Chapter 21: I Have You, I Have Everything

*REAL HADLEY'S POV*

After Mason and I kiss, I feel like we have some things to discuss, but he pulls away with one thing on his mind...(it's not that, dirty minds!)

"Where is she?" He asks.  

Uh-oh.  He has a look on his face that I very rarely see.  I guess it's pretty obvious by now that our relationship works because I'm the hot-head and he's the one that's pretty much always even Stevens, but not today...he looks like he's out for blood...and he runs through the house until he finds what he's looking for.  It's all I can do to keep up.

He finds her in the study.  He opens his mouth and a booming, authoritative, angry, (and damn sexy) voice comes out directed at Briana, "Who are you?"

She looks frightened and cowers away, and I feel a tad sorry for her.  She's used to men being abusive to her and I can relate, but the bitch is in my body...call me shallow (if you dare) but that trumps everything that has ever happened to her.

"Ma-mason, it's m-m-me...Hadley," she stutters, "you can't tell me you believe anything she is telling you?"

He sneers (damn is he mad!), "Please, she didn't tell me a thing.  I figured it out...and I only wish I did it sooner.  It doesn't matter, look, you're going to give my wife her body back, then you're going to get the hell out of my house."

It's her turn to sneer, "Even if I agreed to that, I don't have a clue how to do it.  It's not like I did all this on purpose..."

"Don't even pretend to act innocent in this.  How long have you known you weren't my wife?"

"Um..." She looks up and looks like she's counting, "I don't know..."

"More than a few months?" he urges her on.

"Um..."

"I would take that as a yes," I chime in, "for the record, I have only known for a couple days."

I step up and start talking to her, "Look, we need to get this straightened out."

"No, there's nothing to straighten out," she says, "I'm not going back to my shitty life - no way."

"You don't have a choice," Mason says.

She raises her eyebrow and smirks, "You've got that wrong.  It seems like you're the one that doesn't have a choice.  What are you going to do?  Throw me out?  This is my house, we are together...as far as everyone else knows, I am Hadley."

Before I can stop myself, I slap her across the face.  

"Man, I've been waiting for two days to do that."  

Of course, now my hand hurts, and the slap didn't have quite the power it did in my body.  In response, she slaps me.  Ouch!  Damn!

"Careful little girl," she taunts, "I'm in the shemale body now."

My instincts are to jump her, but I'll likely get my ass kicked.

Mason tries to step in, "Look, just work with us.  We'll protect you from Trevor..."

I swear, the woman is beyond reason, "forget it.  I was a loser before.  Now I'm on top of the world.  There's no way I'm going back."

Mason grits his teeth, "It's not going to be like it was.  You're never going to have me."

"It seems to me that you don't have much choice, Mason.  What is everyone going to think if Butterfly Acres' favorite couple isn't together anymore?"

We're at a stand-still.  She's not budging, we don't know how to switch back even if she agreed.  There's only one conclusion I can think of.

Mason is glaring at her, but I put my hand on his arm, "It's okay, let me deal with it.  Briana, what do you want?"

"Your life - all of it, the house, the fame, Mason..."

"You can have it - all of it - except Mason."

Mason gives me a confused look, "Baby, we can fight this.  We can get..."

"No, no, it's not worth it.  I'm sick of fighting...I don't care about everything else - I just want you." I tell him.

"But baby, it's your body...it's your life...it's..."

"Do you love me?" I ask him, "Even looking like this?"

"Of course," he replies, "I would love you if you looked like a baboon's ass, you know that."

"Then that's all that matters." I tell him, trying my best to give him a look that means business.

"So let me get this straight..." she starts, "you're willing to give me everything - the house, the money - the fame?"

"Everyone will still think you're me - Evie knows and I'm sure our family will realize it, but I'll make sure they don't say anything.  As far as everyone else will know, you're me." I tell her.

"I don't understand..."she says.

"Neither do I," Mason chimes in.

I turn to him, "I have wasted too much of my time being away from you.  I don't care if we're living in a box as long as I'm with you."

He starts to protest, "Baby, it's too much..."

"It's really not," I tell him.

"You're giving up everything for me..." He says, looking pitiful, actually.

"Why is this surprising you?" I ask him, "All I care about is you.  Our children are grown, I don't have to worry about them, and they will know anyway...everyone that matters will know."

He sighs, "I don't know if I can let you..."

I raise my eyebrow, "Since when have you let me do anything?  You know good and well that when I decide something, that's it."

He sighs again, "What about the money?  We have worked so hard..."

"You'll still have your job, I can paint, I can farm, we'll be fine." I answer, "Anything else?"

Another sigh, "I don't guess so."

I look back to her, "Do we have a deal?"

"How would this work?" she asks.

"We would leave - you can keep the house, and it would be just like you and Mason split up." I explain.

"What about Keely?" she asks, obviously concerned for her daughter.

"She can stay with you.  I'll sign whatever I need to so that you can adopt her." I tell her.

"What about money?" She asks.

"It's yours..." I tell her.

"But what if I run out?  What will I do?  Without Mason's income..."

I glare at her, "If you can run through our savings, coming up with new money will be up to you, but you're more resourceful than you give yourself credit for.  You have that horse, enter her in contests, make appearances.  You can make enough money to live on."

"You're really willing to give up everything...for each other?" She looks bewildered, but honestly it seems the only logical solution to me, at least right now.

"I don't even have to think about it," I reply.

She looks at Mason because he has only spoken up against it thus far, but he looks at me and back at her before replying, "Not even for a minute."

She looks at me for a second, not believing it, I'm assuming.

"So when would you leave?"

"Right now," I tell her, "Tonight."

"Okay, deal."

I turn to Mason, even though I'm not in my old body and we're giving up our house, our money, our reputations, Mason's ruining his because I'm sure he will look like a cheater, being in a new relationship so soon after his "divorce", but I look at him and I know that he doesn't care.

As for me, she might have everything else, but I have all that matters.

 I have him, so I have everything.

He takes my hand and says, "Let's go."