3. Mason

THREE

Mason

I pull up to the familiar little building, the parking spots all at an angle with the thin drive for cars to come and go. Mia is waiting for me inside, and I'm a little later than usual.

And I'm late because of a car accident…where Bridget was involved.

Sighing, I turn off the truck, tucking the keys back into my pocket. The radio plays quietly in the background because I can't stand silence, and I sit there.

My hands are on the steering wheel, gripping, and I stare straight ahead out the dash. I can't see into the building because of how bright it is outside, but Mia is in there.

Waiting for me.

"Well, you can't just sit in the damn truck."

Unbuckling myself, I get out and step around the front of my vehicle to the small sidewalk that leads to the main door of the daycare center.

Another dad comes out, and I let him and his son pass by before heading to the door and punching in the code to enter the building. I do the same on the little pin pad tablet to check Mia out and then walk down the hall to the right to her room.

When I open the door, the kids all shout, "Mia, your dad is here!" and she runs over to me.

I scoop my little princess up into my arms, hugging her tightly against my chest before setting her back down.

"Hey there, kiddo. How was your day?"

She babbles happily at me, saying, "Look! Look! Tree!"

I turn toward the wall off to the left and see the massive tree painting the kids must have worked on. There are little handprints and smears all over the top to make the leaves, and the teacher wrote each kid's name by their contribution.

Walking over with her in my arms, I point to where I see her name. "Did you do this? Good job, hun!"

She grins, pointing at the green handprints. "Me!"

"She did great. Always so good at sharing. I know I can count on Mia to make sure everyone has a chance at the paint."

Amy, Mia's teacher, comes up behind us smiling, and I nod back, squeezing Mia in a playful hug.

"You're just the best. Aren't you, kiddo?"

Mia giggles wildly, and I walk over to where all the kids' little water bottles are lined up and take the Disney Princess one that belongs to Mia.

Turning toward the exit, I hold up Mia near Amy and point. "Can we say thank you to Ms. Amy for helping us all day?"

"Thank you!"

Mia's pronunciation makes the words sound like "tank woo," and I smile. "Good job."

"Happy to help, Mia. And Mason. She's an angel." As I walk toward the door, Amy adds, "Did you have any luck with the nanny search?"

I stop, my brows raising. "Well, actually, I might. My buddy's sister is back in town. She may be a good fit."

With a sigh, Amy folds her arms over her chest and nods. "I certainly hope so. I know finding someone for her at night has been a challenge. I still can't believe that other woman tried to steal from you."

Wincing slightly, I remember catching Tina in the act when I got home from work and having to fire her on the spot two weeks ago.

"Yeah, that was less than fun. Hopefully, this does work out. I've known Bridget for a while, and at the very least, I know she won't steal from me."

"Well, good," Amy says, offering a warm smile. "I know it's been hard, and you deserve to get the help you need."

Mia starts to fidget in my arms, and I know she's getting antsy. "I appreciate that. A lot."

"Any time, Mason. We're happy to have Mia here. She's a great kid."

The words matter more to me than I can vocalize, and all I can do is nod. After a moment, I hike Mia up further into my arms and head for the door.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see. I know Mia loves it here too, so I won't keep her away all the time just because of the nanny."

"Sounds excellent, Mason." Amy waves. "See you later, Mia! Drive safe."

Mia waves back happily, and I leave the room to take her back to the truck.

Back home, I bring Mia inside and get us set up for the evening. With her shoes off and a milk in hand, I let her plop down in front of the TV for a bit.

I try to get her watching "Ms. Rachel," but she just points at the screen and says, "Tru, Tru!"

"Okay, okay. Tru it is. Little devil."

Switching over to Netflix, I put on Tru and the Magic Kingdom , which has been her favorite as of late. Mia squeals happily and then sits down on the padded rug in the middle of the floor.

It's not particularly educational as far as TV shows go, but it's not bad. It shows problem-solving skills in action with bright color palettes and cute talking animals and objects, so I get why she likes it.

"Don't rot your brain, kiddo."

Mia pays me no attention, and I get my laptop out of my briefcase from where I set it on the island. Pulling it out, I take a seat on the couch to get a little work done while Mia relaxes with Tru.

Part of me realizes that it's Friday night, and I should be doing something that isn't working.

Still, the company won't run itself, and weekends aren't really a thing when you're running your own real estate business in one of the biggest tourist destinations in Montana.

Managing the workload for the several lodges and luxury properties that I've purchased in town is no small task. But it's been successful and provides the life I want to give Mia.

Looking over the laptop screen toward her, I see Mia take another big gulp of her milk, munching on the bowl of grapes and cut-up PB & J sandwich I got for her.

"Little cutie muffin."

I turn back to my computer and answer a few emails before I can't focus on work anymore. A notification pops up that I have a Facebook memory to see for the day, and I can't stop myself from clicking on it.

Unsure what it could be, I'm surprised when I see a photo of Hudson, Bridget, and me from when we were teens.

We were so young and carefree, and my chest pinches as I roam my eyes over the details of the mountains and lake behind us.

Five fucking years.

I still can't believe it's been that long or that Bridget is suddenly back in town now. So much of her life is a mystery and has been ever since she left.

Jai looks to be out of the picture, but I can't really tell. I know that he screamed at me over the phone when they first left, basically forcing me to block Bridget on social.

I took it off ages ago, but I wasn't surprised to see that Jai had made her do the same.

Earlier in the car, all I wanted to do was ask about everything—especially about Jai.

I couldn't push that boundary, in any case. Bridget has a new life, and I do, too. Pushing the issue seems like just an invitation for more pain.

"And she's going to be working for me."

Sighing, I try to think about something else, switching back over to my emails and opening one regarding the contract on a new property.

"Daddy!"

Mia walks up to me, and as I smile down at her, she shoves the laptop closed.

"Daddy done?"

I laugh, setting the laptop aside and opening my arms so that Mia will jump up onto the couch with me.

"Well, I guess so. Looks like you want me to be done working."

She grins. "All done!"

Pulling her in close, I kiss the top of her head, melting a little into the feeling of her tiny arm around my neck.

"Eh, it was just boring emails anyway."

Mia makes a disgusted face, one that she definitely hams up, and pretends to be sick. "Ew, emails!"

She knows the term well enough to understand that emails mean Daddy is working, and Mia is less than thrilled whenever I have to work around her.

It makes me laugh again, her little catchphrase, and then Mia is pointing at the TV and describing the episode as best she can.

"Daddy, look! Tru! Bus is broken!"

Nodding, I remember this episode from the million other times we've watched it, and I grin down at her as I hold her close.

"The bus is broken. What is Tru going to do?"

This is another part of our familiar routine, and she shrugs—exaggerated and adorable—and then goes, "Aha!"

"What, Mia? What will Tru do?"

"Wishing tree!"

The show is right in sync with her happy squeal, and sure enough, Tru goes to the Wishing Tree. Mia dances happily next to me, laughing as the wishes are chosen and revealed.

My heart squeezes. I adore this little girl more than anything in the world, and I just want her to have a good life.

After her mother passed, it was just me and a baby. I had no idea what I was doing, and it's these moments that make me think that at least the kid feels loved.

Which I will give her until I'm gone.

It only takes half of another episode for Mia to start falling asleep on my arm, and I turn off the TV to carry her upstairs.

She whines a bit, but we both know that it's definitely time for bed.

Grabbing her favorite teddy, I hand it to Mia as she lays in her crib, immediately going to chew on its ear.

Ugh, so gross.

I grimace, but Mia just laughs. She thinks it's nice, so who am I to tell her that the bear is likely full of germs?

Turning on her nightlight, which glows a gentle red, the music starts to play, and Mia points over at the bookshelf. I have to read a story before I'm getting out of here, and it might be a few times, in fact.

Mia chooses Do You Want To Be My Friend by Eric Carle, and we go through the tails on each page three times.

When we get to the snake at the end, I run away all scared, and Mia giggles wildly. She's unhappy that I'm leaving, but after I stroke down her little back a few times, Mia settles.

"I love you, little girl," I whisper as I slip out and head downstairs to make dinner for myself.

Exhaustion hits me hard when I make it back down to the living room, and I slump into the couch with a deep sigh.

I'm not going to bother with the emails, so instead, I pull up my phone and start scrolling through the old pictures of me and the Monroes again.

I know Bridget is tagged in the photo, but when I click her face or search for her name, I'm still taken to that "page not found" screen.

"Still blocked. It's been five fucking years, and I'm still blocked."

Tossing the phone back down on the couch, I lean back, raking my hand through my hair as I shut my eyes.

"What have you been up to, Bridget?"

My mind spins over all the what-ifs and maybes. I can't stop thinking about whether Bridget did anything with her singing or if Jai and her are still together.

I told myself a long time ago that I wasn't going to keep pining after her, and for a while there, I really didn't.

Mia's mom, Jess, was there. She was available and interested. We didn't dance around each other or keep the other one on the hook.

Things with her were simple—maybe not the most exciting ever, but comfortable and safe.

And then she was gone.

I've completely lost my appetite at this point, so I just flick on the boob tube, not even paying attention to what I put on—as long as it's not a kids' show.

After a while, I fall asleep on the couch, visions of long blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes dancing behind my lids.