The moment you answered the phone, Mason’s voice rang out loud and clear through the speaker.

"Someone was about to get in some serious trouble here."

You glanced behind you, and sure enough, your brother was standing there, rolling his eyes as he heard Mason's teasing tone.

"Don't you have a class or something?" he asked, sarcastic as always.

Mason didn’t miss a beat. "Don’t you have work or something, old man?"

A few seconds of silence passed before he added, "Course I have a class, I'm on my way. This is my pep talk time." He paused, likely expecting your brother to argue.

Your brother’s eyes narrowed. "She doesn’t need a pep talk."

Mason chuckled darkly. "Who said she did? I’m the one about to take a fifty-question exam. Feel bad for me, Parker, 'cause your sister won’t."

You heard your brother scoff as he walked off, clearly done with the exchange, but Mason wasn’t finished yet.

"Good," he muttered as he leaned in closer to the speaker, his voice dropping into that familiar, intimate tone. "Let’s start over."

"Good morning, baby."

The sudden shift in his demeanor was enough to make your heart skip a beat. There was always something about how he could go from teasing to serious in a second, and you couldn’t help but feel the weight of those words.

"Morning," you replied, a smile tugging at your lips.

"Ready for me to finally give you the pep talk you need?" he teased, but the warmth in his voice didn’t hide how much he cared.