Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male(136)

Cory made his way over to the apartment, and we talked about the funeral arrangements. His mom was still alive, but Cory and I wanted to do this on our own. We wanted to make sure Kat’s home-going was the best tribute to her life that was possible. Who better to make that happen than us?

I felt so much better now that Mimi and Tiny were here. They supported me in anything I needed. Tiny cooked for me and Mimi did everything else. I’ve felt so blessed to have them here I wanted to never let them go. Mason texted me during the day asking if I was okay. He told me he was still handling business. But he told me he would come and see me even if it was for a little while.

I talked Mimi and Tiny into staying with me. I gave up my room to them, and I slept in Kat’s bed. It felt strange smelling her scent on her pillows. I thought I would be able to handle it, but it was that moment that Mason called me.

“Hey you,” I said quietly, trying not to give away how I was feeling, but he didn’t bite.

“You okay, baby?”

I sighed. “I guess so. I just miss her badly.” I took a deep breath and added, “And I wish you were here.”

“You do? Well then open up your door and let me in.”

I sprang up from Kat’s bed and went to my front door. Cory was passed out on the couch. When I opened the door, Mason was standing there in jeans and a t-shirt. I pulled him inside, guided him to Kat’s room, and closed the door.

“When did Cory get here?” Mason asked, trying not to show his jealousy.

I smiled. “He’s been here a while. We were all drinking; him way too much. I told him to sleep on the couch.”

He nodded. “And I take it Mimi and Tiny are in your room?”

“Yeah, I felt really weird having them sleep in here. But now that I’m in here, I feel weird. I see her face everywhere in here, and her smell is everywhere.”

I sat on the bed and looked at the floor. I felt the bed dip next to me, and I heard a bag rustling. I looked up and found Mason pulling out a Cheesecake Factory box and a fork. When he opened the box, I saw a huge chocolate and cream cheesecake. I looked in his smiling face.

“I can’t stay long. I still have some things to do. But I wanted to bring this to you. You want it?”

He forked a piece out and brought it to my lips. I freaking love, love cheesecake, especially from Cheesecake Factory. The fact that he remembered my favorite flavor was making me hot for him. I took the cake and, when it hit my taste buds, I moaned in pleasure.

“Oh, that is good,” I drawled out.

He chuckled.

“Yeah, I thought you might enjoy this.”

He took a few bites. But for the most part, he fed me the entire rather large piece.

We talked a little while he fed me the cake. Even after the cake was gone, we still talked. We were lying on the bed with me in his arms. He was stroking my hair as I talked to him—just listening to me blabber on and on. I told him that we mapped out the arrangements for Kat, with Mimi and Tiny’s help. We had an idea where we wanted to have the services and what funeral home we were going to use.

“We have a meeting with them tomorrow to go over everything.”

“Did you call AB?” he asked me.

“Yes, Cory called him yesterday. He’s meeting us at the funeral home tomorrow. He sounds awful. Mason, have you seen or spoken to him?”

He took a deep breath, and I sat up and looked at him. He had such sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah, I saw him earlier today and…I mean…he’s broken, Max. He lost the woman he loved and an unborn child. I can’t imagine going through what he is feeling right now.”

My eyes grew big. “He told you about the baby?”

He nodded. “Yeah, he said she was only about four weeks pregnant, and they were going to the doctor in a few weeks. He blames himself a little. He thinks he should have stayed or maybe taken her to the doctor.”

“He blames me, doesn’t he?”

He sat up. “Hell no, he doesn’t blame you.”

My shoulders slumped. “Well, I do.”

Mason put his hands to my face. “Allura, this wasn’t your fault. No one could have foreseen this would happen.”

I felt the tears forming before they fell from my eyes. “Mason, I’ve been trained to be a nurse. I should have seen the signs that she was in distress, and I didn’t. I could have taken her to the hospital earlier. But I didn’t, and she died. If I…”

“Allura Maxine Shaw, you listen to me. You are not to blame for this. Nobody blames you, either. Baby, this is a fucked up thing that happened. But I’ve learned that there are so many things that go on in our life that we can’t control, and death is one of them. Kat suffered from migraines all her life, right? Did this time seem any different?”