Page 63 of Housekeeping

34

Mason

Fuck, I was so fucking happy. My life was really moving in the right direction. At first, I’d been angry all the time. When I was a kid growing up, I’d looked up to my aloof older half-brother, to an extent, and I’d also looked up to Dad. Until my older brother left, and suddenly Dad expected me to fill his shoes when I didn’t want to. Dad making me give up my passion and love for rugby in high school had been the last straw for me, and though I’d hidden it all perfectly, I was angry. I was a partier too. It was the coping mechanism I’d picked to help with the resentment I felt toward my dad and my brother.

However, I wasn’t constantly angry or that much of a partier anymore. And I didn’t think I’d be going back to that kind of life in the near or far off future.

So I felt it was the best time to invite Dad over to our new house, where I’d already moved in, then convinced Laura to move in with me as well—not that it was hard because she fell for it just like I did as soon as she saw it. I was out in the front yard when Dad’s car pulled up. He and Mom got out, and she pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before running off with excitement to see her baby’s new house. I’d already sold off my old place and used the proceeds to make the full purchase of the new house, and I’d put the deed in both mine and Laura’s names.

“So this is your new place,” Dad said as he looked where Mom had gone off to, then looked around the yard and the neighborhood. “It’s quiet. Not too far from the city, and not too close either. It’s good.”

I smiled wryly. “As much as I’m grateful for your approval, it doesn’t matter in the long run. I only called you here because there’s something I wanted you to know. I would have told you before…”

“I had to cancel the earlier meeting because something important came up.”

“This is important, too,” I said. But I moved on quickly. I wasn’t trying to pick a fight. “Anyway, this works out much better. I was too busy to come anyway, so it’s a good thing you came to me instead.”

“I heard about the new house and I was curious,” he admitted. “I did ask you to change, but I don’t remember asking you to change this much, Mason.”

“That’s because you didn’t. All that change… I didn’t do it for you. I did it for myself, and for the woman I’m in love with.”

With Dad, there was no point in mincing words, so I was just blurting everything as it came to mind. This was the man I’d learned confidence from though, and usually it was around him my confidence threatened to fail. There was always cracks in it, but what was behind the crack was the hurt, anger, and resentment.

Right then, it was only nervousness. In the end, it wouldn’t matter to me whether he approved of us or not. I was determined to go along with my plans anyway. But it would be nice to receive his approval for once, so I wasn’t always fighting against him, even if only in my head.

“Woman you’re in love with?” Dad repeated, looking unfazed as he raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s certainly not something I expected from you. But I’m listening.”

I hesitated to say more, and I actually had to muster the courage to get the words out. I decided to go the blunt route once more because it was something Dad appreciated.

“I’ve been dating someone,” I said. “Her name is Laura and she’s one of the maids at the hotel, though you probably don’t know who she is. I plan to marry her, and this is the house I bought for us to live in.”

I clamped my lips together before I overshared. Dad didn’t need all the details about Laura and our life together. This much would be okay for him.

“I know who she is,” Dad said, and it surprised me enough that I gaped at him. “You’d be surprised what I know about my employees, at least in this particular hotel. And she’s friends with Emily, your sister has told me so much about her. Including how sick she was.”

This was something I hadn’t expected. My dad, who’d always preached to us about upholding the family tradition, was okay with my intention to marry a hotel maid? I would have thought it would take more convincing than this.

“So… you’re really…”

“She’s a good match,” Dad continued, not waiting for me to finish. “From the little I know about her, and just how much you’ve changed since you started going out with this woman, she is definitely an excellent choice for you. I’ve always worried about you since you were young, Mason, but I also knew that you were going to make it.”

He stepped closer to pat my arm, then walked slowly past me toward the house.

“I know you think I don’t realize, or don’t know… though there was certainly a lot I didn’t know until I talked to Trent. I was hard on all of you boys, and in the end, it seems to have affected all of you negatively in ways I didn’t expect. I didn't know what to do at the time, and the last thing I’d wanted was for you kids to grow up with regret. I know it might be a little late to ask forgiveness, but I’ve always been a father simply looking out for his children, in somewhat unorthodox ways. We aren’t given a guidebook, you know, us parents?”

He began to walk towards the house as he spoke, not waiting for me to interrupt. I didn’t have anything to argue back, and just followed him. In my time with Laura, I’d come to understand at least part of his behavior growing up. If Laura could forgive me for being controlling, then I could definitely do the same for Dad, especially when he looked like he was ready to change his dead-set ways.

We went into the house where I found Laura and Mom sitting at the table together, both with pleasant looks on their faces.

“Honey, you’re up,” I said, walking closer and leaning down to give Laura a peck on the cheek. When Mom pouted at me, I sighed out a chuckle and gave her the same treatment.

“I’m supposed to be moving around little by little, not just staying in bed all day, you know,” Laura returned with a roll of her eyes.

Everything with Laura was taken care of. She’d already had her surgery and gained her clean bill of health from her doctor, as promised. She was still recovering and gaining back her strength before she resumed her life fully, and as I’d promised, I’d stuck with her every step of the way.

“Laura and I are looking at wedding dresses,” Mom said enthusiastically, holding up the tablet she held in her lap. “I’m sorry if I’m being too much, son, but your big brother is taking too long, and he might not even let me plan the wedding…”

I sighed, knowing Mom was saying it all that way just to bait me, and I knew I would let myself be baited anyway.