Page 40 of Please Save Me

Mason’s smile brightened as she put her hand on mine.

“Of course.” Her accent wove around her words. “She’s part of the family too.”

Would Mason still want to be part of my family if she knew the truth?

That one thought was all it took to destroy the moment. My smile faltered despite my best attempts to keep it plastered to my face. I hoped Mason wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, her expression mirrored mine. I hated myself for letting doubt cloud such a beautiful moment, but the fear of losing everyone was a weight I couldn't shake.

Before I could muster the courage to push my thoughts off to the side, Mason’s brow furrowed as she drew in a sharp, whiny breath.

“God dammit,” Lucian muttered, putting his brushes down and hopping to his feet. “Just sit the fuck down.”

He took Mason by the crook of her arm. Despite Lucian’s pulling, she stayed firmly planted in her spot. Jasper and Juniper looked over at us with wide eyes.

“I don’t want to sit,” Mason warned through her teeth. “I want to go trick-or-treating withmyfamily.”

Lucian’s expression hardened as his grip on Mason tightened. “And I told you that if you kept having contractions, you were staying the fuck home.”

“Alright, Daddy needs to wash his mouth out with soap.” Sophia clapped her hands together before looking back at the kids. “Let’s have a snack before we go.”

Jasper nodded before standing up. He was a good boy, so I wasn’t shocked that he listened. Juniper, on the other hand, crossed her arms and scowled.

“No! I want to–”

Sophia stopped Juniper’s tantrum by scooping her off the ground.

“Sebby, can you help me with Jas?” she said like she wasn’t holding a flailing toddler.

Sebastian’s expression morphed into confusion.

“Uh, no. They’re not my–”

Sophia’s smile remained bright, but the look in her eyes could only be interpreted as a threat. Soph may have been the nicest person in the house, but everyone knew not to fuck with her. Even if she wasn’t his domme, Sebastian wasn’t dumb.

So, instead of continuing the fight, he took Jasper’s hand in his and followed Sophia to the kitchen. This left just Mason, Lucian, and I in the foyer. And it felt like I shouldn’t really be here either.

“Look, Ilovethat you want to spend time with my kids,” Lucian conceded. “But, you’re pregnant. You need to focus on you and Rosie.”

“So I can’t go just because I’mpregnant?” Mason gasped.

Lucian took a deep breath, and I wondered just how hard it was for him to remain nice during this argument. As he turned his attention to me, I realized it had to be next to impossible.

“Cameron, get your bitch,” he grumbled.

Mason’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Lucian stepped away to grab his face paint. “We’ve been arguing for over an hour, and you won’t fucking listen. Maybe you’ll listen to the man that put the baby there.”

Mason's expression flickered between disbelief and indignation as she clenched her fists by her side. I fought the urge to groan as I realized that either way this ended, one of my partners was gonna be pissed at me. A knot formed inmy stomach as I thought about telling Lucian this wasn’t my battle. That way, I could just let the two fight it out. But that’s when I realized this was a great way for me not to have to trick-or-treat tonight.

“I’d feel better if ya stayed home. The other night still has me a bit spooked.” My admission drew a look of complete and utter betrayal from Mason. “But, that don’t mean we can’t celebrate.”

I was hoping for a chance to elaborate. With the rest of the house out, Mason and I would have about three hours to do whatever she wanted. We could watch movies, I could get a pumpkin from the field for us to carve, or if she started feeling better, we could fuck. But, after a beat of uncomfortable silence, Mason turned away and ran up the steps.

I went to chase her, but Lucian grabbed me by the hand.

“Don’t,” he warned.

What the fuck did he mean,don’t? I upset Mason, and as much as I didn’t understand her, I knew I had to make sure she was still alright. Lucian must have been able to sense my confusion.