Call Me Michigan (25 page)

“Wanna help me prepare breakfast? We can put chocolate chips into the pancake batter,” she offered, and Mason knew that usually this was a special treatment.

“I’m not hungry,” Tim replied, his voice subdued. It almost was as if Taylor had been gone a year instead of barely twelve hours.

Mason’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he got it out, seeing that it was a video Taylor had sent him. He played it loud enough so the two at the table would hear it. Taylor waved frantically at him, beaming.

“Hi, my loves! Tammy and I will be with you in a bit, and I sure hope there’s pancakes and bacon on the table when we get there. Becca, help Grandma with the batter, and Tim, make sure you show Mason how to make the bacon crisp. Mason, I love you. See you in a bit!” She was perfect; there were no other words for it.

Tim and Becca jumped off their chairs and started talking over each other in excitement.

“Upstairs, change your clothes first,” Mason ordered, and the two ran past him, laughing and now bubbling with happiness. He shook his head and joined his mother in the kitchen.

“It was quiet last night with her gone,” she commented.

“Becca got used to Taylor telling her good night. She had the biggest problem falling asleep for the longest time. Tim asked me a million times if his sisters would be okay, and I didn’t know what to tell him. It’s terribly hard saying the right things, but Taylor looks good. I mean she looked super happy over the last months, too, but it’s as if a weight has lifted off her shoulders. I wonder what happened with Bonnie yesterday.”

Stella lowered her eyes, focusing on the flour beneath her hands as she talked. “Taylor is a strong woman, and as much as Bonnie probably thought it would be easy to bully her, your girl has her own mind now. And she took on the responsibility of her siblings. So trust me, nothing will come between them and her again. Ever. Especially not a neglecting mother. Taylor is a woman; the woman you always knew she could be. Only now, she knows it as well,” his mom explained.

It didn’t take long, and the kids charged back into the kitchen; two whirlwinds ready for action. Tim helped Becca up on the counter and then took the pan Stella offered.

Mason decided to wait outside. He wanted a second alone with Taylor, even if it was just to kiss her and make sure that she knew he loved her more than anything and was ready to defend her against whatever came.

As he stepped outside, he had to stare for a second. Soft white flakes floated to the ground, covering it slowly, just in time for Christmas. He knew Taylor had wished for that, and somehow, heaven seemed to send a sign, telling them that everything would be okay.

“Peaceful, isn’t it?”

Mason turned, surprised to see the woman who always occupied his thoughts standing next to him.

“Hi, where ...?”

She pointed at his truck and then grinned. “I cheated and let it roll to a standstill. You looked so peaceful; I didn’t want to disturb you,” she explained, and he took her hand, before deciding differently and pulling her into his arms. With a little nudge, she jumped, wrapping her legs around his hips, and Mason loved feeling her so close. He drowned his right hand in her hair while holding her around the hips with the other. Mason breathed her in as if he hadn’t seen her in forever, and frankly, that was how it felt, too. One look at her face, and he knew things were different. She looked lighter, beaming, and it was as if finally nothing was haunting her anymore.

“Did I mention that I love you?” he wanted to know, kissing her neck where he could reach it, and she nodded.

“You might have a time or two,” she teased, her voice sounding muffled with her nose buried against his shoulder. She held onto him as tight as he held onto her, and it made his heart melt.

“What do we do if we ever have to be separated for longer than a night and you’re home alone? Or I am?”

“It’ll be hell,” she agreed before he had even said it, and they both laughed. He finally put her back down on her feet, framing her face. He searched her eyes, wondering what had gone down but not daring to ask.

“You know, I’m not gonna bite, even if you get curious,” she promised, and he captured her lips in a kiss, taking his time to taste her and make sure she knew exactly how much he had missed her. She molded herself to his body, not leaving an inch of space between them, but then she pulled back and leaned against the wooden handrail framing the porch.

“Okay, tell me then,” he demanded softly, and she crossed her arms.

“She was a bitch, as expected. But it’s funny, when you’re ready to let go, how it hurts a lot less. I’m not sure what she wants, besides finding a way to make her life better, but that’s okay. She was gone this morning before Tammy and I got up, and while I’m sure she’s not gone for good, maybe she understood that approaching us on more civil grounds would get her further.” She shrugged and then crossed her arms in front of her body. Something else was on her mind, and Mason stepped closer, rubbing her arms.

“What else?”

Taylor lowered her eyes and then took a deep breath. “Tamara told me last night that she misses Dad. I wonder if maybe I should try to find him. Not that I’d know where to look,” she admitted, and Mason rested his forehead against hers. As much as he wished he could do magic, finding her father seemed almost impossible.

***

Taylor felt Mason sigh and knew he felt bad for not being able to help her. “This wasn’t about making you feel guilty,” she pointed out, and he gave her a weak smile.

“It’s just that when I finally have you around and can offer you the world, things come up that I cannot do a damn thing about. I can easily take over all the farm work on your farm if you need me to, and I can clean out ten bedrooms if that’s what’s asked, but I cannot keep your mother from being spiteful or make your father reappear,” he whispered, and she laughed.

“And here I thought you were a man who liked challenges,” she teased, only to cuddle into his arms a second later. “Besides, I don’t need you to do any of that. I just need you to listen when I complain about my mother or contemplate my father,” she admitted, and he kissed her forehead, nodding.

“And I’ll always be there to do just that.” Taylor had no doubt about it.

“So … plan for the day; I need to get into town, sign the accounts and the transfers, and then I need to buy some last-minute gifts. I think it’s best to act as normal as possible,” she told him, and he squeezed her hand.

“First, you need to see some people who really missed you.” He winked, and she burst out laughing another time.

“What the hell was that? Becca looked as if someone had died.” She giggled at the memory of his daughter’s face.

“You should’ve seen her walking down the stairs with that face, pulling her stuffed bunny after her.”

“Rora.”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“That stuffed bunny’s name is Rora.” Mason’s brow furrowed in doubt, and she shrugged her shoulders. “I told her that all stuffed animals needed names, and she asked me for examples. I could only come up with Roger Rabbit. So when she wanted to name it that, I told her that surely she could come up with her own name.”

“And Rora is what she came up with?” he asked skeptically, and she nodded.

“I think it most likely was my intonation. I always put the focus on the first two letters of the names. She just went with it. And decided the bunny was clearly a girl then and surprise, Rora loves doing tea parties with Becca’s dolls.”

She couldn’t decipher the emotion in Mason’s eyes, but it looked as if he was ready to devour her.

“She needed you in her life,” he finally stated, and Taylor nodded, cocking her head.

“You both did, cowboy. We knew that already,” she pointed out and then sashayed inside, knowing that Mason was watching her every step.

“Tay!”

“Mom!”

Taylor all but stumbled as Tim and, just shortly after, Becca threw their arms around her legs.

“We missed you so much,” the girl nearly sobbed, and Taylor picked her up.

“I prepared the bacon exactly how you like it, but Mason left me alone, so I had to do it by myself,” Timothy explained and threw an angry glance at Mason, who had entered the house behind her.

“Sorry, buddy, I needed a second alone with Taylor.”

“I know, to push your tongue into her mouth,” the boy stated, rolling her eyes.

“Timothy Collins,” Taylor called, outraged, while she could hear her sister’s giggles in the kitchen. She must’ve slipped inside during the turmoil.

“That’s what they say in school. But I don’t get what should be nice about it. It’s all gross and eww.” The boy shook his head, faking a shudder, and then he left to head back to the cooking.

“Oh no,” Taylor groaned. “We’re getting there. Puberty’s coming!” She hid her face in her hands, already dreading all the talks that would come with it.

“You know, I can always have those talks with him,” Mason offered.

“Or I could.”

Taylor spun around, staring at the shadow in the door that Mason had left open because they hadn’t entered the house far enough before the kids had ambushed her. Everything she had been ready to say was stuck in her throat as her sister rushed passed her, falling around the man’s neck.

“Dad,” her sister squealed, and Taylor could only stare.

“Mister Collins,” Mason greeted him politely, almost stiff.

“Mason, I thought we were on a first-name basis already.” Her father smiled insecurely.

“Why don’t we finally close the door and all settle down in the kitchen and have breakfast? Heavy talks happen best on a full stomach,” Stella announced, joining them in the hall. Taylor couldn’t get around noticing that Tamara all but clung to their father while Taylor had no idea what to think.

“We were, Mister Collins, but until I know you won’t act like your wife did around your daughter, I think I’m going to stick with politeness,” Mason replied, and Taylor went to his side, pushing her hand into his to pacify him. Whatever her father wanted, there was no need to cause a scene when Tamara clearly was over the moon to have him back.

Wayne Collins reclined his head in a small nod. “I can respect that, boy. I’m still gonna stick to calling you Mason.” He grinned, and the corner of Mason’s mouth lifted infinitesimally.

“Fine with me,” her fiancé agreed and then leaned in to kiss Taylor’s hair. “Mom and I’ll prepare the table. Mr. Collins, you’re welcome to join us. The kids tend to prepare too much and eat too little.” Mason smirked, and Stella nodded in agreement.

“Thank you so much. I’ve been driving all night and wouldn’t mind some food,” her father admitted, and Taylor wondered why but decided to agree with Stella. Some things really were better settled with food in their stomachs. Additionally, Taylor wasn’t ready for discussions or confessions. There had been too many in the last few days anyway.

Mason left and took his mom with him, following Tamara, who’d left after a quick kiss to her father’s cheek.

“You’re beautiful, daughter,” her dad finally said, looking at Taylor.

“Life has been treating me well for the last months,” she agreed and then gave him a smile. “It’s good to see you. Seems Santa granted one of the Collins’ girls her Christmas wish.”

Her father stepped forward and opened his arms, and as much as Taylor didn’t want to, she longed for a hug because, contrary to their mother, he seemed to have come with the intention of making peace.

“Daddy,” she whispered and then let him pull her close, breathing in a scent that should be familiar but wasn’t. It’d been too long since they’d seen each other.

“He watches over you like a hawk,” her father whispered, and Taylor didn’t even need to ask, guessing that while Mason had been willing to give them space, he worried things would escalate after all.

“He should; he promised to marry me and therefore be there through the good, the bad, and the disaster,” she replied in a hushed voice and then remembered whom she was hugging. He was one-half of the reason she stayed away from home for twelve years. Clearing her throat, she stepped back.

“Mason Stiles, you want to marry my daughter?” Wayne called out, and Taylor turned to her fiancé, who leaned against the doorframe.

“Doesn’t want to, Dad. He has to. It’s fate. There was never a way around it,” Tamara interrupted and then took their father’s hand and led him away in an obvious attempt to dissolve the tension in the room.

Taylor followed until she stood in front of Mason.

“Some people need forgiveness, huh?” she asked, and he brushed his lips across hers.

“I ain’t gonna forgive him unless I know he’s here to be nice and not tell you how to live your life. I’m happy, though; you figure that letting it rest is the best course of action for you. You’ve been troubled enough by the past,” he agreed, and she gave him a smile.

“Let’s have breakfast. My pancakes are probably cold already.”

He laughed and then kissed her nose. “Stella kept them warm just for you.” He winked, and she couldn’t help but think that maybe in the end everything would work out all right.

The sisters had agreed to keep Wayne around. After a rather busy Christmas Eve that hadn’t been the least bit awkward, contrary to what Mason had expected, everyone had settled down for the night. The house was more than just a little filled, yet Mason couldn’t deny that this felt more like Christmas than anything else ever had. Their little weird patchwork family had fused seamlessly, and he couldn’t help but be glad about that. Becca was currently asleep in Stella’s bed, only too happy to be sharing a bed with her grandma. It was a means to an end because Tamara needed a bed, and they had feared that the kids would’ve kept each other awake all through the night. Midnight was creeping up, and this was the first time Mason had been alone with his future wife in a couple of days.