Ward's Castle

LILA

I’ve basically gonefrom one prison to another. At least this one has Beau in it. He makes it all worth it. I would tolerate just about anything to make sure he’s taken care of. That includes Mason’s harsh words and actions. Even though they tend to sting more than some of the mean girls back at boarding school.

I’m starting to think he doesn’t like me. Something about me seems to rub him the wrong way. It’s so confusing because he’s different with Beau. He’s so much more patient and tolerant. His eyes are always kinder and his words softer when he’s dealing with him. With me, at times his words are clipped and straight to the point. More often than not, I think he looks right through me. I should be used to feeling invisible, but for some reason, it’s worse when Mason is the one making me feel that way.

“Can I stir it?” Beau asks, coming to stand beside me.

“You have to be careful.”

“I will,” he swears.

I let out a grunt as I pick him up to sit him on the counter next to the meat sauce on the stove. I turn the burner down a few notches before handing him over the spoon. I treasure these moments with him. He grew so much while I was away. I don’t want to miss another second of it.

Over the past two weeks since I arrived back, I’ve taken over some of the tasks around the house. Meals are one of them. I’ve never really gotten the chance to cook before. I’m finding it’s my new favorite thing to do. I spend half of my days in the kitchen. Someone should be in here making things. It’s practically a sin with how breathtaking the kitchen is that it’s hardly ever used. I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure that’s no longer the case.

Mason usually has all the meals delivered. Don’t get me wrong; they are yummy and typically healthy, but I wanted to be a part of something around here. Cooking for Beau gives me a bit of purpose. Plus, he enjoys doing it with me.

“Is this right, Lila?” Beau asks as he continues to stir the sauce the way that I showed him.

“You’re the best little helper in the whole wide world.” That earns me a smile. I drop a kiss on top of his head before I grab the noodles to drain them.

“Drix, I’m cooking!” Beau announces when Mason enters the kitchen. I peek over to see he’s not in his usual suit. He’s in a tux tonight. He looks so damn handsome it takes my breath away for a moment. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him where he’s going, but I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself. He doesn’t have to explain himself to me, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be happy about it.

“Save me a plate. I have an event tonight. I won’t be here for dinner.”

It’s not as if this is something new. Half the time he’s not around. I’m not sure why he’s bothered to come and tell us this.

“Lila will save you a plate. Won’t you?” I just nod my head and drain the pasta as I imagine putting the leftovers down the disposal so he can’t have any. It’s only a fantasy, though. It doesn’t matter that I have a bank account filled with money, and food that I can access at any time. I still find myself having a hard time being wasteful. Not when I can still recall the many nights as a child I went without.

“Don’t wait up for me tonight,” he tells Beau. I stiffen, wondering what that means. Is he not coming home tonight? Mason might avoid me, but he’s typically home at night. He spends most of his time in his office, but he’s still here.

“Lila will read to me. Won’t you?” Beau again tries to pull me into the conversation.

“I’ll do anything for you, Beau.” I turn my head to give him a giant smile, making his little face light up.

Mason stands there for a long moment before he finally turns and leaves the kitchen. I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“He’s being weird,” Beau announces a few seconds later.

“What do you mean?” I grab a couple of plates for us. He shrugs his little shoulder.

“I don’t know. He’s not around much.”

“Is he normally around a lot more?” I ask. Beau nods his head.

“He’s probably just giving us some time together since he gets you all the time,” I lie. If I had any question about whether Mason disliked me before, tonight kind of settles it. What sucks is that as much as I want to dislike him right back, I can’t.

I’ve got some silly crush on him that I can’t break. I tell myself it’s because I love how he is with Beau, but it’s also part of how he’s taken care of me. He might be doing it because he feels he has to, but no one has ever done shit for me. Gosh, I’m pathetic.

“We can all hang out.” Beau huffs, getting annoyed too.

“Let's eat.” I finish plating our food, setting our plates down on the island. I push my food around, suddenly not so hungry. My mind keeps going to Mason being in his tux. I didn’t think the man could get more attractive. I was wrong.

Where the heck was he going? Did he have a date? A shot of anger rushes through me. What the hell? He can go out and do whatever he wants, but I can never do shit. I’m eighteen, and I’m not even allowed to have a damn phone.

“You're not hungry?” Beau asks, noticing my plate is still full.

“What if we go out for ice cream?” His eyes light up at my suggestion.

“Can we?” I think of my secret cell phone and the bank account Mason is always so insistent that I keep.

“Yeah, we can. I think maybe the park too.”

“Yes!” Beau jumps up from his chair.

We can go out too. Screw you, Mr. Mason.