Downfall | ✔️

Chapter 25.

"I can't believe you did it. I watched you from the window in awe." Carol tells me, still in disbelief. I still can't believe I did it, it feels completely surreal to me, Mason has such an effect on me, he gave me so much confidence just simply because he was doing it with me.

When Mason and I made our way back inside, everyone was gathered in the living room looking like they had just seen a ghost. Everyone. My mom, Carol, Steve, even Isabella. It made me cringe that they must have seen Mason and I's kiss, and our affectionate moment outside, but I recover from it, thankful that nobody mentioned it afterwards.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." I roll my eyes.

"It was my skills of persuasion, don't lie to them." Mason says flippantly and I nudge his shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself, I just conquered my fear." I smirk.

"Yeah.. because of me." he retorts sarcastically and I laugh, almost forgetting we're in a room full of people.

When I look back over to the company that fills the room, almost every one of them is looking at us lovingly. They haven't seen me this happy with someone before. Even Izzy is smiling at us. Everyone except from Steve, who is a little more cautious about trusting Mason, I can't blame him.

We take a seat and put on a movie, although nobody really watches it. We mostly talk over it, Mason and I too scared to even touch each other in front of my family—despite them seeing us kiss before. I watch as Steve plays around with Izzy, she runs at him and he lifts her up, tickling her before putting her back down, for her to do it again. Her loud, contagious laughter fills the large room and her face is red from how much laughing she's doing. Steve laughs along with her and kisses her head, before she rests on his lap, her head buried in his chest.

"Again?" she asks and he takes a deep breath in, narrowing his eyes at his daughter, deep in thought.

"Okay, love." he mumbles and she cheers.

My heart aches slightly watching them together. I never had that. The father daughter connection. A father figure in my life to love me enough to spend time with me and lift me onto his shoulders, to play with me and tell me how much I mean to him. Watching the unconditional love between the two of them makes my chest unusually heavy.

"Are you okay?" Mason asks me, obviously reading my expression.

"Yeah, I just need a second. I'll be right back." I fake a smile and walk to the kitchen.

I notice him stand up to come after me, but Steve stops him.

"I'll go." I hear his voice say faintly, as I lean against the cold marble kitchen counter, running my fingers through my hair and sighing.

"Hey." Steve appears behind me.

"Hey." I half smile as he takes a seat, motioning for me to do the same.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's okay." I lie and he rests his hand on top of mine.

"It's okay to be upset about it." he says softly, it must've been so transparent as I watched him and his daughter have fun together. I choose to stay silent, I don't know what to say.

"You know, I understand how you feel to an extent." he tells me and I raise my eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, you know my financial circumstances as I grew up. My parents were always busy, it was nannies and maids, butlers and whoever else they had working for them that took me to school, tucked me in at night. My mom was around more than my dad, but I barely seen her either. I didn't grow up alone, but I felt it." Steve tells me, a hint of sadness in his voice.