Page 30 of Hollywood Fairytale

“You’d have two houses,” Luke answered with a twitch of his lips.

“Can I come here whenever I want?”

“Most of the time. If you have to be with your dad or in school, then you have to stay in Fairlane.”

Mason sat down heavily on his bed and his little bottom lip stuck out. I felt the same way, but there was nothing I could do since his father had joint custody and there was no way he’d let us live here because then our lives would be happy without him.

Sitting down beside him, I hugged my sweet little boy to my side. “When you’re not in school or with your dad we can be here with Luke. Would you like that?” Mason nodded his head but didn’t say anything. “Do you not want Luke and I to share a room? Is that it?”

“You should share a room, so you can be happy. Maybe then you won’t cry as much.”

Shit. Obviously, I hadn’t done a very good job at hiding my crying. With my head hung, I spoke quietly for only Mason to hear. “Baby, I’m sorry you heard me crying.”

“Were you crying because of Luke?” he asked for everyone to hear.

Looking up, I saw that both Luke and Leo were watching us intently. I couldn’t lie about why I’d been crying. “Yeah, baby, I was crying because I missed Luke and wanted to be with him.”

“Sometimes when I’m with dad, I cry because I miss you and wish I was at home. Is that bad?”

Clutching him to my chest, I hugged him as tears began to build. “It’s not bad. When you’re gone I miss you too.”

“Do you cry when I’m gone?”

Smiling sadly, I nodded. “Yeah, I do. I always miss you when you’re gone.”

“He can move in with us.” He nodded resolutely. “I don’t want you to be sad anymore and I like Luke. Are you going to get married?”

Clearing my throat of all the emotions that had built up, I still sounded a little hoarse when I spoke. “Someday. Maybe. He has to ask me.”

This time it was Luke who cleared his throat from across the room. “I have it on good authority that your mom will say yeswhenI ask her to marry me.”

Clapping his little hands, Mason beamed up at me. “I think he’s going to ask.”

“Hey, buddy. How about you and I go to the office and I show you where Sweden is while your mom and Luke talk?” Leo could barely keep his face straight as he led Mason out of the room, and to the office wherever the hell it was in the house.

“I don’t even know where the office is.” I stated as Luke pulled me from the room and down the hall.

“It looks over the pool. I thought you’d like that. It’s relaxing.”

“You’re really going to have to give me another tour after wetalk. I hardly know where anything is.”

“Yes, after we talk.” He turned on me, locked the bedroom door, and looked serious instead of ready for me to jump him.

My hands turned clammy and shook from the look on his face. “What’s going on?” I asked suddenly nervous.

“Why did you say maybe we’d get married?” The hurt was evident in his eyes.

My heart broke seeing how sad my words had made him. Pulling him to the bed, we sat down, and I kept hold of his hand. “I said maybe because even though I truly believe that one day we’ll get married, there’s no guarantees in life. If for some reason we didn’t get married and I told him we were, it would break his heart.” I took in a shuddering breathe. “I don’t want him to think that I lied to him. He’s already lived a hard-enough life because of his father.”

Luke didn’t understand, and I’d unintentionally hurt him. I watched his pained face look outside and I fought desperately not to cry. I needed to stay clear headed and not break down.

“In theory I understand.” He stated as he continued to look away. “If I asked you to marry me today would you tell him we’re getting married?”

“Ifwe were engaged I’d tell him, but this isn’t a scheme to get you to ask me to marry you. Hell, he just found out today that we’re living together.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?” he asked, hurt again.

Fuck me.I was really falling down on the job at being a mother and girlfriend.

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