Page 28 of Mason

“Without him…” My voice fades, the future feeling like a black hole stretching out in front of me.

“Without him, you’ll still shine. You always have.” There’s no hesitation in her voice, just certainty, the kind that only comes from years of friendship and knowing me better than anyone.

“Okay,” I whisper, feeling a small flicker of something—maybe determination, maybe just survival.

We sit there, side by side on the cold floor, the night pressing in around us. Two women, one broken heart, but an unbreakable bond. And in the darkness, I can feel something stirring inside me. Something fierce. Something that refuses to give up.

“Okay,” I say again, this time like a promise.

Eventually she stands and holds her hands out to me. Taking them, she pulls me to my feet and walks me to the couch where she wraps a blanket around my shoulders. “I’ll be right back,” she says leaving me for a few minutes.

When she returns she’s carrying two shot glasses with auburn liquid inside them. I eye the glasses knowing I’m not going to like the burn that follows, but on second thought, the burn sounds a lot better than the hurt I’m feeling.

I grab the glass she hands to me and clink it against hers before swallowing the liquid down. Yep, there’s the burn, and boy oh boy it burns so good.

“Another?” She asks.

I nod and she goes back to the kitchen and grabs the bottle of whiskey I keep around for when I get sick and need a hot tottie.Filling our glasses she lifts her to mine. “To forgetting asshole mother fuckers who break my best friend’s heart.”

I snort and give her the side eye. “Yeah, that,” I say before taking the shot.

"Talk to me, Carlie," Jenny says, sitting down beside me on the couch with the bottle in one hand and her glass in the other. “What the hell happened?”

I glance over at her and shrug. “I don’t know. I thought we were good, better than good. It’s this damn war with the Vipers MC.” I shake my head and a new wave of tears begin to flow. "It's like... there's this void, you know? He filled it up, made me whole, and now I’m just… empty." The words tumble out.

Jenny listens, her brow furrowed. "He's one hell of a guy, sure. But you're your own person, Carlie. Strong, beautiful, and brave as hell."

"Brave?" I scoff, the sound bitter. "Feels more like stupid. Believing we could make it work. Who was I kidding? He’s the president of a biker club and I’m a kindergarten teacher."

"Stop that," she says softly. "Loving someone isn't stupid. It's the bravest thing we do."

"Thing is," I start again, voice steadier, "I'm not ready to let go. Not without a fight. He’s not the only one who gets to decide we’re over."

"Fight for him, then," Jenny says. "But remember you’re fighting for yourself too. For the life you want, the love you deserve."

"Even if it means facing..." I can't bring myself to say it—the violence, the danger that follows Mason like a shadow.

"Even then." Her hand finds mine, squeezing tight. "You face it together or not at all. But you don't give up. That's not who you are."

"Who I am," I repeat, rolling the words around in my mouth, tasting the truth of them.

She nods, her expression fierce. "So what's your next move?"

I stand up, feeling the weight of her question like a challenge. "I prove to him that our love isn't a weakness. It's our damn strength. And if he thinks he can protect me by pushing me away, he's got another thing coming."

"Damn straight," Jenny says, a fire in her voice reflecting the one igniting within me.

"Whatever it takes," I say, my resolve hardening like steel. "I'm not losing him—not to the war he’s tangled in, not to his demons, and sure as hell not to this misguided notion that I’m better without him."

"Love isn’t the thing that’ll break us, Mason," I swear. "It's the damn thing that'll keep us together. And I’ll prove it to you—even if it's the last thing I do."

SIXTEEN

MASON

I slam another shot,the burn trailing down my throat. Glass clinks and shatters around me, but it's just background noise—the soundtrack of my spiral. Women circle like vultures, dolled up in leather and lace, but I’m not the person they're lookin' for tonight.

"Pres," one purrs, her hand sliding up my arm, nails tracing the ink that's seen more loyalty than flesh ever has.

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