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."

"Nothing at all? You didn't have the urge to hug her? Talk to her?"

I shook my head "Not at all. I wanted her to leave. I couldn't stand her voice or even see her face. I kept thinking about how blind I was to fall for her. I caught on to all her bitchy attitude that everyone kept talking about and I failed to see it when dating her. I'm telling you this because I want you to know that one day, you'll meet the right person for you. You'll meet someone that will put you as a priority in her life, and not a job offer."

"Is that what happened with Kat?"

"No. Well, maybe." I looked toward the house and saw Kat watching us from the kitchen window. Our eyes met and she smiled at me before turning around. "I always had a crush on Kat, since high school. I tried talking to her many times, tried asking her out on dates, sent her flowers, sent her gifts... nothing worked. It was like she was immune to me."

Noah laughed "Yeah, that's typical Kat."

"Don't laugh! It hurt my ego so much!" I chuckled "I gave up after graduation. I was heading toward her and she disappeared. I thought I'll see her at the party but she never showed up. I didn't have her number or email or anything. I tried finding her on social media but couldn't. So I went to college and forgot about her... partly to be honest. I kept asking about her from time to time. I was hopeful again when she walked into a meeting I was having with her boss, and it was like all those old feelings came back to life and swam back to the surface."

"You couldn't have found her on social media; she only activated her Facebook page last year after Pablo gave her an earful. You know Pablo right?"

"The best friend." I smirked "She lied to me about him, telling me he was her boyfriend, but I didn't see the chemistry."

"Pablo is in love with her. She just doesn't see it."

I looked at Noah and shrugged. I already knew that. It was obvious from the way he looked at her at Williams' dinner party. I wasn't threatened by him though. I knew she had no feelings for him, she saw him as a brother so It helped me keep my jealousy at bay.

I joined Kat and Mrs. Johnson as they started dressing the table in the garden and Noah started working on the barbecue. I was starving. Kat and I didn't have lunch, only sandwiches for breakfast and I could hear embarrassing noises coming from my belly. Mr. Johnson came out of the house still wearing a suit. He kissed his wife and greeted his kids before his eyes rested on me.

"I know you." He smiled "You're Zachary's son aren't you?"

I nodded "I'm Mason. Nice to meet you, Mr. Johnson."

"Oh, quit the formalities! Call me Adrian!" He pulled me in a hug and patted my back "How is your dad?"

"He's as good as he can be."

"Well, you'll have to give me his contact, I miss this son of a..."

"Dad!"

Mr. Johnson chuckled patting my back again before excusing himself. He went to take a quick shower before dinner. Kat kept stealing glances at me and blushed whenever I met her eyes. Dinner was simply agreeable. Everything went smoothly and everyone looked happy, even Max who was sitting at Kat's feet. The Johnson family was what I called a modern understanding family. They were more friends than parents and children. I liked the relationship they built. I couldn't say it was similar to mine and my family, even though we were close, it wasn't the same.

What I liked more about them was that they made me feel like they knew me for ages. I didn't feel like an intruder or a guest. I felt like one of them.

Noah teased Kat all evening, and she teased him back without hurting his feelings. It was friendly banter. I could feel Mr. Johnson's gaze on me many times throughout dinner but pretended not to notice. I knew he was wondering about Kat and me, and I wished I could tell him everything, but I knew Kat would bury me alive.

We were all cleaning up after dinner when Mr. Johnson suddenly stopped and looked at us raising an eyebrow. He pointed a fork at us "So you two are dating?"

"We're friends." I blurted out.

"Yeah... just friends," Kat said right after me, and Noah burst into laughter. His parents followed suit and Kat and I looked at each other confusion clear on our faces.

I had no idea what they were laughing about, "What's so funny?"

"You two think you can fool us? Or maybe you're fooling yourselves?" Her dad said picking up a tray filled with dirty dishes.

"I think they are fooling themselves." Her mother said crossing her arms as she smiled at us "And that's exactly why I invited him for dinner, my love."

"I see." Mr. Johnson grinned "Well, I hope this charade doesn't go on for long."

They all went inside leaving Kat and me staring at their disappearing figures.

"What the hell was that? My parents are so weird!"

"No, they aren't." I smiled putting the plate I had in my hands back on the table and took her hands in mine. "They can see what you can't."

"Oh yeah? And what is that Sherlock?"

I shook my head not wanting to tell her. I wanted her to admit it; I wanted her to realize it by herself. I shouldn't be the one to open her eyes, she should be able to tell what her hearts really want and she should try ignoring all her insecurities. But I couldn't be hard on her; after all, I didn't know what she went through to become so insecure and anxious.

"One day, you'll figure it out on your own Katrina Johnson." I leaned down and pecked her lightly on the lips before pulling away leaving her wanting more. "Thank you for this amazing dinner, I had fun and I loved every second of it."

I couldn't read her expression as she swallowed and nodded trying not to meet my eyes. I was about to leave when I remembered the bracelet. I turned around and pulled the satin pouch from my pocket.

"I got you this from the farmer's market. Close your eyes." She couldn't hide her surprise or giddiness as she closed her eyes taking a step closer to me. I clasped the bracelet around her wrist and reluctantly pulled away. "Open up."

"Mason, this is so beautiful! You didn't have to!"

She looked up at me and I could see the stars dancing in her eyes. It made my day to see that I could make her happy with such a small gesture. She was different from them all. She was special.

"Kat, Les Brown said 'shoot for the moon" I touched the moon on her bracelet "' Even if you miss. You'll land among the stars." I looked up at her "As your... friend," the word friend came out with difficulty, "I want you to always shoot for the moon and never give up. Whatever you set your heart to, you can do it." I hated that she just gave up on her dream of being a lawyer, and wanted her to at least try. But I couldn't pressure her into it. It had to come from her. She had to decide to try again and shoot for the moon in order to reach her dreams.

"Oh, Mason!" She hugged me tightly her heart beating so fast I could feel it against my chest. "Thank you, I love it." She pulled back and looked at the bracelet again "What does the sun stand for? And the heart?"

"That's a story for another day..."