Mason (Carter Brothers #2) - Lisa Helen Gray Page 0,4

drove off would pretty much do it. I don’t even want to explain the feeling I had the morning I kicked her out of my bed, that was hard enough for me to handle, but her leaving, that nearly killed me.

A touch startles me from my thoughts and I frown at the woman standing next to me.

“So...?’’ she huffs and I realise she must have been speaking to me while I drifted off into my own head. Maverick made me come into work telling me I’ll need some time off if I ever want to make things right with Denny again. So I came into work under the impression I’d be working nonstop, only to find out that I had put a few extra people on staff tonight, so I’m not really needed. Hence the reason I’m sitting down on a stool at the end of the bar nursing a beer, with a woman trying to grab my attention.

“Are you even listening?’’ Her voice is high pitched and I can tell she really wants to scream at me right now, but doesn’t want to show her true colours just yet, so instead, she’s trying to sound seductive. I imagine to her own ears she sounds just that, but to mine? It just sounds like sharp nails scratching down a chalk board.

“No, sorry I’m not,’’ I deadpan, keeping my eyes locked into my beer. My mind wanders back to Denny, and tomorrow, when all of a sudden a plan comes to mind and I grin to myself. The woman still standing next to me must take that as a sign to rub her breasts against my arm. I turn to her shaking my head in disgust.

“Look love, I’m gay and although you do have manly features, I prefer dick.’’

With that I grab my jacket from off the bar and head over to the offices downstairs. I need to work out a plan with everyone and hopefully we can get Harlow to agree. I know she’s looking out for her friend, but sometimes that girl can be stubborn as shit. She kind of reminds me of her Nan.

If it all works out I could have Denny living with me by the end of the week. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow, but I’m not going to get myself too psyched up over it just to be let down again.

Chapter Two

DENNY

“Nan, I’m fine, honestly,’’ I assure her, rubbing a hand over my ever-growing bump. I’m only twenty one weeks gone, but my Nan says I look like I’m further along with how large my bump is. I’ve only had one scan since finding out about the baby, and I’m due for another one any day now, but for some unknown reason I’ve been putting it off for three weeks now.

“Are you sure? Have you spoken to Evan yet?’’ My Nan is driving me insane with all her smothering. Don’t get me wrong I love that she cares, but sometimes it all becomes too much. As for my brother, he hasn’t contacted me since I called him a week ago asking to crash at his place after I got my summons letter from the courts.

“Yes Nan, he texted me earlier to let me know he’s waiting for me outside the train station,’’ I lie. She’s been so worried about me travelling alone from Wales to Coldenshire that she’s been on my back most of the way here. I didn’t want to tell her that Harlow is picking me up because I’ll know she’ll flip out when she finds out I’ll be that much closer to Mason. And now that he knows about the baby, I have no idea how he’s going to react.

With the long journey back to Coldenshire, I downloaded a new romance novel I found on Amazon yesterday to read, but with her constantly calling me every twenty minutes I’ve not been able to pass the first page.

“Thank goodness Denny. That boy really needs to answer that mobile phone of his. Call me when you arrive and if Evan isn’t there to pick you up....’’

“I promise, so stop worrying,’’ I plead interrupting, fanning myself with the newspaper that some guy had left a few stops back. The mid-August heat is overbearing and I can’t wait to get off this hot stuffy train. My silent prayers are answered when the intercom announces the next stop. “Nan, I’m the next stop. I need to get my stuff together, I don’t want to get trampled