Grand Love by JC Hawke

12

Mase

“Faster!Come on, I’ve seen you come quicker than this.”

I don’t dare look at her. Sweat drips from my forehead and down every inch of my body. She hasn’t stopped, even when I told her I needed to, she pushed me to keep going. I wasn’t expecting her to be such a bitch, but I should have. It’s fucking Nina.

“My hour is nearly up.” I look up just as one of the other men walks by the rowers, a smirk plastered across his smug face. I plead with him with my eyes to take me with him.

She crosses her arms over her body. “Shh, save your energy, big boy. Last five minutes.”

I glare up at her, pulling the cord back harshly as I push my legs straight, then back in again. I can tell she is loving this. “If I can’t walk on this leg tomorrow, it’s on you.”

She rolls her eyes. “You could always find a new PT. I know some of the other guys wanted some sessions with me. If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’m sure they’d be more than ready for me.”

Her brows shoot high as if telling me to try her.

Bitch.

“If you think that will make me jealous,” I say through gritted teeth my left thigh on fire, “you’re wrong.”

“Oh, really. Why else are you doing this, if not to stake your claim?”

I pick up the pace as she goads me. “I’m not having the mother of my son dating a meathead.”

“Dating? They asked me to PT them, it’s not a damn marriage proposal, Mason.”

“I’m well aware of their intentions,” I snap.

“And your intentions? Should I be taking this as a date now?”

“No.” I focus on the numbers on the dial in front of me and nothing else. Definitely not her.

“Well then, I see no reason why I can’t PT them, too.”

“You won’t,” I scoff.

“You can’t dictate what I can or can’t do.”

“I can,” I fire back.

“You’re being an ass.”

I continue to row, still not looking up at her.

“You’re being an ass,” she repeats, and I finally shift my gaze. God, she’s fucking hot when she’s mad. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and her tits are all out of sorts in her sports bra, but damn does she look like a wet fucking dream. She continues despite my lack of commitment to the conversation. “For starters, I don’t even want to train them, so you’ve wasted your time and money going out of your way to make things awkward for us.”

“I’m not feeling awkward.” My thigh twinges and I falter. Her eyes drop to my leg.

“That’s enough,” she snaps, stepping forward. I frown and keep rowing. “Mason, stop.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll stop when I’m ready to stop.”

“Could you be any more stubborn?” she huffs, throwing her hands up and walking away from me.

I side-eye her ass as she snakes through the gym, but the minute she is out of sight I drop the handles and stand to escape to the showers. The crazy bitch has ruined me today.

* * *

Nina

I knewhe’d be difficult to train, and not because of the way he works out but because of the way he looks when he works out. And the way his mouth moves. It’s not only distracting but frustrating, because Mason Lowell thinks he can have a say in what I do. But he lost that right a long time ago.

“Nina, you’re heading out?” Gemma asks. She is sat at the reception desk, her hair pulled back from her face and sat high on her head.

“Yep, Logan is closing tonight.”

“Oh, I must have got my days…” I wait for her to finish, but she doesn’t. Instead, she nods over my shoulder in warning.

“Hello.”

I flinch then spin, pushing hard on Mason’s shoulder. “Do you know how creepy you are?”

“I only said hello, jeez,” he says nonchalantly, completely carefree and so unlike him.

“I will see you tomorrow, Gemma.” I smile over at her then push through the glass double doors, pulling my rucksack on.

“I’m driving you home,” Mason tells me as he steps out behind me. “Do you need to get Ellis?”

“No, Maggie drops him to me, and I’m running back. It’s part of my routine now.”

“Fantastic, my car is over here.” He walks off towards the Bentley and I roll my eyes at his back. “Don’t be all dramatic about it. I’m not going to chase you, Nina. It’s late and I want to see my son.”

“Next time, I’m picking a less assholey baby daddy,” I mummer to myself as I reluctantly follow him towards the Bentley.

“I heard that,” he calls.

I get in the car and settle into the leather, breathing in his scent. It’s like a Mason sensory overload in here. It reminds me of his penthouse, his shower, his bedroom, even silly things like his watch, the smells are all memories of times I’ve been somewhere and inhaled him in every sense of the word.

Goose bumps pebble along my arms and I shiver.

“You cold?”

I nod, rolling my lips. Why is everything ten times harder when it’s just the two of us alone? We bounced off each other in the gym. I ripped into him and him me, so why can I barely look at him now?

Mason turns on the heating then pulls out into traffic. “I’d prefer it if you’d use Vinny, you know this.”

“Why are you still pushing the driving thing? You know I like to run.”

“I do.” He pops a brow to make his comment hit a little harder and I snap.

“Can you stop that?” I huff.

“What?” He frowns, gripping the steering wheel tight.

“Every chance you get, you pass comment on how I always run or how you’re not my home anymore.” I mock his deep voice. “You take a dig at every chance and it’s wearing thin. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I shouldn’t have left. But calling each other out over our past every time we see each other isn’t going to fix a thing. You aren’t perfect either, Mason.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say you were wrong?” he admonishes.

I drop my head back to the seat. “That’s all you took from that, huh, that I’m in the wrong.”

“Nina, you do realise if you’d have stayed things would be very different now.”

“Would they though?” I close my eyes, blocking out the parts I can. “When were things ever good?”

“Are you serious?” he asks, and I can tell he is frowning.

When I don’t answer, he begins listing things.

“That first night at Melders” —I pop open my eyes— “I had a great time.” He licks his lips and I clench my thighs at the memory. “That night you danced for me. Paris. Bora Bora. I have a ton of good memories.”

I smile thoughtfully. “Paris was one of the best weekends of my life.”

“Where’s your bangle?” he asks out of the blue as if he’s desperate to know. He flicks his eyes from the road to me.

I eye my lap in an attempt to hide my face. “It’s at the apartment. I don’t wear it anymore.”

He nods his head but doesn’t speak.

“You can have it back—”

“No,” he cuts me off, shaking his head with a frown. “No.”

I watch him for a moment, my mind not quite sound. “I thought you were going to propose.”

He flicks his head towards me. “What?”

“In Paris, on the stage, I thought you were going to propose.” I smile, biting my lip as my cheeks flush.

“You did?” Deep lines mar his forehead as his lip twitches. It’s only slight but I don’t miss it.

“Yep. Then you gave me the bangle back and told me about your mum. It’s an incredible memory. I’ll hold on to it forever. That entire evening was like something out of a dream.”

“What would you have said? If I had proposed,” he asks, eyes back on the road.

I swallow my pride and give him my honesty. Because what the hell. “In the moment… I’d have said yes. Without doubt or thought.” My throat goes tight, and my eyes burn, but I can’t look away from his face.

“You would’ve said yes? In fucking Paris?” His lip tips up on one side, and I can’t help but smile with him. “You told me in Bora Bora that you didn’t want to get married.”

He looks over at me in question.

“I wasn’t lying. You sold my studio.” His face drops. “I understand why. I’ve had time to deal with it now. I mean, I forgive you, but I can’t ever forget it.” I shrug. “I don’t dwell on it, and it was Paris, Mason. I’d probably have flown to Vegas that night and got hitched if you’d asked me.” I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood that’s fallen over us.

“You were pregnant in Paris,” he says solemnly, dragging me right back down with him.

I nod, thinking back and wondering how I never noticed. I feel like we missed so many firsts with Ellis. There was no twelve-week scan, no tests, no plans. I stare at the windscreen. “I don’t know how I missed it.”

He nods. “You know, we may be terrible together—apart from when we’re out of the country maybe.” I chuckle at that. “But we sure make fucking cute kids.”

“He’s adorable, right? I feel like I’m biased when I gush about him to people.” I grin.

“Nope, you’re right, he’s going to bring so many angry mothers to our door when he grows up.”

Our door.My heart pounds, begging for the reality of his words.

We pull up outside my apartment building and he parks at the curb, then follows me inside. “Maggie won’t be here yet; she normally gives me a chance to shower after getting back.”

“That’s okay. Do you want me to wait out here?” He thumbs to the small foyer on my floor.

“No, no, come in. I have something for you actually.”

“Yeah?” he asks, sounding surprised.

“You don’t have to have it, but I thought you might like it.” I push open the door and let him in. “I won’t be a sec, wait out here.”

Leaving him in the living area, I go to my room and drop to my knees beside my bed, pulling out the box from under it. I never thought I’d give these to Mason, but I only really took them for his benefit. I suppose I always hoped that one day I’d be in a position to share them with him. I don’t know why I’m giving them to him now, but for some reason I feel like he should have them.

I open the lid and riffle through the things inside, silly things I shouldn’t have kept but couldn’t get rid of either. The bangle being one of those things.

With the folder I was looking for grasped tight in my hand, I walk back out to the lounge. The minute I set eyes on him again, I doubt the entire idea of showing him.

“What do you have there?”

I stare through him, licking my lips as I try to find an excuse not to show him. What is wrong with me?

“Earth to Nina.” He walks towards me, and I hold out the file, widening my eyes, amazed that I’ve even offered it to him.

He frowns and takes it. “What is it?” He must feel it’s weighty and carries it to the kitchen island, sliding onto the chair and placing it down in front of him. He looks over to me before opening it. “Come show me.”

“It’s just some pictures.” I brush him off as if they aren’t important. “You probably wouldn’t even want to see them, but I knew I should keep them. You don’t ha—”

“Nina.” He stops me. “Come here, now.”

I slide onto the stool next to him and he flicks over the first page, letting it drop with a thud to the counter. “I was four months. That was the day at the hospital. We cut my head out of the picture because I was being miserable, but Elliot insisted we should take the photo.”

“You had a bump?” he asks, but it comes out scratchy and he clears his throat.

“I don’t know. It all seems like such a blur now. It just looks like a little bloat.”

“How did I not notice? Surely I would have?”

“The girls noticed on holiday. They had their suspicions.”

He snaps his head towards me, his eyes glazed and wild. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was possible. I’ve always taken my pill.”

He turns the page and stares down at the pictures on the paper. “You grew fast.”

“Thanks.” I laugh.

“I didn’t mean—”

“I know. I wasn’t looking after myself before. Once I knew I was pregnant, I made sure I fixed that. I knew I had to be better.”

He looks down at me again, his brows drawn in. “You are; better. You’re a wonderful mother.”

“I do my best. There are far better mothers I’m sure, but I’m not the worst.”

He continues to look through the photos, each one getting closer and closer to my due date.

“That one was taken just a few hours before he was born.”

“Did it ever get uncomfortable?” He flicks back a couple pages, looking at the photos again.

“At night. I found myself reading a lot more. Sleep was definitely harder than normal.”

“I can imagine,” he says in surprise. “Christ, no wonder you didn’t dance.”

“Yeah, there was no way.” I chuckle.

Flipping over the last page, I cringe, wondering why I even put the photo in. I had completely forgotten it was in there.

It’s the only picture of the three of us, the one with Mason sitting behind me in the hospital bed. Ellis is on my chest and his small hand grips my finger. It would be normal to have the picture in the album, but Maggie caught us right as our lips brushed. It’s a moment I don’t quite remember fully but can’t seem to forget. It makes my cheeks flame and my body tense.

I wait for his reaction, hoping he doesn’t think I’m a loser for keeping the picture.

“I didn’t know this was taken,” he whispers.

“Maggie,” I say in explanation.

He flips it closed and I jump. “Can I keep this?”

“Uh, yeah.” I want him to take it, that’s why I made it, but the last picture is the only photo I have of us all together. I’d have to ask Maggie for another print and that would just be weird.

“Thank you, for this.” He stares at me, as if he has more to say but doesn’t want to. Or maybe he doesn’t know how.

“Of course!” I snap out of it. “I have more pictures of Ellis. I’ve tried to keep on top of printing them and putting them in the album. I will sort through and make copies.” His eyes are still locked on me and it has me squirming in my seat. “Unless you don’t want them, you don’t have to.”

“I want them.”

“Cool.” I drop my gaze to my lap, hoping my hands will tell me what to say because I have lost all coherent thought.

“I know everything there is to know about you all the way down to the sounds you make when you come. Yet you still get shy and can’t look me in the eye?”

My cheeks flame. “You don’t—”

“Yo?!”

My eyes snap closed and I roll my lips as Joey lets himself into my apartment. His smile drops when he sees me and Mason sitting at the kitchen island. I may be imagining it, but I swear I hear Mason growl.

“Hey, Joey. Everything okay?”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walks towards us, nodding his head at the wild animal beside me. “Mason.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Mason!” I snap.

“What?” He glares at me. “Do you always just stroll on in here?” he asks Joey.

“Always, always,” Joey says smugly.

“Well don’t. My son lives here, and I don’t fucking like you. Nina may think she knows you, but I don’t.”

“We aren’t doing this now. Joey, can you come back later tonight, please?”

“No. He can come back in the week when I have Ellis,” Mason tells us.

“Joe,” I plead, sensing the animosity in the room.

He nods, gives Mason a look that says I want to punch you in the face and then leaves.

“What is your problem?!” I blurt once the door is closed.

Mason rolls his eyes and spins around on the chair. “Don’t get all irate. I can’t stand the prick and I don’t want him around Ellis.”

“Joey is my friend! A good friend who has helped me through a lot—”

“You don’t know him.”

“Neither do you! You don’t get to judge my friends.”

“I can and I will.”

My nostrils flare. “Has your little stripper met my son?”

“Here we go.”

Unbelievable. The man’s an idiot. “How can you not see that she is the problem here? Things wouldn’t be like this if it wasn’t for her.” I’m deflecting the blame and I hate myself for it, but right now I have a whole load of fire inside of me that I want to unleash.

“Jasmine isn’t the problem,” he snaps. “You are the problem. You, and your inability to trust me! Take Jasmine out of the picture and we still wouldn’t be together. You would run, every fucking time.”

“You do not say her name in my home again,” I grit out, my blood nearly at boiling point.

“Jasmine, Jasmine, Jasmine!” he recites.

“You’re acting like a damn child. If she wasn’t in the picture of course things would be different.”

He stands, gathering up the folder and pointing to the door. “He doesn’t come into this house again. Got it?”

“Why?! Why the fuck not!” I counter, stepping up to his chest.

He grasps my throat, pushing me back into the counter before loosening his hand where he grips me, setting my pulse racing freely again.

His head drops, bringing him far too close and his lips mere inches from my own. I can feel the heat radiating off his body as it pushes up against me. Every solid inch of him. “Don’t push me, Nina. You may not be mine to fuck anymore, but you are mine in every other sense of the word. You’re the mother of my son and if you think I’ll watch you fuck around with that—”

A throat clears at the door and Mason all but drops me like a hot potato.