Take It All Off

by Weston Parker

I chewed on my lip, sighing as I realized that getting to an answer meant revealing one of the things I was most afraid of in life. “You don’t pity me now that you know I’m an orphan, do you?”

  “Why? Did that feel anything like a pity fuck to you?” There was no judgment in his tone, but there was concern.

  I shook my head. “No, but it’s a turnoff for a lot people when they find out. They can only pretend not to pity me for so long.”

  “Adaline,” he whispered my name like it was a caress. “I don’t pity you, and I could never be turned off by you. If anything, I’m more attracted to you now that I know you got this smart all on your own.”

  I tried to hide my smile, but he noticed it. Scooting closer to me, he dragged me into his arms and kissed my temple. “That’s what I like to see. Eat now, baby. While you have the chance.”

  When he wagged his eyebrows at me and tapped the side of my butt, I laughed. All my worries about him pitying me left my body with the sounds of my laughter. I should have learned by now that I didn’t have anything to worry about with him.

  Chapter 29

  Marco

  “It’s been two weeks, Marco,” my mother cried into the phone when she picked up my call. “I thought I had lost you forever.”

  “You could never lose me, Mama. I’ve just been busy.” I sighed but kept it quiet. Truth be told, it had taken me this long to contact her because she had almost lost me. I would never have cut her off or out of my life completely, but I’d given serious thought to her lack of boundaries.

  Her behavior at dinner had been appalling, and having learned more about Addy’s past and her brother, I was truly ashamed of how my mother had treated her. Especially because Addy hadn’t done anything to deserve it, other than having been born in a different country.

  It was ridiculous really.

  We’d talked about it, though, and surprisingly, she had been the one to encourage me to reach out. Apparently if I kept avoiding Mom, I was proving her right about Addy.

  “How are you?” I asked, scrubbing a hand along the back of my head.

  “I’m good. Aldo has been keeping in touch with me.” Her voice trembled, which made me feel like an absolute asshole. “How is your girlfriend?”

  “Why do you want to know?” The question came out sharper than I’d intended, but she needed to know not to launch another tirade against her.

  She sniffed. “I just wanted to know how she was doing. I’m your mother and she’s your girlfriend. Am I not allowed to ask?”

  “That depends, Mama.” Another sigh left me, but I didn’t bother trying to keep it quiet this time. “If I thought you were asking because you were genuinely interested, I’d have told you. But I just don’t know.”

  More sniffling came over the line, and it made me feel like a stake had been driven into my gut. “Bring her back to the house next time you come.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “I’ll see when I have time to come over again. We’re—”

  “You’re never going to come see me again, are you?” she wailed, but I knew her fake crying when I heard it. “I knew you were lost to me as soon as you told me about her.”

  No, I wanted to retort. You thought she was the best thing since sliced bread before you found out where she came from. I bit my tongue, though. I really didn’t want to hurt my mom any more than I already had just by getting involved with Addy. Tearing into her about how she’d treated her would only make things worse.

  It wasn’t necessary. My mother knew me well enough to know how upset I was with her. Besides, I hadn’t been raised to rip apart the person who meant the most to me in the world just because she’d made a mistake.

  “I am going to come see you again, Mama. I’ll make it happen sometime soon, okay? I can’t promise Addy will come with me, but I’ll let you know.”

  She let out a defeated whoosh of air, but at least she stopped pretending to cry. “Fine. I’ll be waiting by the phone. Don’t let me down, Marco.”

  “I won’t.” I never had. “Love you, Mama.”

  “You too, sweetheart. Don’t forget about me, okay?”

  I rolled my eyes but nodded. “Of course not.”

  After I hung up with her, I sat in my office for a long time. My computer kept chiming with emails and alerts, but I ignored it all. I needed some time to think.

  Addy and I had only known each other for a few months. Something had definitely changed between us after that dinner, but it was the opposite of what my mother had set out to achieve.

  Instead of driving us apart, we were closer than ever. It was like we’d skipped a couple of steps in the usual course of a relationship by being forced to face so many deeply personal issues so early on.

  Combined with the fact that we spent all day together at the office most days, it felt like we’d been together much longer. I was pretty sure if one had to calculate how many hours most new couples spent together at the beginning of a relationship, ours was going on a year.

  Since she ended up sleeping over at my place most nights, we spent almost all twenty-four hours of the day together. We still technically worked in separate offices, but we still saw each other and talked all the time.

  Despite all of that, my mother had obviously been in my life for much longer. Having gone this long without speaking to her was like I was missing a limb. Surely, I couldn’t let any relationship get in the way of the one I had with her.

  There had to be something I could do. I just needed to figure out what it was. A strange sensation washed over me, and I suddenly needed to see Addy.

  Yes, that was the right way to go about it. I’d discuss the phone call and my conflicting feelings with her like a goddamn adult, and we’d figure it out together. Wasn’t that the way you were supposed to go about doing things when you were in a relationship with someone?

  I couldn’t even really pinpoint when I’d started thinking of us as being in a relationship, but air had been breathed into the word, and the term had stuck. I couldn’t find it in myself to fight it, so I was going with it.

  Determination to resolve the conflict brewing between the two women in my life pushed me to my feet. I wasn’t a fucking coward. I’d negotiated with some of the most powerful people in my industry. I could handle Mom and Addy.

  Resolve was still burning hot in my chest when I strode into her office without knocking. She was on the phone, and it took me all of a split second to realize that something was seriously wrong.

  Her face was pale, ashen even. Those royal-blue eyes were as wide as I’d ever seen them, bright with unshed tears and panic. She didn’t acknowledge me, even though she was staring right at me.

  “Is he okay?” she asked quickly, then paused to listen for a moment. “Tell him I’ll be on the first plane out to come see him. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  The phone slipped from her fingers as if they’d gone numb when the call disconnected, landing with a thud on her desk. In three long strides, I closed the distance between us and dropped to my haunches in front of her.

  “What’s wrong, baby? What happened?”

  Addy only blinked at first, her shoulders slumping before she buried her face in her hands. A sob tore out of her, her head shaking fast. “It’s Kyle.”

  My heart turned to a useless lump of ice. Her brother was her only family in the world. If something had happened to him… “Is he okay?”

  She dragged in a deep breath, her voice coming out shaky and muffled. “He had a heart attack this morning. He collapsed. Apparently, he’s in recovery now, but I have to get home. I have to be there for him.”

  “Yes, you do.” My body jumped into motion while my brain tried to organize all the moving pieces. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Thank you.” It wasn’t an express agreement, but I’d take it.

  She looked so dazed that the first thing I did was to wrap my arms around her, murmuring into her ear. “We’re going to be with him soon. I promise. He’s going to be fine. You’ll b
e with him so soon.”

  Her entire body shivered like a leaf in my arms, but she nodded against my chest and eventually pulled away. “I need to go. I need to make arrangements, and—”

  “I’ll make all the arrangements. Let’s go.” I kept a hand on her elbow and steered her out of the office. No one questioned me when I told them to cancel everything on our calendars for the rest of the day. At least it was Friday, so I had some time to reorganize next week if I had to.

  I told them to say there was a family emergency and left it at that. Addy moved like a robot at my side. Shock radiated from her, making her movements jerky. Her eyes were glazed over, and I didn’t know if she could even hear me, but I kept reassuring her anyway.

  When we got to her apartment, I scrawled out a note to Elena before going to help Addy throw a few things into an overnight bag. I made sure she had the necessities, grabbed her toothbrush and other toiletries from the bathroom, and remembered to ask about her passport.

  Once we got her stuff, we made a quick stop at my place. I didn’t even turn off the car there, though. Addy waited in it, and I was back less than five minutes later with everything I needed.

  All the while, I barked orders into my phone to ensure we’d get to Oregon as soon as possible. I briefly remembered that I still had to talk to her about the situation with my mother, but that could wait.

  My family wasn’t the one in trouble right now. Hers had to come first.

  Aldo texted me at some point in the rush, but I barely glanced at my phone. I’d get back to him when we were on the plane.

  There was no time to reply right now. Addy was quiet on the way to the airstrip, and she only seemed to realize we were going in the opposite direction to the airport when we were nearly there.

  She stiffened in her seat. “What are you doing? I need to go to the airport. I need to go home.”

  “That’s where we’re going, baby,” I said soothingly. “I’m getting you home. Just trust me, okay?”

  Panic flared in her eyes, but she jerked her head in a nod. “Yeah. Okay, I trust you. Get me to Kyle, Marco. Please get me to my brother.”

  My entire being burned at the anguish that rang clear as day in her voice. I pressed my foot down harder on the gas pedal, making it to the private airstrip a few minutes ahead of the navigation system’s estimated time of arrival.

  Addy frowned when the car squealed to a stop. “Where are we? Whose plane is that?”

  “It’s mine,” I said. “The pilot’s already waiting. I’m getting you home as fast as I can. Just hang in there. We’ll be there soon.”

  Chapter 30

  Addy

  Once Marco and I had boarded his private jet to Portland, it felt like my soul returned to my body. It wasn’t because of the crazy opulence of the jet, though. It was knowing that I was on my way to my brother. Nothing I did now could get me to him faster.

  As we’d gotten onto the plane, I’d received a text from a friend of his to let me know that Kyle was still doing fine. Sleeping apparently. He’d assured me he would stay with Kyle until we arrived, so at least I knew he wasn’t alone.

  Feeling slowly started seeping back into me, and I let out a whistle beneath my teeth. “Do you really have your own jet, or are you renting this thing or something? We really could have flown commercial.”

  “It would have taken longer,” Marco replied, his tone more tender than I’d ever heard it. “You doing okay? Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m fine.” I couldn’t even remember him offering me a drink before, but I’d been so out of it, I wasn’t surprised.

  I’d never experienced anything like what I had today. My body and mind had become completely paralyzed with fear as soon as I’d heard the words “heart attack,” “Kyle,” and “hospital” in the same sentence.

  Thank God Marco had been there with me, and for me. I didn’t remember exactly when he’d barged into my office, his jaw set tight with determination over… something. All I knew was that he’d been there when I’d needed him most.

  I didn’t know if or how I’d ever be able to repay him for that. The man had even packed my underwear for me when all I’d been capable of doing was staring helplessly into my wardrobe.

  Apart from my hands that wouldn’t stop shaking, I felt more composed now. I reached out to Marco, and he caught my fingers between his with no hesitation. “Thank you for organizing this. I definitely wouldn’t have been on my way already if not for you.”

  We soared through the bright blue skies like a rocket. Somewhere far beneath us, there were puffy clouds, but the pilot had announced that the skies were mostly clear all the way home. The best thing of all was that while we had to make one stop to refuel, I vaguely recalled Marco assuring me it would be a fast one.

  He lifted our hands to his lips and kissed my fingers, a turbulent storm of worry darkening his eyes when they met mine. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better,” I said, though I knew I still sounded weak. “It was just a shock. Kyle’s young. He’s healthy. I never expected anything like this.”

  He held our hands to his chest, the rhythmic, calm beating of his heart soothing my own. “No one ever does. Have you gotten any more news?”

  I nodded. “A friend of his is at the hospital. He’ll keep updating me, but he said Kyle’s sleeping now.”

  “Good.” He glanced down at his watch, narrowing his eyes as he thought. “Our flight time is just over twelve hours. Depending on the medication they’ve given him, we should be there when he wakes up.”

  “You’re an angel.” Leaning over the armrests between our large seats, I smacked a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. I owe you big time for this.”

  “You don’t owe me a thing. Let me do this for you without you worrying about what it’s going to cost you, please?”

  I pursed my lips and moved them to the side, but the way he was looking at me made rational thought impossible. As much as he could never really do the whole puppy-eyes thing, he sure was giving it his best.

  The result was him looking at me with eyes somewhere between tender and smoldering. It was adorable and sexy at the same time, which was a new look on anyone for me.

  “Fine.” I caved. “I can’t say no to that face.”

  “What face?” He exaggerated the pout. “This is just my face.”

  My cheeks felt like they would crack from doing it, like it had been months instead of hours since I’d last done it, but I laughed anyway. It felt good.

  His pout melted away and was replaced by a gentle smile. “It’s good to have you back, Addy. For a while there, I wondered if I’d ever hear that beautiful sound again.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I tried to swallow around a rock the size of a boulder that suddenly lodged itself in my throat. “If something would have happened to Kyle…”

  The thought of it was enough to choke me, cutting off my voice. Marco pulled me into him, then slid his hands underneath my legs to lift me into his lap. He stroked my back and held me until it felt like I could breathe again.

  “He’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I know the news came as a shock, but your brother is going to be fine. We’ll stay with him until we know it.”

  A new kind of panic hit me square in the chest. My eyes flew wide open as I pulled back so I’d be able to look into his eyes. “What about work? I had meetings this afternoon. And you? You run a billion-dollar company. You can’t just fall off the map.”

  “I can, and I will.” Empathy and compassion came off him in waves, but there was something else there, too. Something deeper that sent an entirely different kind of shiver through me.

  The moment passed before I could figure out what it was, though, and a smirk spread across his lips. “You hit the nail on the head when you said I run the company. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  “Sure, you can, but that doesn’t mean you have to bail on important stuff for me.”

  A deep frown appeared
between his eyebrows, but he shook it off. “I have my laptop with me, so I can work from anywhere. If you need me at the hospital, I can be there. Or I’ll get a hotel close by and be there. I’m here for you. Don’t even think about work. It’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so.” I studied him for a second, my eyes moving from one of his to the other. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  “It’s nothing.” He waved a hand in the air. “Just something I wanted to talk to you about earlier, but your brother takes precedence over everything else. Let’s get there and make sure he’s okay. Then we can talk.”

  I groaned. “We need to talk again?”

  “It’s not that talk.” He shook his head at me. “Don’t you trust me by now? Compared to what’s happening with your family, I promise you it’s nothing. It can wait.”

  “Okay,” I said hesitantly, but then I remembered that I’d made a vow to myself the night of the dinner to place some well-deserved trust in him.

  My teeth sank into the side of my cheek, but I nodded. “Promise me we’ll talk about it tomorrow once we get there?”

  “I promise.” He took my chin between his strong fingers and gave me a chaste but lingering kiss. “I’m glad your brother is okay. That’s the only thing that matters now.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed, worry nagging at the edges of my brain. “It’s funny. Kyle’s always been so protective of me that he’s never let me be worried about him before.”

  “I get it, but I bet he’ll be happy to hear you’re on your way to see him.”

  I arched a brow. “Clearly, you don’t know my brother. What do you want to bet that he’s going to tell me I came all the way back for nothing?”

  He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as they clouded over with a memory. “Didn’t we say it’s pointless betting against the person whose brother it is?”

  “I still took that bet,” I reminded him. “I had to sit through dinner with Aldo.”

  “True, but you loved it.”