Chapter 101

Taking a deep breath, Raven stepped out of the car. Damon watched her until she disappeared inside. Before he drove away, he spotted Mason waiting for her. He wanted to run inside and stake his claim on her but he couldn’t. He took a deep, shaky breath and pulled out into traffic, leaving her to face the man who had once been her everything.

The soft chime of the door announced her arrival, and Mason looked up from his seat. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her surprised at how radiant she looked, her pregnancy giving her an ethereal glow that left him momentarily speechless.

He was pretty sure there was more to his feelings than how she looked, but he wasn’t ready to explore that right now; he still had Candice at home, waiting for him.

"Hi," she said, her voice tentative as she approached him.

Mason stood and pulled out a chair for her, his movements stiff but courteous. "Hi."

She smiled faintly and sat down. "Thank you."

They placed their orders, the silence between them stretching uncomfortably. Raven folded her hands on the table, trying to steady her nerves.

"I’m glad you agreed to meet," she said, hearing the awkward tone in her voice. "How are you feeling? Are you following the doctor’s instructions?"

Mason nodded, though his eyes flickered with uncertainty. "I’m fine. And yes, I’ve been keeping up with everything. Candice-"

"That’s good," she replied, but her voice faltered. Hearing the other woman’s name wasn’t something she had prepared for and it stung more than she expected it to.

He chuckled lightly.

"I have to admit; I didn’t expect to feel like a 15-year-old on his first date."

"Me either."

"Okay, let’s get it out of the way. You know Candice and I set a date for the wedding," he began, wincing at the hurt that flashed across her face. "I’ve called it off, at least for now. I need to figure out what’s going on with me."

"That’s probably a good idea."

"I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you since I woke up. I don’t remember anything, and when everyone was telling me that I was married to someone I didn’t know, it was hard."

"I can only imagine."

"I still don’t remember you. I don’t remember us. I wish I did, but… even though my memory is a complete blank, I feel like I know you somehow, I feel like there’s something between us."

"I don’t understand."

"Nor do I," Mason laughed lightly. "I see you in my dreams sometimes but when I wake and try to remember what happened in the dream, it seems to get further away."

"I dream about you sometimes, too," Raven whispered, making way for the drinks the waitress brought over to their table. "Sometimes they’re good dreams; other times they're full of you and Candice the day you woke up."

"Did she fake a pregnancy?" he asked, uncertainty evident.

"We had disagreed and then I found out you slept together. She turned up with a picture and a positive pregnancy test."

"I’m sorry," he looked ashamed even though he didn’t remember anything. "How did I find out the pregnancy was fake?"

"She faked a miscarriage, I think. I was already in Australia so I don't know how you found out. Damon just told me that you discovered Candice was not pregnant."

Mason sat back in his seat and let out a deep breath.

"I only remember being with her. How did we end up getting married?"

Raven sighed and looked at him carefully, trying to decide what his questions meant.

"I was a substitute bride. It was Julie’s idea but we fell in love before you could marry Candice. Charles and my father had promised you to Blair, but you didn’t want to marry her, so we got married, and you found out I was Blair’s sister. Then you found out that Candice had been sleeping with Justin. You saw pictures of them together."

"I wish Dad was still around to talk to. He had a way about him; he always seemed to know what someone needed before they even knew they needed something."

"I know," Raven said, reaching for his hand and squeezing it gently. The feel of his skin against her felt like she had been zapped. "Julie thinks he had been on the phone with you when you had your accident."

Mason stared at their hands and ran his thumb across her knuckles as if all the answers were in her hands.

"Candice lost her mind when I told her I wanted to put the wedding off," he let go of her hand and wrapped his hand around his coffee.

"I'm not surprised; she’s not the most selfless person-" Raven stopped mid-sentence. "Oh my goodness."

"What’s wrong? Is it the babies? Should I call Damon? Should I take you to the hospital?"

Raven laughed when Mason squatted in front of her and looked panicked.

She placed a hand on her belly, her face breaking into a soft smile.

"The babies... they’re kicking."

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," she assured him, taking his hand and guiding it to her stomach.

Mason froze as he felt the faint but distinct movement beneath his palm. A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, a flicker of joy flickering in them.

"Wow," he murmured.

Raven watched him, her heart aching at the sight. For a brief moment, it felt like they were a family, united by the little lives they had created together.

When they were sitting again, after the babies stopped moving, Mason seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"What’s wrong?"

"I tried to make it work with Candice but now, after feeling the babies move, it just doesn’t feel right anymore. When we finally slept together, it was like I was trying to convince myself-"

"You slept with her?" Raven asked.