Boarlander Beast Boar (Boarlander Bears #4)(12)

Mason stared out his window at the wilderness, shaking his head over and over in denial of what Damon was doing. He was pushing him to take his baggage and his damned ghost to a trailer park of misfits on the cusp of becoming great. He was a poisoned arrow Damon was launching at the heart of a beast, and damn it all, Mason didn’t want to hurt them.

Beck was going to see him. They all would. They would see all the ugliness he’d been hiding because he was incapable of keeping it in the shadows anymore. For years he’d been stoic, easy-going, dependable Mason. That was the character he’d played, but that side of him was unreachable now. He didn’t have control over anything anymore.

For reasons he couldn’t understand, he revolted against the thought of Beck watching him break, but maybe Damon was right. Maybe it was time to throw away the crutches and make an honest effort for something more than the half-life he’d settled for.

Mason scrubbed his hands down his face as he looked around his room—the one that had never felt like home. “When do you want me out?”

“Now.” Damon’s lips thinned into a straight, somber line. “I want you to start living now.”





Chapter Six


“Hello?”

Beck stopped fiddling with the sheets on the bed of 1010. “Robbie?”

“Obviously. You’re the one calling me.”

“Yeah, sorry.” God it was still so weird to talk to him. They’d cared for each other once. A long time ago. And now co-parenting would force them to always be in each other’s lives. She had to keep things cordial. “I’ve called a few times—”

“A few dozen times.”

She cleared her throat and counted to three so she wouldn’t remind him in a scream that he was supposed to let her talk to her son. “I’ve been calling because I wanted to see how it was going and talk to Ryder. I miss him a lot.” So much more than she was admitting out loud, but right now, just the idea of getting to finally talk to him and hear his squeaky little voice had her heart ripping apart.

“It’s my month. I get one a year, so the least you can do is let me enjoy it without you breathing down my neck.”

“Yes, I totally understand that, and I’m glad you are stepping up—”

“Stepping up?” he said in that deep, familiar timbre of his. “I’ve always provided for him, have I not?”

“Well…no. You’ve only made one child support payment, and it was thirteen dollars and a Snappy Freeze Yogurt coupon. Anyway, as I was saying, I’m really glad you asked for the month and are putting an effort into spending time with him. That’s what I want. For you to have a relationship with our son because he loves you and deserves to have you in his life. But you know how when I have him and you decide to call, if I’m able, I always let you talk to Ryder? I guess I thought it would be more like that. Where I wasn’t just cut out of his life for the entire time you have him.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t talk to him right now. I’m working.”

“Wait, working? You said you were going to take time off. Where are you?”

“None of your damned business, Beck. I’m working a few more days at this job, and then I’ll go pick him up from my parents. He probably hasn’t even noticed I’m gone. This is how we’ve always done it.”

Yeah, with him being gone. “Why did you ask for him if you aren’t willing to spend time with him, Robbie? I don’t understand. Is it to hurt me?”

“Goddammit woman, not everything is about you.”

“I’m not trying to make it seem like that. I’m really not. I just don’t understand why we went through all of that mediation if you aren’t even taking time off to be with him. And don’t tell me it’s to spend more time with your parents. I love them. They are like a second set of parents to me, and I let Ryder see them whenever they ask. I just don’t understand why I’m spending an entire month away from our son when you aren’t with him.” Rage was bringing her blood to a slow boil, and she needed to end this call, quick. “No, you know, it’s fine. I’m sure he’s having a great summer with your parents.”

“He is. He’s having a great f*ckin’ time. I just talked to him two days ago, and they were taking him to the zoo.”

Two days ago. Two days ago? It was supposed to be Robbie taking his son to the zoo! Not “checking in” with him every few days via phone. He’d done that shit Ryder’s entire life, and her disappointment that he hadn’t changed was infinite.

“Hey,” Robbie murmured in a softer tone. That was his go-to voice when he wanted favors. Cuss at her, but then go smooth and ask for some inconvenience of her. “Since I have you on the phone, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” she ground out, debating hanging up now and blaming a bad connection.

“I’m gonna be in Saratoga on Wednesday. I know you’re stayin’ close to there, so I was wondering if you’d like to meet up. To talk. About Ryder.”

Well, that was new. Robbie usually did his best not to see her at all. She’d even been dropping Ryder off with Robbie’s parents when he wanted him on the occasional day or weekend, just so her ex could avoid her. He wasn’t the best, or most mature, co-parenter. “What about Ryder? Why can’t we just talk on the phone about it?”