Mason (Carter Brothers #2) - Lisa Helen Gray Page 0,30
I promise the food is great,’’ Mason assures me once we’ve taken a seat.
He’s right. From outside I’d gotten worried he was lost, or he was taking me to dark, heavy metal bar. It’s not in the nicest locations and the outside looks worn down from the peeling paint and crappy surroundings. It’s nothing like I expected it to be when we were walking up from the car park.
“No, I like it already,’’ I tell him truthfully.
“Good. I’m glad,’’ he smiles widely, making me feel shy. “I used to come here with my Nan. She loved it here. I haven’t really been here much though the past year. When I decided to take you out I knew this would be the perfect place to go.
“Their menu is mostly Italian, but I know Nick will make you whatever you like, babe.’’
Him bringing me here, somewhere he used to come with his Nan has me smiling. I feel privileged that he would want to bring me somewhere so special to him and his Nan.
“What was your Nan like?’’ I smile. I don’t remember much of their Nan; she died not long after they moved here. She used to be good friends with my Nan, my mother’s mom who works at Grayson High. They went to the same church, but by the time I was old enough to attend with my Nan, their Nan had died.
“She wasn’t our blood Nan, but she was more of a Nan than our real Nan was. She died a few months after we came to live with Granddad. We were lucky that when our biological Nan left our Granddad before our mom was born, that he managed to move on, otherwise we’d never have had her in our lives.
“She never had a good upbringing, but my God, she never let any of it define her. She was so full of life, full of love, that it blew me away whenever she paid attention to me. To any one of us really. We felt the love she had for us. She taught us the sensitive side of being a man, whereas Granddad taught us to be men. If she were here right now, knew what I did to you, she’d kick my ass to Belgium and back. The woman had so much fight in her and she was only four foot nine.
“She also had our Granddad running rings around her. They were best of friends. But if you got on her wrong side you were toast,’’ he laughs and I love it when he laughs. He looks so carefree and his facial features soften. It makes him appear his age and not the older, rugged, older-than-his-years lad I’ve come to know.
“She sounds like an amazing woman.’’
“What about your other Nan, the one from Wales?’’
“Well, she will be kicking your arse when she sees you,’’ I tell him straight faced, raising my brow, then laugh loudly when his face loses its entire colour. “I’m kidding. Kind of. She’s cool. She’s nothing like my dad. She’s opinionated, strong, worldly, funny, youthful, and totally loveable.’’
“What about you’re other Nan? I know you have one that lives not far from us,’’ he asks, taking me by surprise knowing that much about me.
“Yeah. We used to get along until the night that I kicked you in the balls,’’ I tell him, my voice trailing off. I really shouldn’t have reminded him of that. I wince just thinking about it, remembering the sound of his pain.
When Harlow and I went to a party after one of Malik’s races not long ago, Mason had turned up all over some girl. When he started sprouting shit at me I kneed him in the balls.
Not one of my finest moments.
“I remember,’’ he winces, his one hand reaching under the table to no doubt cup his package.
I giggle at his expression and I know that I shouldn’t. What I did to him was totally stupid, dangerous, but totally justified.
“Anyway, I was completely drunk and a complete mess and one of my Nan’s friends must have reported back to her after seeing me. My Nan told my mom and all hell broke loose. My Nan said I shamed her family and to never speak to her until I got God’s forgiveness. I may or may not have answered back and made it worse, but it’s not the point,’’ I answer, wincing a little when I remember the horrible words they said to me. “Can I ask you something?’’