Breaking Perfect

When dinner was prepared she set the table and rushed upstairs to freshen up. She inspected the rooms after her shower. Sean was in Mason’s study with the door closed.

Sitting at her vanity she twisted and pinned her blond curls high on her head, exposing the long line of her neck. No earrings today. Her white linen elephant pants hid her figure up to her hips where they fitted to her waist. She threw on a loose fitting black cowl neck blouse to drape in voluminous folds and hid her shape.

She fought the urge to run to the third floor and hide in shame. On her way back downstairs she quickly passed the now empty study and stepped back to inspect the room. Magazines were out of place and the remote control wasn’t perpendicular to Mason’s chair. Liberty fixed the items and shut the door, opening and closing it twice more before turning away.

When she reached the foyer she stood on the third tile, nine feet exactly and folded her hands. Her thumb fondled her burned fingers and she pressed into the pain. The sharp throb the pressure created eased her anxiety and helped her focus, helped her pretend that nothing untoward had happened.

But the sound of Mason’s Mercedes pulling up the drive had her heart racing. She needed to calm down. The garage door closed and she took a deep breath. The knob clicked and for a moment in time she saw her stepfather, Eric, walk through. Her mind shook away the frightening image of the ghost of her past and smiled with trembling lips as she saw her husband.

Mason smiled. “Hey, beautiful, how was your day?”

“Good. How was yours?”

He dropped his newspaper on the side table and removed his coat. When he turned he smiled at her again. “How about a kiss?”

Liberty released her hold on herself and went to him. Mason looked down at her with loving eyes and cupped the side of her face with gentle hands. “I missed you,” he whispered as his soft lips pressed into hers. Smiling, he tenderly licked at her mouth and some of her tension washed away. “Did you have fun playing with Sean today?”

Liberty tensed. Images of Sean’s large hand dwarfing her tiny breast played through her mind. Mason pulled back and looked down at her, obviously catching her reaction. “Liberty?”

She fumbled trying to find a reply. “I made grilled tilapia with mango salsa.”

“Sounds perfect. Do I have time to change?”

“Of course.” She took his coat and hung it in the closet. After she gathered his papers she turned and froze. Sean stood at the top of the high stairs watching them. His eyes seemed to be on her, but also watching Mason. Would he tell?

“Hey, Sean, enjoy your day?” Mason called as he moved up the stairs.

Sean’s body relaxed as he looked toward her husband. The release of Sean’s gaze catapulted her into action and took advantage of that moment to flee to the kitchen. She didn’t need to hear his reply.

Dinner was quiet. Mason held up most of the conversation while she and Sean only offered abrupt, one or two word replies. After she cleared the table she brought out coffee for the boys and excused herself to go clean up the dishes. When she returned to the dining room Mason and Sean were both laughing and leaning back in their chairs, seeming at ease.

Mason’s gaze found hers and he smiled. “You all done, baby?” She nodded. “What do you say we watch a movie? Sean, you want to join us?”

Sean hesitated a moment and sat up. “Ah, you know, I think I’m gonna hit the sack if you don’t mind, but you two have fun.”

“You sure?” Mason asked.

“Yeah. I’ll see you two in the morning.”

When they made their way upstairs Liberty turned and noticed Sean’s door was tightly closed. Mason accepted the hand that she offered him, the hand that didn’t bear evidence of her earlier perfidy, and led her to the entertainment room. She curled up on a recliner as Mason set up the movie. It was a sci-fi flick and Liberty wasn’t really much of a fan of that genre so she began to daydream.

Halfway through the movie Mason touched her cheek and turned. “Do you want to go to bed, Lib?”

“The movie’s not over.”

“Yeah, but you aren’t watching it. Where are you?”

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?” he asked softly, no longer watching the screen, his attention solely on her.

“Things I shouldn’t be thinking of.”

“I’m sorry you had a difficult day, Lib. That was my fault. I shouldn’t have made you stay in bed.”

“I wanted to stay. I…I hate that something I enjoyed…” She frowned as she tried to find the words to explain how much she hated what she had.

“Shh. Don’t worry. I get it. You don’t need to explain it to me. We’ll try to be a little more proactive in the future, that’s all. Try to avoid situations that can backfire. It’s over. Don’t stress yourself out.”