“Why? It doesn’t change anything.”

He sighed. “No, I guess it doesn’t. It might help, though.” He was one to talk. Blood or not, he got his stubbornness from the woman sitting across from him.

“I’d rather talk about you. How are you holding up with all of this?”

Scared. Overwhelmed. Angry. “Good. I’m not sure about this new move, though. Buying another restaurant? Now just doesn’t seem like it’s the best time for that.”

This time it was his mom’s turn to sigh. “I’m afraid you’re right, but I also think Isaac can handle it. He knows what he’s doing. If it was the three of you, I wouldn’t doubt it, but with your dad sick, and you…” She took a sip of her coffee. “You don’t want to be here, Mason. I know that. Isaac and your father see it. I know things have been…difficult, but we love you. Alexander’s was supposed to be yours, and I don’t see why that’s changed just because we’re not…” She shook her head as though she couldn’t finish. Guilt swung and kicked at all of Mason’s internal organs.

“That’s not what it is. I left before I knew.” But they’d thought he planned to come back.

“Then what is it?”

Everything. How could he explain to the woman who raised him that he felt trapped? That he felt out of place here, and at Alexander’s? That he’d even felt trapped with Isaac. That he woke up one morning and realized he didn’t know for sure what he wanted, but it wasn’t the life he led. It would only hurt her, only make her feel guilt she didn’t deserve to feel. “It’s nothing. Everything is fine. I should go shower. Isaac and I are meeting soon.”

His mom smiled at that. “The two of you always worked so well together.”

Because all they’d ever really cared about was work. “He’ll always be a part of our lives. He’s as in love with Alexander’s as Dad is. We won’t get back together, though.”

“Are you sure?” She raised a brow the way Mason often did.

“You’re a damn gossip.” He winked at her. “It won’t happen. Plus, I’m seeing someone else.” He went to stand and realized his mistake. Now the questions would come.

“Sit your ass back down, Mason Alexander. You have some explaining to do! How is it my only son is in a relationship and I don’t know about it?”

Her eyes went wide, as though she wasn’t sure if she should have said that, and damned if that didn’t hurt. Mason wasn’t sure if it was because he felt guilty she would be insecure to call him her son, or because he needed her to be confident in who he was, so he himself could be.

“It’s relatively new, and I don’t even know if it’s serious.” Which was the biggest fucking lie he’d told in a long time. He wanted it to be serious with Gavin.

“Bring him around. We’d love to meet him.”

Mason leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’ll see. Things are a little hectic for both of us right now without trying to arrange family meet-ups. I need to go get in the shower before I’m late to meet Isaac.”

Mason reached the kitchen door before he stopped and looked back at her. “I love you, Mom.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “I love you, too, son.”

***

Gavin’s car idled in his mother’s driveway. Mason’s dad’s stroke was a constant reminder that you just never knew what would happen. His parents were older. Neither of them was in the best health. It would kill him if something happened to one of them. Especially with things the way they were now.

After getting out of the car, he headed for the front door, and knocked. He’d done that since the day he moved out—knocked on his parent’s door. It used to surprise him that Braden never did, though he guessed that was pretty normal. His family just had a different kind of relationship than Braden had with his.

It took his mom minutes to get to the door. He heard both locks before it slowly pulled open.

“Oh, Gavin. I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been praying for you. The whole church is praying that you’d be okay and that you’d find your way back home.”

She pulled him into a hug and he closed his eyes, fought the urge to tell her he hadn’t found his way back anywhere. She’d asked him to leave, so he had. He didn’t need their prayers because there was nothing wrong with him.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You thought about what I said. You see what your lifestyle has done, how it caused you to lose your job and threatened your family.”