Always Mine (Roommate Duet 5)

“You sure you can’t stay?” Lennon asks before eating a mini quiche.

I walk farther into the kitchen, look at the spread, and somehow force myself away. “Wish I could. I’m sure you’ll have a good time. Happy Thanksgiving,” I say, grabbing my keys, then heading toward the door. While I want to hang out, I force myself to leave since I promised my dad I’d visit.

It takes me thirty minutes to drive over due to all the holiday traffic, and he’s beaming when I arrive. I’m a man of my word, if not anything else. We chat and catch up as we eat turkey with all the fixings until our stomachs hurt and finish off with pumpkin pie.

After thanking my stepmother for a delicious meal, I come home and watch football with the guys. Maddie shoots me smoldering looks from across the room, but I try to ignore her, regardless of how damn pretty and tempting she is. Lennon and Sophie chat about work, not paying attention to the TV.

My phone goes off with a few last-minute job offers from a bonds company, but I decided to take the rest of the weekend off since I’m swamped next week. After the game ends, Hunter and Lennon take Maddie home, leaving just the three of us.

Sophie and Mason stand and yawn. “You two have fun this weekend,” I tell them. I try not to make eye contact with Mason, though I pop an eyebrow at Sophie.

“Oh, we’re going to have all the fun,” she says with a snicker.

“That’s code for tons of sex, right?” I chuckle, and she rolls her eyes.

“Good night, Liam,” Sophie singsongs, and Mason shoots me a wink before taking her hand and leading her upstairs. I turn off all the lights, then go to my room and lie in bed.

Before I fall asleep, all I can think about is heading back to Vegas and playing poker. Since I have the next few days off and more frequent flier miles than I know what to do with, I consider booking a flight. Before I even look at prices, considering it’s a holiday weekend, I know it’s a bad idea. The airports will be more crowded than usual, which I hate, but damn, I love the bright lights of the city. There’s something about the thrill of winning that gets me every time. Playing gives me an adrenaline rush like bounty hunting but without all the life-threatening danger.

By Friday, I’m bored as hell being home alone, so I decide to look up flights and see if it’s possible to book one without selling my kidney or using all my banked miles. Just as I find an airline that has one seat available for later tonight, I remember I told Maddie I was on call this weekend. Shit.

Maddie might text Sophie just to pry, and I don’t doubt she’d text Mason if she didn’t get an answer. I can ask her all day not to do something, but she doesn’t listen to anyone, especially not me. And I wonder if she’s suspicious. Apparently, she’s been sending Mason pictures of wedding rings she thinks Sophie would like for the past few months to help speed up the process a bit. She’s the annoying little sister whose approval of them getting married has been laid on real thick. It’s obvious how much Mason and Sophie are meant for each other. It took Mason years to find someone after losing his girlfriend, but the moment he met Sophie, everything changed. So I get it. But Maddie’s relentless. And Mason found it helpful because he had tons of ideas for a ring thanks to her.

A month ago, Mason told me what his plans were for Thanksgiving weekend, and I swore on my life I wouldn’t say a word. He didn’t want to tell her sisters in case they got too excited and ruined the surprise. Hunter doesn’t know either because Lennon has him by the balls, and he can’t keep anything from her. The only person to worry about is Maddie because she has no filter whatsoever, and she’s not stupid. Considering she’s blatantly told him to propose already, I don’t think she’d be too surprised, but still.

Knowing I can’t go to Vegas now, I decide to get out of the house instead of being lazy all day. I change into workout clothes and drive to the gym. My back hurts from lounging, and I need to get my blood pumping. I stretch before deciding to lift some weight. Just as I finish my reps, I get a phone call from Maddie, and I wonder if she’s just trying to get a rise out of me since Sophie and Mason are already on their way to Tahoe City. I’m half-tempted to give her a few choice words, especially if she’s just calling to agitate me. I decide to answer it anyway.