up in my eyes.

I blink them back.

She's the only one who knows the depths of my pain, always there for me when no one else cared. But even she couldn't get Father to look at me differently.

Her hand covers mine, and she waits until I bring my eyes back to hers before speaking.

"Mason, we are so proud of you. You've come a long way, and maybe…" she trails off, looking to the side a bit uncomfortably. "Maybe your father could do a better job of showing you so that Henny doesn't feel the need to step in all the time."

I grunt, taking a deep drink of my whiskey.

Because honestly, if I had to pick between Hendrix or our father, I'd pick Hendrix every time over our father's wrath. Truth is, I think Father gave up on me a long time ago. It was only because of Hendrix that I was able to stay afloat long enough to manage to garner any success.

I owe him a lot. A lot more than a lot, especially regarding Isobel.

That guilt I carry that's never far rears its ugly head, causing me to tighten my fingers on the crystal tumbler in my hand. A muscletwitches in my jaw as new emotions swamp me, and I feel even worse about how I treated him this morning.

Mother talks, drawing my attention back to her.

"You know deep down that Hendrix loves you, and he's doing the best he can at trying to fill some very big shoes. Shoes that are almost impossible to fill. And he's trying to make sure that he keeps everything together while he's at it," Mother says with tears in her eyes.

Always trying to keep the peace.

"I know, mama," I say, simply tossing back the rest of my drink. "You and I both know you aren't telling me anything I don't already know." We sit in silence for a minute because I'm unsure of what to say. I look over at her. "Madre, is everything set for Saturday? Did you get those roses for Melody?"

She breaks out into a bright smile and pats my hand. "Yes, mijo. It's going to be perfect. You better be glad I know a friend of a friend because pulling a glamourous wedding off in three days is no easy feat."

I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm sorry, mamá. I just wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams, considering we've waited so long and all." I glance back over at her. "How much do I owe you?"

Mother scoffs, rolling her eyes and standing up. "Oh please, your father told me to tell you it was his pleasure. And let me tell you, it was quite pricey, too." She gives me a wink before reaching down and drinking the drink I made her. "Now," she says, handing me her empty cup. "My only request is that you stay at the reception dinner."

I laugh. "I make no promises, mama, but I'll try," I say, getting up and giving her a kiss on the check. I walk her out and watch as she makes her way to the elevator bank, hitting the up button.

Going back to my office chair, I sit back and pull out my phone.

You're going to breakme? -Mel

I smile, feeling my dick jerk and swell in my pants.

Oh baby, I'm going to absolutely break you off tonight. All I can think about is your delicious pussy. -Mase