Page 30 of Highway To Destiny

“Hi,” was all I got out since my brain had suddenly stopped working.

“Well…Merry Christmas,” he said as his surprised expression quickly changed to a big smile.

I grabbed his jacket lapels and pulled him into the house. Closing the door, I stood next to Mason while Mom, Kyle, and Spencer stood in the hall. Only Spencer didn’t have that deer-in-headlights look. He gave me a comfortable nod.

Bunker was doing his best to get Mason’s attention, so he bent down to give him tender ear scratches.

“Mom, Kyle, this is Mason. Mason Hardy. He’s the trucker that gave me the ride to EOU.” I kept it formal but friendly in my nervousness. “You know Spencer already from the university,” I reminded Mason as I hooked my arm in his and looked at him.

Mason took in the three standing across the room and patted my hand through his arm. He moved toward them, extending his hand to my mom first. He still held the bottle of wine in his other hand. She seemed unfazed and took Mason’s hand without wavering.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Olsen,” he said sincerely in a resonant voice.

With a returned smile and taking his hand, my mom replied, “Oh, Mason, please call me Sharon. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” I could tell her smile and welcome relaxed Mason a little, but I sensed she was a little surprised at his age.

Mason offered the bottle of wine to my mom, and they exchanged a couple more pleasantries. He turned to my brother and offered his hand in greeting. “You must be Kyle. It’s nice to finally meet you. Connor speaks quite fondly of you.”

Kyle stood transfixed. It was like waiting for the next shoe to drop, and I waited for his reaction.

My brother hesitated. Mason waited and looked Kyle in the eye without blinking. Kyle finally looked down at Mason’s hand, accepted it with a single shake, and dropped it quickly. “Hi,” he said cooly.

I could feel the chill from his blunt greeting, and I’m sure everyone else felt it too. I noticed my mom giving Kyle a surprised yet stern stare. He didn’t look at her as he crossed his arms and gave Mason an indignant gaze.

If it bothered Mason, he didn’t show it. He stepped over to my college friend to say hi, but in true Spencer form, Spencer gave him a quick hug and smiled, still wearing that Santa hat. “Merry Christmas. Great to see you again,” he said cheerfully.

Kyle kept glaring.

I intervened, stepped forward, and took Mason’s coat. He was wearing his signature tight jeans, and I unabashedly took in his perfect ass. He was wearing a form-fitted, red Merino wool sweater that hugged his arms. Arms I’d felt around me in heated passion. I wanted to jump him so badly.

Mom retreated to the kitchen after excusing herself, with Kyle close behind. I could hear their murmured voices. As I hung up Mason’s coat, Spencer was astute and led him into the living room to sit and chat. I asked Mason what he’d like to drink, and he simply asked for water. Spencer, of course, wanted a diet cola.

As I headed into the kitchen, Mom and Kyle were in a heated whisper, and both turned their heads in my direction. I walked to the fridge to grab the water and soda and looked at my brother.

In a soft but firm voice, I said, “Could you be any less friendly?” Mom stayed quiet and waited to hear what Kyle had to say. She allowed the tension to stand between us, but I knew she wouldn’t let it continue with guests in the house.

“What the royal fuck?” came from my brother’s mouth. I stood there in disbelief at his whispered outburst. My pulse raced, and my face flushed. My gut was right, shit was headed south.

Mom looked at him. “Kyle, language!” she chided.

I walked up close and leaned into him. “Outside, now!”

I handed the water and soda to Mom and asked her if she could take them to the guys in the living room. She gave me a weak smile as I opened the back door that led to the back deck. The temperature outside was chilly but not intolerable for the time of year. Kyle followed closely behind me.

“Excuse me, butwhatis your fucking problem?” I bellowed, facing him once he shut the door.

Kyle was indignant and barked back. “My problem is you bringing a guy home for Christmas dinner, telling us he’s a special friend and he’s as old or older than our mother? What the bloody hell!” I noticed the pulsing vein in his neck. “You could have warned us.”

I was incensed. “I’m sorry you’re so put out by someone I find interesting, attractive, and successful. Age doesn’t fucking matter to me, and I would have hoped you’d see past that. I guess I was wrong. And since when do I need to warn you about someone I like and want to bring home?”

“He’s a fucking truck driver, Connor. For shit’s sake, you seem to have a goddamn daddy complex with a fucking trucker. He’s Mom’s age, for Christ’s sake. I know we didn’t grow up without a dad, but really?” he barked as he turned away from me. I grabbed his arm and spun him around to face me.

“How dare you. How fucking dare you,” I yelled back. “Just who are you to judge who I want to see or possibly have a relationship with? Just because you don’t have anyone in your life, you don’t have the power to deny me that chance.” My anger was palpable. “On top of that, you’rejusta fucking mechanic, and you judge him for what he does?” I saw his nostrils flare. “Just because our dad died that doesn’t make you the man of this house, and you can’t simply slip into that role, so stop being such a shithead about who I want to see, let alone fuck!”

Kyle said nothing as he stared at me. I’d probably gone too far with my judgment of him, but I was pissed. He’d ruined Christmas for me with his behavior, and I wanted to strike back. Doing it verbally seemed the most hurtful.

He took a deep breath. “Fine. Enjoy the time with that old man who apparently likes robbing the cradle. Maybe you could pass him onto Mom if he swings that way once he’s tired of your sorry ass.” He turned and stomped back to the house.

Tears welled in my eyes, and as he reached for the doorknob, all I could think to say was, “You fucking son of a bitch. I expected more from you.” Tears ran down my cheeks once my words left my mouth. “I fucking hate you right now!” My emotions were out of control, and I knew I’d hurt him. I wondered if he felt the same about what he’d said to me.

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