The room fell into an eerie silence.

Aurora Jones saw the shock in his eyes, but she didn’t pull away. She just sat there, quietly meeting his gaze.

A long pause.

Then, Mason Jackson buried his face in her lap, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Aurora had never seen Mason so emotionally unstable before. But she knew when he lost it, he really lost it—completely reckless, completely out of control.

So, she spoke again. “Mason, I don’t need you fighting ...