Forever Mason, page 22
When the sun rises, I shower, dress, and head to the donut shop on the corner. I figure this is cheaper than sitting down at a restaurant for breakfast. With a half dozen donuts and two cups of coffee, I get into my rental and head toward Moreno Entertainment. The same receptionist is at the desk when I walk in. I set one of the coffee cups down on her counter and smile.
“Any chance Ms. Moreno or Liam is here?”
“Ms. Moreno will be in shortly,” she says.
I hand the cup to her. “This is for you.”
“Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
I can’t tell if she’s being rude or not. I go back to where I sat yesterday and flip through the same magazines, but this time I read each article while I munch on my donuts. I don’t know how much time passes, but at some point, I take a catnap. I startle awake when I think I hear Liam’s voice. I stand and head toward the hall.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t go back there.”
“Liam’s here,” I say to her as I point down the hall. “I heard him.”
She looks at me oddly. “I assure you Mr. Page is not here. Please have a seat or come back later.”
“How much later?” I ask as I place my hands on the counter. I get the feeling she’s stalling, and I don’t understand why.
She doesn’t say anything as she picks up the ringing phone. After she sets the receiver down, she says, “Ms. Moreno will be right out.”
I start to pace back and forth in front of the hall. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Liam is down there unless I’m so tired my mind is playing tricks on me. During mid-pace, I pull up short when a woman stands in front of me. She’s blonde, dressed in a black skirt and jacket, with black heels that make her legs look a mile long. Her lips are bright red, and she wears a ton of make-up.
“I’m Samantha Moreno. I understand you have business with Liam Page?”
“Hi, yes. I’m Mason Powell. We . . . his girlfriend and I have been trying to get a hold of him. I need to speak with him.”
“Liam’s unavailable.”
“Look, I get it. You’re his manager or whatever, and it’s your job to protect him, but I’m his best friend—”
“A best friend who doesn’t know how to get a hold of his friend?”
“I just need to talk to him for five minutes, and then he can go back to doing whatever it is he’s doing here.”
She shakes her head and steps closer. Sam Moreno exudes power. I can feel it vibrating off her in droves. No one messes with her. “You need to go back to that little town you call home and forget you were ever here. Liam Page is more than you’ll ever be, and he doesn’t need the likes of you bringing him down.”
“His girl—” My words fall short when a man steps in front of Sam. He’s much bigger than I am, and I have a feeling he’s there to enforce whatever the people of Moreno Entertainment want.
“You heard Ms. Moreno. It’s time for you to leave.”
I nod and head toward the door. I glance over my shoulder one last time, waiting for Liam to appear, but he doesn’t.
Later that night, I head back to Metro. I’m there when the doors open, long before anyone takes the stage. I stand by the door where the acts go in and out, but I never see Liam or his new friend. Everything around me closes in, and I feel like I’ve lost. I’ve lost my best friend in more ways than one, and I don’t know what to do about it.
I linger outside when the club closes, thinking that maybe Liam was there, but I missed him. I stand there, in the alley, until the last bag of garbage is thrown out and the sun starts to rise. I want to pound on the brick wall, bust my knuckles in frustration, anger, and sadness. How can Liam be like this? How can he just walk away from his friends? Sadly, I’ll never know the answer.
Instead of going back to the hotel, I walk along the boardwalk. I’m surprised to see people out. They’re skateboarding, roller skating, and dancing to music from portable radios. There are couples on the beach and even an early morning basketball game going on. Life here is so much different from life in Beaumont.
I wander through the people, listening to what they’re saying and hoping to pick up something that might be useful. My mom was right; Liam’s a needle, and this city is a giant haystack. He’s here, but not where I need him to be, and I don’t know what else to do to try and find him.
I get back to the hotel and pack my bags. My flight is this afternoon, and I have to return the rental car. I head toward Moreno Entertainment and sit outside, hoping Liam or his buddy will show up. I stay as long as I can, and when I leave, I turn toward the building and shed a tear. Everyone in there knows where to find Liam, but no one is willing to tell me, and if by chance they told Liam I’m here, he chose not to show up. I refuse to believe the latter because if so, then the guy I saw on the flyer is this new Liam. The one who walked away from the woman he said he was going to marry, who couldn’t return a phone call, whose last words to me were fuck off and go to hell, who changed his number, who walked away from everyone and everything to become a rock star. And that’s a Liam I don’t want to know.
The flight back to Allenville is turbulent. My mind races with a million things I could’ve done while I was in Los Angeles to find Liam, and yet I looked in two places. I should’ve left a note with the bartender. He seemed like someone who could’ve helped me, but I didn’t, and now I’m on my way back to face my girlfriend and her best friend with nothing to prove for my efforts. This is precisely why I didn’t tell them my plan. Their hopes would be shattered, just as mine are.
After the plane lands, I walk slowly to the front, thinking about what I’m going to say to Katelyn. This is by far the stupidest thing I have ever done, and it could very well cost me my relationship. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the nuts? I lost my best friend, and because I thought I could find him and get him to come back, I lose my girlfriend too. I can’t let that happen.
My dad greets me with a hug, and I break down in his arms. He holds me and tells me everything is going to be okay. He’s so confident about life. I wish I were. He holds me there, in public, while I cry for what Josie and her unborn baby, have lost. I cry for Liam and everything he’s missing out on. And I cry for myself. I miss Liam and hoped more than anything I could’ve seen him again. Someday, he’ll come home, and we’ll forgive each other.
I’m surprised to find my mom in the parking lot. She and my dad brought my truck, which saves me time. Now I don’t have to go back to their house before heading to campus. We hug, and I shed more tears. She tells me how proud she is that I’m her son and then says I need to get my ass back to campus and fix things with Katelyn. Dad hands me my keys, and I promise to be home on Sunday for dinner.
By the time I make it back to campus, it’s late, and I’m tired, but there is only one stop I can make. I knock on the girls’ door quietly, and when it swings open, Katelyn is standing there. Her eyes remind me of Josie’s, red-rimmed and bloodshot.
“I’m sorry for disappearing the last couple of days.”
“You’re sorry?” she asks rather loudly.
“Can we do this someplace else?”
Josie stands and comes to the door. “The doctor said I need to walk, so I’m going to go do that.” She leans into me and whispers, “Fix this, or I’ll end you.”
“I will,” I say back to her.
Once Josie is moving down the hall, Katelyn steps away from the door. I go in and shut it quietly behind me. As much as I want to pull her into my arms, I sit on the edge of her bed and give her a minute to adjust to me being in the room.
“Katelyn,” I say her name softly. “I don’t expect you to forgive me being gone and not telling you, but I had to take care of some business—”
“Did you cheat on me?”
I blanch at her question. “I would never.” I stand and go to her. She’s looking at the ground and doesn’t budge when I try to lift her head. I get down on my knees and place my hands on her hips. Before I can even speak, tears fall down my face. “I love you more than life itself. You are my life, Katelyn Cohen. You’re my present, my past, and my future. I would never disrespect you by cheating on you.”
“Then where have you been, Mase? Who the hell disappears in the middle of the—” She stops mid-sentence and narrows her eyes. “Did you?”
I shake my head. Deep down, I know it would be easier to tell her where I was, but she won’t be able to keep it from Josie, and I can’t bear this burden.
“Please don’t ask where I’ve been. Just know I wasn’t doing anything illegal or untold. I promise you, baby. I would never do anything to hurt you. Not in any way humanly possible.”
Katelyn studies me. She looks into my eyes, looking for the lie. She knows me well enough to know when I’m not telling the truth, which isn’t often. I’m not sure she can count on one hand how many fibs I’ve told her. Katelyn’s never given me a reason to lie to her.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her again. “I can promise you I’ll never ever leave you again. Ever. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
She nods, and I stand, pulling her into my arms. I want to make love to her, to show her how much I missed her, but she pushes me away. “I’m not ready, Mason. I spent the past few days convincing myself that you were out cheating on me, and I need some time to let this sink in. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t ever have to be sorry for feeling a certain way. I’ll do whatever you ask of me to earn your trust back. I hope you know this.”
“I do.”
“I love you, Katelyn. You’re the only woman I’m ever going to love.”
“I love you, Mason.”
Thirty-Three
The dads, Josie’s and mine, help me carry in the last of the furniture we could buy. Most of what we have has come from second-hand stores and yard sales, but it’s all in good condition. I don’t think anyone died on our couch or anything like that. I moved the bed from my bedroom at home to our new apartment, and Josie brought hers as well. This whole apartment thing worked out better than I hoped. I was able to get a two-bedroom place, which allows Josie to stay in school after the baby is born, it’s right on the edge of campus, and my scholarship pays for most of it. Katelyn and I will get jobs to cover the rent over the summer. With the baby coming any day, there is no way Josie can work, although she has lined up a part-time job at a florist near campus.
I’ll be happy once the baby is here because taking care of Josie has been stressful. When her second trimester hit, and she really started showing, she became more and more despondent when people asked her who the father of her baby was. Of course, the one guy who witnessed the break-up had no qualms about telling everyone what went down. I wanted to punch the dude in his mouth to shut him up, but Katelyn forbade me. At times, Katelyn and I had to force-feed her. We had to sit there, like she was a child, to make sure she ate. I don’t know how many times Katelyn came back from one of Josie’s appointments and told me that she’s not gaining enough weight and that the baby will be small. The last thing any of us want is for the baby to have health issues, so we do what’s necessary. Over the past few months, I wondered if it would be better for Josie to move home, but I think it’s unfair that her life is changing the way it is while Liam is out there becoming a global sensation. Josie has suffered enough.
While Mrs. Preston empties what little boxes we have, my mom is on a cleaning mission. She started yesterday with what she calls a deep clean. Honestly, the place smells like lemons, and I know better than to complain. When my mom first saw the apartment, she cringed and called the school, asking why maintenance hadn’t cleaned it when the last tenant moved out. Whoever she spoke to didn’t really have an answer for her, so she took it upon herself. The once dingy walls are now somewhat white, which is more than I could’ve ever done. I don’t like cleaning.
“Where is the couch going?” I ask the group of women who are milling around in the kitchen. The apartment is small, with just one bathroom. There’s a kitchen with just the basics. It has a bar and we managed to find four stools to fit under it. There’s a small space which isn’t big enough for a dining room table, so we’re putting two desks there and a highchair, and then there’s the living room. It’s an okay size space that will fit a couch, chair, and cabinet. But the absolute best thing about this place is that it’s ours. Mine and Katelyn’s first home, and we’re more than happy to share it with Josie and the baby.
“Up against this wall.” Katelyn points to the wall that separates our living space from the bedrooms. “This way, the television is far enough away from the rooms that the noise shouldn’t bother the baby.”
“Yes, but what about when Mason yells at the TV?” My mom asks, causing everyone in the room to laugh.
“Maybe Mason will learn not to yell?” Katelyn asks as she looks from me to my mom.
“Unlikely, babe. Unless officials can pull their heads out of their asses and make the right calls.”
“Valid point,” Josie says. “Let’s put the couch there.” She points to the opposite wall. “I bought one of those divider screens to put near the crib. I can also get a white noise machine or something.”
“Or the baby will learn to adapt to the noise,” Mrs. Preston says. She puts her arm around Josie. “If you tiptoe, the baby will never adjust. You need to live a normal life.”
“This wall it is.” My dad, Mr. Preston, and I put the couch against the wall and make sure it’s centered. Josie adds a couple of throw pillows, and Katelyn lays a blanket on the backside. We stand there and look at our first piece of furniture. “I like it.”
“Me too,” Katelyn says. She links her arm through mine. I want to give Katelyn so much more, a better home, with nicer furniture and anything she desires. I worry about how I’m going to do that. When I started school in the fall, I thought I’d go into sports medicine or something to do with sports, but by my second semester, I decided I want to be a teacher. I want to give back to the community and maybe coach football someday. Katelyn is getting her accounting degree with the hopes of becoming a CPA someday, but with her parents barely helping pay her tuition and probably stopping to pay it at all now that she’s moved in with me, she’s looking at a lot of debt. Well, we are. She’s not in this alone. I’ll work two jobs if I have to, to make sure her dreams come true.
All the women disappear into Josie’s bedroom to put the crib together and decorate the baby’s corner of the room. Josie found the cutest teddy bear themed bedding at the local supercenter. As soon as we found out she put it all on layaway, the rest of us pitched in to pay it off for her. Not too many of our friends from high school know she’s pregnant, and she asked Katelyn not to give her a baby shower. It makes my mom and Mrs. Preston sad that Josie isn’t experiencing what they call the “fun stuff” but they’re making sure she has everything.
My dad and Mr. Preston crack open a beer, take a drink, and then start laughing. I shake my head at them and mumble, “Whatever.”
“What?” My dad has the gall to ask. “You’re a minor.”
“Yep.” I pick up a box to take it to my bedroom when my dad taps me on my shoulder. He holds out a beer for me. “Thanks.”
“Just don’t drink around the baby,” Mr. Preston says. “I’ve heard horror stories of young parents not paying attention to the littles, and they end up drunk.”
“I can assure you I’m going to treat this baby like they’re my own. No harm will come to this baby whatsoever. And if someone even thinks about being careless around them, they’ll have me to answer to. I take my uncle duties very, very seriously.”
Mr. Preston puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter and my grandbaby. I owe you.”
No, you don’t. Liam does.
“It’s my pleasure.”
Katelyn wakes me in the middle of the night. “What’s wrong?” I spring upright and hop out of bed. I’m already dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. I just need to put on my shoes. Josie’s contractions started the day before, and Katelyn and I have been working in shifts, helping her through them. I wanted to go to the hospital yesterday, but after Josie called them, they told her not to come in until the contractions were five minutes apart or her water had broken. So, we walked a ton and monitored. I massaged her back and let her lean on me when a strong one shot through her. We hoped the baby would come yesterday
“It’s time, Mason. Her water broke. We have to take her to the hospital now.”
“Did you call the grandparents?” The grandparents being the Preston’s and Powell’s.
“Yes, they’re meeting us there.”
“Okay, let’s do this.” I follow Katelyn down the hall. She’s carrying Josie’s hospital bag and the car seat. Josie waits for us in the kitchen, standing there like she’s about to pee her pants. “You good?”
She laughs. “Stomach is cramping pretty good, but I can do this.”
“Right on. That’s what I want to hear.” Katelyn and I are Josie’s Lamaze partners. When she asked if I would do it, I didn’t even hesitate. This is important to her, and it means that she trusts me with her life and the life she’s growing inside of her. Despite our first class, everything went pretty well. When we first walked in, the teacher assumed Katelyn and I were adopting Josie’s baby. It was awkward, but I explained that we’re Josie’s support team and left it at that. Weeks later, I found an adoption brochure on the counter and asked Josie about it. She confided in me that giving up the baby is something she thought about but decided against doing so. She said she would rather struggle through life than not have a piece of Liam forever.
I hold onto Josie while we walk to her car. Her parents bought her a mid-size sedan, something that she’ll be able to use for a long time, and most importantly, it’s safe for the baby. After getting Josie settled, Katelyn climbs into the back, and I get behind the wheel.
