The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

I’d like to say that once Reese and I decided to leave Waterford forever, the rest of it was smooth sailing, but wow, there was so much we didn’t consider, so many problems to wade through. I think we were both equally determined to make it work, though. Nothing that got in our way was going to stop us at that point. Not money, not past lies, not terrible landladies, not anything.

We did try to figure out all the details before presenting the idea to our parents, though. Cuddled together on her couch in her apartment above the garage with my laptop settled in my lap, we made a list of everything to consider. Across town, her cousin was recuperating in a hotel room, but we had no idea how long that would last.

“I have a feeling we might have to bring her back to Illinois with us.” Reese bit her lip as she looked up at me, as if she expected me to reject the idea immediately.

I could only shrug. Even though I now knew it wasn’t my fault Eva had been shot, I still somehow felt responsible for the poor little rich girl who’d fallen so hard on her luck. And I ended up saying, “Yeah, whatever she needs. I mean, she’s your cousin. We can’t just let her and her baby go destitute.”

“My God,” Reese murmured, gazing at me in awe as she shook her head. “I’m not sure how I could love you any more than I do right now.”

I grinned as she came in for a kiss. Her mouth was so sweet and giving, I groaned and pushed my computer out of the way so I could tug her into my lap. I could never get enough of this girl. Never.

But thinking of Eva, and Reese’s family, and me moving to Illinois with them, I lifted my face, even as I licked Reese’s delectable taste from my mouth.

“What are your parents going to think of me?” I asked. “Eva’s mom knows what I am—er, what I was. You think she’s not going to tell her sister about my sordid past? I mean, we don’t want them knowing about that, right? And technically, we’ve barely been dating a week. They’re going to think—”

Reese stopped my worried flood with a gentle kiss to my lips.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” she murmured, her smile soft and tender. “Not only am I an adult who’s going to do what I want concerning you whether they approve or not, but Mom and Aunt Mads aren’t even speaking to each other anymore because of the mess with E. They had a huge, blow-out fight, Mom saying Eva should keep the baby if she wants it, and Aunt Mads not about to accept such a scandal from any daughter of hers.” Reese rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m not very happy about how E’s parents so scornfully turned their back on her either.”

“Don’t worry,” I assured, squeezing her fingers. “We’ll make sure Eva makes it through okay.”

Reese nodded and smiled appreciatively. “Thank you.”

I winked at her and returned my attention to the screen of my laptop, pulling it on top of both of us. “So, do you think we can fit all our shit into one big moving van?”

“I hope so,” Reese answered, her mouth falling open when she read the price for van rentals over my shoulder. “Because, holy shit, I wouldn’t want to pay that for more than one of them.”

I nodded, clicking out of the site. “We’ll make everything fit then or leave shit behind.”

Hugging my arm as I logged into my checking account to see how much money we had to work with, Reese rested her chin on my shoulder and said, “So how are we going to do this? Are you going to live with Sarah and your mom, and I move back in with my parents, until…until…”

“Until when?” I asked, lifting my face and blinking.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Until we get to know each other better and date a while first?” She winced. “Though the idea of moving back in with my parents after living here on my own does not appeal at all. Besides…” She bit her lip. “I’m kind of really looking forward to living with you.”

“So am I,” I admitted, touching her hair reverently. I definitely wasn’t planning to move halfway across the country to live away from her, anyway.

She beamed, grinning with pleasure and surprise. “Really? You are? That’s so awesome. We’re actually going to live together. Soon. Oh my God, this is so exciting. But…should I move in with you, your mom, and Sarah, or should you and I find our own…?”

When I sent her an odd look, she laughed, the question trailing off, unasked. “Yeah,” she admitted on a cringe. “I don’t want to live with your mom and Sarah either. That would get kind of embarrassing for those nights when I make you come so hard that you scream and carry on like you do.”

“Oh, I’m the one who screams and carries on, huh?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

She nodded astutely. “You do. It’s super loud and obnoxious. But I love you, so…” She drew out an exhausted sigh. “I deal.”

“The trials you go through to put up with me,” I agreed dryly.

She grinned. “For real.”

I chuckled and pulled up my savings account information.

“So, I think we can afford moving across country, then put down deposits for two rentals, and hopefully most of Sarah’s medical expenses and food and utilities, and everything else for about…oh, six months maybe, without any of us making any extra income. If it comes down to that, anyway.”

“Wow, that’s…” She finally focused on the total I had pulled up on my savings account, and her words choked off as her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God, Mason. That’s a lot of zeroes.” She turned to meet my gaze with a dazed expression. “Why have you been so worried about money?”

I shook my head and glanced at the sum as well, a little proud of what I’d been able to squirrel away. “You’ve obviously never been so broke that you got insomnia at fifteen because you were worried your sister might die because you couldn’t afford her medicine that month.”

“Oh, Mason.” Reese’s eyes filled with sympathy as she covered my hand with her own.