Chapter 3: A Storm and a Lie

I’d barely been back a few days, and my aunts and uncles were already setting me up with every eligible single in town. I didn’t want to drag things out.

But Elise just couldn’t let go. Before the breakup, she’d turned cold—never answered my calls or texts, never came home for my cooking. She’d only show up when she needed something, acting like she was doing me a favor. I was always on edge, always apologizing.

But after we split, she got clingy, finding any excuse to call. After the last call, she went silent for a week. Meanwhile, I used the money from my apartment to settle in, bought a used SUV, and started the blind-date circuit.

Maple Heights is tiny—every date was either someone I’d gone to school with or a cousin of a friend. One day, at my parents’ urging, I went on another set-up and ran into Jamie Torres. She looked as surprised as I felt. Turns out, she was just there to keep a friend company, but her friend bailed.

We both laughed—at least with each other, there was no awkwardness. I treated Jamie to a burger, showed her around town. Suddenly, the sky opened up and poured. We were soaked, and Jamie’s white shirt and pencil skirt didn’t help. I handed her my jacket and led her to the only motel in town.

No way was I going home—rumors spread like wildfire here. After we checked in, I told Jamie to take a hot shower. I went down the hall and used the restroom hand dryer to try and dry my phone.

Right then, Elise called again. "Mason, where are you? I miss you so much. I’m drunk. If you don’t come get me, you’ll regret it forever."

She sounded totally wasted—slurring her words, barely making sense. I almost asked where she was. But just then, I heard a yelp from the bathroom. "Ow!"

Elise faded from my mind, a thousand miles away. I rushed in. Jamie had slipped and fallen, steam swirling around her. She looked up at me, eyes shining with tears. "Mason, the floor’s so slippery—I hurt my leg. Can you help me up?"

My head told me to grab a towel, but my hand reached for hers. She pulled a little too hard and fell right into my arms. My soaked undershirt clung to my skin, but somehow, in that moment, I felt warm from the inside out.

I swallowed, my voice rough. "Can you stand? Let me get you a towel before you catch a cold."

But Jamie just hugged me tighter. "I can’t, Mason. I like you. Ever since I started at the office. But everyone said you were Elise’s boy toy, told me not to hope. So I waited. Now you’re gone, and we’re from the same town—what are the odds? Even if you don’t like me, just let tonight be my dream, okay?"

Jamie’s honesty hit me right in the gut. I didn’t fight it. That night, I let go.

The storm outside just kept pounding the windows.

Next morning, I woke up alone. Jamie had left a note: "Mason, thank you. No regrets."

I smoked a cigarette, letting the cold air clear my head, then headed home. Right at my door, I ran into my parents—they’d been about to go looking for me since my phone died. Making sure the nosy neighbor wasn’t around, they told me, a little sheepish, that Elise had stopped by.

My parents had met Elise back when things were good. She used to call them Mom and Dad on FaceTime, promised to bring them to the city after we got married. Even after the breakup, they still liked her. As we walked in, they urged me not to be rash, to try talking things out.

When I saw Elise, her eyes were red, and she kept calling my phone. I let out a heavy sigh.

"Elise, why are you here? Is something wrong?"

My voice snapped her back to reality. She rushed into my arms, then shoved me away and started yelling, tossing things around.

"You smell different! This isn’t your usual body wash! Mason, how could you do this to me? You always dropped everything for me! You’ve changed!"

Worried about my parents, I tried to calm her down. "Elise, stop—we broke up. It’s been a while."

But she just kept unraveling, her voice getting higher and higher, until she finally collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"Mason, I’m pregnant. A month along—from our last time. Do we still have a chance? Maybe our baby came back to us."

The shock hit me like a punch to the chest. If she’d shown up just a day earlier, maybe I would’ve taken her back. But… last night, I’d been with…

Memories of Elise and Jamie tangled in my mind. In the end, responsibility won out. I helped Elise up, took her hand, and turned to my parents—who were already beaming, grins stretched wide.

"Mom, Dad, you’re going to be grandparents."

They were ecstatic, started calling relatives left and right. I had to stop them—our families hadn’t even met yet, and we still needed to pick a date. Elise agreed, saying she just wanted to stay for a while, to get away and breathe some fresh air.