One Indecent Night

by Hargrove, A. M.

  I thought about it for a minute. This could actually lead to more amazing sex. I reached for my e-reader on the nightstand and opened it to one of my bookmarks. “Here you go.” Then I waited. His eyes glowed and he grinned. Then I learned something. Evan was a speed reader. He was flying through the pages like crazy.

  “Are you done?” I asked.

  “With six chapters. Your duke is a total kink hound.” He rolled on his side. “Is that what you’re in to?”

  “Not BDSM, no.”

  “But the other stuff?” A smile tugged at his lips as his brows arched. He was waiting for my answer.

  “Yeah, I’m game for some of it. To be honest, when I read it, it turned me on.”

  “Nice. Passionate, sensuous, and curious about things. I love that. I’d love exploring this, if you’re interested.”

  “Yeah, I would. As long as it doesn’t get too kinky.”

  “We’ve already done the flogging. I think a few more toys might be in order.”

  A few more toys? I wondered what he had in mind.

  “What kind?” I asked.

  “Just leave that to me, my kinky duchess. You won’t be sorry,” he said, leaning down to suck my nipple. With that as an entry, I knew he was right.

  Forty-One

  Evan

  On Christmas Day, we expected the worst and got more. Sylvie woke up early and fixed the food she’d promised to take. She made some sweet potato concoction that was delicious, fresh green beans, and mashed potatoes. She put those in a crock pot to keep them warm. Then she made a special dessert. It was called fake pumpkin cheesecake that she didn’t have to bake. I helped her peel the potatoes, both sweet and regular, and prepare the green beans for cooking.

  We loaded everything up and drove to her parents. Her sisters were already there, and the only thing we had to do was pop the sweet potatoes in the oven for thirty minutes and bake. Her mom became unreasonably upset over that.

  “Sylvie, you knew my oven would be full.”

  “But I asked you yesterday, Mom, and you said it’d be fine. I’ll run them back home and bake them.”

  Piper ran interference by suggesting she microwave them.

  “The dish won’t fit,” Sylvie said.

  “Can you put them in a different one?”

  They rummaged through Cindy’s things and found one. Problem solved. Fifteen minutes later, we were ready to eat. It was very strange because her mom acted like the food Nazi, wanting to serve dinner immediately. There was no casual talk or banter. We all took seats at the table and John said the blessing.

  We’d been eating for about twenty minutes when Cindy stared at me and asked, “Well, who are you, young man?”

  Sylvie nudged my leg with hers, as we were sitting next to each other. “Mom, this is Evan Thomas. You remember him from Pearson’s wedding? I brought him here before Thanksgiving to meet you and Dad.”

  “Pearson got married?”

  Sylvie just went along with it. “Yeah, in the islands at the beginning of the month. Evan was in the wedding.”

  Then it seemed like she wanted to cover up her faux pas, so she said, “Of course. And how are you, Ervin?”

  Reynolds sputtered out a laugh. “Gee, Mom, his name is Evan.”

  Cindy scowled. “That’s what I said. And mind your manners. You’re not supposed to disrespect your elders.”

  Reynolds’ brows knitted as she stared at her mom. She glanced at Sylvie as Sylvie shook her head slightly.

  “Anyone want some turkey?” John asked.

  “I do,” Piper said.

  “I second that,” Sylvie answered.

  “It smells delicious,” I added. “And thank you for inviting me. This all looks wonderful.”

  “Thank you for coming, Evan,” John said. Cindy looked at me in confusion but said nothing.

  I thought I’d add something nice, so I said, “You have a lovely home, Cindy.”

  “It can be if I can just get the girls to tidy up their rooms. Never a day goes by that I’m not making up their beds. You know how teenagers are.”

  Clearly, that had been the wrong thing to say. Everyone looked up. John grimaced, Piper was embarrassed and started to say something, but Sylvie ran a finger across her throat, telling her to cut it.

  “Is there any gravy?” Reynolds asked.

  Cindy’s eyes lasered in on Sylvie. “Didn’t you bring it, Sylvie?”

  “Oh, I forgot.” Sylvie squeezed my thigh this time. She never mentioned making gravy, so I was sure she didn’t forget it.

  “Can’t I rely on you for anything? What is going on over in that devil’s den of yours? You’re not getting enough church in your life.” Cindy’s face contorted in anger.

  “Now Cindy, let’s not ruin our delicious dinner,” John said gently, trying to calm her down.

  “And how am I doing that? I only speak the truth. You know how I told you your daughter is talking like a hussy on the phone. That’s why she didn’t make the gravy. How could she, spending all her time whoring about town?”

  Sylvie’s jaw tightened as her cheeks flushed. She turned toward her father, so I couldn’t see their interchange. Piper and Reynolds looked as if they’d been struck by lightning.

  “You know, I think there may be some gravy in the kitchen after all. Let me check,” John said, getting out of his chair.

  “And how would it have gotten there? By magic?” Cindy asked.

  Reynolds laughed awkwardly and said, “I do have a magic unicorn.”

  “Young lady, that’s not funny.” Cindy pointed her fork at Reynolds.

  “But Mom, don’t you remember that stuffed unicorn I loved when I was a kid? You told me it could do all kinds of magic.”

  Cindy stared at her with a puzzled expression, and then her hands rubbed her temples as she shoved her chair away from the table. How could she be angry with Reynolds for saying something like that?

  She stood but didn’t get very far because about two feet from the table she collapsed on the floor in a heap.

  “Oh my God, Mom. Are you okay?” Sylvie ran to her and picked up her hand. “Dad! Mom fainted.”

  John hurried into the dining room and checked her pulse to see if she was breathing, which she was. Then Cindy’s eyelids fluttered open.

  “What’s going on?” She came to and didn’t remember fainting.

  Sylvie said, “Should we call 911?”

  “What for?” Cindy asked.

  “Mom, you passed out and don’t remember. Something’s not right,” Sylvie told her.

  John was holding her hand and said, “She’s right, Cindy. We should get you checked out.”

  “Nonsense. I just got out of the chair too fast.”

  “Fine, if that’s all it is, I’ll be happy. But I’m not comfortable with letting it go. It could be your heart and I don’t want to take a chance, dear.”

  All the girls were on his side. Reynolds said, “You don’t have a choice. We’re making you go, Mom.”

  “But what about all this food?”

  Sylvie volunteered, “I’ll put everything away and we’ll meet you there.”

  She grunted her objection but finally agreed. John hustled her out to the car, with Reynolds and Piper on their heels, before she could change her mind. Sylvie and I stayed behind to fulfill the food duties. Then we were on the way to the hospital.

  “Call Grey,” I said.

  “I don’t want to interrupt his Christmas. They may be in the middle of gift opening with the kids.”

  “I doubt it. Those kids probably woke up at the crack of dawn and they don’t eat until later. It would be nice to have his input. If you don’t do it, I will.”

  “Okay.” She made the call and he immediately said he was on his way.

  When we got there, John, Piper, and Reynolds were in the waiting room, trying to persuade Cindy to stay. A few minutes later, Grey and Pearson walked in.

  “Aunt Cindy, tell me what happened.” He took her hand and his professi
onalism got through to her.

  “My goodness, they’re making a big fuss over nothing.”

  “Don’t you think you need to let the doctors decide that?” Grey smiled warmly at her.

  “Well, I only had a slight fainting spell.”

  “Hang on a second,” Grey said, patting her hand. He walked to the desk, exchanged a few words with the receptionist, and came back. “Uncle John, Aunt Cindy, follow me.”

  The three of them went through the Do Not Enter door marked for employees. Grey had his key card that allowed them entry. No doubt, he was using his clout to push her through the red tape faster. I was also sure he would see to it she didn’t have any heart issues either.

  I walked Pearson to the side when he said, “Grey’s worried about her heart.”

  “I was just thinking that. But then there’s the dementia issue. Did you mention it to Grey?”

  “No, because I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”

  “I’m sure John will. After what I witnessed in the short time I was with her, there’s definitely something going on.”

  Sylvie joined us then. I explained how Grey was concerned about her heart. “I figured he would be with her fainting like that. But she’s totally confused too. I’m not sure how Dad’s been coping, to be honest. Do you mind if we sit with my sisters? I need to tell them too.”

  When she told Piper and Reynolds, they weren’t at all surprised, given the way their mother had acted during dinner.

  “I guess now we find out if what happened today was related. I hope Dad tells Grey about it,” Sylvie said.

  “I’m sure he will,” I said.

  We sat and waited, and that was the most difficult thing in the world. Grey came out about an hour later to give us an update.

  “It’s not her heart.”

  “Grey, did Dad tell you about how she’s been lately?”

  “Yeah, he did, Sylvie, and that’s what I was going to tell you. She’s going to have a CT scan, an MRI and an MRA. I wanted to make sure her heart was fine first, with the way she just passed out. It could’ve been an arrhythmia and I wanted to rule that out before we moved on. She’s in line for the CT scan now.”

  “What’s an MRA?” Piper asked.

  “The same as an MRI but they look at the arteries in the brain to make sure she’s not having mild strokes, or TIA’s—transient ischemic attacks. They are usually the precursor to the big one.”

  “I see,” I said. “And then what?”

  “If those come back normal, the neurologist will test her for dementia. And honestly, that’s out of my ballpark. I called in a friend and he’s examining her now.”

  Sylvie touched his arm and said, “Thanks, Grey. I hated to disrupt your Christmas with the kids and all.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re family. If you hadn’t called, I’d have been pissed. Let me go back in and I’ll give you an update as soon as I’m able.”

  Everyone called out their thanks as he left. The next hour and a half dragged by. We talked ourselves out with funny stories from when we were kids, trying to cheer each other up. The waiting room kept getting more and more crowded as the afternoon wore on. Pearson called Rose to keep his family up to date as well.

  I let my own parents know what was going on. They were expecting us soon, but it looked like we may not make it there after all. They were fine, considering the situation with Sylvie’s mom, not to mention we’d had dinner with them last night.

  Grey finally returned, but the haunted look in his eyes told me the news was grim. Our group moved to an unoccupied corner.

  “I told Uncle John I was going to tell you the same thing that the neurologist just told him. The results of the MRA were fine, but the results of the CT scan and MRI weren’t. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but it appears Aunt Cindy has a brain tumor.”

  Forty-Two

  Sylvie

  The words brain tumor tumbled around in my head before I could latch onto them.

  Reynolds was the one who said, “A brain tumor. Is she going to die?”

  Us girls all huddled together, with Evan on my right and Pearson on Piper’s left, which left Reynolds in the middle. Grey crouched down in front of us and took Reynolds’ hands.

  “We don’t know anything conclusive yet. She’s going in for another CT scan in a few minutes, so we can determine if there are any metastases to the lungs.”

  My hands covered my mouth as I inhaled a sharp breath. This was so unexpected I couldn’t accept it. “Lungs? The brain? If both are involved, what kind of chance does she have?”

  “Again, this is out of my league, so it’s best that we wait for the test results to come in. But, and I’ve already told Uncle John this. I would highly recommend her going to the city for treatment if it does come back a malignant tumor.”

  Piper grabbed Grey’s hand. “You mean there’s a possibility it may be benign?”

  “Yes, but due to the size and location, Ben thinks it’s most likely malignant. I don’t want to give you any false hopes.”

  “Ben?” Pearson asked.

  “Sorry. Ben Abrams. He’s the neurologist I called in.”

  “Would surgery be an option?” I asked.

  “Again, it’s too soon to tell.”

  “Does Mom know?” Reynolds asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Oh, my God. Poor Dad. All this time he’s been thinking it was dementia and it was a brain tumor. Shit. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.”

  “You ladies will need to do your best to support him because he’s very upset right now—not just with this news, but with what you said, Sylvie.”

  Evan took my hand and said, “Grey, if you need anything, call me. And you know what I mean.”

  I wasn’t sure what he was implying, but Grey nodded. I would ask him later.

  “Oh, and one other thing. We’ll be admitting Aunt Cindy, so if one of you could pack a bag for her and bring it to the hospital, I’m sure your dad would appreciate it.”

  I immediately volunteered to do it. “Evan, you can take me to my place, and I’ll get my car. That way you can go to your parents, for a while. There’s no sense in you hanging around here.”

  He laced his fingers with mine and said, “Let’s discuss this on the way.”

  We told everyone goodbye and headed to his car.

  “Babe, I’m not leaving you for a second.”

  “I love that you want to be with me and offer your support. It means more than I can say. But there isn’t much for you to do and your parents deserve some of you too.”

  Right before we got into his car, he pulled me up against the broad expanse of his chest and said, “Mom and Dad are already aware of what’s going on. I don’t want to leave you alone. You have enough to shoulder already.”

  My arms had already wound around his waist and I loved his warmth. Hating to let him go, but knowing we needed to get a move on, I said, “It’ll only be for an hour, two at the most. I think we can manage that. Don’t you?”

  He studied me with his leaf green eyes and his gaze reached into my heart. It was strange, but I knew this was bringing us closer together.

  “You win. I’ll go, but I won’t stay longer than two hours. You have my word.”

  “It will be better this way too because Piper and Reynolds need a car. They came with Dad and I imagine he’ll stay longer, or even spend the night. I may as well bring him a change of clothes too.”

  Evan helped me into the car and off we drove. I had him take me home so I could get my car.

  “You’re sure about this?”

  “Yes. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I kissed him as I got out of his car.

  “Don’t do that. It’s my job to assist you.”

  “You mean get out of a car? Jeez, Evan, I’ve been doing that my whole life.”

  “True, but that was before you had me around.”

  “Okay, but I’m fully capable of getting out of a car. Now go. And tell your parents I�
��m really sorry.”

  “Seriously, Sylvie. Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. See you in a little bit. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I climbed into my brand new SUV and went back to Mom and Dad’s. When I got to their room, I figured it would only take a few minutes to pack bags for them. It did for Dad. Mom was another story. Her drawers were a mess. Nothing made sense to what was in them. I found shoes in her underwear drawer, makeup stashed in her sock drawer, and things stuffed in places I couldn’t believe. She’d always been so neat and tidy, at first it shocked me and then I got super upset.

  It made me wonder how Dad had missed all this. Hadn’t he checked in here when he’d put the laundry away or had he left all that to her? And if so, how had she even managed to accomplish that task? And then there was the matter of her closet. I could see how he’d missed that since they each had their own, but I found everything but the kitchen sink stashed in there.

  “Mom, I should’ve known something bad was going on when you started acting so nutty. Now I feel horrible about all this,” I said through sobs. Between this and my pregnancy, I was going to have a red clown-like nose forever.

  It took me ages to find her pajamas. My phone rang while I was hunting them down. It was Piper.

  “Where are you?”

  “Pipe, you wouldn’t believe this place. Her room’s a wreck. I can’t find a thing in here.”

  “How did she ever get dressed?”

  “I’ve no idea.”

  “Okay, we were just worried. Give us a call when you leave.”

  “I will.”

  After I hung up, I began my search, and it was then I noticed her clues. There were sticky notes with arrows on them. But she’d put them in places where Dad wouldn’t see. She knew something was up and was trying to hide it. But why? Maybe she suspected dementia as well and it frightened her.

  I found the first one in the drawer by her toothbrush. I followed it and it took me to her face wash and creams. The next was in that drawer pointed to the cabinet below it. It was there she had all her nightgowns and pajamas stacked. There was another sticky note in there pointing to the cabinet next to it. Yes, I found her underwear! Beneath that pile, I saw another sticky. There was no arrow this time, only the word, shelf. That narrowed it down. There were only a dozen or so shelves in here. Their bathroom was huge, so I started with the floor to ceiling cabinets on the opposite wall. When I went through all of those and didn’t find anything but sheets, towels, and other things, I moved back to her closet. It too was huge. Might as well start at one end and work my way down.