Moon God Mates

Park

IRIS’ POV:

That familiar feeling is back as I look up and lock eyes with Mason. What is he doing here?

I bend down to meet James’ face, “Hey buddy, why don’t you go play on the slide for a bit? I’ll be right over.”

I make my way over to Mason, nervously fiddling with my hands. I’m not sure how to feel about talking to him after last night. At the mention of me having a kid, he went cold, and his dull expression took over. It was exactly what I was expecting though, at some point all men usually disappear on me. So, this run-in takes me by surprise.

Mason meets me halfway, we sit on the park bench not too far from the playground. Here I can still keep an eye on James chasing the other kids with dirt. I smile and shake my head at James’s high energy before turning my attention to Mason.

“Funny seeing you here. I’m just out for a run.” His voice is smooth and casual but I can hear the nervousness in it.

“Oh, yeah? Do you run here often?” I know the answer to the question before I ask it.

“I do, yeah.” He looks away from me as he answers and I know he is lying. I bring James here every morning and I wouldn’t miss a guy like Mason running around but I decide to shrug it off.

I am still unsure how to feel about Mason being here after his cold reaction last night. I look over to see James has abandoned his mission of chucking dirt at other kids and is now running circles around the playground.

“Iris, I just want to apologize if I was rude last night,” Mason says as he looks at me with a sympathetic smile. I chuckle, “What when you growled at me or when you went cold after finding out I had a kid?” I raise my eyebrows. He looks at me with that, ‘I’m sorry' look and I can’t help but fold.

“Don’t worry about it,” I wave him off.

“Is it normal for you to go around growling at people?” He lets out a hard laugh at my question, and I think I missed the joke here.

“It was more of a grunt, not a growl,” He smiles then looks over at James, “Kid’s got a lot of energy, he must wear you guys out.” I feel his poke at the unasked question. He wants to know if James’ father is in the picture.

“It’s just me, but these park visits help tire him out some.” I smile and we both fall silent watching James run his twentieth lap around the playground.

“So his father isn’t in the picture then?” Mason and I lock eyes and I swear I see hope in him.

“If you’re asking if I am single, the answer is yes.” My cheeks heat the moment I say it and I start fiddling with my hands in my lap. Mason reaches over and puts his hand on mine and it eases my anxiousness immediately.

I feel the tingle throughout my body, and my heart starts beating out of my chest. “Don’t be nervous Iris, you answered the question I was too nervous to ask,” Mason says as our eyes interlock.

“You, nervous?” I huff. “Please look at you, what would you have to be nervous about?”

He has to be kidding. He is perfect in every way, even when he isn’t trying to be. He could just be waking up in the morning, hair unbrushed, teeth unbrushed, and dried drool on the side of his face and still, he would be perfect.

“You. You make me nervous.” He leans in closer, not taking his hand off of my hands that are still sitting in my lap. My eyes travel to his perfect face and land on his full lips. I can’t help but lick my own.

Is he going to kiss me?

I jump away from Mason, pulling my hands out of his grasp, the moment I hear a little giggle.

“Mommy, was you holdin’ hands?”

James sways side to side right in front of us.

I am so embarrassed having gotten caught by my three-year- old I almost facepalm; I was so distracted I didn’t even hear him run over. I'm caught off guard since I've never had a man around James before and I am drawing a blank on how to get myself out of this situation without James asking a million more questions.

Wait, we aren’t even doing anything! “James, this is my friend, Mason.”

James looks over to Mason, “Hi, friend,” then back to me “Mommy can I have a snack?”

“Sure buddy, I pull a fruit bar out of my purse, and open it before handing it over, “Play nice okay?”

“Yes, sir” He salutes me and runs back to the playground. I roll my eyes at him calling me sir. He is really into toy soldiers at the moment, and most of them are sirs; so I kind of just roll with it now.

“I’m sorry.” I turn back to Mason, I didn’t realize how zoned out he was when James came over. He is sitting here with a shocked expression on his face. He looks worse than I did when I walked in on his little house activity last night. Maybe he just isn’t good with kids?

“Are you alright?”