Lena smiled handing her the coat. “The kitchen?”

“You got it. It’s just down that hall there. You should go and let him know you’re here.”

Nodding once Lena turned and slowly made her way down the narrow hall. On the walls were photos of a young Mason and Rachel through different stages of their lives. There were school pictures and holiday pictures by the Christmas tree, as well as graduation photos with their parents standing by their sides. Then Lena noticed one of a small boy with dark hair, a little too long, flopping down in front of his face as he held up a fish in one hand and had a pole in the other with a smile as bright as the sun. Behind him was a man who had the exact same smile and he had his hand resting on the boys shoulder as though he was the proudest father in the world.

“That was my first fish.”

Lena spun around to see Mason standing in the doorway leaning a shoulder up against the frame. He took her breath away. That same black hair was pushed back, as though he’d run his long fingers through it, and he had a light blue long sleeve buttoned down shirt on which was hidden under a bright red apron that read “Warning: Complaints to the cook may be hazardous to your mouth.”

After reading that warning she looked up to see him grinning at her. “You looked very proud of yourself.”

Pushing off the frame he moved closer and she noticed under the apron he had on a pair of jeans and she hated the fact that she couldn’t wait for him to turn around and walk away just so she could see his ass. He stopped when he reached her cupped her face in his hands then bent down to place a gentle kiss on her mouth. Then smiling and looking over her shoulder at the picture he nodded. “I was very proud of myself. He was to.”

Lena turned back to the picture. “He was very handsome. You look just like him.”

She felt him squeeze her shoulders then say softly in her ear. “Are you trying to tell me I’m handsome Lena?”

Looking back up at him their mouths were close and she smirked, “We were discussing catching fish Langley, not fishing for compliments.”

“I think you find me handsome Lena O’Donnell.”

“I think you need to go and finish making dinner.” she replied trying to keep her eyes on his but finding them slipping to watch his mouth.

“Hmm, admit it. You think I’m sexy.”

Laughing a little she turned fully so she was now looking up into those laughing blue eyes. She reached out and gripped the sides of his apron pulling him down so she could whisper against his mouth. “I think you’re real pretty Langley.”

He frowned down at her. “Pretty? That’s a girly way to describe me. I’m not pretty.”

Biting her bottom lip she smirked at him, “Your right, but now you’re pouting which just makes you look cute and petulant.”

Taking a step away from her he crossed his arms over his chest and Lena thought she may just melt on the spot with the look he was giving her now. “Cute? Pretty? Lena are you trying to emasculate me?”

“No, it’s just with the apron and,” she didn’t even get the rest out before he was pushing her back up against the wall.

“And what? You don’t think a man can wear an apron and still be a man?”

She raised her hands and fingered the WARNING sign across his chest then raised hot eyes to his. “No I don’t think that. I just think this apron should read: WARNING, smoking hot chef. May be detrimental to women’s panties.”

His eyes turned to smoldering in the blink of an eye and he leaned down and whispered against her mouth. “Oh yeah? And how are your panties Lena?”

She was about to tell him they were perilously close to melting, when she heard a cough from behind them. Mason straightened and Lena looked over his shoulder at his sister who was staring at them with a huge grin on her face and her own bright pink apron that read “Cutie Pie” on it.

“If your done macking on the pants suit, your timer is going off.”

Shaking his head he watched her flounce back into the kitchen. Turning back to Lena he smiled down at her and she asked softly. “Saved by the bell?”

Kissing her quickly he nodded then moved back reaching out to take her hand. He tugged her with him into the kitchen and she heard him say softly, “For the moment.”


Dinner was amazing. Mason had cooked lasagna and it was so mouth watering it almost melted the second it hit your tongue. The bread had been made from scratch and the wine was so delicious Lena felt as though she were sitting at one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. They were all seated around a huge dining room table. At the head sat Catherine and off to the left was Wendy, a petite blond lady who had a quick smile and a sharp wit and almost reminded Lena a little of herself. This was the lady responsible for the running of Exquisite. Her husband was next to her and was an average sized man with brown hair and laughing green eyes. They seemed to fit into the group like family and in a way she supposed they were. At the other end of the table sat Mason and she tried really hard not to keep looking at him but it was difficult because every time he laughed or smiled she found her eyes drawn to him like a magnet.

He was amazing to look at. Just so relaxed and free with his smiles it was hard to imagine a time when she hadn’t been anything but absolutely charmed by him. Every now and then his eyes would find hers and she’d be caught staring and his grin would kick up an extra inch. Down next to her sat Rachel, who Lena had decided was slightly ADD but extremely amusing. The woman had pink tipped hair tonight and it was up in a high ponytail and her right ear was lined with earrings. Like her brother she smiled and laughed easily, but unlike her brother she seemed less focused on the serious side of life. She was more willing to be free of any kind of responsibility and just be in the background of the restaurant they both ran together. After what Mason had gone through lately, in part because of her, Lena couldn’t say she blamed her. Next to Rachel sat Charlie, Rachel’s boyfriend, she’d been informed. He was a man of very few words but extremely unique facial expressions. In fact several times she’d caught Mason almost laughing at the look on Charlie’s face, and she had to admit she was close behind him. It was almost as though his face was made from rubber and his eyebrows could fly right off his head. Lena started to suspect some of the things Mason would say were to get him to pull a certain face and that made it even harder for Lena not to laugh.

“So Lena?” Catherine asked from the head of the table. Lena turned her gaze toward the direction her name had been called and smiled. “I heard you went down to the restaurant the other night with your mother. I would’ve loved to have met her. Maybe we could have a family dinner sometime with your parents.”


“Mother, stop meddling.” Lena heard Mason say softly.

“Oh I’m not meddling love. I just think it’d be nice to meet them since I’ve known their daughter for so long.”

“And now that she’s boinking your son.” Rachel added.

“Rachel!” Catherine admonished and Lena could feel her face turning ten shades of red. Mason started to laugh and Lena whipped her head around to glare at him, and that seemed to only make him laugh harder. Then she was mortified to hear Catherine cough a little and say, “Well yes, and there is that now too.”

“Oh my God.” Lena groaned putting her hands over her face. “This isn’t happening.”

“I assure you it is.” she heard Mason whisper right beside her ear, she peeked at him from behind her hand.

“I’m going to kill your sister.”

He grinned and tapped her nose. “Oh I don’t know, you look good this shade of red.”

“Mason stop harassing the girl. Lena, it’s fine Rachel likes to embarrass us all.”

“Yeah and she embarrasses herself the most with those hair choices.” Mason added with a huge smile in his sister’s direction.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“Honestly,” Wendy spoke up looking toward Lena, “She does this to us all. She announced to everyone in the kitchen one night that I was suffering a bad back due to the hot sex I’d had the night before, which I’d mentioned in confidence.”

“Well in my defense.” Rachel spoke up, “I figured it was only fair to warn the staff, that although you were bitchy and to proud to ask for help, you needed it.”

Lena couldn’t help it then, she turned to face Mason and burst out laughing. “Your family is crazy.”

He nodded and took her hand squeezing it tightly, “Yep, and I wouldn’t have them any other way. Welcome to the circus.”


Half an hour later Lena walked into the house and found Catherine by the sink. She came up beside her and took a towel from the oven and started to dry the dishes.

“This is my part of the night. The kids cook and I clean.” she told her smiling widely.

“You’re lucky. If I remember right, my mom use to cook and clean.” Lena paused then looked out the window to the back porch where the rest of the group was sitting, laughing and smiling. She watched as Mason leaned over and punched his sister lightly on the arm and for a moment she truly envied him. His ease with his family, the fact he could joke around with his sister and then this woman, who stood beside her watching her kids with a warm smile.

“You really care about him, don’t you?”

Lena turned to face Catherine and nodded slowly, “More than I ever expected if I’m being honest.”

“Well he is easy to love.” She looked up at Lena and grinned, “But I may be biased.”

Laughing softly Lena picked up a plate running a towel over it, “You may be biased, but you’re right. He’s a good man. I don’t know how we ended up here. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Ahh yes. Stubborn and persistent, just like his father.”

Lena put the plate aside then asked softly, “Have you told them about your heart?”

Not taking her eyes from the window she watched as Catherine shook her head slowly and responded in a soft voice. “No. They don’t need to know that. They’ll just worry unnecessarily.”

Lena took a deep breath and pushed a little further, “Don’t you think they’d want to know? So they could help you in some way. Prepare for,” she was cut off by Catherine turning big eyes to her.

“Prepare for what? Me to die? We don’t know it’ll happen for sure and we sure don’t know when.”

“But,” Lena tried.

“There are no buts here Lena. I watched them loose their father that way, knowing was agony. I don’t want to do that to them.” she smiled fondly out the window. “Plus I could be here in five years watching Mason with your baby telling you, I told you they didn’t need to know.”

Lena picked up another plate feeling that Catherine no longer wished to discuss the issue and looked out the window. She felt her eyes tear up and was amazed to find that out of that whole statement the most monumentally disturbing part wasn’t the thought of having Mason’s child, but the thought that Catherine wouldn’t be there to see them.


Mason watched his mother and Lena come out from the kitchen. He thought his mother looked a little tense and wondered why. Looking at Lena he didn’t sense she was upset, she just seemed quieter than she’d been earlier. He would have to remember to ask her about it later. She came over and sat down beside him on one of the outdoor love seats. Reaching over he took her hand, smiling at her when she turned to him. “You okay?”

Nodding she squeezed his fingers a little tighter, “I’ve never been happier than right at this moment.”

“Really? Because you look a little sad.”

Her smile changed then and morphed from a half smile to something he’d never seen on her, a confused look.

“Do I? I don’t mean to be. If anything, it’s sad things can’t stay exactly as they are right this second.”

He snuggled in putting an arm around her. “So you’re enjoying yourself then?”

Tilting her head she leaned in and kissed his lips, “Every second.”

He was about to respond when he heard her beeper go off. She sighed and reached down into her bag. Pulling it out he watched her brow come down to form a serious frown line then she reached up and rubbed a hand over her eyes.

“I’m so sorry. I need to go to the hospital, one of my patients, Robbie.”

“That little boy?” Mason asked watching as she stood pulling the bag over her shoulder.

She nodded at him then smoothed her hands down her thighs, “Yes. He’s taken a turn for the worse. That was Shelly letting me know his parents have been asking for me.”