Page 48 of Hollywood Fairytale

“Every day and twice on Sunday’s so you better get going.” Luke shot back as we stood at the front door to make sure he left.

“This isn’t the end,” Decker shouted from the sidewalk. His arms straight, fists clenched.

“It never is,” I replied as I leaned against Luke’s side. We watched him get into his truck, slam the door and drive away. His tires peeled out, leaving skid marks on the street.

Closing the door and setting the alarm, Luke hugged me to him. “Hopefully he won’t want to bring Mason home anymore now that he’s got that out of his system.” I thought about it then added. “At least for a little while.”

“Is that what it was like every time he used to bring Mason home?” he asked, his chin resting on the top of my head.

“No, this was actually low key for him if you can believe it. That was him being loving toward Mason. Normally he ignores him which is better than the alternative of lashing out and being mean. On a brighter note, Mason asked that you come with me to tuck him in.”

“Yeah?” His lopsided grin slowly made an appearance as he gazed down at me.

“He likes you and wasn’t expecting you to be here.” My hands slid up his chest to rest on his pecs. “I’m just thankful he’s been so easy going about me and you.”

Leaning down, he kissed my forehead. “I believe it’s easy because he sees how different our relationship is compared to yours and Decker’s. He’s a smart kid that has good judgement.”

Taking his hand, I led him up the stairs giggling. “You’re only saying that because he likes you.” I joked. “Which admittedly isn’t hard to do.” Tilting my head side to side, I said. “Although it’s possible he wouldn’t like you as much if you didn’t like his favorite superheroes.”

He laughed, trailing behind me up the stairs. “I’m pretty likable.”

Looking over my shoulder, I winked at him before opening Mason’s door. “I’ll show you just how likable you are once we get Mason to bed.”

Sitting up straighter and clapping his hands when we walked in the door, Mason’s smile beamed at us. “You came!”

Luke sat down beside him, putting his hand on Mason’s shoulder. “If I’m home and you want me to I’ll always tuck you in.”

Looking down at the floor, Mason dejectedly said, “My dad never tucks me in.”

Tears instantly stung the back of my eyes hearing his heartbreaking words and the sadness in his voice. In the blink of an eye, I was down on my knees and hugging him to me. “You’re going to have to beg me to stop tucking you in and one day you probably will, but I hope that’ll be a long time from now, like after you’ve gone to college.”

Luke’s hand rubbed up and down my back, calming me as if he knew I was seconds away from crying. “What do you do before bedtime?”

Pulling back, I smiled at him for breaking the sadness in the air. “He brushes his teeth, most nights he takes a bath, puts on his pajamas, and then I read to him. We’ve been reading Harry Potter and we’re on the fifth book. It’s been taking us quite a while since we’re lucky to read half a chapter a night.”

“I’ve never read the books.” His mouth turned down, but quickly turned back into a smile. “I’ve watched all the movies.”

“The movies are good, but the books are much better.”

Seeing the books on Mason’s shelf, Luke went over and picked out the first one. “I’ll have to read them then. It’s a good thing I’m a fast reader since you’re on book five.”

Mason’s eyes lit up that Luke wanted to be a part of our nightly routine and read the books. I hated that Decker never tried to connect with him.

“I’ve got some news to share with you,” I said excitedly. I couldn’t hold back any longer. My smile was stretched so wide at the thought that I was afraid I might scare Mason with my Joker smile.

Mason’s eyes darted toward Luke, but quickly came back to me. I stood by Luke and held his hand. We were a team and I wanted him to be as much of a part of this as he wanted. “As you can see Luke came home early last night because I wasn’t feeling good.” Mason frowned. “I’m feeling much better now,” I quickly reassured him. “But that’s not the news. The news is that last night Luke asked me to marry him.” Mason’s eyes widen almost comically, and his mouth fell open. “And I said yes.”

“Does that mean you’re going to be my daddy now?” he asked so sweet and innocently. I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks before I could stop them.

“Well,” Luke started and then cleared his throat. “We’ll be family. I’ll be your step-dad, but I can never replace your dad. My family will be your family.”

“Do I have to call you dad?”

“No,” Luke shook his head as he knelt down. “You can call me whatever you want.”

Looking serious, Mason nodded and then stated. “This will be good.”

“It will.” Luke and I both replied as we watched Mason grab his book off the shelf. Looking up at Luke, I smiled. “I guess that’s it.” His eyes followed Mason before agreeing.

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