Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Five Years Later

Isaac was in a meeting with a few other journalists in the area. They were droning on about some report when Isaac felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He had his phone on Do Not Disturb while he worked, especially when he was in a meeting, but he had his settings so that his emergency contacts would come through anyway.

He discreetly slid his phone out of his pocket. His heart dropped when he read the contact's name.

Auntie.

Auntie never called him. Isaac called Mama weekly to catch up, and occasionally, Auntie would be there to join in, but she never called him.

“I’m so sorry, but I’ve really got to take this,” Isaac excused himself from the meeting. Luckily, it was a laid-back one between people he already knew. They seemed to understand the urgency in his tone.

He stepped out into the hallway, closing the door silently behind him. Auntie wouldn’t be calling him unless something was wrong. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard from Mama that week.

“Hello?” he answered. His hands were shaking as he held his phone up to his ear.

“Isaac?” Auntie’s voice sounded a little strained.

“Auntie, what’s going on?” His heart felt heavy with dread. He knew something was wrong.

“You need to come home.”

“Okay,” he agreed. Isaac knew there was a reason. “I’m going to head back to my place right now. What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” He fished his keys out of his pocket, making a beeline for his truck. He’d message the group chat later and explain the situation.

“It’s your mom,” her tone was heavy with emotion.

It felt like all the air had left his lungs. He knew Mama was getting older. She told him she was okay. She promised she was fine on her own. Isaac asked if he needed to come home, but she insisted he live out his dream. Had she lied? It wouldn’t be unlike her. She cared immensely about others. Isaac could see her lying about her health to prioritize his happiness. How did he not see it before? He should’ve called more. He should’ve checked in more. He should have visited. He promised to visit, but he hadn’t been back home in years. What was wrong with him? What if he never saw his mama again?

“–saac? Are you even listening to me?”

“Auntie,” his voice cracked.

“Shit. Fuck, I know I started that off really badly. She’s not dead?—”

“Why didn’t you start with that?”

“Listen to me. She’s not dead, but she’s hurt. She fractured her back, and you need to come home.”

“Okay, I’ll be there tonight.” It was already late in the afternoon, but he wasn’t waiting until the morning to leave for home. He needed to be there. Auntie wouldn’t have called unless it was urgent.

“Drive safe, Isaac, please.”

“I will. I’m coming home.”

Isaac hadn’t meant for time to get away from him like it did. Had it really been five years? What kind of son was he? Five whole years had passed since he visited his mother. He hadn’t visited, period. He had promised Mason that he would. However, that was before Mason made it clear he was fed up with Isaac. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face him after their last interaction. How was Mason? Did he still live on the farm like he said? Did he hate Isaac? Did he get married? Probably not. They were a little young for that. Did he find a girlfriend, though? Was she different than Isaac?

He felt shitty that even at a time like that, his thoughts still drifted to that blond boy back home. They always did. Some nights, he would stare at the sky like he used to. He couldn’t see the stars in the city as well, but the moon was still there. No matter where he went, his family was always under the same moon as him. Mason was always under the same moon. Sometimes, he wondered if they were both watching it simultaneously. Did Isaac haunt his mind like Mason haunted his? Most likely not.

He liked the trip home. Driving always helped him clear his mind. Well, driving down back roads did. He started to resent driving the longer he spent in the city. Driving gave him time to clear his head until he hit South Carolina. I-85 was going to single-handedly destroy his truck. Growing up, he always heard his family joke about the South Carolina roads. Yeah, no kidding.

He reached Stoneybrook around midnight. The gravel road had never felt so comforting to drive down. He put his truck in park, taking a deep breath before getting out. He was home. He hadn’t realized how badly he had missed it. The stars were so clear and the moon so much brighter.

He jumped when he heard a dog bark loudly. He whipped around to where it had come from, and to his horror, a dog was charging at him. Isaac screamed like a little girl and hopped up on his hood. Whose fucking dog?

The monster jumped up with two paws on Isaac’s truck. It was baring its teeth, yet its tail was still wagging.

“Shadow!”

“Get your fucking dog!” Isaac cried.

“Shadow! Come here!”

Miraculously, the dog jumped down, dutifully running over to its owner. Isaac sighed in relief. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Whose dog was that? They hadn’t had any dogs after Arlo.

He couldn’t see too well in the dark, but he could recognize Mason anywhere. He seemed bigger, more muscular. Even in the dark, his arms were defined.

“Mason?”

“Who else?” he chuckled.

“Is that—is that your dog?” He was still shaking like crazy.

“Yeah. Dude, you grew up around pit bulls. Don’t be such a wuss.”

“I have a right to be a wuss when your animal tried to kill me!” He was playing it up then. He slid off his hood, closing his truck door. He ran a hand through his curly hair, a habit he had when he was nervous.

“She was doing her job. She doesn’t know you,” Mason huffed.

“She doesn’t know me? I live here.” They both paused. Isaac felt a pang in his chest when he realized he had been gone so long that he was nothing but a stranger to the new dog. In that dog’s eyes, he was a random person on their property. The dog didn’t know that Isaac had spent fourteen years of his life on that very land. What did it matter what a dog thought of him, anyway? Ridiculous.

“Oh, yeah?” Mason’s tone turned icy. “You haven’t lived here in years. Don’t be pissy at her for not knowing you.”

Isaac sighed. He grabbed his bag from the backseat, slinging it over his shoulder.

“Night, Mason,” he grumbled, walking toward his house. There was no response from the other. Isaac had hoped things would be different between them after all the years that had passed, but it seemed Mason was still pissed at him for leaving.

He locked the door behind him. He went upstairs, dropping his bag off in his room before he went down the hallway and poked his head into his mama’s room. She was asleep, and he didn’t want to wake her since he knew she needed it.

“Goodnight, Mama,” he whispered as he stepped back and closed the door. His room brought a sense of comfort to him. All his posters were still up. His bookshelves were still cluttered with books and figures. He didn't even take his boots off as he flopped down on his bed and went to sleep.

Isaac woke up early to cook breakfast for Mama. He knew she had probably been struggling for a while, and he was upset with himself for not realizing that something more had been going on.

He wasn’t a great cook. Mason knew how to cook extravagant meals, but there was no way Isaac would ask for his help. He settled for something simple: waffles.

He might have managed to burn a few, but he took the nicest ones upstairs. He knocked softly on the door as he entered.

“Isaac, you’re home,” she smiled at him.

“I’m home.” He returned her smile and set the plate down on her bedside table. Taking a seat at the foot of her bed, they chatted while she enjoyed her meal. He missed being in her presence. He couldn’t believe he had left for so long. There was a lot of catching up for him to do.

“Ma, why didn’t you tell me?” Isaac finally asked. He was worried about her. She had fractured her back, and she hadn’t called him. Why had Auntie been the one to tell him? Furthermore, how did she even break her back ?

“You were finally out there in the world living your dream. I didn’t want to take that away from you.” She looked down at her lap as she spoke. Did she really think that? She was his mother. She had sacrificed so much for Isaac. Growing up, she had always been there for him. Mama always ensured that Isaac’s needs were met after his father walked out on them. She never got upset with him when he missed his father as a child. The least Isaac could do was come home when she needed help. Yes, he was living his dream. He got to travel and cover so many stories, but ultimately, nothing mattered more than his family.

“Mama,” he said softly. His heart was breaking. Why the hell had he never visited? “You’re not taking anything away from me. I want to be here, helping you. I’m sorry I didn’t visit. I’m sorry I left you alone without thinking?—”

“Isaac, I’m not your responsibility. I was okay on my own. Mason comes by once a day,” she tried to soothe him. Even then, she was still being so understanding.

“I could have visited,” he stressed.

“You could have,” she agreed, “but you had a lot going on. You still have a lot going on.”

“I do, but none of that matters more than you. I’m here now, and I’m gonna help you out, and when you recover, I’ll make sure to visit routinely.”

“Isaac, what did I do to deserve you?”

“Ma, please don’t cry, or I will start crying,” he pleaded. She didn’t listen. He walked around to her side of the bed, leaning down to hug her. He was gentle with her, making sure not to aggravate her injuries.

“How did you break your back anyway?” he asked after a bit of silence.

“Big Enough bucked me off. I fractured one of the a vertebrae in my back. I don’t need surgery, and I can still walk some, so I didn’t think you needed to come home, but Isla insisted that I needed the help.”

Isaac pulled back to look at her. What was she doing riding Big Enough? That horse only liked Mason. She tolerated Isaac on a good day. They got the quarter horse when Mason was twelve. He proudly named her Big Enough to Impress.

Furthermore, why did she think she could handle it alone? Fractured or not, she still had seriously hurt her back. She might have been allowed to move some, but Isaac knew for sure that she shouldn’t be working.

“Why were you riding Big Enough?”

“I’d been spending some time with her. She started to warm up to me. She’d let me feed her apples and brush her. Plus, I had ridden her a few times before. She was doing fine when we went down the trail, but something spooked her,” she explained.

Isaac was a little surprised that Mason had let someone else ride Big Enough. They had several horses in the stable. Mama’s horse had passed a couple of years ago, and maybe that was why she had been trying to get closer to Big Enough. However, Isaac had his own horse that Mama could have taken for a ride. Isaac got Blaze not long after Mason got Big Enough. Blaze was a very sweet Mustang. Isaac loved Blaze with his whole heart. He spent hours taking Blaze down trails with Mason and Big Enough. Mason’s parents also had their horses in the stable, but they were too old to ride. Isaac made sure to give them some apple slices and pets when he was down there.

“She’s always been easy to spook,” he sighed. “What do you need me to do?” He knew there was probably a long list of things to be done. It didn't bother him. He couldn’t wait to get out in the fresh air again.

She listed off the things that she needed to get done. Isaac tried to make a mental list, but he ended up having to grab his journal to write them down. He took the dishes downstairs, loading the dishwasher. He marked it off in his journal and headed out the door.

The leaves were turning different colors. Fall always left a bittersweet feeling in his chest. The weather was cool, and the trees were gorgeous, but fall also meant that winter was coming. Isaac didn’t like winter. The trees were bare, the sun went down at five, and it was always gray and gloomy out. The snow was pretty, but that was about the only part of the winter season that he liked.

According to his watch, he had been out there for five hours. Almost all the tasks on his list had been completed. He had to put the dishes away and start a load of laundry, but those were things to do back at the house. He wanted to stay out a little longer.

With a long sigh, he sat under a tree. He was sweating a bit, and he was hungry. He didn’t want to go all the way back to the house to figure out something to eat, but knew he needed to. His head hurt, and his vision faded when he got up.

Isaac tipped his head back, watching how the sun filtered through the tree’s leaves. Bushhog seemed to remember him as he flopped down next to his legs. His eyes started to flutter. He could’ve fallen asleep there. That was until he got hit on the side of the head with a sandwich. He stared down at the plastic bag in confusion. Last time he checked, sandwiches didn’t fall out of trees. He scanned his surroundings, spotting Mason not far away.

Mason looked so much better in the daylight. He had grown into his features nicely. He was taller and definitely more muscular. Mason had always had a more muscular build, but he seemed to have put some effort into it over the recent years.

“Thanks?” Isaac’s gaze flickered between Mason and the sandwich he had thrown at him. Mason chucked a water bottle at him, and Isaac managed to catch it.

“Whatever,” Mason grumbled, walking away.

“Mason,” Isaac called, but the man didn’t stop. He hated to see him go, but damn, was it nice to watch him leave. He had never understood the meaning behind that phrase until that moment. Mason was being weird to him, but at least Isaac could watch his muscular shoulders as he left.

Isaac enjoyed his sandwich. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until he took the first bite. He downed the water as well. If Mason had gone out of his way to bring Isaac a sandwich and water, then that must mean he still cared, right? Mason didn’t completely hate him. If Mason had brought him food and water, did that mean that he had been watching Isaac long enough to know he needed to eat? Maybe Isaac was looking too far into it.

Isaac headed down to the stable. He heard Mason before he saw him. The blond was grumbling curses under his breath. Isaac came around the corner and spotted him moving some hay bales. He seemed to be struggling a bit.

“Do you need help?” Isaac offered.

Mason jumped as if he hadn’t noticed Isaac was there. He glared at Isaac in a way that felt painfully familiar.

“Help if you want. I don’t fucking care,” he scoffed.

Isaac had known Mason for long enough to know that was his way of saying he needed help, but he didn’t want to ask for it. If he could still read him well, maybe things wouldn’t be so different. Isaac could only hope. He grabbed the other end of the hay bale Mason was holding and helped him move it. They got them all moved into the barn relatively quickly. Isaac wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked over at Mason.

“Glad to see you still know how to work,” Mason huffed, walking away for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“What is that supposed to mean? Yeah, I still know how to work.” Had Mason expected him to become utterly incompetent after moving? The blond didn’t answer, and Isaac jogged after him.

Isaac’s attention was momentarily pulled from Mason as he spotted Blaze. He ran up to his horse, petting him and doting on him. He went into his stall, hugging him. Isaac had missed Blaze so much. It seemed like Mason was taking good care of him, though. Not that Isaac expected any less from him.

When Isaac looked back over his shoulder, Mason was watching him with a fond expression. It turned into a scowl the moment he made eye contact with Isaac. He frowned. Why were things so strained between them? It was most likely because of his “confession.” That was years ago. Isaac was over it. No, he wasn’t.

Isaac had been home for a little over a week. It was easy to fall back into his old ways. Mama was recovering well, but it would be a while before she could do much on her own again. He saw Mason a lot in passing, but they only talked about things related to the farm. At some point, it became routine for Mason to throw sandwiches at him. It was hard to tell if it was affectionate or aggressive. Maybe a healthy mix of both.

The man was confusing. Isaac didn’t understand what was going on in Mason’s head. One moment, he seemed like he hated Isaac and wanted nothing to do with him, but the next, they found themselves enjoying each other’s company as if everything was okay again.

Later that evening, Isaac rode Blaze down the trails. The sky was a golden orange. The sunlight shimmered through the leaves. Even though he hadn’t been home for long, the thought of leaving made him sick. He couldn’t even remember why he had been so desperate to go in the first place.

The sound of Blaze’s hooves on the ground seemed to double. Isaac furrowed his brows in confusion, but it made sense when Mason rode up beside him on Big Enough. They rode side by side for a while. The silence wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it wasn’t tense either. Isaac didn’t speak out of fear of ruining the moment.

The trail tapered off as it led to an open field. They used to play there as kids. Isaac recalled summer nights when fireflies lit up the field, and the two boys tried to catch as many as possible.

“Race you!” Mason yelled, bolting off into the clearing.

“Hey—What?” It took him a split second to realize what had happened, but then he was following Mason at full gallop. As he caught up to him, he heard the man’s manic laughter. Isaac couldn’t help but giggle as he raced after Mason. The wind on his face and in his hair felt freeing.

They eventually reached the end of the field, slowing to a stop. Isaac looked at Mason, still laughing. His amber eyes locked onto Isaac, and for a moment, it felt like everything was okay between them again. Isaac leaned forward to rest his head against the back of Blaze’s neck. Isaac used to cuddle up to the horse like that all the time as a kid. Mason used to get pissy because Big Enough wouldn’t do it with him.

Surprisingly, Mason copied Isaac, and Big Enough didn’t try to kill him for it. Isaac smiled at the sight. Mason looked soft. The orange sunlight framed his face. His hair was messy, sticking to his face in some parts. Isaac wanted to freeze the moment and keep it close forever.

“Do you want to watch the stars?” Isaac blurted. Don’t say no. Don’t say no.

“What?” Mason turned his head to look at him better.

“Do you want to watch the stars?” he repeated. “Like we used to,” he added.

Mason clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, but answered, “Fine, whatever.”

Isaac took it as a win despite the attitude. They hitched their horses to one of the nearby trees. Isaac knew they wouldn’t try to go far. Well, he knew Blaze wouldn’t. He wasn’t sure about Big Enough. He sat down in the grass, and Mason sat next to him. They sat in silence for a while as the sky darkened. Bushhog, as always, found his way to Isaac’s side.

“You and that damn cat,” Mason huffed, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Aren’t you allergic?”

“Mind your business,” Isaac said quietly, a smile forming on his face. He was allergic. He would be sneezing and itchy for the rest of the night, but Bushhog was too cute to push away. Plus, the cat had taken a liking to him.

It almost felt normal again. For a moment, it felt like no time had passed. It felt like they were teenagers again, with their only worry being about school the next day. Only, there was nothing to worry about. Nothing else mattered. It was just Isaac and Mason.

And the horses.

And Bushhog.