Chapter 39 - Day 2: The Trip

Mason was woken up by the strong aroma of coffee being brewed. He sat up from the hard floor and his back ached. He tried to massaged his shoulders to soothe them from pain. His neck was also in pain as he rotated his head around.

Kelsey watched him in amusement and chuckled. "Didn't I tell you last night that you are gonna get a backache in the morning?" She reminded him as he groaned in response. He still couldn't take it when other people were right.

Kelsey strolled towards him and placed the cup of coffee on the centre table. She sat on the couch and started massaging his shoulders. Mason sighed in contentment as her hands did the magic to his aching back. "Why did you sleep on the floor, anyway? You said so yourself, there's a king size bed in the room." She asked him.

"Because..." He dragged on, trying to enjoy the massage he, for once, was getting for free. He usually had to go to a massage therapist every three months when he wasn't too busy from work to relax and eased his body.

"Because?..." Kelsey pushed on the topic.

Mason took hold of her hands from his shoulders and turned around, forming an 'X' with his arms. "Because I wanted to sleep next to you." He simply answered but it made Kelsey's stomach flipped in giddiness. "Because I wanted to make sure you wouldn't disappear from my sight." He added.

Both could feel the growing steaming tension in the room. Mason was so tempted to pull her close for a kiss but he was afraid that he would only drive her away. He knew he had to take it slow with her. Because she wasn't just any woman, she was someone special to him and he had to treat her right. For the first time, he found himself acting like a true gentleman.

"Why are you saying all these corny, cheesy lines early in the morning?" She kidded, breaking the tension between the two of them. Mason laughed and gently released her hands. "I think you just need some coffee." She stated as she beckoned her head towards the cup of coffee she placed on the centre table.

Mason took a sip of the coffee and smiled. "Thanks for the coffee, babe." He gratefully said as he kissed her on the forehead. Before Kelsey could even respond, Mason had already left with the coffee in his hand.

~ * ~ * ~

Mason had a series of activities he had planned for the both of them the entire day. Right after breakfast, Mason dragged her to the rooftop of the hotel. To say that Kelsey was surprised was an understatement. There was a helicopter at the rooftop with a pilot inside. They were practically ready to board.

Kelsey gaped at Mason in disbelief but he only beamed at her and pulled her towards the copter. They boarded, strapped their seat belts on and placed the headphones on their ears. It was Kelsey's very first time flying and she had mixed feelings about it. She was excited but she felt nauseous as well. She held onto the chair as the copter started ascending from the rooftop.

Mason glanced at her and saw the horrific look on her face, making his smile falter. "Something wrong?" He asked her worriedly. "Are you not feeling well?" He yelled so that she could clearly hear his voice that was being muffled by the loud sound of the copter.

Kelsey gulped and took a deep breath before answering. "This is my first time flying." She admitted and wondered if he was going to laugh at how ridiculous she was being. However, Mason did the opposite. He shot her a reassuring smile and held her hand.

"Don't worry." He told her. "Nothing's gonna happen. You're safe. The view will make it all worth it." He stated as she nodded her head to inform him that she was feeling a bit better.

Soon enough, they were flying over the sea and the isolated islands around the resort. Kelsey gasped as she gazed at the beautiful view she was seeing. The terrified feeling was soon washed and replaced with pure happiness and enjoyment. "It's beautiful." She yelled over to Mason. She screamed in excitement and pointed at everything that interested her. Mason couldn't help but chuckle every now and then as she excitedly jumped around. From a girl who was terrified of flying for the first time, she sure didn't look like one. He was just glad that the fear left her and she was now practically squealing and admiring everything that she saw.

After a thirty minute ride of looking at the sights from the sky, they finally landed and made a quick stop to their hotel room to get changed to their swimwear. Mason announced that they were going to spend the rest of the day by the beach.

Kelsey put on her sky blue two-piece bathing suit and placed a white sundress with yellow flowers on it to cover her body and placed her hair into a messy bun. She slightly opened the door of the bathroom and peeked through the small opening. Mason's back was facing her and he was changing his shirt from the grey one he was wearing this morning to a white one. He was also wearing a black swimwear shorts that ended at the bottom of his knees. Kelsey waited for him to finish changing so she could come out when Mason spoke up.

"Do you just have a habit of watching me change?" He teased and turned around to shoot her a smirk. Kelsey gasped and fell forward as the door swung open. It was a good thing she was holding tightly on the doorknob that she didn't fall on her face.

She quickly recovered from the little trip and straightened herself. She cleared her throat and placed her entangled her hands together at her front. "I wasn't watching. I was waiting." She smartly retorted and Mason sneakered. "Besides, you walked in on me the first time." She explained, remembering the moment they had back home in the walk-in-closet when she was getting a change of clothes for the night.

"Okay, okay, Mrs. King. Don't get all smart on me now." He absentmindedly said but Kelsey caught on those two words.

"Mrs. King?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, faltering the smile on his lips. Mason had unconsciously called her 'Mrs. King' and he didn't know why.

Mason stared at her, trying to come up with a good reason why those words slipped out of his mouth. When he came up with nothing, he simply shrugged his shoulders and waved her off. "Let's go!" He said as he took his sunglasses on the nightstand and left the room, leaving an amused Kelsey. She had no clue why but she loved the idea of being called Mrs. King.

~ * ~ * ~

Mason and Kelsey spent their whole day on the beach. They rode a private ferry owned by Mason and swam in the middle of the beach. And for the first time ever, Kelsey tried to surf. They had a lot of fun the entire day to last a lifetime.

Kelsey didn't also miss Mason's odd actions. The whole day, Mason would either hold her hand, wrap an arm around her, pull her into a hug, or randomly kiss the top of her head. They were all sweet gestures that was causing Kelsey to be pulled in into a deeper hole that she was already in. She was afraid that by the end of the trip, everything was going to go back to normal and he would act cold towards her again. She really wished no such thing happen. She was putting her heart on the line and it was her very first time doing so.

Kelsey felt the exhaustion kicked in late in the afternoon at around five o'clock. She sat on the sand with her legs pulled towards her and she had her arms laying on top of it. She tiredly placed her head on her arms that was resting on her knees and briefly closed her eyes.

The next time she opened her eyes, Mason was sitting next to her, staring at the waves of the water. "Did you have fun today?" He asked as he sensed her eyes watching him.

She smiled as she remembered what they did throughout the day. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun. What about you?"

Mason turned his head towards her and beamed. "I had a lot of fun as well. I'm glad we took this vacation." He said as he unknowingly placed an arm around her. He pulled her closer against his side and rested his head on top of hers, which was resting on his chest.

Kelsey didn't bother pulling away and just enjoyed the moment. In case this was the last time they would ever get intimate, she would just enjoy every second of it. "Mason?" She spoke up.

"Mhmm..." He answered as exhaustion also sank in him.

"Can I ask you a question?" Mason glanced down at her in curiosity, trying to figure out what was inside that pretty head of hers.

"What is it?" He lazily replied.

"You and your father..." She started and Mason already knew where the conversation was going. He didn't interrupt her though, he let her finish her question. "What's the issue between the two of you?"

Mason didn't know what occurred in him but he suddenly had the urge to tell her the truth. He wanted her to know and it was very unusual of him to confide to people. He was a reserved person and he was not the one who tells his problems with others. So what made Kelsey so different? he thought.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer it. I know it's a very personal question." Kelsey said, interrupting his thoughts. She pulled away from him to shot him a reassuring smile that pronounced that everything was going to be alright.

Mason pulled her back in and tightly placed a secure arm around her tiny body. He liked the feeling of her body against his. It made him feel satisfied and complete, feelings he had never felt before.

"Victoria's not my biological mother." He blurted out causing Kelsey's head to snapped up towards his face. She had a very surprised expression on her face, eyes bulging and mouth slightly agape. Mason chuckled at her adorable face and couldn't resist but placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You're cute when you're confuse." He commented, but clearly, Kelsey was still in turmoil and had not recovered by his revelation yet.

Kelsey tried wrapping the idea around her head but it really wouldn't sink in. "Are you telling the truth? If you're just messing with me, Mason, it's not a good joke." She warned him with pointed, accusing eyes.

Mason's grin turned into a small smile as he fixed his eyes on the water ahead of him. "I wish I was joking." He said and Kelsey saw the sincerity in his tone.

Was he being serious? She thought in completely and utterly confusion. She saw how Victoria and Mason were with each other. She wouldn't even doubt one bit that they were blood related. But how could it be? A lot of question ran through Kelsey's head and Mason could tell she wanted answers as he briefly glanced at her baffled face.

Mason pulled her into an embrace once again and got comfortable. "Long story short, I'm an illegitimate child." He announced as Kelsey listened to every word he uttered.

"Dad had a one-night-stand with my mother. She used to work as a waitress in a bar and I guess my father took interest in her." He said and continued on. "I was a mistake, I was cursed by the sin my parents had committed. And I guess I paid for their mistake pretty well." He laughed humourlessly with a pain expression on his face as he relived the moment in his head. He hated it when people see his weak side. But with Kelsey, he didn't feel like he needed to hide beneath his façade.

Grace was walking along the streets of the suburb area towards her workplace. She worked as a housemaid for one of the wealthy houses in the neighbourhood. Since she was a single mother, she really needed to work hard to sustain the both of them and made sure her son was going to school.

It was early morning and a little kid was playing on the front yard of one of the houses. A car was passing by when the ball of the kid rolled towards the road. Grace saw the little kid walked towards the road, ready to pick the ball up. The mother of the child had her back turned since she was planting a new orchid on the front lawn. Grace saw the car coming and it was meters away from hitting the little boy on the road.

Out of impulse as a mother, Grace sprinted towards the boy and quickly picked him up. She jumped to the front lawn with her back hitting the grass so the kid didn't get hurt.

The car abruptly stopped when the driver saw the incident. The mother of the child came running and checked if her son was all well. The kid cried and the mother cooed him and told him that everything was going to be alright.

"Are you okay?" The mother asked Grace as she squatted to her level. Grace only nodded her head and smiled at the little boy.

"What's important is that he is safe." Grace told her. The woman gratefully smiled at her and thanked her.

The owner came out of the car and strode towards the front lawn, where Grace was still laying down on. "I'm so sorry miss, my driver mustn't have seen the boy. Is he okay?" He asked the mother of the child.

"He is fine, thanks to this kind woman." The mother said, gesturing to Grace.

The man glanced down at the woman by the ground and paled at her sight. He knew her all too well. He remembered her from that night he had been trying to forget all these years. Seven years had already passed but the sin he had committed against his wife was still fresh and forever embedded in his head.

Grace's eyes widened as the father of her child stood in front of her in a branded suit and an expensive watch. She had been trying to find him after their one night together to informed him about her pregnancy. But the stupidity in her forgot to asked him for his name. It was just a casual fling but Grace still wanted to tell him about their son.

Grace attempted to stand but lost her balance as the pain surged through her ankle. Edward was quick to catch her arm, preventing her from falling. He gently placed her on the grass and checked her ankle. "I am very sorry, ma'am!" The driver apologized worriedly. "Do you need any medical help? Should we bring you to the hospital?" He asked in panic.

Grace rapidly shook her head knowing that she couldn't afford the additional bills if she went to the hospital. "No, I'm fine." She said and shot them a reassuring smile.

But Edward had a different idea. He picked her up and a little squeal escaped her mouth. "Sir, please put me down." She awkwardly commanded him but he merely ignored her as he took giant strode towards the car.

"Is your son okay? Do you want to get him check in the hospital as well?" Edward asked the mother of the child once he had deposited Grace in the car.

"He's fine, sir. My husband is coming home soon, we'll take him then." She told him as Edward nodded his head and climbed in the car next to Grace.

"Hospital, Vince." Edward ordered his driver and they drove in silence towards the hospital.

"Sir, I'm really fine." She spoke firmly, remembering that she would be late for work if she went to the hospital now. Not only would she get additional bills from the hospital costs, but she also wasn't getting paid by not coming to work. "Please pull over." She nicely asked the driver and he warily glanced over the rear mirror to see if boss approved.

Edward shook his head and the Vince sighed. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I think we really need to get your ankle check."

Grace slumped back to the seat and sighed in defeat. She worriedly rubbed her forehead with her fingers trying to soothe the headache that was starting to form. Edward glanced at the woman and he knew he shouldn't have gotten involved. He should've let her leave and he should've ran away when he had the chance. But there was something about her that pulled him back. Edward loved his wife, there was no doubt in that. But he also couldn't help but feel concern over the woman sitting beside him. 'Was it because of the one night they shared together?' He thought.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Grace got checked by the doctor and got an x-ray. She didn't fracture any bone, just a minor sprained ankle. She was laying down on one of the emergency bed after the nurse had wrapped her foot with a gauze. The nurse told her to wait to ask the doctor if she could get discharged.

Meanwhile, Edward was on the phone with his assistant, telling him that he had to come back in thirty minutes for his meeting with one of the board of directors. Edward glanced at Grace and saw that she was fine. He sighed before speaking. "I have to go. I'm really sorry about your ankle. Don't worry about the bills, I've had it covered." He informed her and she felt relieved that she didn't have to pay the hospital bills.

Edward turned around and was about to leave but Grace took hold of his hand. Edward stopped abruptly and slowly glanced down at their entangled hands. He then glanced at her and studied her face. "Do you need anything else?" He asked her.

Grace gulped and moved her eyes away from him. She didn't know if she was going to see him again. The least thing she could do now was at least tell him about their son. He deserved to know about his existence and their son needed a father. "I really have to go." Edward said letting go of her hand, but Grace tugged on his hand again.

Edward sighed in annoyance and glared at her. "What is it? I don't have all day." He impatiently told her. Grace bit the corner of her lips in anxiousness and took a deep breath. 'It's now or never.' She chanted to herself.

"That night..." She started, fixing her eyes on her wrapped up ankle. "When we-"

"Look, I really don't wanna talk about it. It was a mistake and I'm sorry for what I've done to you." He said cutting her off. He didn't need her to remind of that night. He regretted his action and he wished he could go back in time and stopped himself from committing a sin.

"But I want you-"

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go." He interrupted and pulled his hand away from hers.

"What about our son?" Grace blurted, suddenly stopping him from walking any further. He was frozen in his spot and Edward could feel the anxiousness sinking in him. He didn't know if he heard her right, he was just hoping that he was mistaken for what he had heard. "Don't you want to meet your son?" She asked him.

Edward tried wrapping the idea of having a child with her around his head. That night was a mistake, a sin that he had been wanting to bury deep. 'But why is this woman saying such nonsense?' He thought annoyingly.

Edward turned around and glared at her with his fierce, accusing eyes. "My son?" He ridiculously repeated, laughing humourlessly at her terrible scheme. The least thing he needed was a woman chasing after him for his money. "What exactly is it that you want from me? Money? A house? A car?"

Grace felt her blood rushing through her body and all she saw was red. 'What kind of woman do this man think I am?' She thought bitterly as she intently glared at the obnoxious man in front of her. Grace scoffed and sat up from the bed.