wrapped around me if I wanted to, but I kept my distance. After all, I had no idea who was watching.
“I’ll have a look around, and I’ll try not to make it obvious. I’ll act like I’m doing some repairs, perhaps?”
I nodded. “That sounds good. Thank you, Mason. I appreciate it so much.”
“You know, he has no right to talk to you the way he does,” Mason said.
“I know, and I’m keeping record of all of it because I plan on getting a lawyer and fighting for full custody. But I need to get my head above water first. He’s got a lot more money than I do.”
“Maybe, but I have money too,” he said.
I cringed. “No, you can’t help me with that.”
“Why not?”
“Mason, do we really have to keep having this argument? I will take a reasonable amount for child support for our child, but that is it. I am not going to take any more money from you. I don’t want to pay off one man who owns me only to be in debt to another - no offense.”
“I’m not like him, Danielle. You won’t owe me shit.”
I held a hand up to stop him. I couldn’t handle another argument right now. So I changed the subject. “In a few weeks, I’ll have my first ultrasound,” I said. “I wanted to invite you, if you’d like to come.”
“Of course I do. Just tell me when and where,” he said. “You know I want to be there for you and our child.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. I’ll text you the date once we get back inside,” I said. “Speaking of which, I really should head back.”
“Go on,” he said, stuffing his hands back in his pockets.
He didn’t look at me, and I was grateful for that. I had a hard time looking away from his gaze when he did. Almost like I wanted to trust him. Hell, I did trust him, what was I saying?
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.
I walked to the house, not looking back at Mason. He said he would take a look around, make it look natural. I’d let him do his thing.
“Where’d Mason run off to?” Calvin asked with a grin.
“He’s doing some repairs on the property,” I said, trying to make the lie as believable as possible in case there was a listening device somewhere in my home.
I shut the front door and stared out at the window. Mason was already near the house, walking around the perimeter, away from the front door. His tight ass in those jeans was a hell of a sight to behold, and I’ll admit, I stared a bit longer than I should have.
“You two make a cute couple,” Calvin said.
I swiveled, surprised, my cheeks flushed bright red. “We’re not a couple,” I stated.
My eyes darted around the room. I’d already looked for cameras and hadn’t found any, but it still felt like someone was watching us, or at the very least, listening in. I had no idea what to look for, but Mason owned a security company - surely he knew all the tricks in the books.
“Well if you’re not a couple now, you should be soon enough. Mason is a good man, you know,” Calvin said from the couch.
Oscar was sitting next to him, completely on the couch with him, his head resting in Calvin’s lap. Calvin said he didn’t mind his dogs getting up on the furniture - and he liked sharing his bed with them - so I didn’t bother to train that out of Oscar. It was adorable seeing the two of them cozy together, the old man’s hand lazily petting Oscar’s grey fur.
I moved toward the chair and sat down. “I know Mason is a good man. I haven’t felt this safe with anyone in a very long time,” I admitted. Realizing how serious it sounded, I added a little humor, “Besides my dogs, that is.”
“Well, I can see why you feel safe with them. You raise them well,” he said, rubbing Oscar’s ears. “You’re a good mother too, and I know you’ll do what’s best for this baby.”
My eyes fell to the ground, and my heart raced. I’d already talked about the baby here, in this space, but for some reason, the idea of doing it now filled me with dread. If the room were bugged, Greg knew already. And if it wasn’t, well, Calvin’s words wouldn’t affect anything.
Greg would know one way or another soon, though, that much