Don't run from me (Book 3)

Chapter 22: Shoot for the moon

Mason Walton

Her brother came out and looked at me with a raised eyebrow "My mom said we had a guest. Never thought it would be you."

I got on my feet standing casually with my hands in my pocket "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint." I smirked meeting his gaze.

"Look, I don't know you. I only know you're a playboy. If you dare hurt her..."

I didn't let him finish and held out a hand "First of all, I'm not like that. Don't believe everything you hear. Second of all," I looked at Kat and let out a sigh "If anyone is going to be hurt in all of this, it's probably going to be me. So you can relax."

Noah looked at Kate "She's insecure Mason. She believes that she doesn't belong just because we're metis."

"Metis?"

"Yeah, she's neither black nor white, and kids didn't make it easier on her growing up. I believe that's why she's pushing you away."

I run a hand through my hair "Do you think she'll ever change her mind?"

"I don't know. Maybe you'll have to work harder to get her and make her see that she's wrong."

I nodded realizing she was fighting an internal battle with her feelings. She liked me, that was obvious, but her insecurities held her back. It meant I had to change the way I behave around her, I had to show her she mattered no matter what. But didn't she know me at all? Didn't she know that I wouldn't make her feel like an outsider?

"Don't sweat it, man, she really likes you. I know her and I can tell you mean a lot to her. Hell if you didn't she wouldn't have agreed to let you meet us." He chuckled shaking his head.

"Trust me she had no choice in the matter."

"In this house, we always have a choice."

He handed me a beer, "Have you met Scarlett?"

"Briefly." I recalled the morning I met her and chuckled "I was so upset about Kat running away from me all the time that I drank myself to oblivion and showed up at her apartment. The next morning, I met a very angry Scarlett who thought something happened between us."

"Dude, if I were there I would have killed you so, be grateful." We both laughed and I relaxed a little.

"What are you guys laughing about?" Kat collapsed on a chair facing us breathing hard.

"Oh, nothing I was just telling him stories about your childhood."

She sat up straight and swatted his arm with a glare "Don't you dare!" She looked at me "He made everything up."

"He sure did," I chuckled and earned a light punch on my arm as well.

Kat left us and joined her mother in the kitchen to help her. Noah and I spent an hour alone talking about this and that. He was a fun guy to be around and loved to tease his sisters but was very protective of them. He told me a little about his ex-girlfriend. I was surprised he even brought up such a personal matter but it seemed like he needed to rant.

I could understand Noah in a way. He'd been in a long time relationship and even though she didn't cheat on him with someone she cheated on him by leaving after so many promises. It broke him and he didn't want to show it. He acted all tough and all right.

"Look, I know it's hard. I've been cheated on by someone I loved dearly. I thought I'd never get over her, I acted up, had my dad turn against me only seeing a punk of a son." I chuckled "But in the last few days I got my closure. She came to my office and I realized she meant nothing to me anymore."