Fallen Crest High (Fallen Crest High #1)(98)

"Her dad."

I flinched at his tone.

I heard the smile in Mason's voice. "Really?"

"Aren't you Helen's kid?"

"What about her?"

I jumped at the sudden intensity in Mason's voice, but his hand swept up and down my back. He held me against him.

"Nothing. I like your mother. She's quite a woman."

"I think so."

"So how do you know my daughter?"

Mason chuckled. "That's something you can ask her when she's ready for questions."

There was a heavy silence after that. I knew both of them were waiting for me, but

I shuddered and melted against Mason. His hand held me close and I felt a soft kiss on my shoulder.

I needed it. I needed all the support I could get at that point. Everything was out. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that I never meant Logan, but Mason. I knew my whole school would be buzzing about my relationship and my father—David—what could I say about him? He was gone. I felt it in my bones. And now we saw my other dad…what did I even think about him?

He knew Mason and Logan's mom.

That was weird.

Garrett chuckled as the elevator opened on our floor. "You and your men, little girl. They're all waiting for when you're ready."

Mason hit the emergency stop and turned to face him. I had started to step off, but waited with a pounding headache and a tight chest. What was going to happen now? I wasn't sure how much more I could handle…

"What are you talking about?"

Garrett wiggled his eyebrows up and down and skimmed a hand over his face. "I figured it out, took me a second, but I forgot Helen was married to James Kade. It all makes sense now. So what are the two of you doing here? I'm guessing Analise doesn't know about this relationship…is it a relationship or you two kids bumping uglies to piss the folks off?"

Mason's smile was a veiled threat. "And it's your business because…?"

Garrett narrowed his eyes and studied Mason for a moment. My heart pounded in my ears as I waited. It seemed to stretch out into strained silence as the two stared at each other and then Garrett broke with a curve of his lips. He shook his head and stepped forward to unlock the emergency brake. "You got balls, kid. Helen would be proud."

As the doors started to slide close, Mason's hand stopped them. They retreated back and he narrowed his eyes this time. "You're the guy bumping uglies with my mom?"

Garrett's eyes widened a fraction. "How do you figure that?"

"She came to town for me, but she's staying because a friend of hers showed up. The timeline makes sense. You've got the floor below us."

"That's a leap, kid."

"Not a kid and it's not a leap if it's true." Mason's face was chiseled in stone. His eyes didn't twitch. "You're the guy, aren't you?"

The amused smirk vanished from Garrett and he pushed up from his leaning stance. He stretched to his highest height and moved a step closer. As he looked down his nose at Mason, a warning look came over him. "You could be breaking a few hearts if you start spreading that around."

Mason smirked and stepped back. His hand fell to his side. "She told me he was married."

My mouth fell down, but no sound came out. My heart was deafening now.

Garrett's eyes slid to mine. As the doors started to close again, he drawled, "Ya gotta keeper there, girlie."

When the doors had closed and the elevator moved down, Mason swept a hand around my back and propelled me towards one of the two doors on the floor. He slid his card in and opened it as I entered first.

I didn't look around before I whirled back to him. "My biological dad is cheating on his wife with your mom?"

Mason grinned as he started to shred his clothes, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I guess."

"Your mom is a cheater."

He toed off his shoes and grabbed my hand before he pulled me towards a king size bed in a corner of the room. As he sat down, he tugged me between his legs and looked up. "My mom's a bit hard when it comes to men, especially after what my dad did to her."

"She's the other woman." I slid my fingers through his hair and took hold. As he started to rest his forehead against my stomach, I raised his face to look up.

His eyes were bleak. "She wasn't before and it's complicated."

"It's always complicated."

"Your mom was the other woman too. My dad was the other man."

My heart started to pound again. When I heard a slight condemnation in his tone, I was breathless as I asked, "Is that what you think is normal?"

Would he cheat like they all did?

"Cheating?" A dark loathing flared over his face and I stepped back in reaction. It was intense. It rattled me for a second. "Cheaters are weak. They're selfish and they're cowards. No, I'm not a cheater and I never intend to be." He focused on me. "Why? Are you?"

A laugh ripped out of me. My hand reached for him again and I closed a fist over his hair. "After my mother, now my biological dad, and what Jeff did to me? Are you kidding me?"

His eyes softened and he slid a hand underneath my shirt. "People don't know what they're made of until they're tested. You need to pull yourself out of a situation and think of the collateral damages, if it's worth it."