mason valmont

Here We Go Again

Already she felt much more at ease, despite there being a lot they needed to talk about still, but for now she was content like this. Her foot traveled the length of his calf and she relished the feeling of his prickly stubble against her cheek. It had been so, so long. Diana didn’t move to look at him, not ready to shift an inch out of his embrace. “I’m sorry too,” she told him sincerely, knowing he deserved the words in return. There was so much said between them in silence that words almost weren’t even necessary; but then, they’d always been like this. There was an inexplicable understanding between the two of them, and words were simply superfluous. Apologies, though, were the only exception. After a minute or two of silent embrace, she finally leaned up and pulled his lips to hers. The kiss was not overtly sexual or filled with lust, but her body ached with how much she missed him, and she poured every ounce of that into it. 

Once his apology had been said, there was really no telling where things would go. He knew that they dneeded to be officially past itall. Once and for all. They deserved to really be free from unnecessary and stupid things that just didn't belong in their life anymore. Mason knew he was wrong for having lost his temper because of an insignificant letter sent by someone even more insignificant. Whatever came after the kiss, a kiss he had been longing for since the day the issue had started, Mason would approach it carefully. He was a bit eager but after the five days, if he didn't take her in at least that much, he would surly go crazy. Not only was it because he missed the feeling of her lips against his, but their physical actions sometimes did a lot more talking than they verbally did. That was always one thing that Mason was glad that they had, sometimes it was the only way that he could tell her how he felt about her. "I missed you," he said after they pulled apart, knowing that she would understand what he meant. They may have been in the same house but their distance with each other had been difficult to deal with. "You have no idea how much."

Here We Go Again

Five days. Five whole days and they had barely spoken to one another and the tension was so thick they could cut it with a knife. Diana hated it, and it wasn’t difficult to tell that Mason did too. But there was so much that remained unsaid, and neither of them wanted to broach the subject. So instead they just carried on in awkward silence, both too stubborn to begin the process of forgiving and making up. It had been five days of curled up on her side of the bed, pretending to be asleep when in reality she could barely sleep at all. The first two nights, neither of them had budged, but by night three she could feel him shift closer to her, however so slightly, and she ached to hold him, but she couldn’t bring herself to give in. Tonight they had been in bed and entire thirty minutes, and the slight shifting on his side told her he was just as restless as she was. Her heart was pounding and she realized she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go on like this. Diana rolled over and scooted close to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her breath hot against his skin. It was as though in two seconds the tension that had set in, the feeling of being on edge, subsided entirely. She said nothing, just held him close for what felt like the first time in ages.

Each breath was heavy, in and out. It wasn't the first time that it felt that way because of the woman who he was sharing a bed with, except this time it wasn't in the way that he usually did. The heavy breathing wasn't in the way he would've wanted it to be either. It was bad, the entire week had been bad. How Mason had survived more than four hundred thousand seconds in tension filled silence was something he couldn't even think about. He hadn't counted the seconds since they had been like this, but he may as well have. Nothing in the past week could ever distract him enough  from the fact that he and his wife weren't on the best of terms. Compared to the lengths they had gone to in the past to avoid each other or to just rip each other to shreds because of a wrong one of the other did-- this was nothing. But back then it much easier for Mason to pretend like he could live with it. Now, he felt like he was on a different level when it came to her and their relationship which hand only deepened since she had decided to run away with him while she was still someone else's wife. He tilted his head in he direction for a second, desperate to pull her close against his body, to feel her warmth...but he couldn't. Or could he? Before he could let himself debate it in his mind the familiar sweet smell of her hair invaded the air immediately around him. Like always, she fit perfectly against him which shouldn't surprised either of them. It was as if they had literally been created to fit together like puzzle pieces. It made sense too, she always had been the missing piece in his life, the piece that brought him happiness he'd never felt before and made him feel like he had a home. She was his home. For the first few seconds he didn't move but eventually slightly shifted so that he could wrap an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said in a whisper. It was all he could say, and needed to at the moment.

Here We Go Again

As soon as Evan and the baby were out the door, Diana plopped down on the couch and rubbed her temples. She needed a drink. The men in her life had always struggled to find their place with one another, but none ever struggled like Mason…and for good reason, admittedly. Throughout their relationship something (or someone) was always in the way, hindering them from being with one another. And there was a time when that someone included Landon. But if Diana was anything, she was fiercely loyal, especially to the boy who had bailed her out more times than she could count long before Mason was ever even in the picture. Despite whatever turn their friendship had taken in the past year or so, she wouldn’t cut him out; it wasn’t in her nature. Still, she should have guessed her husband would react this way. The two of them couldn’t help themselves. Even if a life of domesticity, they were still volatile - it was just who they were, especially when they were together. As upset as she was in the moment, she loved him just as much as she ever did, hostility and all. Deep down, she knew it was only because he loved her so much, and the thought of any other man having her attention drove him mad. It was overwhelming sometimes, how insanely they loved each other. After she’d had a minute to calm down, she went to his office, just slightly opening the door and not going to him, no matter how much her heart told her she should. “I’m still mad at you,” she told him, “And I have no doubt you feel the same. But you should know, it’s still your ring I wear and your last name I have. No one else’s. Not ever.” Diana knew he needed to hear these words, no matter how many times she’d told him. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight Mason.”

It was pathetic how insecure Mason had easily gotten over a stupid letter. If this was how he got with the mere sight of paper then how the hell was he ever expected to handle the sight of the man if he were to ever unexpectedly drop by? There were many stupid, stupid men in the world and Landon Branson was surely stupid enough to visit Diana all the way out here in Tuscany. He was sure that Diana would probably have warned him though to not do something like that. He lost his temper just a few moments ago and dismantled a lamp-- Branson would get the same treatment, only a hundred times worse. That would only mean that they'd end up seeing each other in secret which was probably a much worse scenario than him showing up at their door. A meeting that Mason didn't know about would only make things much worse than they were right now. Mason knew that Diana wouldn't do that to him though, she knew that he had ways of finding out about everything that went on if he chose to. She insisted that there would never be anything more than friendship between her and the person Mason hated more than he hated his worst enemy which was at one point himself. Mason had to believe her, and he did. It was Landon who Mason would never trust, least of all alone with his wife. At the sound of the door opening, he refused to look up at who he knew was Diana. He couldn't even look at her now, and not because he was mad at her..he was mad with himself. Deep down, he knew he was much more wrong about this that she was and for that he couldn't look at her. Like always she had good things to point out. She did have the ring he gave her and his last name..not to mention a daughter. All things that despite not ever wanting to see Branson, he'd love to throw in his face. Mason did have what every other man wished to achieve with her. The bitter look on Branson's face was one he'd love to get a glimpse of. Still, he said nothing at that and only finished off the small amount of liquor in the glass in front of him. "Goodnight."

Here We Go Again

He seemed unfazed by the sound of his little girl crying and that bothered her more than anything he’d said to her. It seemed Diana would always underestimate the effect any mention of her former best friend had on her husband. In her mind it was absurd. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the jealousy - there were plenty of women she hated because they had known her husband intimately, but this was different. Landon and Mason had been friends, as much as Diana may have hated that at one point in her life. What happened between the two of them was a mistake, admitted by both parties, and yet it seemed Mason could not understand that fact. Then, he’d always been jealous, possessive, and she imagined how the idea of anyone taking her away would drive him mad. But the fact was, she was so hopelessly in love with him that no other man would ever even have a chance, and she couldn’t understand why he didn’t see that. Even still, she was angry with him for losing it like he had, for being angry with her when she’d done nothing wrong. After all this time, he still thought someone could take her from him…he still didn’t trust her. And for that, she was so enraged with him she could barely see straight. But the second her gaze fell to her little girl, her eyes and heart softened. “Come here baby,” she cooed, bringing the little girl to rest on her shoulder as she rocked her in her arms and waited for her friend to get here. As soon as Evan arrived, Sophia had calmed down but still hadn’t gone back to sleep. Handing the dark-haired baby to her friend all she said was, “He’s bad,” and her friend understood, asking no questions and leaving with the baby. Taking a few deep breaths, Diana sat down in the rocking chair, trying to calm herself down before she faced him again, if he was even still here at all.

He knew what was coming next, and it was probably for the best. Even if Mason no longer wanted to be on the subject, he was still very much upset and any small thing could probably trigger another bomb. Mason couldn't understand how Diana could continue to defend someone that would disappear whenever he wanted to, and come back just as easily after months of making her worry. That was something that Mason had always tried to ignore because all while that was going on, it felt as if Mason could've disappeared as well and she'd just say that it was best and then she would finally be free oh whatever part of her was being held back. This was someone that Mason didn't trust, even when the man had promised that he was a friend to Mason. He should've known better than to let her guard down too much. Diana had cared for this other person much more than she had for Mason at one point in her life. There had even been a time when she had lived with the guy, and it was a level of domestic that could make anyone believe more than a friendship was going on and the thought of all that made Mason sicker than he already was. Before this new life that Mason and Diana had officially started together, things like that made him want to rip his own insides out. One stupid letter from Branson was all it took to make Mason want to do that again. He headed out of the room, straight for his study where he would hopefully calm down where that letter was out if his sight.

Here We Go Again

Diana knew that look…she knew it all too well and it made a shiver crawl down her spine. Mason hadn’t looked at her like in ages, and it only caused the panic to send her senses into overdrive even more. It had been so long since he’d gone into a rage like this. He jerked the lamp out of the wall and she flinched before it even came crashing down to the ground. It felt like her heart stopped. As soon as the sound of the crash resonated through the house, it was followed by a loud and familiar wailing, one Diana hoped would begin to bring him back to sanity. His face was still red in anger and his eyes were still dark. “And even if he did, it wouldn’t fucking matter. But you will never believe that.” Her words dripped with venom. She was angry with him, but clearly the feeling was mutual. “Don’t,” she said with caution in her tone, firm and unwavering. “She doesn’t need to see you like this.” And with that, she left the room, following the sound of the cries as she pulled her phone out and sent a text to Evan.

And yet she was still not fully getting the point of any of it. Branson would still try and that's the thing that Mason wouldn't want to deal with. He had already been in jail once and a second time around was one that he knew wouldn't be as easy to deal with. What could he even say? "I killed him because he wanted to take my wife away from me." It wouldn't go over well in any country. Diana knew that even if it didn't matter, it would still be a difficult thing for him to deal with because as much as Mason wished it were different he still had a lot of abandonment insecurities. Any chance of losing her and his daughter, even if it were one chance in a billion, it would still be in Mason's mind. He said nothing to her as she left the room knowing that he was the reason why Sophia was now crying. Out of the entire conversation, the one thing that he would agree with without argument was that his daughter didn't need to see him like that. The seconds dragged on as he stood there alone but the anger hadn't lessened as much as he wished it would have when he heard Sophia. 

Here We Go Again

Mason was clearly getting more and more upset by the second, but she had past the point of no return. It was rare these days for them to fight over anything. Their relationship had been so twisted and mangled by their explosive fights in the past it was as though they were tiptoeing through a minefield, doing their best not to detonate on the other. Leave it to Landon to be the purpose behind their first real married fight. “I’m not saying he didn’t make mistakes, I’m just saying he’s not the evil snake you make him out to be.” There was a lot that could be said about their lapse in judgment, the one that caused Mason to hate the other man so much. She could tell him that it was, in fact, a very drunken and distraught Diana who had initiated it…but she imagined that would only throw more fuel onto the fire. She shouldn’t say it…but it just came out. “It was my fault!” she admitted. “I asked him to come with me to my grandparents. And when I found out what they wanted me to do, I dragged him to the guest house, we both got trashed, and I initiated it.” They hadn’t spoken about it since he’d confronted her about it all that time ago. “It wasn’t his fault. It was mine. But we both realized it was a mistake. All he’s ever wanted to do was be there for me. I’m sorry that I can’t just cut him out of my life because you can’t stand him, but I can’t. Stop blaming Landon for something that you should blame me for.” Diana shook her head, knowing she needed to be the level-headed one now, but arguing with him brought back too many memories. She was in fight back, defense mode and she couldn’t bring herself to be the mature one. “You and both know that had nothing to do with the fact that you respected our relationship. You were terrified of feeling anything for me, scared that if you went after me I’d reject you for TK, and you couldn’t handle that. Because even when I broke things off with him and came running to you, you still made me chase you.” Mason finally pushed past her toward the door, and she panicked. “Is this what we do now?!” she asked, trying not to sound hysterical. “You get mad at me so you just leave?” She could feel the fear welling up in her, crashing over her in waves. Diana had watched Mason walk out the door so many times…and most of the time, he never came back. “Fine! Go!” she told him, turning away from him so he could walk out without seeing the tears that were threatening to fall.

He just wasn't going to get it. Diana was the one that couldn't stop for a second to think about why Mason would possibly think that Branson really was that snake he was making him out to be. Before he could continue on his way out, Diana's confession froze him completely and made it impossible to do so much as breathe. Inhale, exhale. No, he really couldn't manage that and his blood boiled more than it ever had. It was her fault that they had slept together. Mason couldn't even think of what options he had to end the argument then and there without bringing the entire house down in the destruction that could come of what she had just confessed. The moment he felt like he had regained the ability to breathe he looked at her with a cold expression that he was sure he hadn't shown her in ears. "Your fault?" he asked, the words barely audible in the middle of the searing rage that was probably easy for his wife to see. "Your fault?" A low chuckle and a shake of his head. "Guess fucking what, Diana?! It doesn't fucking matter who was to blame for all of it! He went along with it, and as drunk as you two might have been a single ounce of a coherent thought could've been lingering in his goddamn brain!" Without thinking he took hold of a lamp that stood on a small dresser and pulled it, ripping the chord from the outlet it was plugged into. "His fault or yours, I would still break this fucking thing against his head and rip his throat out with one of the shards that broke off from it. I would do it because no matter what you or anyone says, I KNOW THAT SON OF A BITCH WOULD FIND A WAY TO COME HERE AND TRY T O CONVINCE YOU TO LEAVE WITH HIM." That's just what it came down to Mason. 

Here We Go Again

So many cruel words were coming to mind, but she did her best to push them away, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire. “I’ve known him for years, practically since I can remember. He’s been there for me through a lot” like times when you were completely ignoring my existence, she thought, but didn’t say out loud, “I know you’d like me to eradicate him from my life entirely like you have, but it’s not that simple. As much as you hate it, I actually care about him. And he cares about you too, even though you refuse to acknowledge that.” Mason was convinced, and had been for a while, that Landon was irrevocably in love with her, a notion that she found absolutely absurd. With the exception of that night, and maybe sometime afterward, their relationship had been practically platonic. “That’s not even fucking fair, Mason! Not to Landon and more importantly not to me. You know how I feel about Landon, but more than that you should know how I feel about you! It’s like even after all this time you still don’t fucking trust me. God, you will never let anyone all the way in, will you? Honestly, what will it take?” By now she was completely exasperated and she was sure there would be some kind of consequences for defending the man Mason had all but made his mortal enemy. But this was an age old fight, one she’d been having with him since what felt like the dawn of time. The walls Mason built up were impenetrable, sometimes even to her, and it frustrated her to no end. Diana truly began to think that there were parts of her husband even she would never know.

Mason couldn't stand to hear anything that justified the things that Branson had done. Honestly, Mason couldn't stand things that justified his pathetic fucking existence. And as he had expected to hear, she would mention that he had been there for her a lot in the past. Something that Branson had done whenever it was convenient. He was there more times than Mason had been, as much as he hated admitting that to himself. For a long time after Diana had slept with him, Mason wondered what game she was trying to play with him. Everyone always adored Branson and talked about how good a man he was; it was a surprise that Diana hadn't ended up marrying him. Mason was sure that Branson would have wanted too as well, if Diana hadn't chosen Mason. "He might've been there for you but he wasn't there all the time. Everyone who thinks he's as pure as you all make him out to be is delusional. He did things out of his own benefit. He just figured you would be available forever." If that poor excuse for a man ever dared step foot in the country with intentions of trying to take her from him, Mason wouldn't hesitate to kill him with his bare hands. Mason knew Diana was aware of that fact too, that should've been more than enough for her to want to approach this situation much more carefully. Mason couldn't deal with it. "It's not you that I don't trust, you have to fucking accept that already. It's him that I don't trust and nothing will make me change my mind. I have more than enough reason to think that. And if you don't agree then think about this... Me, of all people in the fucking work who had no boundaries stayed away from you through your entire relationship with TK. Now take Branson, who slept with you the first chance he fucking got knowing what was going on between us." He moved past her towards the door stopping to look back to her a quick moment, "Or don't think about it. He'll still be Mother fucking Teresa, or a handmade of gold gift from God to you."

Here We Go Again

It didn’t seem matter to Mason that she’d dropped everything, married him on the spur of the moment, dropped everything and moved halfway across the world with him - she began to wonder if it would ever be enough. He asked the question she’d been dreading, and she couldn’t help but wince. “I left a note for him before we left Atlanta. I wasn’t even sure he’d ever get it. But I couldn’t just leave without a single word to him. You may hate him, but he’s still one of my closest friends. I wasn’t just going to…abandon him.” She felt like a fool even as the words fell from her lips, because wasn’t that what he’d done to her? Left without a word, too many times for her to even count? Still, she couldn’t do that to him. Mason meant the words to be spiteful against Landon, but all it did was cause so many of her insecurities to resurface. Diana hated being everyone’s second choice, no one’s top priority. For a while, she was Landon’s even when she wasn’t Mason’s. “Right, of course, who in their right mind would take time out of the busy schedules to write to me of all people?” Perhaps she was overreacting, but so was he. “Do you hear yourself right now? You’re acting like a fucking child. What happened between Landon and I was a mistake, even though you refuse to listen no matter how many times either of us tell you that. I get it. You were hurt, and I’m really sorry, but you have to stop acting like this when it comes to Landon. It’s really fucking immature, Mason.”

He scoffed, really wishing that Diana had just hidden the letter. Maybe it would've been better f he had been oblivious to it for years. It wouldn't be the first time that there were things Diana kept to herself about her and Branson. "You think he'd extend the courtesy and actually say something to you every single time he disappeared. He does it on purpose though. Every time he came back, you'd go to him." Diana was right, he was acting like a child and being immature but they both knew that she would be the exact same way, or maybe worse if there had been someone in Mason's life like Branson was in Diana's. He would never hear the end of it. "Yes, I hear myself perfectly Diana." He hear himself loud and clear. "Forgive me for fucking hating the guy for what happened and the fact that if he were here right now 'visiting' he'd be doing it with the intentions of convincing you to leave with him." It was ridiculous of him to think so but Mason was sure that it wasn't far from the truth. Landon had no respect for it once before and he wouldn't have any again. Both men had matched selfishness. 

Here We Go Again

As soon as she’d seen the envelope, the letters on the front in an immistakable handwriting, she knew to prepare herself for an explosion. Since her little indiscretion over a year ago, Mason had all but declared war on the man who Diana had called her best friend all her life. The relationship between the two men had always been complicated to say the least. They were, after all, in an awkward situation. Landon had been her first real love, the one person she trusted more than anyone else. And while she loved Mason with more intensity, their relationship was still different. There was a comfort and a trust that Diana would always share with Landon that, even after all this time, she still struggled with Mason. But after her first wedding, Landon seemed to make himself less and less available. Now the two hadn’t spoken in months, and he’d practically fallen off the face of the earth. Until today. Before they’d left for Italy, Diana had left him a note at his place, telling him that she was having a baby - it just felt right, but it was of course completely unbeknownst to her husband. For all she knew, he’d never even get it. Clearly she was wrong. Now as she stepped into her bedroom, prepared to unwind with her husband for the night, she froze. She had meant to put it away, not even open it, but she was too late; he’d seen it. He wrote to you. She knew it was still a sore subject for her husband, and she took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever mood he may be in now. “I know,” she said, not paying anymore attention to the ominous envelope on her dresser. “It’s been over a year…” she said, approaching the situation with caution, trying to reason with him, though deep down she knew better.

He should have know this entire time. It was bound to happen and he should've done something about it. But Mason hadn't even put as much thought in it. It had clearly been a mistake on his part. This was the type of thing that would really upset Diana too but she was well aware that Mason hated this guy and wanted her to have nothing to do with him. After all, she did sleep with him when they were technically in a relationship. It had been like an out of it though, for that stupid first marriage she had been through but Mason would have rather let go of her than to find out from some stupid gossip queen that she had slept with someone else after she had promised she would go back to him. Things had turned out in Mason's favor but that didn't mean that he had dismissed what she had done with Branson and forgotten about it. "How does he know where you are?" he asked, raising his voice a bit, but not enough to show exactly how upset he was. He refused to look at her, and it was completely immature of him to do this but at the moment he didn't care. "I'm surprised he's even got the time to write to you. I'm even more surprised that you haven't read it. Why haven't you? He could have gotten shot again and needs you to go coddle him." Or try to get you to sleep with him again.

Christmas Baby

It was impossible to take her eyes off the little girl in her arms and she absolutely positive it was impossible to be anymore elated than she was in that moment. It was as though the world had been off its axis her entire life, and just now things were right once again. How could she possibly love anything more than she loved this little girl? “Sophia,” she whispered to the baby, mother and daughter already seemingly lost in their own world. When they finally entered the real world once again, Diana turned to look at her husband. “Come here, Daddy,” she called him, shifting the baby in her arms. “Come hold her.”

For as long as he could remember, Mason had never really taken interest in children. They weren't a big part of his every day life but that was changing now. A lot of things were going to change and he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't looking forward to seeing where things would go in this new chapter. Sure, it was still just as nerve wrecking as it was exciting. He had no idea what it was like to be a father, and definitely had zero experience in what a good father was like. It was impossible to think about that at the moment though as he watched his wife and the baby girl in her arms. The smile on his lips turned to a grin the longer he watched, already adoring the way Diana said the baby's name. Moving closer to the bed to take a better look, he made no move to actually take her but he wasn't able to help himself for long. Being as careful as possible, he took the baby from Diana's arms hoping that she wouldn't cry at the chance and that he'd be able to hold her properly. "My baby girl," he said as he exhaled a quiet breath. "Sophia."

Christmas Baby

The next hour or so was easily the most grueling of her entire life. When women told about the horror stories of childbirth, there had been no exaggerating, unfortunately for Diana. She way crying out in pain, but still she knew it would all be worth it as soon as she saw that little face she had been dreaming about for months now.  The entire time, she held tightly onto Mason’s hand, using all the strength she had to push. The doctors told her the baby was crowning and she breathed a momentary sigh of relief, even more determined to bring her baby girl into the world. A few more pushes and there was a pause…and then, a cry. The nurses were now rushing around the room, taking the little girl to the corner to wash her off and Diana collapsed back into the bed and eagerly awaited them bringing her baby to her. “I want to see her,” she told Mason, unable to mask her impatience. She had dreamed of this moment, not only since she found out she was pregnant, but for as long as she could remember. After what felt like an eternity, the nurse brought over a pink bundle and laid it in Diana’s arms. The baby had big bright eyes, pink cheeks, and the tiniest fingers she’d ever seen before in her life. Diana felt so overwhelmed with love and affection that she immediately began crying. “She is beautiful, Mason. She’s so perfect.”

The next hour that came was almost nothing but a blur but at the same time it was as if he would be to perfectly keep a photographic memory of it all. It was all something he was sure he would never be able to see or experience. It was completely different for Diana though, that much he was sure of. She was, after all, the one that had to have the baby. He stayed by Diana's side through it all though and was just as anxious to see their newborn baby girl. He would officially be a father once the little girl was born. The second that he heard a cry, one that was no longer a cry of pain from his wife he knew that it had finally all come through. He sighed in relief the moment that the nurses carried the baby away to get her cleaned up, "You'll see her in a second," he said. A few moments later the nurses returned and all he could do was watch as Diana held their baby in her arms. He was unable to keep himself from smiling as he nodded at her words, "She is, of course she is...she's ours."

Forgiven | Diason

Forgiven | Diason