Page 23 of Mason

Mason threaded his fingers with mine and we walked in. “You can have anything they have in stock. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“Is this a joke?” I whirled around, getting the best look I could of the pet shop. “You gave me four dogs already.”

Mason smirked at me and I felt like a kid in a candy store that had just been told they could have it all. Well, I had. “Nope. Go for it. Get whatever animal you want.” I let go of his hand. “I’m sure after today we’ll be able to start our own petting zoo.”

I didn’t even bother responding. I ran down towards where all the pets were. I already had four dogs, but one could never have enough pets. I went to the rescue animal section first.

She was the first one I noticed and I just knew I had to have her. She was the ugliest cat I’ve ever seen, with patches of fur missing and only one eye. In a way she kind of reminded me of myself when I first met Mason.

I turned to one of the waiting staff and pointed. “I want that one, please.”

Mason came up and his arms circled my waist. I spun to face him. “Are you sure, bear? She’s um . . . well, she’s . . . er . . . she’s ugly.”

“Exactly. Who’s going to take and love her if everyone thinks like you?” I poked his chest. “Me. I’ll love her so much, she won’t remember being abandoned. I’ll be the only owner she’ll ever want.”

He tilted my chin up and came down to take my lips in a kiss that took my breath away and left me panting and forgetting where we were. “You’re one of a kind, Alexa Jennings, and I’m one lucky man.”

Feeling the heat on my skin, I knew I was blushing like the virgin I was. Turning back to the employee I smiled at her as she brought out the cat.

“This here is Tabby. She’s three years old and was brought in over three months ago. We were worried no one was going to adopt her. She’s very funny with who she likes though. She gets on with all the other animals, just not many humans. She lets me and one other employee come near her. Her skin is healing as you can see, and the fur is growing back.”

I nodded and hesitantly let her smell me before I patted her. She leaned into my touch and I just knew we would be fine. After a while the woman handed her over to me. “Hello, Tabby. You’re coming home with us.” I snuggled her close and she let me. The lady seemed surprised.

Mason stared at the cat. “She seems taken with you just as much as you are with her. I’m not sure what the staff is talking about. In your embrace she’s a baby.” He leaned in and said, “You’re just a big softie.” He reached out to pat her and I giggled as Tabby hissed at him.

“Tabby, I love you already. I think you just gave him his first ever rejection.”

“Ha, ha, very funny, bear.” He went to touch me and Tabby hissed at him again and added a paw swipe. My giggle turned into a full-blown belly laugh. This day was awesome.

By the time we left I was the proud owner of one cat, three kittens, two rabbits, four gold fish, six tropical fish, and three guinea pigs.

Best birthday ever.

MY AUNT’S HOUSE WAS NOW a zoo. Alexa had gotten pretty much every pet she could, but she had cringed from the reptiles, mice, and rats. She broke my heart when she whispered, “Those were what I could never get used to, being homeless. The mice crawled over me, but the rats were worse. They nibbled any open wounds and bit.” I had been speechless. My anger rose that she’d known those things, but I didn’t know what I could say, so I held her to me and kissed her forehead and made a promise that she would never have to go through anything like that ever again.

When we arrived back at the house my sister-in-law and cousin’s wife and friends were at the house with bags full of presents and clothes. Divinity had dragged Alexa up to our rooms telling her they were going to help her get ready. Alexa had no idea we were going to Richard’s club, Here and Now. It was the best for security and large enough for everything that I wanted for her party. Richard had made it a private party night, and to compensate had reduced the entry fee into three of his other clubs.

We were now just entering the club and I wanted to see her face when she saw who I’d found and invited. My security team had been working hard the last couple of weeks finishing up background checks.

I moved to be in front of her and guided her in. Alexa looked stunning. Her hair was done in an elaborate half up, half down around her face do. Her eyes were a smoky pink that matched her shining lips and sparkly skin. Her dark pink dress was corset style at the top and flared out to her knees in a classy fifties style. Her cardigan was silver and glistened with the sparkle of her silver, rhinestone-covered shoes. She looked like a fairy. Since she’d walked down the stairs and met me at the door to leave, I’d had a permanent hard on.

As the doors opened I moved to the side for her to move as everyone yelled, “Surprise!”

Alexa’s gaze widened and then tears slid down her cheeks and a sob left her. “Oh, God. Oh. My. God,” she gasped out. Her gaze caught mine and my whole body stiffened as she cried out. “I love you. I love you so much.” She ran at me and I caught her before she fell in her high heels. “I love you. I love you. Oh, I love you,” she repeated over and over.

I held her to me and searched with my gaze for help. This was not the reaction I thought I would get finding all her old friends and her parents’ closest friends and her singing coach too. My mother came to my rescue, but the look she gave me wasn’t a nice one as she gathered Alexa to her.

“Grr, go see your father before I strangle you,” she growled.

I had no idea what I’d done, but I knew with that look that I was going to my dad and would find out.

As I walked away I got death glares from other people, too and tried to figure out what the hell I had done. My dad was at the bar and as I approached he shook his head in disappointment. He came to me and dragged me to the staff area and into Richard’s office.

“Son, I can see from your face you have no idea what you’ve done.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t think she would cry like that. Is that it?”

He whacked me upside the head and muttered, “Idiot boy.” I eased away from my dad and resisted the urge to rub my head. “That girl just told you she loves you. Not only did she say it once, but over and over in front of everyone she knows and loves and what did you do?” I opened my mouth, but he waved me quiet. “You stood there like an idiot and didn’t even say a fucking word.” He sighed and scrubbed his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

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