Sky was holding a piece of bacon, his eyes huge and unblinking as he stared up at Walter.
Mason took another sip, then set down his mug and nodded. “That’s the plan. Sina did a brave thing yesterday and followed her heart, so I decided to get my act together and do the same,” he said simply, earning a hard snort from Walter.
“Couldn’t have figured this all out years ago?”
That made Mason laugh. “We probably could have if we weren’t young and stupid. But that would've made things too easy, and I wouldn’t get to be Sam’s dad.”
“Guess it all worked out the way it was supposed to, then.” Walter grunted in Sky’s direction. “This mean you’re sticking around?”
Sky nodded jerkily. “That’s the plan,” he parroted, looking at Mason anxiously.
Walter let out another pleased grunt. “Good. You don’t need that city nonsense,” he said before turning and stomping back to his stool.
“Good,” Sky mouthed, then shrugged and went back to his bacon.
For Mason, the interaction was miraculous. Walter was one of the more conservative and vocal of the town’s elders. It was the exact sort of moment Mason dreaded whenever he imagined facing his neighbors as a gay man. But instead of degrading Mason or shunning him, Walter had simply verified and accepted their new relationship. It seemed likely that the rest of the town’s older, conservative residents would as well.
“What if you and Sam moved into Sutton House with me?” Sky asked after washing down his bacon with a big gulp of juice.
“Us?” Mason asked, momentarily stunned.
His brain was focused on the word “moved” and instinctively recoiled at the thought. He loved his house. It was where he had experienced some of the best moments of his life, especially his bedroom. They had talked about eventually living together, once things had settled, and they were sure Sam was ready for another big change. But Mason had assumed they'd end up at his place.
“Would you prefer that instead of moving in with us?” Mason was careful to keep his tone neutral so Sky wouldn’t filter his answer.
“I like your housea lot,but we would have more space at Sutton House.”
“That is true…” How could Mason argue with that? The Sutton House had eight bedrooms, a library, a small gym, a pool house, and a large home theater in the basement. “Do you foresee us needing all those rooms? It’s abighouse.”
“No. Definitely not, but I want to ask Kayla to come with me. We’ve been best friends since my first week at Columbia. I wouldn’t have survived in the city without her, and I want to take care of her for a change. And Nadine. She might retire and move to Sutton House if I tell her I’m staying.”
“That would be great!” Mason agreed, tearing up.
Sky looked so pleased with his new plan as he hacked at his dry pancakes with his fork and knife.
“I can get extra fussy when I’m working,” Sky continued. “But we’d have plenty of room, so Sam can play and be as loud as he wants. I can be a cranky hermit in my corner of the house without ruining his fun. It’s his house too. And why remodel a whole suite there and build my dream office if I’m going to move in with you eventually? What if I don’t want to downsize and move to your place later?”
Mason had vowed to give Sky whatever he wanted and owed him after years of confusion and loneliness. He nodded along and silently told himself to suck it up and say yes because Sky was thinking about Sam, as much as he was thinking about himself. He was also thinking about his responsibilities to Sam as his brotheranduncle, and their places in the wider Sutton legacy.
This was different and a bit more complex than introducing a child to a future stepparent. Sky would be Mason’s partner and probably help parent to a degree, but he was also Sam’s brother and uncleanda joint caretaker of the estate and Sam’s inheritance. Sky and Sarina had set aside a generous trust for Sam, but it comforted Mason to know that his son would be raised with an abundance of love and care, not just money.
Once again, Mason was so damn proud of Sky and Sarina for breaking their family’s traumatic cycle and putting themselvesand Samfirst. They were strong, healthy,happypeople who were going to raise a good, caring, and intelligent human who would be a positive force in the world.
“Sure. Let’s move into Sutton House,” Mason said, raising his mug to Sky.
“Awesome. How long do you think it would take to remodel my suite and office and update rooms for you and Sam? I haven’t really paid attention, but there are probably a lot of things that need updating in the house. You and your dad can handle all of that once he’s better, right?”
Mason hummed in confirmation as he ate a bite of his omelette, mentally inspecting the various rooms he had passed through the last few times he was there. “The house is in good shape, overall, but the fixtures haven’t been updated since the 90’s. The furniture and all the decor is Nana’s taste. It would depend on how much you want to leave as-is,” he added, earning a thoughtful squint from Sky.
“We don’t have to rush, and we might as well update everything so it feels like someplace we all want to live, and that Sam can use later. Do you think that will give Sam enough time to adjust to Sina’s move and to us?”
“I think so…” Mason wanted to climb over the table and kiss Sky senseless but settled for his hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed Sky’s knuckles. “It would probably take about a year to do everything you’re talking about. But it means the world to me, seeing how much you care about Sam and how much his happiness matters to you.”
Sky’s brow arched. “He’s my brother,” he said quietly as he leaned forward. “One of these days, our parents’ lies are going to catch up with Sam, but it won’t matter by then. I’ll be here to protect and help him. We’ll be in charge of the estate and decide what it means to be Suttons instead of wondering who we are and if we belong.”
The fork slipped from Mason’s hand, clattering onto the plate as he stared at Sky through blurry, tearful eyes. “Will you marry me?” He hadn’t meant to ask or to do so loudly, but Mason had never loved Sky or admired him more than he did in that moment.
“Probably,” Sky answered and shoved a large bite of pancakes into his mouth, oblivious as he chewed and swallowed. “We should wait for things to calm down with Sina and Lexie and finish the house first.”