12. Mason

TWELVE

Mason

The horrid dryness of my mouth is only eclipsed by the furious pounding in my skull that bounces from side to side, temple to temple, front to back.

"Fucking hell."

I scrub my hand over my face, my skin feeling greasy and tight in equal measure. As more of my hungover brain comes back online, one memory stands out from the rest.

I kissed Bridget.

Hell, I was about to do more until her brother came knocking at the door. Dammit, the fuck is wrong with me?

Sitting up in my bed, I groan. Nausea creeps at the edges of my awareness getting stronger by the second.

I never let myself get that drunk, not since Jess's death, anyway.

There's a water bottle on my nightstand, a typical habit of mine, and I take a large gulp as I pad around in the drawer for aspirin.

Swallowing down four of the little pills, I'm lucky enough to find some Pepto Bismol as well, and I'm quick to chew up two of the tablets.

That should fight off the worst of it, but it still doesn't change the fact that I went way too far with Bridget and then proceeded to finish off the bottle of whiskey I'd brought up to my room.

Being alone and drunk and hornier than I wanted was not how I thought the night would go.

Sighing, I stand up from my bed, still wearing my clothes from last night, and decide that a shower is in order.

As I shuffle over to the closet, I'm all groans and desperate burps, hoping that I'll start to feel better soon.

Sure, the physical stuff has a treatment, but I have no idea what to do about Bridget.

I hang my head as I work to pull off my pants. "I can't believe I kissed her. How fucking stupid am I?"

Because, come on. It's been five years, and as Bridget said, our lives are really different now. I can't see a future where we're able to rekindle what we had, even though I want that more than I want to admit.

Timing really is everything in life, and it continues to look like Bridget and I can't get ours right.

Crossing the room, I head into the bathroom and go straight for the shower. I turn on the cold water, not warming it up much, and step under the chilly spray.

My overheated skin appreciates the cool water rushing over me, and I lean against the shower wall, letting it rain down over my back.

There's just too much going on. Too much that's different.

I repeat the thoughts over and over again to myself, and deep inside, I know I'm doing it because I'm trying to convince myself it's true.

Watching Hudson and Meredith, I've seen how much two people can improve each other's lives. I've seen how complications don't stand in the way of two determined people.

But I'm also not sure Bridget and I are on the same wavelength about all that.

After I've scrubbed down, the medicine seems to be kicking in, and I go downstairs to grab myself a cup of coffee.

I'm thrilled that the cleaning crew really did keep up their end of the bargain, and I tidy up a few of the random items still hanging around as the pot brews.

Lord knows I'll need that whole damn thing today.

The place is looking much more like normal when the coffee is ready, and I pour myself the biggest cup I can find in the house, sitting down at the island with it as it works its magic.

"Okay. You need to get Mia," I grumble to myself.

I've got two massive cups of coffee in my system now—even a bit of toast to keep my stomach on the level—and the house looks good enough for government work, so I haul myself up out of the stool and head next door to get my little girl.

The walk next door takes less than a few minutes, and the early morning crisp in the air helps to clear my head even more.

I don't see Hudson's car in the driveway, so I have to assume he's not here to get Juniper yet. Or hell, maybe he's already come and gone, and I'm that far behind.

God, I hope not.

Giving a solid knock on the door, I wait for Xaden to answer, and when the door swings open, I can hear the giggles of several children mixing in the background.

"Hey, Mason," Xaden smiles, but then it turns into more of a smirk as I wince at the sound of my own daughter shrieking with delight, "long night?"

I sigh, rolling my eyes with a frown. "Don't get me started."

"Haha. All right, all right. You won't hear it from me. Come on in."

Grateful for Xaden's forgiving attitude, I follow him inside and see Juniper, Daisy, and Mia all playing something in a fort they've set up in the living room.

"Oh, well, at least I beat Hudson here. He never would have let me hear the end of it otherwise."

Xaden chuckles, and after a moment, Mia sees me and perks up.

"Da! Da! Da!" She bounces up and down from what I can only guess is a little throne the others have made for her, and she points to herself. "Queen!"

"Nicely done!" I give her a broad grin, bowing. "Your majesty."

Mia giggles and then goes back to playing as I follow Xaden into his kitchen and sit down at the table with him.

"Yeah, getting her out of there is going to be rough. I mean, would you want to abdicate your throne?"

Glancing over at Xaden, I nod with a long exhale. "No, I wouldn't. You got me there. She can have a few more minutes."

Patting me on the shoulder, Xaden gestures to the little pink bag Mia brought for the sleepover, which is parked near the door.

"She's all packed when you're ready to go."

"Oh, wow. Thanks, man."

Xaden waves me off. "Eh, it's no big. The morning has been a bit crazy, but Mia actually helped pack her stuff. She's a good little helper."

"Aww. Yeah, she can be."

Leaning back in the chair, I watch the kids play for a moment, Xaden enjoying the spectacle as much as I am.

"So," he cuts in, "how was the party?"

I shrug, rubbing the back of my neck as the unfortunate embarrassment starts to swell in my blood.

"Well, from what I can remember, it was great."

Letting out a stifled chuckle, Xaden tries to fight back the massive grin threatening to break through and claps me on the shoulder again.

"Oof, buddy. Did someone need a bit of a break?"

Resigning myself to the truth, I offer a nod, sagging into my chair. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks again for watching Mia. Apparently, I was putting off a night to myself a bit more than I thought. Though, I'm still not sure it was a good thing I was left unattended with a bottle of whiskey."

We both chuckle, and I can see the look of understanding and sympathy in Xaden's eyes. With a nod, I point in Daisy's direction.

"If you ever need a night off, I owe you. So bring Daisy right on over. I know Mia will be happy to see her."

Xaden offers his charming smile, looking over at his daughter as she plays.

"Thank you. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I love her to death but it would definitely be nice to have a night to be a grownup."

He refocuses on me, gesturing with his chin.

"How's it going for you? New nanny working out okay?"

My throat tightens as I remember our kiss and the assload of complications that I've just dumped into my working relationship with Bridget.

"Umm…Bridget is a great nanny. Mia adores her, and I know that I'm helping her get on her feet while her car is being repaired and her mom is sick."

Leveling me with a stare, Xaden cocks a brow. "That all sounds good on paper. But why do you look like someone pissed in your coffee?"

It's times like this that I wish Xaden didn't know me so well. Or Hudson, for that matter.

"It's just…complicated. Bridget and I…well, there was some stuff when we were younger."

"That's right." Xaden's brows raise. "Didn't you say you had a thing for her when you were teens?"

I nod. "Yeah, a bit. I never really…well, hell. I never really stopped thinking about her. Now that she's back in town…I don't know. Bridget seems different—nervous. I want to help with all that, but Bridget is Mia's nanny. I'm her boss. We're not together."

"Are you not together just because of that? Because honestly, there's a pretty simple solution to that one."

Xaden tilts his head at me, and it doesn't take a genius to know he's suggesting just making things official with Bridget.

At least take her on an actual date.

"I mean, no. There's also the fact that Bridget's been gone for years, she still left town with her ex after I'd told her I didn't like the guy, and she doesn't seem to be planning on sticking around once her mother's health stabilizes."

"Oof." Xaden pats me on the shoulder again, nodding slowly. "That's definitely some stuff. Still, if she had a reason to stay…"

He lets the words hang, insinuating that I should actually tell Bridget how I feel. Again, I internally kick myself for last night.

Dealing with all the feelings Bridget's return had dredged up is something I wasn't prepared for, and now I've gone and kissed her.

I can also dimly recall her fleeing the room upset, so I have a feeling we're still not on the same page with each other.

"I don't know, man. After last night…I guess we'll see how it all plays out. Maybe it's just not meant to be."

Xaden scoffs. "Mason, nothing is meant to be if you don't work for it. You can't just expect the universe to do everything for you."

He pushes back from the table, getting up so that we can collect the girls and work on getting Mia back home.

"But that's your choice. Just be sure to make one. No one should be living in limbo."

Shaking my head, I give Xaden a smile. "Not sure I love how insightful you're becoming. It's actually pretty annoying."

He laughs. "Ahh, just old age getting to me. It's not like I've had any luck in the couples department, so you can take it all with a grain of salt."

Xaden gets a quick hug, and I meet his eyes as I say, "Well, thank you. For everything."

"Any time, bro. And keep me posted. If you figure out how to make this all work, maybe you can be the insightful one."

I just shake my head, and we start for the living room so I can take Mia home. I know she's going to go kicking and screaming, and I am endlessly grateful the aspirin has kicked in.

If only relationships were that simple.