Mason Blackwood was spotting an overgrown stubble on his chin. Save for his lankiness and dull skin, he looked fairly the same. He was spending more time out of prison. Although it was in a courtroom, it was more than he could ask for. He lay on a thin mattress, his hands behind his head, as he stared up at the ceiling. The cell was dark save for the streaks of light from the hall that reflected in the room. The prison was uncharacteristically silent. It would have been complete stillness if his roommate did not snore so loud.Mason loved the early hours of the morning. It was the only time when the guards and wardens were not shouting out orders, the inmates were not issuing threats, laughing loudly, or doing whatever they liked. He liked to think it helped him think clearly, but if he was honest with himself, there was nothing on his mind.At first there was, he was dealing with lots of emotions at once. Anger, hope, regret, and sadness. He was angry at Henry, and Eric for landing hi

Ashley was humming and moving her body to the sound of the music that filled the large kitchen when Henry burst through the doors. She almost knocked the tray of vegetables off the counter. "Henry!"He had his phone in the air. A confused expression on his face. "My phone is ringing."She stared at him in puzzlement. "So...""My dad is calling!" he replied in surprise.Her face softened. "Take the call then.""No!" he said suddenly. "I mean, yes, of course I want to, but what should I say to him?""Henry," she said, washing her hands and wiping them with a napkin. "You need to take the call." The phone stopped ringing at that moment. "Only then can you know what to say to him.""Why is he calling, though?""There are a lot of reasons why he could be calling. Maybe he wants to just check up on you and everyone else in the family, or there could be something really important he wants to tell you. You cannot know until you talk to him."Henry held her gaze before releasing a deep breath.

Eric could feel his heart beat hard against his chest. It had never been this way before. Home was where he felt more at peace and loved. He had been away from home for only seven months, yet it felt like years. He was sitting in his favorite position. A small cushion positioned opposite the chair in which his father usually sat. He had always felt like the favorite, and even though he wasn’t the oldest, he believed he was his father’s heir. Of course, he had never let his thoughts out in the open. Now, as he sat on the chair and stared at the vacant seat from across the room, he realized the emotions he usually felt were lacking. The difference between then and now was that there was no sad aura hanging above their heads. It had always been all joy and love.His back was stiff from sitting upright for too long, it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, but it felt like tortuous hours. His hands were clammy from sweating. He rubbed them against his knees."What did Mr. Pratt say?"

"Do you want to talk, Adrian?" she asked out of the blue.Adrian stared into her kind eyes. He shook his head. "How do you do it?"She smiled sheepishly."How do you always know when something is wrong with me?"She shrugged. "Anyone who cares about you can tell. So tell me...""It is about Stephanie."Her eyes widened in shock. "What did you do? Did you break her heart? How dare you?" she whisper-yelled in his face.Adrian raised his hands in surrender. "Woah! Woah! Slow down. One question at a time. Firstly, I didn’t do anything. Secondly, I didn’t break her heart; how could I? I am madly in love with that woman. Thirdly..." He placed his hand on his chest. "I wouldn’t dare."Ashley sighed in relief. "So what about her?""We had a little misunderstanding. I want more for us." He massaged his temples. "It is a scary thought, but I do want more for us, much more than I have ever wanted with anyone. Quite frankly, I didn’t think that I would ever want to be committed to a woman. I didn

"I am glad you all came." Natasha said. She passed a plate to Ashley, who dried it."I am also happy we did," she replied with a smile. "It makes me happy to see Henry spend time with his father, especially with all that has been happening."She sighed. "You cannot imagine how much this means to Elijah. It has been a long time coming. For years, he would beat himself up for not reaching out,and even though I urged him to, he was too scared to reach out. You should see how elated he was when Henry called."Ashley grinned."He made plans ahead of time, double checked, and obsessed over every little detail. He was ready by eight in the morning and sitting in the living room waiting to see his son and grandson," she sighed in relief. "I never knew this day would come."Ashley nodded. "I didn’t realize how much Henry was hurting and how much he needed to heal until I met his family, they are the most vile people I have been unfortunate to meet. I am glad he now has a real family and a budd