“What’s that?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“I know that I’ve always loved you.” He kissed me on the cheek, practically falling over.

JULY 23

RD

I SAT IN OUR BED at the Hotel 7. Yes, that was the name of the hotel. How original. It was nearing the evening and we had only left the room long enough to get another bottle of liquor for Mason’s sudden insatiable thirst for anything that could numb his anxiety and depression.

I knew he couldn’t handle it. At first I thought he was happy to be back. But it became obvious very quickly that Gusby reminded him of all that was bad in his life.

I tried to convince him to call Jay. I was sure he would send back the jet and get us out of Gusby, but Mason said no. He said the only way that would happen was if I left on the jet without him.

Mason kissed my bare shoulder. Soon we were lost in sex… passionate sex…nothing I’d ever felt between the two of us.

“One more time?” Mason asked, bringing me down on the bed gently. He kissed my neck and ran a hand through my hair.

The glow from the lamp made him look like a dream of sorts. He was drunk and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot as he stared down at me. He smiled, enjoying my state of undress. It was natural to be so exposed around Mason.

He touched me, tracing his fingers from between my breasts down to my navel.

“Yes, please,” I said with a coy smile. I kissed his lips, his tongue toyed with my bottom lip and then met up with mine. I pulled at his hair as he climbed on top of me. I could always be free with Mason, always. Everything between us was natural. We were perfect together.

He smiled down at me. I smiled back, closing my eyes at the feel of him so close and gentle. This was what making love was all about—another first.

We collapsed, falling back on the bed. I rubbed a tender spot on my lower back. I regretted letting him pin me against the wall as things went from gentle to out of control.

“You thirsty? I have whiskey,” Mason said, handing me the bottle.

I scrunched my nose and checked the time. Hours had passed quickly without either of us even noticing.

We’d been too busy humping like wild animals all day.

“I need water before I die of dehydration, and so do you. You can’t survive on booze,” I said, kissing his shoulder as he stared at the bottle in his hands.

“I think there’s water somewhere in here.” He laughed, shaking the whiskey around in the bottle.

I smiled at him and realized he was better looking than I’d ever given him credit for.

“There is not any water in that whiskey.” I sat up looking for my shirt.

“One more time?” he asked, touching my breast with his warm hands. He did his best to coax me back under the covers.

“Mason, have you lost your mind?” I asked. I was shocked by his relentless stamina.

“I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be with you,” Mason said. He planted a gentle kiss on my lips, giving up. “I’ll run to the store and get you some Gatorade and water. Maybe even a PowerBar. But when I get back, I want you naked and ready for round two.” He jumped into his pants.

“Try round four,” I corrected him, crawling under the covers alone.

Mason threw on his shirt. “The only place in Gusby that got a facelift was the bank. Pretty fancy for a bunch of hillbillies that hide their money in their mattresses, right?” He stared off, lost in thought.

“Mason, you’re a nut. Now go get me some water please,” I said, shooing him away.

“Yeah, sure. I love you,” he said. The words came out so naturally, as if he’d been saying it all his life.

I didn’t waste any time falling asleep after Mason left. My last memory was of his smiling face. I tried to not think about Mason’s breakdown. It scared me to think he was crumbling.

***

I woke up to the alarm clock on the nightstand beside the bed. I sat up and turned it off. I hadn’t set an alarm—maybe the previous guests had.

I threw the covers off, dropping my feet to the floor. I froze in a panic when I realized what time it was. There was no way the clock could be right. That would mean Mason had been gone for hours now.

“Where the hell are you, Mason Vaughn?” I said out loud, running around the room collecting my clothes from the floor.

This wasn’t good. This could have meant so many things. The first being he could have been caught. I couldn’t breathe. I stuffed my feet in my sneakers and grabbed the key, running out the door, hoping I wasn’t too late.

“I am going to kill him,” I muttered walking down the sidewalk. I passed by a small clothing store—the only clothing store in Gusby that offered anything even close to fashionable.

I hurried, quickly scanning my surroundings looking for Mason.

“Oh. My. God,” someone said from behind me.

I froze in place, fearing I’d been recognized. I spun around to see my cousins, Maxton and Tiger Jade. They looked no different from the last time I’d seen them other than just being older.

I didn’t know what to say. They stared at me, amazed, like they’d seen a ghost. I hoped they didn’t know who I was. Tiger pushed her hair from her shoulder.

“Kendall?” she asked.

She touched my shoulder looking me over. Maxton followed suit. “I can’t believe it,” she said.

“I’d never forget your face,” Tiger said, offering a smile. “I still remember the last time I saw you. We went for ice cream, remember?” She raised a questioning brow.

I still hadn’t said anything.

We were never that close and I was shocked they remembered me after all these years.

“It’s me, hello,” I stumbled, letting out a defeated sigh. It was only a matter of time before someone knew who I was.

“You came back. That’s amazing. Are you here to see her?” she asked, eying me.

Where had they thought I’d gone? I wished I could ask them but I didn’t have the time. I shrugged, not sure who she was referring to, but I could only guess they were talking about my mother.

“I’d love to catch up, but I’m trying to find someone,” I said apologetically.

Tiger slapped me in the arm, her eyes wide. “You’re trying to find Mason, right? We knew that was him.”

Maxton agreed, letting out a giggle. I was relieved someone knew where he was.

“Do you remember where you saw him?” I asked. I was in a hurry to find him.

“Down at The Shed. I wanted to have a drink, but Maxton didn’t. I convinced her though. So we went in and there he was. I was like holy shit balls is that guy in the corner Mason Vaughn? Maxton told me I was crazy, but I knew it. I don’t think I ever forget a face,” Tiger said excitedly, going on and on like we were old pals.

Maxton shot me an all-knowing look. She hit Tiger with her purse, making her shut up.

“She just said she was looking for him, Tiger. Now shut it and let’s go see Gran. Bye, Kendall. Stop by and see us again before you leave.”

Maxton and Tiger waved. I waved back before I took off for The Shed, the local bar in our small town.

I plowed through the doors on a mission to find Mason. I passed a drunken couple walking out—it was a busy place. I knew most of the people in the bar probably knew me, but it didn’t matter at this point. I just needed to find Mason.

I moved through the thick crowd of drinkers, standing on my tiptoes to see past everyone to find Mason. It was so noisy it was giving me a headache.

“Excuse me,” I said to a guy as I moved through the bar. He fingered the top of his beer, watching me closely.