Page 167 of Slapshot Bride

Mason lives on the third floor of a converted warehouse downtown, and I’ve been to this apartment maybe forty times, but I’ve never once stood outside the door this long before knocking.

It’s a Tuesday. I called ahead, which I’ve also never done.

I knock.

He opens the door in a T-shirt with a pencil behind his ear, because he’s always got a pencil somewhere, and he looks at me for a second, and whatever’s on my face makes his own go still.

“Come in.”

His place is all exposed brick and drafting tables—typical architect.

He clears a stack of drawings off the couch, and I sit. He takes the chair across from me, and neither of us reaches for the small talk we’d normally start with. He doesn’t offer me a drink, and for once, I don’t want one.

He understands me. He knows I’m not here for small talk, and this is no ordinary visit. And the look on his face forces the words down my throat, but they need to be said.

“I need to tell you some things,” I start. “And I need you to let me get through all of it before you say anything. Can you do that?”

He sits back and exhales.

“Out with it.” There’s an edge in his voice that’s not usually there, but I ignore it.

“I’m in love with Riley, and I’m not ready to let her go.” I pause. I watch his face, letting the words settle. I notice the tightness. But he doesn’t make a move and doesn’t say anything.

“I know you’ve never seen this part of me, and you’re worried about your sister and her well-being with me, but I promise, I’ll take care of her, Mase. I wouldn’t hurt her. I know I’ve fucked up already. Hiding the situation with Maya, not taking your advice until it was too late… I was scared to lose her.” I finally admit the truth out loud.

I drag in a deep breath, and carefully watch him. He’s still seated, eyes fixed on me.

That’s a good sign. If Mason wanted me out, he’d have thrown me out the moment I mentioned her name. He’s willing to hear me out.

Something eases in me, and I continue.

“I was scared she’d run away. With Preston on her neck, the media spreading different headlines, and after being caught in public with me, another scandal involving me that could drag her further down into the mud was the last thing she needed. And I didn’t want to scare her away. I wanted to be her safe space. I thought I was. And when we agreed to fake dating… it was because Preston showed up at my doorstep one time while I was away at practice. I made it up, thinking it’d keep him away. That he’d accept she’s moved on. So, we agreed to publicly display it. And somehow, I found myself falling for her each passing day.”

Mason is still quiet, and at this point, it’s beginning to unnerve me. It’s like he’s playing a game. Seeing how long I keep going. But I asked him to let me speak. So, he’s also granting my request.

“When you asked me to end things, I was going to do it. It was a difficult situation, but I knew you wanted the best for her, and you couldn’t trust me to give her that. At first, I made peace with that realization. I made a whole plan. I was going to go to Chicago, come home, and let her go. Then, she flew to Chicago. She showed up in my jersey, and I knew that I was never going to be able to do it. I was gonna call you when I got home. I was gonna tell you the truth and ask you for your blessing. I had it all worked out on the flight back.”

My voice cracks.

“That evening, I walked into an empty house. She’d left a note. And the next morning there was a photo of her and Preston with a ring on her hand, and I…” I stop to clear my throat. “I realized she’s made her choice. You. You’re more important to her, and she’s not wrong.”

My throat tightens again. “I’m sorry. Not for loving her. I’m not sorry for that; I can’t be. I’m sorry I kept it from you. You’ve known me longer than anyone, and you deserved better than that from me.”

I stop.

Mason looks at me for a long moment. Then he exhales slowly, and his shoulders visibly deflate. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

“You know what’s funny…” he says quietly. “I came into this ready to defend her from you. And I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes waiting for the guy I warned her about to show up, and he hasn’t. He’s just not in the room.”

He shakes his head. “You sound different, Easton.”

“Mason…”

“I believe you. All of it. I want you to know that.”

He rubs a hand over his jaw. “The confession alone. Going on record… I read about it, I understood what it cost you, and I knew before you sat down here that the guy who does that isn’t the guy who takes advantage of a woman with nowhere to go.”

Something loosens in my chest for the first time in two weeks. I feel lighter than I did when I walked in.