Chapter 12

"No, really he was a rock star, and I had no idea," Tristen says with wide eyes.

I laugh. "Are you sure he wasn't just pulling your leg?"

"I'm positive! I pulled up the band's Wikipedia page and everything. He's there."

"He could be a look-alike."

Tristen groans. "I'm serious, Liv. He's part of the band, and he was so freaking sweet."

"I hope you have a good time with him then."

She smiles. "Me too. I have concerns, but I'm more hopeful than anything else."

"Hope is a good thing," I admit, thinking about how I have been hopeful as well.

Every day with Mason, I hope that it's real. That it's not as fragile as I feel like it is most days.

The clicking of heels has us standing up straight and facing forward. I bite back a groan when I see Mrs. Williamson and a woman with her. Both women are insanely put together, but the other woman is gorgeous. She's tall, but her heels make her body look even longer. She's thin with her hair and makeup perfectly done, and she has on a designer outfit with her handbag, which I know costs more than two months' rent, resting on her forearm.

"You're still here," Mrs. Williamson sneers.

"Lovely to see you again, Mrs. Williamson. Would you like me to page one of your sons to let them know you're on the premises?" I say politely.

She looks me up and down. "That won't be necessary. Victoria and I know the way. She is engaged to Mason after all."

I feel my stomach drop to the floor and fight the urge to vomit. I know it can't be true, but that doesn't mean the punch didn't hurt any less.

Just the thought of him being engaged to someone else makes my stomach feel sour. Looking at the model in front of me makes me feel even worse. She is everything that I would expect Mason to want. Instead, he spends all of his time with me.

Hating how insecure I feel, I decide to play her game with her.

I look over at Victoria and offer a smile. "Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials."

Victoria ignores me as she looks around. "This place could use updating," she says absentmindedly.

I feel Tristen bristle next to me and I grab her arm, reminding her to be silent. The last thing she needs is Mrs. Williamson's and this woman's attention on her. My eyes quickly drop to her ring finger and find it empty.

There are just some things I know about Mason without him having to confirm.

I know that if he were engaged, the woman would have a ring the size of the Titanic on her finger.

I know that if he were engaged, he wouldn't be at my apartment every night, our daughter be damned.

"Just know that when Mason and Victoria wed, my son will forget all about you and your spawn," Mrs. Williamson spews.

I was planning to stay polite. Do everything I could to make sure they don't have a reason to fight me, but fuck this bitch. I refuse to let her talk about my daughter that way.

"Your son's choices are his and his alone, Mrs. Williamson. You can talk all the shit in the world about me, but keep my daughter's name out of your mouth," I tell her, my heart racing.

She makes a noise in the back of her throat. "I thought I got rid of you once, but clearly I was wrong. You aren't good enough for my son."

"I know."

And it's true. I do know I'm not good enough for Mason. He belongs to someone like Victoria, but for some reason he wants me. Or at least he claims he does.

She continues on like I didn't say anything. "Soon enough, you and that child will be a distant memory, and you won't get a penny out of us."

"Okay," I tell her.

I would hate losing Mason. It would likely kill me, but to never have to see her again? That would be a blessing.

She looks like she might say something else, but a voice from behind her stops her.

"Mother, I thought Mason told you that you weren't welcome here," Max says coldly.

She waves her son's comment away. "Like I told your brother, my name is on the side of the building, I'll go where I want to go."

"Both of you, follow me," Max demands.

When both women step in front of him, he shoots me a look, asking if I'm okay, and I offer him a weak smile.

Tristen turns toward me when the three of them finally step out of view. "What the hell was that, and are you okay?"

My hands shake as I pick up a piece of paper. "I need to make sure to get Iris this invoice. I don't know how it ended up down here."

Tristen gently removes the paper from my hands and sets it down on the counter. "Talk to me, Liv."

I have been keeping it in for so long, but I don't even know if I want to keep this job anymore. Not if I have to see that woman. Making the decision to tell Tristen, I ready myself for her reaction.

I take a deep breath as I rest my hip on the counter. "Several years ago, I met a man on a dating app. He was looking for a date for an event, and I went with him. Long story short, we slept together, and I ended up pregnant. When I went looking for him, I found his mother instead. Until recently, I didn't think he wanted anything to do with my daughter or me."

Understanding flashes across her face. "And that man was Mason Williamson."

"Yes," I say quietly.

I don't know how to explain it exactly, but it almost feels like a relief to have someone who is outside of either of our circles know about our daughter.

"You know she was just being hateful, right? We've all seen the way Mason looks at you when you aren't paying attention."

I want to believe her, but my heart was already battered, and it now feels like it's been sliced too.

I shake my head. "No, it's not like that between us. We're just co-parenting."

Tristen smiles ruefully. "Not for the lack of trying on his end, though, right?"

I feel my cheeks heat. Has Mason been that obvious even here? I mean, Mason has made his intentions clear to me, but I didn't think everyone knew.

Am I the only one too blind to see it?

"See, you know it too," she teases. "There's no use in denying it. We've all seen the way he looks at you when you aren't paying attention. The man is smitten. I didn't realize he was the father of your kid. That was a plot twist, but we all know he wants to date you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lie.

"How does it feel to be in denial?"

I roll my eyes. "Can we get back to work now?"

"Sure, but let me say one more thing."

I sigh. "Go for it."

Tristen becomes serious. "I've worked here for several years, and during that time, Mason hasn't spent a lot of time here until recently, but when he was here, he was always kind and respectful. He never hit on the staff or made anyone feel uncomfortable. He never took anyone up to a hotel room or anything. So if that man is giving you his time, it means something."

"I know," I say quietly.

"Good, and if I were you, I wouldn't leave that man waiting long. Who knows, if you wait too long, a woman like Victoria might just swoop in and make her his." Tristen turns and gets back to work while her words gut me.

The idea of Mason being with another woman makes me sick. If he was with someone else, he wouldn't spend his time with us. He wouldn't be picking out family costumes for us to wear, or if he did, I wouldn't be included.

An image of him, Arianna, and a faceless woman pops into my head, making me feel irrationally angry.

No.

I won't share my daughter or Mason with another woman.

I just won't.

They're mine, whether his mother likes it or not.

Time to stake my claim.

* * *

Max bursts into my office with a panicked look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I demand as I stand.

"Mother is here, and she brought a friend. I found her harassing Olivia."

I hear the clicking of heels coming down the corridor and know we're running out of time.

"Is Livvy alright?"

Max shoots me a dirty look.

"Right, stupid question," I say under my breath.

Mother and Victoria step into the room, making me stand up straight.

"I've already told you that you are no longer welcome here."

Mother does her version of a frown. "We both know that you weren't serious."

"Only I was. You need to leave."

"I thought you would be over your tantrum by now, but clearly I was wrong," she says, shaking her head.

"My tantrum." I laugh as Max shuts the office door. "Do you really think that me being fucking furious about the fact you kept it from me that the woman I dated was pregnant and had my child is me throwing a tantrum?" I look over at Max. "Would you be pissed?"

"I don't think pissed covers how I would feel," he says honestly as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Must you men talk so crass?" Mother scolds before rambling on. "Besides, I already told you, she's not the one for you."

"And Victoria here is?" I say, waving a hand at my ex. "I got to give it to you, Mother. This is a new low, even for you."

"What does that mean?" she asks, sounding put out.

I look at Victoria. "How is your husband, Victor? Which, by the way, congratulations on picking a man with the same name as you. That truly is impressive."

"He died," she says with no emotion.

She's such a cold-hearted bitch. It's why I broke up with her after a couple months of dating. She might be beautiful, but she's empty inside. All she cares about is getting money and spending it on things she doesn't need. The higher the price tag, the better. She wasn't even into sex. It was a chore for her.

Some men might like that, but not me. I broke up with her long before I even met Olivia, but I knew even then I didn't want that. Knowing Olivia now? Yeah, Victoria pales in comparison.

Looking at her now, she isn't even upset. I shake my head at her bluntness. One would think that someone would be upset over the death of their spouse, but when you marry a man old enough to be your grandfather for his bank account, I guess common decency goes out the window.

"And let me guess, he didn't leave you with a dime, so now your husband hunting again."

She raises her bony little shoulder in a shrug.

"Un-fucking-believable," Max mumbles under his breath, and I can't help but agree with him.

I look back at my mother. "Is this what you really want for me? A woman who wouldn't even care if I keeled over and died?"

"She fits your image. She would elevate your status. Maybe even pop out a kid or two for you to pass this all onto," she informs me as if she's done me a favor.

"Do you really want me to end up in a loveless marriage with someone who only wants to use me for the money in my bank account?" I ask bluntly.

Mother cuts her hand through the air. "Love isn't real, Mason. Marriage is a business arrangement between two people. You need to let go of the idea of there only being one person out there for you. It's your duty to settle down and marry a woman from the right family to strengthen our businesses."

I point to my chest. "My businesses. They are mine, not ours. As for love, I'm sorry you feel that way, but it's very much a real thing," I say, thinking about how I feel when I'm around Livvy and Ari.

When I see them, everything else falls away. They light my soul on fire every time they laugh and smile.

"Who I marry is up to me and me alone," I tell her after a moment.

Her eyes narrow.

"As for you showing up where you are no longer welcome, this stops now. I don't know how you got in, but it won't happen again. I will not let you come into my business and harass not only me and Olivia, but also my employees. You will be escorted out, and a trespassing notice applied. If you come here again, I will have Boston PD arrest you."

"That woman is clouding your judgment," she hisses. "You are throwing it all away for some piece of trash."

I grit my teeth. I can't believe she is talking about Olivia that way. I refuse to respond the way she wants. I'm angry, but she will never know it.

I shake my head. "No, she opened my eyes and showed me what life could be like without you constantly trying to play puppet master. She gave me a beautiful daughter, whom I love so very much. I'm sorry you will never get to know her, though. From this moment on, you are cut off. You are not part of my family anymore. You need to leave."

"I won't stand for it." She crosses her arms, looking like she is going to plant herself there until I change my mind.

My mother isn't used to not getting her way. I'm not surprised she's so upset by this. I meant what I said, though. I love my mother, but I refuse to let her toxicity ruin my life any longer. I now know that she has only ever looked to control me. She doesn't have my best interests at heart. Only her own.

"Frankly, I don't care how you feel because you're not welcome in our lives, and that includes our daughter's," I say, purposely not saying Arianna's name out loud.

Even though she could easily find out her name, she isn't getting it from me. I never want either of these people to have a reason to even look at my daughter. They haven't earned the right.

"Now I want you to leave, and as soon as you do, know that I will be contacting my lawyer to draw up legal papers stating you are banned from my companies, and if you don't comply, I will have a restraining order drawn."

"Why I never," she says, completely appalled.

I look at Victoria. "You and I will never happen. If we run into each other at an event, please stay on the other side of the room. I said everything I had to say to you back then. Nothing has, nor will it ever change with us. I do wish you the best, but we aren't meant to be. Respect that."

"Fine," she says coldly. "You were a lousy lay anyway."

I smile snidely. "My apologies for not wanting to fuck a corpse."

Max chokes back a laugh, covering it with a cough.

I look over at him. "Will you please escort these women off the premises and send the head of security up? I want to know how they were able to get in when they weren't supposed to."

"With pleasure," he says before ushering them out of the door.

As soon as the door clicks shut, I brace my hands on my desk and drop my head to my chest.

The fucking audacity of people.

I laugh. Out of all the women she could have brought with her, she just had to choose the one who I caught fucking the pool boy when we were together. I found out later that she only fucked him because he promised her some ring from his family. Something priceless. She couldn't resist. Victoria is quite literally the definition of a sugar baby. She has no life purpose but to spend money and be waited on. It's disgusting.

My door swings open, making my head snap up. I relax slightly when I see it's Olivia.

"Are you okay?" I ask as she slams the door shut.

"No, I'm not okay! I have some things I want to say," she hisses as she marches across the room and stands right in front of the desk. "Th-that woman is out of control."

"She is," I agree easily.

"I will not share you or Ari," she says, poking my chest between every word. "You two are mine."

I freeze at her words. Mine. I have wanted to hear her claim me for so long that I'm almost not sure I heard her right. She can't be talking about me. She must be talking about Ari.

"I agree," I say, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

I move to the other side of the desk, leaning against it in front of her.

"I refuse to split holidays with you." She crosses her arms.

"Livvy," I try to cut her off, but she doesn't hear me.

"I don't want some vapid Barbie who hasn't eaten a full meal since 2010 around our daughter. I won't do it. Nor do I want your evil mother near her. Ari doesn't need her negativity affecting how she views herself. You have a choice to make right now, Mason. You better choose right. It's us or nothing," she says, poking my chest.

Fuck it.

Reaching up, I cup her face and drop my mouth onto hers, kissing her. Olivia gasps, and I can't help but deepen the kiss. Her hands, which are pinned between our chests, clench my shirt as she leans into me.

I bite her lip and slowly pull away, making her whimper. I can't help but smile as I rest my forehead against hers. "I told you, the only woman I want is you."

"You kissed me," she says quietly.

I smirk. "I told you the other night that I would, and I meant it. The only woman I want to kiss for the rest of my life is you."

"You really mean that, don't you?" she asks, searching my eyes.

"I do. As for my mother, I just put her on trespass notice. She is not going to be near any of us anymore. We don't need her in our lives. All that matters is you and Ari. Victoria is a non-issue. We broke up years before I met you. She only showed up because her husband died, and she needs a new bank account." I run my tongue over her bottom lip, making her eyes dilate. "Now that we're on the same page, how about we get out of here?"

"I-I think I'd like that."