Holly head Slopes

Chapter twenty-nine

ABI'S POV

Furious was an understatement. Myles was walking around, looking like the mob had jumped him, and Mason was bound to be pleased with himself.

I'd never seen him as a violent person. He was grumpy and sarcastic but never aggressive. I never thought he'd risk his reputation for his rivalry with Myles.

I approached the Dugray family home with my temper boiling over. I hoped he was here instead of his house, which would set me back another thirty minutes.

I knocked on the grand door, and an unfamiliar man answered. He was older and had features like Mason. They had the same nose, but Mason had kinder eyes and better bone structure. He was his Father, the man I had heard only bad things about.

"Can I help you?" He asked with no sincerity but an unmistakable dose of sarcasm.

"Is Mason in? It's important."

He snickered in my face. "It always is. If he's not answering his phone, I'd cut your losses. My son isn't the most gentlemanly."

I wanted to tell him his low opinion of his son was way off, but I knew it was a losing battle. He was seconds away from closing the door in my face until Mason came into sight.

"Abi?" He questioned. He moved like lightning to push past his Dad. "What's going on? Are you feeling worse?" He asked. I shook my head with a stiff lip. "Do you mind?" He sarcastically asked his Dad, making him take the hint and walk away. "You're scaring me here, Abigail."

I had missed him calling me that deeply, but this wasn't the time to give in. "And you are scaring me. Did it make you feel powerful, beating Myles up to a pulp? You had no right to get involved. You've assaulted a man, and you're acting like nothing has happened."

His gorgeous dark eyes furrowed at my words. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, please. Save the lies. I've let the family secrets slide, but don't lie about hurting someone. I told you what happened on the mountain was my fault."

"Abi, I haven't touched Myles. I wouldn't even give him the time of day. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist. As long as he stays away from you, I don't care."

I scoffed. "Well, you made certain that he stays away. I lost a friend because you couldn't control your anger. I'm sick of you two fighting for the alpha."

He took a deep breath and took a step closer to me. "Abi, I didn't touch him. He isn't worth risking all that I've built. I hate him for what he did, but I don't fight. I would have just fired him, but I'm an adult."

It was chilling how composed he was. I was constantly riddled with guilt when I told lies, even small ones like telling my Mum I was getting enough sleep at college. But this wasn't a white lie; this was assault.

"You aren't going to believe whatever I say, are you?" He asked with a sad tone. It pained me to see him take another emotional hit.

"Why should I? All you've done for the last week is lie to me."

There was a sharp moment of silence when I expected him to walk away and forget me. Compassion disappears when I'm angry. "Fine. Then I'll stop lying." He gently grabbed my arm and led me inside.

"Mum, Dad, this is Abi. She's here for winter break with her family. They've had a house here for years, and I am stupidly in love with her."

I almost choked on my breath. Not only was I introduced to his parent for the first time, but he just confessed that he loved me. They were stunned, too, but their shock was soon replaced with amusement.

"Your sweet talk sure has improved." His Dad commented. "I'd advise you to save yourself the heartbreak now, sweetie." My skin crawled at his condescending manner.

"Mason, what are you doing?" I whispered, still gripping his hand, which had become so normal that I almost forgot I was mad at him.

"I'm being open." He shrugged. "I've shut you out to protect you from comments like that. My parents only see the worst in me. There's not been a moment where I haven't wished you were here, but I wanted to save you from enduring the continuous snarky remarks and warnings about their awful son."

"You make us sound like monsters." His Mother gasped. She was a glamorous woman. She looked a lot younger than Mr. Dugray. She didn't own a frown line, although she likely had a cosmetic nurse on speed dial as a result. "We love you dearly, Mason. Maybe you should be as open with us as you are with your friend and improve our relationship."

His temper was rising because his grip tightened on my hand. I winced, and he instantly let go with a guilty look. I started to think he was right; he had a good reason to keep me away.

"Improving your relationship is not your son's responsibility. You're his parents; you should be on his team no matter what. You lack unconditional love, which is a great shame because there is a lot to love about Mason. He doesn't deserve your digs and attempts to belittle him. Not that it matters; he has his found family here, and we don't see him as a ticket to the elite lifestyle. We love him for who he is." I took a breath to prepare for something I had never said to a man before. "I love him for who he is."

You would have heard a pin drop. Nobody, including me, was prepared for my stern yet emotional speech. The silence was smothering.

"Excuse me, I have to go." I mustered out against my inner panic.

I rushed out of the house like it was on fire. Metaphorically, it was. I won't wait by the letter box for my dinner invite from his parents.

I reached outside when my arm was pulled back. "Abi," Mason said, following me out the door. "Did you mean what you said?"

I closed my eyes and turned to the secretly sensitive man. "Of course I did. You've driven me wild since I met you."

The beautiful lips that I had been starved of curled into a smile. He stepped closer and cupped my cheeks. I felt my breath hitch at our proximity. After last night, I never wanted to be apart, but seeing what he did to Myles haunted me.

I stepped back, breaking our contact. "I can't, Mason. I need time to think about things. I have feelings for you, but hurting Myles was crossing the line."

"Abi. I didn't touch him. I don't know what else to do to make you believe me."

I didn't either. It was hard to trust the word of someone who hid half their life from me. "It's been a long week. I need to clear my head." I quickly said before turning away and limping home with my head spinning with unrealistic solutions of how I was going to survive this winter break.