“Mason, Charity,” she says in an icy tone. “What a coincidence!”
“I am a firefighter,” my boyfriend replies easily. “It’s not that coincidental.”
But Rosanne’s face goes red and her ornate earrings tremble with suppressed emotion.
“May I ask what you’re doing here, Charity?”
I part my lips but no words come out. Fortunately, Mason steps in again.
“She’s with me, Rose. We’re dating. I know I should have told you beforehand, but we never got a chance because you were never around.”
With that, my mom’s face goes crimson.
“You’re what?” she spits.
“Dating,” my boyfriend says again. “As in, your daughter and I are seeing each another.
“What the hell?” Rose screeches. “Are you fucking kidding me? This girl is young enough to be your daughter because she is my daughter!”
We’re attracting attention like bees to honey, but Mason holds up both hands.
“Rosanne, stop,” he says in a calm tone. “You’re causing a scene.”
“You’re telling me to stop? Are you fucking kidding me? She’s in high school!”
Mortified, I hide a bit behind Mason, my soul curdling. OMG, this is turning out a thousand times worse than I anticipated. Meanwhile, Rose directs her enraged gaze to me.
“And Charity, don’t think you can get away with saying nothing. Get out here!”
“Rosanne, please,” Mason takes her arm. “Let’s take this out into the hall, alright?”
My mom blinks and for a moment, I suspect she’s going to say no, preferring to have this confrontation in front of the entire crowd. But then, she takes a deep breath, even if her face is still red.
“Fine,” she snaps. “Let’s go.”
With that, the voluptuous blonde spins on her heel and marches to the nearest exit. Mason and I follow behind her, but my chin is already wobbling and my eyes filled with tears. This is going to be bad, and I only wish I knew a way out.
9
Mason
The minute the door slams shut, Rosanne turns and begins ranting and raving. We’re in a hallway right outside the ballroom, so people can probably still hear, but evidently my ex-girlfriend doesn’t care.
“What the fuck is going on?” she shrieks, her blood pressure skyrocketing. “Have you been fucking my little girl? How could you?”
“Calm down, Rose,” I say, raising my hands in a sign of peace. “There’s no reason to lose your cool.”
She stares at me, her eyes wide and bloodshot.
“Do you even hear what I’m saying?” she rages. “No reason to lose my cool? Charity’s my daughter, Mason. What are you doing, boning my DAUGHTER?!?!”
“Mom, don’t,” Charity begins tearfully, but Rosanne silences her with a glare.
“Is cradle robbing something you’ve always been into?” she spits, focusing her wrath on me. “Really Mason? You like babies? Maybe I should have worn a bib and diapers to turn you on.”
My eye twitches at the slight. “Don’t talk to me like that, and don’t talk about Charity like she can’t hear—”
“I can talk about my own daughter however I please! I raised her and took care of her all on my own, and I didn’t teach her this shit! Who dates her mother’s ex-boyfriend?” she screeches.
Somehow, I manage to keep my cool.
“Right, we were in a relationship, but the operative word is ‘ex,’” I say through gritted teeth. “We’re nothing to each other now, Rosanne. I haven’t seen you in months, and I’ve moved on.”
“Yeah, but with my daughter!” the blonde woman screeches. “Are you fucking insane? Tell me, Mason, did you secretly plan to date Charity when you were with me? Were you thinking of her when you were in my bed, nailing me with that hard dick?”
I grit my teeth. “Shut your mouth. This is inappropriate.”
But the middle-aged woman merely flies off the handle even more.
“Shut your mouth or what? And who’s being inappropriate? Charity is a child! Get your hands off my daughter because I’ll sic Child Protective Services on you!”
But then, my curvy brunette steps in.
“Mom!” she cries, her face covered in tears. “Mom, stop! You keep saying all these awful things about us, but they’re not true! I’m not a child. I’m eighteen, and I’m able to make my own decisions. Besides, don’t you care about the fact that I’m in love with Mason? That must mean something, right? Please, stop yelling!”
I spin around to stare at my woman because I had no idea that Charity was in love with me. I certainly adore her, but I’ve never spoken of my affection because I didn’t want to spook the young woman. Yes, Charity’s mature, but again, she’s eighteen. Would an eighteen year old be able to handle an alpha male’s love?
Then again, these past few months have proven me wrong. Charity is sparkly and bubbly, but also wise beyond her years. She’s mature with a keen intelligence and piercing insight, which makes her a wonderful companion.
But Rosanne doesn’t know this because she’s always been so concerned about herself.