Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone) (29 page)

“I’m so sorry, Mel. I didn’t want any of this to happen,” I
sobbed.

“I know you didn’t, Claire, but you and Mason both knew
there would be risks. You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

Shaking my head, I gazed at her incredulously. “You don’t
understand. How am I going to get through all of this by myself?”

She snorted and ran her fingers soothingly down the side of
my face. “You’re not by yourself, Claire. You will always have me by your side.
I’ve always been there for you, haven’t I?”

Turning my head away, I closed my eyes and blew out a shaky
breath. “It’s not the same, Mel. I can’t get through all of this without Mason.
He’s the one I need.”

“And I’m right here, Claire,” his voice spoke out.

Gasping, my throat closed up and I froze.
Did I really
just hear his voice? Is he really here?
I didn’t want to get my hopes up in
fear that I had truly lost my mind and was imagining it. I ached for him, my
heart ached for him. My body jerked when a hand reached out and brushed the
hair off my face. It wasn’t Melissa’s soft hands, but large and strong, warm.

Gasping, I grabbed the hand that touched me and held on
tight, feeling the calluses and the broken skin. My eyes burned behind my
closed eyelids and my lips trembled. “Mason?” I wailed, “Is it really you?”

“It’s me, baby. I’m here,” he murmured. As he leaned over
me, I could finally breathe in the intoxicating scent of his skin.
It was
him!

Opening my eyes, I gasped when his face came into focus. He
was beaten and bruised with nasty cuts and gashes everywhere, but he was still
my Mason. “You’re alive,” I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. “I thought
you were dead. When Erick made the call and told whoever to kill you I thought
you were gone when I heard the gunshot. Oh my God, I was so scared.” Squeezing
my eyes shut, I held him tighter and whispered in his ear, “I thought I lost
you forever.”

Mason shook his head and pulled back, putting a finger to my
lips. “What you heard was Ryan’s shot. Before Brody could pull the trigger,
Ryan and his people barged in and got him before he could get me. That was the
shot you heard, baby. I’m so sorry you thought it was me.”

With tears in his eyes, he took my face in his hands and
placed his lips gently across mine. “I thought I lost you, too. After we found
Erick and you were nowhere in sight, I thought I was going to lose my mind.
Then I heard about the call saying that you were at the gym so I rushed over as
soon as I could, but you had already been taken to the hospital. I had no idea
what had happened to you.”

The mention of Erick brought back all of the horrid
memories. I wish I could go through the rest of my life not knowing what
happened, but I needed to know for my own sanity.

“What happened to everyone, Mason? To Wade, Chase … Erick? I
need to know.”

Sighing, Mason gazed down at me warily while Melissa got
quickly to her feet and retreated toward the door. “You know, I think I’m going
to leave you two alone for a while,” she said. “I know there’s a lot you need
to talk about. Do you need anything, both of you?”

I shook my head and smiled and Mason did the same thing
before taking the seat she just vacated. Grasping my hand, Mason closed his
eyes and took a deep breath. “Claire, I didn’t want to have to tell you all of
this so soon. There’s a lot you don’t know about. Are you sure you want to
know?” he asked hesitantly.

With my heart thumping wildly, I licked my dry lips and
nodded quickly. “Yes,” I answered desperately. “Just tell me and get it over
with.”

“Okay,” he agreed sadly, moving closer to the bed. “Here we
go.”

After clearing his throat, he soothingly ran his thumb over
my knuckles and began, “All right, I’ll start with Chase first. If I didn’t
hear your scream I’m sure I would’ve killed him. I let anger and revenge cloud
my judgment from what was truly important. He has a few broken bones, but he’ll
live. He’s been charged with second degree murder for the deaths of Austin and
one of the other fighter’s named Patrick Ross.”

“Does Summer know that you found the guy who killed Austin?”
I asked. “Have you talked to her?”

Mason nodded. “Yeah, she knows. She wants to leave Virginia
and move back to North Carolina to get away for a while. I offered her my house
to rent and possibly to own in the future if she wants it. Once I move my stuff
out, she’s going to move in. It actually saves me from having to sell it once I
come to California.”

Mason lifted my hand to his cheek and closed his eyes,
breathing in deeply. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago I was
devastated and alone thinking he was dead, but now he was in front of me,
breathing … alive. I wasn’t going to ever let him go. “That was really sweet of
you, Mason, to let Summer stay at your house. I know Austin would be proud of
you for finding justice and taking care of her for him. I’m just glad it’s
over.”

“Me too,” he agreed, opening his eyes.

“Now continue with what you were saying and tell me about
Wade. I have a strange feeling you’re leaving the really bad news for last,” I
grumbled.

Mason settled his gaze on our clasped hands and blew out a
shaky breath. When he lifted his gaze to me there was sadness there, but there
was also something else staring back at me … regret. “Wade’s condition wasn’t
looking so good when he was brought in,” he explained, “When I had him in
submission he wasn’t getting the adequate amounts of oxygen to his brain. He
had what you call brain hypoxia. Last I heard, he was awake and actually
talking again, but once he leaves here he’s not going back to that nice,
beautiful house he just bought.”

Yeah, I figured that.
I was almost afraid to ask, but
I did it anyway. “What is being put away for?”

“He was responsible for one of the other fighter’s deaths.
His name was Grayson Hubbard. He’ll be charged with second degree murder,” he
told me.

My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I refused to cry any
for what Wade had become. I wanted to cry for the fun, caring, and passionate
Wade that must’ve died somewhere along the way. He made his bed and now he had
to lie in it. It was disturbing how someone could be good one minute, and then
turn into someone who would kill and sell his soul for money and fame. Deep
down I guess he always had that dark side … he just kept it hidden.

“All right, Mason, enough about Wade. It’s just a reminder
of how I try to see the good in people and then turn up disappointed. I need to
know about Erick now,” I demanded, “and don’t beat around the bush. I want the
truth even if it’s not something I want to hear.”

I already knew it was going to be something I didn’t want
to hear.

Mason licked his lips and sighed. “Erick’s dead, Claire.
Actually his name wasn’t even Erick. Apparently, the information Ryan had been
waiting on came just in time. He had tried to send me a picture of this Michael
Turner before I got picked up to go to the fight, but it never loaded in time
before they took my phone. Erick’s real identity is Michael Turner. He had a
warrant out on his arrest for killing his wife and kidnapping his newborn
daughter. We traced him back to a house out near Wade’s and found his daughter
and a housekeeper there. The housekeeper was taken in for questioning and I
think social services took the little girl away.”

“Oh my God,” I cried.
Madison.

So that’s what happened to Madison’s mother, she was
killed … murdered.
Madison had been through so much and now this; taken
away by the system. She didn’t deserve to be transferred from home to home, and
neither did any of the other children in the world who got tossed around.

Mason was oblivious to my inner turmoil and continued, “So
basically the case of the Ohio deaths has been solved now. Erick was the one
who did it.”

Taking my hands out of Mason’s, I covered my face and
sobbed. I wasn’t crying about Erick’s death, no, I could care less that he was
gone from the world. He needed to be taken out of it, except it was a little
unnerving knowing that I played a part in it even though I was defending
myself. Actually, my heart went out to one person, to a tiny little girl who
deserved so much more than a murderous father who killed her mother and took
her away, only to put her in a dangerous world she didn’t belong in.

Mason pried my hands away and tilted my chin up. “Look, I
don’t know what happened, and I was hoping you would feel comfortable enough to
talk to me about it. Right now, Erick’s death has been ruled an accident. Other
than the broken nose he sustained which I’m assuming is from you, the other
injuries he acquired came from the fall alone. If you’re worried about getting
in trouble you don’t need to be. If anything it was self-defense and there’s no
reason to feel guilty about that. If I had caught him before he fell he’d be
dead anyway. It was inevitable.”

Mason wiped away my tears and pressed his lips softly
against mine. The cut in his lip had to hurt, but he still offered me his
comfort. Pressing his forehead to mine, he breathed me in and nuzzled my nose
with his with a smile on his face.

“After you give your statement to Ryan, I’m taking you home
and never letting you out of my sight again. I’m taking a very long vacation to
figure out what I want to do with my life, but there is one thing I know for
certain.”

“What would that be?”

Taking a seat on the bed, he placed his arms on both sides
of me and leaned close so he could gaze into my eyes. “I want to be with you
every single day, Claire. I want to make love to you and wake up to your
smiling face for as long as I live. One day when we’re ready, I don’t care when
it is, hell, it could be tomorrow for all I care, but I want you to be my wife.
I love you so damn much it hurts. Before, all I’ve ever done is live for the
job. I never even thought I would want a family of my own until you came and
showed me what love could be like and how it felt. You’ve had me addicted ever
since and now I want it all.”

A tear escaped the corner of his eye, but this time he let
it fall without any shame. Hearing those words come from Mason’s mouth was both
shocking and beautiful. He wasn’t a man of voicing feelings so I knew if he
ever did propose it wouldn’t be anything elaborate, but hearing the words alone
come from his lips made it more special than if he proposed on top of the
Eiffel Tower. If he wasn’t in visible pain I would jump out of the bed and into
his arms. I wanted to be his wife more than anything and I wanted it all too …
including a family.

“So, with that being said,” I began with a sly smile, “was
that your idea of a proposal?”

Mason chuckled and I laughed along with him. He nodded
sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck when he replied, “Yeah, I guess it
was. My whole point was to let you know that I’m serious about this and that’s
where I want it to lead. I want a family, Claire. I have no one other than you
and Melissa. I want a son so I can do the things with him like my father did
with me and teach him things.” He grinned at me and winked. “I’ll even let you
tag along if you want.”

Smiling, I could just imagine what it would be like to have
a smaller version of Mason running around. It would happen one day. However,
there was something else I had on my mind that didn’t involve a son, but a
daughter.

“Mason,” I murmured nervously. “I need to talk to you about
something, or better yet something to ask you.” What I wanted to do was a big
decision and I needed his support since we planned on staying together. The
only problem would be the circumstances. I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking
I was so nervous.

Mason furrowed his brows, growing concerned by the wariness
in his eyes. “Claire, you’re shaking, what is it? You know you can talk to me
about anything.”

“What would you say if we had a little girl first instead of
a boy? Would you still love her just as much?”

Incredulously, Mason guffawed and shook his head.
“Seriously, Claire, that’s what you’re all nervous about? Of course, I would
love a girl just as much as a boy. She could be a little dancer just like you
and hopefully get her looks from you too.” He paused for a moment and then his
eyes went wide. “Wait, are you pregnant? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Smiling, I shook my head and laughed. “No, I’m not pregnant.
As soon as you want to have kids of our own I’ll be ready. However, what would
you say if I knew of a little girl who looked just like me, was a dancer, and
also needed a home?”

“If she’s just like you I’d say she sounds amazing, but what
are you getting at?” he asked skeptically.

Taking a deep breath, I sat up in bed and let the tears fall
down my cheeks. With all my heart and soul, I began the story of the little
girl who stole my heart.

“It all begins with a little, curly blonde headed girl in a
purple leotard and pink tutu. Her name is Madison and in the short amount of
time I spent with her she wrapped me around her little finger. She’s going to
need a home, Mason, and I want to give it to her,” I cried.

It didn’t take long for Mason to know who I was talking
about. At first he seemed hesitant, but then he smiled and cupped my face in
his hands. “Well then, let’s go get her.”

Six
Months Later

The ending of The Little Mermaid played on the screen, and
Madison was sound asleep, snoring softly, with her head on my lap. I loved
playing with her little blonde curls and wrapping them around my fingers. It took
three months to get the adoption process finalized and usually it took longer
than that, but given the circumstances we were able to get it rushed. Madison
lived with Mira during those three months, but Mason and I visited with her
almost every weekend so we could spend time with her. It took her a couple of
visits to open up to Mason, but when she did, he fell in love with her and her
with him. To this day, they were inseparable.

“Do you want me to carry her to her room?” Mason whispered.

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

Smiling, he picked her up gently and she squirmed in his
arms, but her little eyes stayed shut. Every night after I’d give her a bath,
we would cuddle on the bed and watch a Disney movie. We’d been doing it now for
the past three months, including Mason. It was actually fun because I liked
watching them and always had when I was growing up. Mason, on the other hand,
endured them solely for Madison. It was sweet that he did it and only made me
fall in love with him more.

When Mason came back into the room, he shut the door quietly
behind him and took his shirt off, throwing it to the floor. I cuddled up next
to him when he got back under the sheets and traced my fingers along the lines
of his well defined stomach muscles. For the past month he’d been training with
Matt Reynolds, who tried every single day to coax him back into fighting for
the UFC. Mason was torn between not knowing what to do or if he’d make the
right decision. I told him to follow his heart and if he did that then he
couldn’t go wrong. He was still undecided.

“Do you know what time it is?” he asked, twirling my wedding
band around on my finger with a mischievous gleam in his eye. We finally said
our vows about two months ago on a crisp, autumn day in our backyard with our
close friends gathered around and little Madison as our flower girl. It was the
perfect day.

“I don’t know,” I answered. “Why don’t you tell me what time
it is? I think I forgot.” I knew very well what time he was referring to, but I
loved playing the game.

Mason growled low in his throat and spread my legs with his
knee. He slid his hand under my shorts and pushed a finger inside, but only
slightly, teasingly. “I would say you know what time it is,” he murmured
gruffly in my ear. “You’re soaking wet.”

He nipped my ear before moving down the bed so he could
grasp my shorts and yank them off my body. He then ripped off my shirt and did
the same with his boxers. Climbing on top of me, he licked a trail around my
nipple, making me gasp in pleasure, and then slid his tongue all the way up to
my neck. When we got married, he told me not to tell him when I decided to stop
my birth control and little did he know I stopped it two weeks ago. I wanted to
tell him, but he was adamant on it being a surprise when I got pregnant.

Mason pushed inside of me gently while rubbing his thumbs up
and down my cheeks as he held my face in his hands. He slowly made love to me
and never took his gaze off my eyes the entire time. One day soon, I was hoping
I’d be able to tell him that our family was about to grow.

Breathing hard, Mason leaned down to kiss me and smiled. “Do
you want to know why I don’t like to take my eyes off of you when I make love
to you?” he asked.

“Yes, tell me,” I breathed, running my hands soothingly down
his back.

“I do it because even to this day I sometimes think this is
all a dream and I’m going to wake up and you’ll be gone. I didn’t deserve a
second chance, but you gave me one. I told you I would fight for your heart and
I will continue to do so for the rest of my life to keep it. Even if I were to
die, I would never stop fighting because what you have in here,” he said,
placing a hand over my heart, “is mine … and I’m never letting it go.”

“Ever …”