Page 132 of Please Save Me

My question seemed to cause her tears to dry as she stared at me. Her expression rested in the gray area of anger and despair, and I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and make everything wrong in the world just go away.

“You can go ahead and speak. I ain’t gonna yell,” I soothed.

Her reddened eyes narrowed into a dirty look. “You don’t get to comfort me right now.”

“...Do ya want me to yell?”

Her glare intensified, but under the surface I could sense she was struggling with her emotions. Somewhere in her mind was probably a tug-of-war between wanting my understanding and her desire to lash out at me. Either way, I’d accept her with open arms.

After all, against every odd, Mason was the woman to give me my life back. Before now, I’d never even dreamed that I’d actually become a dad, that I’d havemyhappily ever after. With her around, I didn’t have to morph my wants and goals into what would fit best with Cameron Cole’s agenda. Instead, even if I’d rather die than be called my birth name, I could be–

“Calvin Waters.” Mason said my name with the anger only a mother could. “You don’t get to just be perfect! You have a fake name–”

Instinctively, I clamped a hand over her mouth. But, just as quickly as I’d done that, the little brat licked my palm.

I yanked my hand back, wiping her saliva onto my sweat pants. While I was distracted, Mason parted her lips. But, while I’d actually let this girl get away with murder if it came to it, this wouldneverbe a conversation she and I had in themiddleof the house. So, I did the only thing I could do, and picked her tiny ass up like a caveman would.

I made sure not to hit her belly as I manhandled her into my arms before forcing the two of us into my room. Once the heavy oak door I had barelyjust emerged from was once again sealed, I planted her squarely on the ground. That’s when the second part of her sentence soaked in, rendering me unsure which part to tackle first.

Mason called me perfect.

The thought made me stand a little straighter, a little prouder even. For a second, I considered kissing her cheek and thanking her. But, I quickly realized that would have been the wrong move.

“That ain’t a hallway conversation,” I warned.

“Why not?” she challenged. “It’s who you are.”

My lips pressed into a thin line as I realized she was right. Just not completely.

“It’s who Iwas,” I whispered. “Only you, me, and Seb know about that, and that’s the way it needs to stay.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t go around parading the fact that I was abducted by a cult?” Did she even need to ask that? Probably not, but that wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have. Instead, I wanted to focus on what she had just said moments earlier. “Mae, with everything you know you’re more than right to hate me… You do hate me, right?”

Something about hearing those words made her shrink in on herself. She looked down before reaching up to toy with the bottom of her hair.

“I don’t thinkhateis the right word.” Her accent seemed thicker, and I wondered if that was intentional on her end.

“Then what is?” I closed the small gap between us, resting my hands on her shoulders.

A nervous squeak escaped her as she looked up again.

“You ain’t afraid of me, are ya?” Honestly, any sane person would have been.

She shook her head. “You said you’d never hurt me.”

And I wouldn’t. As long as I was breathingnothingwas allowed to touch Mason. And, if anything tried, I’d bring the wrath of Hell with me.

“Look, I ain’t upset you know. But, that needs to stay between us.” I gestured from her to me. “Because you’re the only one who knows, and I want it to stay that way.”

“You just said that Sebastian knowstoo,” she added matter-of-factly.

“He don't count.” Not in the way I wanted him to, at least. “Mason, you need topromisethat you won't tell anyone else what you know.

Sebastian probably already had her promise something similar. Still, I couldn't be too careful with something like that.

She hesitated a moment before nodding.

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