I lay it all out—the cottage, the repairs, how I meant to tell her but never did. How I got so caught up in being near her,havingher here that I stopped thinking straight. That I didn’t even realize I was hurting her until I saw that look on her face.
Mason listens without a word, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. When I finish, he takes a long drink and sets his bottle down with a soft clink.
“You're a dumbass,” he says.
“That your professional opinion?”
“That’s myfriendopinion. My professional one would use more colorful language.” He shakes his head.
“That's helpful.”
“You want me to sugarcoat it? Fine. You're a dumbass with good intentions.” He crosses his arms. He shakes his head. “You didn’t mean to hurt her, I know that. But you did. And you took away her choice.”
“I wasn’t trying to control her. I just wanted time.”
“Come on, man. Would you have told her if she hadn’t found those papers?”
I stare at the beer, untouched. “Eventually.”
I drag a hand down my face, the weight of his words hitting me like a goddamn freight train.
“I didn’t plan it,” I say. “I was just... in it. Lust-drunk. I wasn’t thinking about the bigger picture. I just wanted every second I could get with her before she realized how easy it was to leave.”
“So you made it harder for her to go,” Mason finishes.
He walks around the kitchen island and slaps me on the shoulder “You were scared, man. I get it. She scares the hell outta you.”
I nod slowly. “Because I’m falling for her.”
“No shit.” He says with a smirk.
“I just... I've never felt this way before. I panicked.”
“So instead, you gave her a reason to run.” Mason shakes his head. “You tried to manage what you were afraid of instead of facing it head-on.”
His words hit me like a physical blow. He's right. I handled my fear of losing Mia exactly the way I've handled my fear of water since Jake died—by trying to control everything around it, by avoiding the thing itself.
“Fuck,” I whisper, the realization washing over me. “I became her father.”
Mason raises an eyebrow.
“Her dad controlled everything after her mom died. Kept her trapped, suffocated her with his fear.” I press the heels of my hands against my eyes. “That's why she left home, why she's always moving. And I just... I did the same thing. I did it in a prettier package. But I still did it.”
Mason softens a little, nodding. “You didn't mean it like he did. But from her view? It's too damn close. You gotta fix it.”
The front door bursts open, and Lily storms in like a hurricane in designer boots.
“Grant Taylor, what thehelldid you do?”
I close my eyes, letting out a deep sigh. “Hi, Lily, I’m fine thanks.”
“Don't 'hi' me. I ran into Mia at the Caffeine Drip. She looked like someone kicked her soul. And Annie filled me in. The cottage? Really? You let her think she had nowhere to go?”
“I didn’tlether, it just... slipped.”
“Like hell. You messed up.”
“Mason already gave me that speech.”
