The Best Mistake

Chapter Thirty

Nervousness is the most reoccurring emotion I've been feeling over the last few months, years even. Can you blame me? Lately, my life has been filled with awkward and tense situations including today, potentially. Marie celebrated her 56th birthday on Friday and decided to have a family Sunday dinner this evening. She was adamant that Charles wouldn't be present because he is away on business. While it did erase some of my fears, there was still much to be concerned about. Not only is my mother coming, but so was Royce and Catherine. Caleb is introducing Cat to his family for the first time and she is almost as nervous as I am. My concern was not for my mom meeting Marie but having Royce along with Chasity present. The thought of Royce clashing with Mason or Chasity clashing with me worries me. Although I'm glad that Marie was nice enough to involve people close to me in such a private dinner, I really hoped on keeping Mason and Royce separated. Royce wasn't eager about the dinner either, but I know it was his curiosity that pushed him to join. He tends to act unimpressed but that's more to do with our circumstances and not the Reynolds accomplishments. I stood in the mirror adding some finishing touches on my makeup. The dinner will start at 6pm but since it is only around 2pm, we have plenty of time to make it to Seattle. Marie offered the family's helicopter but we declined. Staying away from all the extra is something necessary for us. I wore a peach off the shoulders dress that hugged my middle and flared at the bottom. The back of the dress was a bit longer than the front, causing it to be that much flowy making me love it even more. It was a birthday gift from Cat and I never got around to wearing it. I moved to sit on the bed to strap on my nude heels. Peppa was behind me playing with my phone and Lily was with Royce in their room. I stood up quickly staring at my reflection appreciatively. I'm glad I decided to wear my hair up tonight, Cat will be proud.
 
"Daddy." Peppa whispered quietly.
 
I instantly turned around to see who she was referring to. The first time the girls used the D word on Royce he looked just about ready to take a flight. It wasn't long before I successfully had them calling him Roy. I walked over to Peppa to see that she was video calling Mason and my eyes widened. Mason's face appeared on the screen when he answered and he grinned.
 
"Hi beautiful girl."
 
"Hi Mason." She grinned.
 
"Where's mommy?"
 
"Momma is here." She said.
 
I moved to sit next to her as she held the phone. "Hey," I mumbled, still a little dazed by her actions.
 
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.
 
Was I? Peppa literally made the connection on who he was. I've never called Mason daddy especially in her presence. So, I'm still stunned that she said it clearly only to convert back to using his name to his face. I didn't have the time to dwell on it. "Um uh I'm okay. We're about to leave now."
 
"Okay great, you look beautiful." He smiled.
 
My cheeks warmed, "Thanks."
 
"I'll see you guys there. See you when you reach Princess Penelope." Mason grinned.
 
Peppa beamed as she waved her hand to him. After the call ended, I secured the girls little black shoes on their feet. To Lily's dismay, I dressed them in dresses for the dinner. The top halves of the dresses were black, soft and sleeveless, while the bottom halves, which was separated by little belts, were grey and flared out with the words 'I love you' written in cursive all over. It was adorable and after some persuasive words, Lily loved it too.
 
"Are you ready?" I asked Royce. He was dressed in dark blue jeans with a light blue short sleeved shirt. I always loved the color blue against his skin.
 
"As ready as I'll ever be." He shrugged. We helped the girls in their jackets before shrugging into our own.
 
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
 
"Yes." He mumbled.
 
"Really?"
 
"Ava, let's go before I really do change my mind." He rolled his eyes.
 
Royce has stepped out of his comfort zone over and over on my behalf. Most men would not put up with what he has, and I know it was because he loves me. The thought comforted me like a warm blanket on a cold day. I leaned towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face into his shoulder.
 
"What is it?" He asked, bringing his arms to circle my waist gently.
 
"I love you. I appreciate everything you've done for us and I can't imagine going through this without you." I whispered.
 
I felt Royce's tense shoulders relax instantly as he gave me a little squeeze. We shared gentle kisses and were quickly out the door. Maxo was our bodyguard and driver for the night. Although a lot of the buzz surrounding our lives has dwindled, there were still a few that were willing to push their limits. On days that Maxo was off, we were with Ralph. I preferred this alternative rather than being bombarded with two guards and a driver daily. Cat was riding with Caleb, so we quickly picked up my mother from her house. My brow rose as she stepped outside dressed in a long sleeved white buttoned shirt and a black flared skirt. Maxo opened the back door of the jeep to let her in.
 
"So where is the interview Ms. Shawn?" I smirked.
 
"Oh shut it. I didn't know what else to wear." She said.
 
We quickly made our way to the Reynolds’ home in Seattle. The girls were excited although I'm sure only to dress up. They haven't seen Mason or his family for a few days, so I know they'll be thrilled to see them. It was nearly 6pm when we reached our destination. As we arrived, I hid a smirk from my mom and Royce's reactions to the Reynolds’ home. My mother was particularly vibrating to get out of the car.
 
"So, this is his parent's house? Just great." Royce mumbled.
 
I rolled my eyes as I let Lily and Peppa out of their car seats. "Thanks a lot, Maxo."
 
"No problem Ma'am. Call me if you need me." He smiled politely.
 
"Nana Ann, Nana Ann." The girl's chanted as they climbed the steps carefully to the door.
 
"I should be jealous that they're all over their new Nana, but I really can't blame them." My mom said as she gazed at the house.
 
I smirked, "You'll get over it."
 
Marie opened the door eagerly and embraced the girls. I smiled as she showered them with kisses, hugs and sweet words. The nerves from earlier quickly disappeared. "Oh my, Ava you look lovely." Marie gushed.
 
"Thank you." I smiled as she pulled me into a hug masking my surprise at her sudden affection. She was more reserved in the presence of her husband. "Marie, this is my mother Amy Shawn and my boyfriend Royce Jackson."
 
"Oh hi, welcome welcome." Marie grinned.
 
"Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." My mom smiled.
 
"Indeed, it is." Marie grinned before turning to Royce. "Pleasure to meet you too Royce, Ava told us so much about you."
 
"Yea, um, thanks. You too." He said awkwardly.
 
"Come in come in." Marie waved us inside.
 
The girls were running ahead of Marie happily and I was about to tell them to relax but Marie seemed to be at ease with it all.
 
"Caleb," the girls shouted. My eyebrows lifted at the clear pronunciation. Their words were becoming clearer and I couldn't be prouder.
 
"Hey! Look at my little rugrats." Caleb said hugging the girls. He wore a long sleeve white shirt with tan slacks, no surprise there.
 
"Wow, Caleb is the only person you saw?" It was then that I noticed Cat leaning casually on the wall behind Caleb.
 
"Hi Aunty Cat." Lily said.
 
"Hii." Peppa waved.
 
"Wow, I feel the love." Cat said dryly causing everyone to chuckle.
 
"I'm going to give them a brief tour." Marie said gesturing to Royce and my mom.
 
"That's fine. We can take the girls out back with Jarvis and Regina." Caleb said.
 
Although I've seen a lot of the house, I still accompanied my mom and Royce as Marie gave them a tour. Royce tried to downplay his fascination, but I could see that he was impressed with the house. After showing only half of the house, we finally entered the kitchen to my mother's delight.
 
"Oh my gates of heaven." She gasped. I grinned as she roamed the kitchen. "May I?" She asked Marie.
 
"Be my guest." Marie laughed.
 
My mother glided her hands over the counter tops, browsed the cabinets and touched any device at her hands. Even Royce chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Your home is just beautiful Marie. Your kitchen is marvelous."
 
"Why thank you. It's nice to have someone admire my kitchen as much as I do."
 
"You designed it yourself?"
 
"Yes, I did." Marie beamed.
 
"You're gifted."
 
I watched as my mother and Marie chatted eagerly about every detail in the kitchen and I had to force my eyes not to roll. I don't see the big deal. The bigger the kitchen is the more dishes you'll likely have to clean.
 
"It's like my remote is jammed on the food network." Royce murmured. I laughed agreeing.
 
I sensed Mason before I saw him. The hairs on the back of my neck stood tall and I turned to see him standing in the entrance of the kitchen. He wore a black and white buttoned shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. Two buttons were loose at the top exposing a small portion of his chest. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he smiled casually.
 
"Good evening." He said.
 
"Hi sweetheart, glad you're on time today." Marie smirked.
 
Mason grinned and moved over to my mom to toss his arm over her shoulder. "Mini Ava." He smiled. The comfortable relationship developed between Mason and my mother was unexpected. She adored Mason as much as Royce.
 
"Big Lily and Peppa." My mom chuckled returning his embrace. "How are you?"
 
"I'm great Amy, are you good?"
 
"In this kitchen? Most definitely." She grinned.
 
Mason laughed before looking over at me. "Hey baby momma." He teased, causing Marie to swat his arm. I stuck my finger in my mouth to fake a gag and he laughed harder. "Oh, hey Royce. I'm glad you can make it. How are you?" Mason said, extending his hand to give him a firm shake.
 
Royce gave him a half smile, "Yea I'm okay. Thanks for the invite."
 
"You're always invited, you know that."
 
This was true. Mason always made sure to extend an invitation Royce, of course he either has work or flat out says no.
 
"Thanks man." Royce mumbled.
 
"Mason is Chasity still coming?" Marie asked.
 
"Yea, she'll be here shortly."
 
"Mason!" The girls yelled running into the kitchen. Cat and Regina were close behind.
 
Mason's face lit up as he scooped the girls up in his arms. “Oh, look at my girls! How are you?!"
 
"Good." They said.
 
"Good huh? Look at you? You both look so beautiful."
 
"Mommy buyed our dresses." Lily said.
 
"Wow mommy bought you girls very pretty dresses, suitable for princesses."
 
"Thank you." Lily grinned.
 
"Isn't momma pretty too?" Peppa asked.
 
Mason glanced over to me with a small smile. "Yes baby, momma looks very pretty."
 
"Even I was impressed." Regina teased.
 
"Right?!" Cat laughed.
 
"Oh, shut up." I said causing them to laugh.
 
I watched as Peppa took Mason's face into her little hands. "I miss you."
 
Mason's eyes widened and he looked about ready to cry. "You did?"
 
"I miss you too Mason." Lily interjected.
 
"Aww, I missed you girls too, so much. You know that right?" He asked and they nodded happily.
 
Every woman in the room was beaming at the exchange. I glanced over to Royce who was staring at me closely and quickly rearranged my features.
 
Shortly after everyone arrived, dinner was served. The dining room was buzzing with conversations and the sounds of silverware. There were two servers that were active around the room. They took our orders, refilled our glasses and removed all the dirty plates. I felt like I was in a restaurant. Royce sat at my side and Lily was on the other. Peppa was sitting with Mason across from us, a total daddy's girl no doubt, and Chasity sat at the other side of him. Marie was at the head of the table loving the attention and the time with her children, and I knew then that her family truly is her happiness.
 
"Ava, did you think more about joining us in L.A this weekend?" Marie asked.
 
"I would hope so, I'm releasing the real statement that night." Mason said.
 
"Are you sure you want to do that? The press is already gossip crazy." Chasity said.
 
"I don't care about the press. I want the truth about them to be out once and for all before it gets any worse. They aren't some secret. Which is why I want them there."
 
"Oh um, the charity event, right? I didn't realize it was that close."
 
"It is. I was hoping that Caleb and Catherine would accompany us also." Marie said, shooting a glance at him.
 
Caleb rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Cat interest peaked instantly. "That sounds wonderful."
 
"It is, hopefully you can convince my son." Marie winked knowing that she could.
 
"It doesn't sound like a bad idea." I said glancing at Royce who kept his eyes firmly on his plate.
 
"You're due for vacation, so I can definitely give you the time off or it can be like we're travelling for business." Caleb shrugged and I nodded considering it.
 
"So, Royce, how did you and Ava meet?" Chasity said suddenly. I froze for a half of a second before I continued to eat.
 
"Oh, we met in college." He explained.
 
"Oh yes, Ava mentioned you are a pilot and I must say I'm slightly intimidated." Marie said.
 
"How so?"
 
"I don't think I can ever do it knowing that there are hundreds of people relying on me to get them to their destination safely. Defying gravity constantly? I'll pass."
 
"Well when you put it that way." Royce smiled and shrugged.
 
"So, have you two dated the whole time since college?" Chasity asked. Her persistence to remain on Royce's and my relationship only irritated me.
 
"Yes, we have. Nearly seven years." Royce said.
 
"Wow, that's a long time. Seven years with no complications?" She glanced at the girls quickly.
 
"Why does that matter?" I interjected. I refuse to allow her to point out my endeavors at this table.
 
"Chas." Mason chided seriously.
 
"What? I'm only asking because most relationships don’t last very long." She said feigning innocence. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulders.
 
"Well she's my best friend." Royce said firmly. His words settled me a bit and I smiled at him.
 
"How long have you and Mason been together?" Cat asked with a sweet smile on her face, almost too sweet.
 
"We've been together for almost two years now." Chastity beamed. She held her head high with her sharp nose standing out even more.
 
"Oh, so not very long. Any breaks?" Cat asked with her smile still in place. One of the many speculations circling around is claiming that Chasity and Mason were on a break since he was seen with me on several occasions. This rumor drove her ballistic and she quickly worked to silence them.
 
Chasity's smile was erased quickly. I brought the glass to my lips to hide my smile and Regina laughed out. "I like you." She said, causing Cat's smile to widen.
 
"I do too." Caleb smirked.
 
"Ahem. So Ava, how is the editing going for Beverly Hollis? I'm excited to read her book." Marie said changing the subject, thankfully.
 
The rest of dinner went somewhat smoothly. Chasity glanced at me every few minutes but otherwise kept her comments to herself. It was almost 9 o'clock when we decided to call it a night. Marie pulled me into a hug as we stood by the door.
 
"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night? You don't have to drive back home tonight."
 
"No thank you. Royce and I have to go to work early in the morning." I said, pulling away.
 
She sighed, "Alright."
 
Royce was already out front with my mother waiting for us to say our goodbyes. Marie turned to Cat just as Caleb helped her with her coat. She smiled and grabbed her hand firmly.
 
"It was so nice to finally meet you Catherine. You don't know how much it meant."
 
"Thank you for inviting me. It was lovely meeting you too." Cat grinned.
 
"I'll see you later Marie." I said.
 
"Alright dear, where are my grandchildren?"

"Lily? Peppa?" I called out. I just put on their coats and they already went missing.
 
"They're here! They were playing with Jarvis again." Regina laughed. She held the girls against her waist like footballs as she approached us. The girls giggled happily as they swung their legs and arms.
 
Marie took Lily out of Regina's arm. "Nana Ann loves you." She said kissing her cheek before leaning over to do the same to Peppa.
 
"My turn." Mason said out of nowhere. He swooped in to take the girls out of Regina and Marie's arms and headed outside.
 
"See ya guys." I said waving at them.
 
Cat came to my side and hooked her arm with mine as we descended the large porch steps. "God, did I just meet my boyfriend's mother and she actually liked me?"
 
"Boyfriend?" I said.
 
"Ava, the man takes me out every night, we slept together, and he took me to meet his mother."
 
"You two slept toge.." Cat's hands covered my mouth quickly and I couldn't contain my shock. I had no clue that they took their relationship to that level.
 
"Shhh. It was only one time and you'll ruin my chance to get lucky tonight if you don't control your mouth." She warned.
 
I pulled away from her hands and still stared. "Were you not going to tell me?"
 
"No, I was. I promise. I just was trying to wrap my head around it myself." She admitted.
 
"Damn, you sure can keep a secret."
 
Cat giggled, "No more."
 
"I doubt that, but was it good?" I whispered. "It had to be for you to keep it to yourself."
 
"Ohhh yeaa."
 
"I want details later." I grinned.
 
"Definitely." She winked.
 
I went serious, "Are you really happy?"
 
She glanced over to Caleb who was helping Mason put the girls in the car. "The happiest."
 
We walked over to the jeep and the guys were done strapping the girls in.
 
"I'll see you guys later okay?" Mason said.
 
"Okay." They replied.
 
He stood from the jeep to face me, "I'll see you later too mama bear." He grinned. I rolled my eyes and he pulled me into a one arm hug around my waist. Caleb joined him and tossed his arm over my shoulder with Cat under his other arm. We were joined, and I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up.
 
"I'll see at work tomorrow Ava bear." Caleb teased.
 
"I think he had too much wine." I grinned.
 
"I think so too." Mason agreed.
 
I saw a quick flash and realized that my mom snapped a picture of us with a small smile on her face.
 
"Really?"
 
She shrugged, "Kodak moment."
 
"Let me know when you guys get home. I have to drop Chasity off." Mason said, pulling away. "Later Royce." He saluted.
 
Royce nodded with a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes and I refrained from sighing. We finally left the Reynolds home and made our way back to Vancouver. It wasn't long before my mother and the girls were fast asleep in the back. I stretched lazily trying to relax my stiff joints during the drive.
 
"Are you going to L.A?" Royce asked suddenly.
 
"Um, I don't know. I think so, it seems important."
 
"Sounds like you've got it all figured out."
 
"I did mention it to you." I reminded him.
 
"You fit right in."
 
"What?" I asked, confused.
 
His eyes connected with mines in the dark car. "You fit in with this, with them."
 
"What are you talking about?"
 
"You're beginning to walk like them, and talk like them. You're already living a life of luxury, a life I couldn't give you even if I tried."
 
"Stop it Royce. I didn't care about any of that, I still don't."
 
"Really? Your driver/bodyguard says different."
 
"It was a necessity to keep us safe. I didn't ask for it."
 
Royce didn't respond and turned to look out the window. I shook my head and turned away from him quickly. What more could I possibly do to make him see that these things don't matter to me? The fact that I've been with him all these years proved that. I never planned to be a woman living lavishly or above my means. I always appreciated the smaller, less flashy part of life. Mason came and changed a lot of that but I'm still the same person, aren't I? The rest of the drive was quiet, and I was ready to give in to sleep when we pulled up to my mother's house. I woke her gently and Maxo escorted her to the door before we quickly made our way home.
Royce and I retrieved the sleeping girls from their car seats and began to head inside. Two things registered just then, a sound of a car door closing and Maxo's defensive position. I turned quickly to notice a petite woman approaching us slowly. Her hair was bright red and was slightly taller than me. Royce made a soft gasp at my side.
 
"No closer ma'am." Maxo warned, causing the woman to pause a few feet from us.
 
"Max it's okay. How can we help you?" I asked. Why would she be at our house this kind of time in the night? Does Royce know her?
 
I got my answer when her eyes focused on him. It was almost as if she didn't see me standing right next to him.
 
"Royce, I.... I love you and I won't lose you again. Not this time." She said. What the hell?
 
My head snapped in his direction taking in his stunned expression. "Who the hell is this?"