“I’m going to head out for a walk before everyone else gets to it. I’d love to get a couple pictures of the lake without anyone in them, you know to show my family.” I plastered on a fake, wide smile as I headed for the counter and placed my cup down on it.
“I’ll join you.”
My heart skipped a couple beats as I heard her say it. That was not what I had been planning on happening. But it didn’t matter. I forced a smile over my lips.
“Sounds perfect, Eleanora.”
I couldn’t believe that I was stuck with her on my walk. I had meant for Adam to go with me, but that was clearly not going to happen anymore. I shot him a look, hoping he knew how thankful he should be. He gave me a soft smile. Maybe he had an idea. I wasn’t sure. He stared at me with wide eyes.
My fake smile softened into a real one, trying to let him know that it was okay if he stayed there. “I’ll see you later, babe.” I made my way over to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. His hand grabbed mine, our fingers tangling together.
“Thank you,” he whispered in my ear. I thought about the night we had spent here alone. His body against mine. His heat against me. My pulse picked up a couple of beats.
My heart skipped a beat, feeling his hot breath on me, and it took some effort to pull away from him. His eyes sparkled as if he knew just what I had been thinking about. I mentally shook myself and turned for the door. One foot in front of the other, I thought. I bit my lip as his grandmother fell into pace with me. What was going to become of this? Why would she want to go on a walk with me? I just couldn’t figure it out and hated not being able to. I wish Adam had come with us, I thought as we stepped out of the house and made our way down the driveway.
“How long have you and my grandson been together?” she asked, the second we were completely alone.
“Not long,” I admitted.
“Mhm. And how did you two meet?”
“We have a friend in common.” That was kind of true, right? I mean, it was my brother who had gotten me the job, and it was because of the job that I’d met Adam. As my brother, I could say he was my friend.
We walked in silence for a couple of seconds. I had no fucking clue what I was supposed to say to his grandma!
“Have you met his mother yet?”
My brow furrowed. She must mean his biological mother, not Kathrine.
“No, but Kathrine has been very welcoming.” I wasn’t sure what the deal was with his biological mother, but Adam hadn’t even mentioned her to me at all. I heard Eleanora scoff, but I ignored it. I wasn’t sure what she had against Kathrine, but I wasn’t going to try and get in the middle of it. I wasn’t stupid. Not that it really mattered, considering everyone would soon think we’d broken up. And I was going to have to be the bad guy, which meant I was going to have to do something to hurt him.
“Do you have a job?”
“Yes. I’m a cleaner.” I turned just in time to see the woman’s nose wrinkle as I said it. I could feel a small bead of sweat against my lower back. I looked out at the water as we made our way down to it.
“Oh. I see.” I could hear it in her voice. She was trying to be polite. Okay, maybe trying wasn’t the right word. I was sure if she’d actually tried, she would have had a lot more success.
“You don’t have to like it,” I said before really thinking, “I’m sure a lot of people look down on me for it. But I’d rather take a job cleaning up other people’s messes than to be so self-centered as to think that I’m too good for a certain job and sit at home doing nothing while other people have to work to make sure my bills get paid. It’s not fun, and it’s nowhere near brag worthy, but, at least, I’m able to help my brother pay the rent this month, and that’s all that matters to me.”
I glanced over in time to see her almost do a double take. A smirk spread over my lips. Chances are she hadn’t been talked back to in a long time. Maybe that’s what Kathrine did. She didn’t strike me as the type that would take someone’s shit unless she had to.
“I forgot, you and your brother …” she trailed off. I turned to her, waiting. We came to a stop, and for the first time, I saw Adam’s grandmother look fazed by something. “You aren’t as fortunate as some.”
I could tell she had really tried to find the right words. I shrugged. “Maybe some people see it that way. But I have a damn good brother and a damn good boyfriend. Both of them love me, and your family has been so welcoming. Of course, it took Kathrine a little time to warm up to me, especially Adam insisted on buying me a couple nice outfits for that weekend, and I walked into her house with high-end brands on my back. She’s not stupid, and despite the fact she may be a stepmother, she loves him just as much as she loves her own children. Of course she was, and probably still is, worried about me being a gold digger, but Adam’s a hell of a lot smarter than people seem to give him credit for.” I paused. I knew I was about to say some things I knew I shouldn’t. I cleared my throat. “And the girls have been absolutely welcoming. It’s been such a pleasure to get to know all of them.”
Maybe that wouldn’t change her opinion of Kathrine, but I didn’t care. I was going to put in my two cents and was going to make clear that I liked her and I stood with her. I was on her side if I had to pick a side, and that was that.
I could tell Eleanora was uncomfortable by the way she shifted her stance, her eyes not meeting mine.
“But speaking of them, they’re probably up by now. I’ll just take a picture, and then we can go back.”
So it hadn’t been much of a walk; I don’t think either of us was going to care much about that. I knew I wasn’t.
I’d be happy for the walk to come to an end, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket and headed for the edge of the water, after snapping a couple pictures, that I really had no intention of showing anyone.
“I hope she’s okay,” Kathrine said. She honestly sounded worried about Fiona’s well-being. I didn’t blame her.
“She’ll be able to handle it.”
If not, I guess it didn’t really matter, did it?
“You found yourself a pretty amazing woman there,” Kathrine said softly as she turned to me, “I hope you know that.”
You be so mad if you knew the truth, I thought, giving her a smile. If any of them found out that Fiona and I weren’t actually together, that I was just using her, they would be beyond mad. Gabby especially. I wouldn’t put it past Becky to hit me, though. She was the one who would be violent. I thought about what I had seen yesterday. I’d seen her talking to Fiona about something. I tried to get close enough to hear, but I hadn’t been able to. I’ll just ask her on the way home. My phone rang, vibrating against the counter.
I looked down at it. My brow furrowed. Why would he call me? Was it just to check in on his sister again? You’d think he would be fine with what we were doing. I thought he’d have faith in me to keep his sister in check. Not that I would have faith in me, but I knew what I was really like. No one else did, not even Josh. Though, maybe Fiona had a good look at the real me. For some reason, she stuck around. Oh right, I’m paying her. I picked up my phone, unlocking the screen and lifting it to my ear.
“Yea?” I asked as I headed into the bedroom for a little privacy, just in case he mentioned anything about what his sister and I were doing.
We made our way back to the house. Neither of us said a word. My interview must be over, I thought as I pulled the door open and motioned for her to go first.
“Perfect timing, we’ve gotta head out,” Adam said as he saw me step inside.
“Why? Is everything okay?”
“Your brother gave me a quick call. He said he needs us to come home. Something about your parents …”
That small bead of sweat suddenly became much bigger. “Oh. I um … he called you?”
“He said you just went right to voicemail.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Adam closed the distance between us and took my hand. He gave me a soft smile. “Don
’t worry; it’s nothing the three of us can’t deal with.”
And for a split second, I believed that he wasn’t acting. I forgot that we were surrounded by people who thought we were together. And momentarily, I felt better.
Then it all came crashing back, and my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. I forced myself to keep smiling. Because really, what else was I supposed to do? I mean, I had to pretend that everything was okay, right?
“Do you want us to come with you?” It was Kathrine who spoke.
Tears welled up in the corner of my eyes. I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak.
“I’m sure the girls would understand if the trip was cut shot,” Eleanora said.
I couldn’t believe she was backing Kathrine. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one because I saw everyone’s eyes go wide.
“No,” I whispered as I shook my head. I cleared my throat. “I mean, it’s very kind of you, but I don’t want to overwhelm them and … I’ll just see where this goes.”
72. Chapter Twenty
The drive home was horrid, and I couldn’t stop feeling like I was going to puke. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, I was sure I was going to have to get Adam to pull over so he could let me out.
Thankfully, somehow, we made it back to the house without me puking.
I slipped out of the car before he was even in park and rushed into the apartment building and up the stairs.
“Hey! Wait up!” he called. I could hear him rushing after me. I didn’t care. I needed to get upstairs and see what was going on. I stopped in front of my door. My heart was racing. What could it be about my parents? If it weren’t important, Josh wouldn’t have called me. He knew I was going to be home tonight. He would have waited. He wouldn’t have … I reached out, my fingers curling around the handle.
“Hey,” his warm hand touched the small of my back.
My heart skipped a beat as I twisted the handle and pushed it open.
I stared at two sets of shoes that weren’t mine or Josh’s. I looked up.
“Fee,” my mother jumped off the chair she was sitting on and rushed over to me. She pulled me into a hug.
I stood there frozen. I couldn’t feel Adam’s warm touch. I felt cold. Confused. I pulled away.
“Mom … what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” my father asked. “We’re home to see you two. We…” He trailed off, and I glanced over at Josh, who looked, above all, like he was trying not to punch something or someone. I caught his eye and tried to give him a reassuring smile. I crossed over to the couch where he was sitting and sat down carefully beside him. He looked over at me and gave a soft smile.
I felt the couch sink down beside me. When I looked over, I felt a wave of relief. It was Adam. I knew I should have wanted it to be my parents, but I wasn’t even sure how to react to the fact that they were here. Why were they here?
It’s been years since they went out of their way to see us.
“So you guys are just passing by, right?”
“What? No. We came home to see you,” my dad said. He glanced over at Adam, and I bit my lip. “You must be … Fee’s boyfriend.”
“Yes.” Adam reached out and took my hand. Sitting between Adam and Josh, I actually felt kind of okay. I felt like, maybe, everything would be okay. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to pretend I wasn’t silently freaking out. Just relax. Maybe they did actually come home just to see us. But I wasn’t going to believe them right off the bat. I knew my parents.
“How long have you been together?” my mother asked, glancing between the two of us.
“Not long.” I gave her the same answer I’d given his grandma, and then glanced over at Josh. He looked worried. “You have work tonight, don’t you?”
“Um—”
“And Adam and I have a dinner we’ve got to attend,” I glanced over at my parents, “I really wish you’d let us know you were coming. We could have planned around it.”
“Oh, that’s okay. We’re going to be staying here a little while. I’m sure we can make plans to hang out lots.” My mother gave me a wide smile.
My heart ached. I wanted that. I’d wanted that my entire life.
“That sounds good.” And I honestly meant it. But right now, this was so much. I wasn’t sure I was able to process everything right now, and the look on Josh’s faced told me that he needed time away from them. I took a deep breath. “I’ll email you, you’re still at the same email, right? And we can work out something for this week, or maybe this weekend. I’ll have to check my work schedule,” I said as I stood.
My parents jumped to their feet. “Sounds perfect.” My mom gave me a broad smile and crossed over to me. Her arms wrapped around me again. “We miss you so much.”
My heart did a backflip. I felt tears against the corner of my eyes. I wanted to believe she really meant it. I just wasn’t sure I did believe it. I let my arms wrap around her, hugging her back. Please let this be real. Please don’t let this be a dream. It had been something I’d dreamt about too much over the years, and I wasn’t sure I could stand it anymore.
My dad gave me a quick hug, and then they both gave Josh a hug—sort of. He looked like he was being tortured, and the actual hug didn’t last long. I was amazed he didn’t just pull away from them, to be honest.
I watched as they headed for our door and left.
The second the door closed behind them, Josh rushed over and locked it. When he turned to me, he looked … scared.
I acted without thinking, rushing towards him and pulling him into my arms. “Hey, it’s okay,” I whispered.
His body shook as I held him. I couldn’t believe I was seeing my brother like this. He had always been strong.
He pulled away from me, still shaking.
“When was the last time you guys saw your parents?” Adam asked from behind us.
“Ages ago.” I turned to him. It had been right around the time that Josh had been able to get his own place, and I had gone with him. My parents weren’t happy because we’d been paying most of the rent, and Josh had figured since we were paying most of the rent we should find a place that we liked, and a place that we could afford more. Not the place that my parents wanted us to pay for.
Adam’s brow furrowed. He didn’t look happy. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or why he wasn’t happy.
“What?” I asked, finally.
“Nothing,” he said quickly.
“What is it, Adam?” Josh asked.
Adam looked away, sighing. “Look, I don’t want to make it sound like anything it isn’t … I just … it seems kinda odd that as soon as you start ‘dating’ a guy who has money, and whose dad owns a company, they suddenly pop in out of the blue. But you guys know me; I don’t trust people.” He shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal.
Josh and I looked at each other. Could that actually be it? Could Adam have anything to do with why my parents had come by all of a sudden?
I swallowed dryly. “No. How would they have even found out that we were together? And known who you were?” I mean, it was crazy. How could he think like that? I need to defend them, I thought. I didn’t want anyone to try and paint a picture of my parents that wasn’t true. But what if I’m the one doing that?
“Fee, come on, everyone uses the internet today. And everyone wants to have something to gossip about. My family … we’ve been in the news a couple times. It comes with the whole owning a business thing.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. Did he actually think this could be because of us? He pulled out his phone without a second thought and stared down at if for a couple seconds.
“What if that is the reason they came over?” Josh said.
“No.”
It wouldn’t be.
Our parents weren’t those kinds of people. They may not be perfect but … there was no way they were bad people like that. Right?
“Come on, Fee ...” Josh padded over to the couches we h
ad just been sitting on. He blew out a deep breath.
I followed him. “I just … I don’t think they would do that, anyways it’s not like ...”
“Yea, so there are articles about us.”
Adam’s voice cut through my thoughts like a fucking sword. I turned to him, speechless.
“Say what?” My brother raised an eyebrow.
“I … I didn’t think they’d actually …” he stammered and stared at me with wide eyes.
I shrugged, pretending it didn’t mean anything. “Alright. Nothing we can do about it now, right?” Please, please tell me they didn’t just come here because of that.
Tears pressed against the corner of my eye. I bit my lip, looking away from both Adam and Josh.
“If they think they can take advantage of you—” My brother sounded like he was ready to kill someone.
“It’s fine, Josh. It’s not a big deal.”
It wasn’t right? I mean, it didn’t matter. That was just a reflection of them. Not me. Not my relationship with them. They were just …
I felt fingers tangle into mine and glanced over at Adam. His eyes locked on me. What about Josh? If he gave away that we’d had sex this weekend … My cheeks flushed just thinking about it. About the sex, and that was the worst part. I wasn’t thinking straight. I sucked in a deep breath and looked away. But I didn’t pull away from him. I didn’t try to pretend that I didn’t want him holding my hand. I just sat there, staring blankly.
“If they just …”
“We’ll deal with it,” Josh promised me. He gave me a soft smile, then I saw his gaze flick to Adam.
I wasn’t sure if he was going to try to kill me or not.
But I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. I let go of her hand and cleared my throat. I knew I needed to get out of here. Before it became awkward.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later. If … if you need any help dealing with your parents, just let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.” From one friend to another, right? Of course that was all it was. Why would it be anything different? And most of all, why would Josh think otherwise? But the way he looked at me, like he might want to kill me, made me question what he knew—or thought he knew, at least.
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 48