Protecting Zoey

Chapter 3: Returning Home

"Did you think Garrett, working as a bouncer could afford a first-class ticket for you?" He asked as they entered the parking garage and walked to a black SUV. "I work for Mr. Pike, and before you ask, Garrett didn't know. I've kept myself scarce around the property so Darren wouldn't notice me."

They got in the SUV and his father began driving. "I need to go to Millie's to drop off my things," Mason stated as his father nodded knowingly.

"I figured it would be too much to ask you to come home the day you got back." He said in a somber tone as they made their way through one of the more run-down areas of the city.

"You figured correctly," Mason replied bluntly looking out over the city and taking notes of the new landscape.

The built-up trash on every corner and the sheer amount of people moving through the streets were almost overwhelming. It took over an hour before they finally arrived in the slimmed-down residential area and the number of people on the streets reduced dramatically allowing them to move faster before eventually reaching Millie's home.

"Millie's out of town, give me a few minutes to drop my bags and we can talk." Mason's tone was gruff but not cold, he knew that everyone made mistakes the last time he was in Impor.

Mason got out of the SUV without giving his father a chance to counter. He grabbed his bags from the back seat and went inside using his phone to unlock the door. As he walked through the house, he couldn't help but admire how well Millie had done for herself. The house was beautiful and spotless, sparsely decorated but there were a few things around that made it feel like her place, at least to him.

He made his way out back and dropped his bags in the pool house before cutting through the side yard and returning to the SUV.

"There's a small coffee shop down the street." His dad stated as they backed out of the driveway.

The drive there was silent and awkward but neither of them had anything they were prepared to say yet. Mason was still angry with both his mother and father over their reaction to Linda and his push to adopt Natalie. Neither of them agreed with him but his mother was the more difficult of the two and said a lot of things he hoped that she regrets.

"I don't know if I'm ready to talk yet," Mason said as they pulled into the coffee shop parking lot.

"I understand, but I need to apologize for my part in what happened." His father replied.

The older man got out of the SUV and Mason followed suit. They made their way into the coffee shop, Mason's father pointed at the table near the wall as he walked up to the counter. Mason walked to the table his father pointed out and took a seat running over the things he needed to ask his father and hoping he could make it through the entire conversation.

Mason's father joined him at the table a few minutes later with two coffee cups in hand. He placed one of the cups in front of Mason before sitting down across from him. They sat there for a few minutes not speaking, just drinking their coffee, and looking around the small shop.

"I'm sorry about what happened," His father finally said with a heavy sadness in his eyes and voice. "I shouldn't have let things play out the way they did. I should have interjected and stopped the situation from escalating. Your mother wanted to be here so she could apologize as well, she regrets most of what she said."

"I'm not sure I can manage that conversation right now," Mason said looking down at the table. "I need some help dad, you know I-"

"I've already started the paperwork," He replied with a soft smile, the same smile Mason had picked up from him over his years of growing up. "It may take a month or two, but I should be able to figure something out."