Page 72 of Come A Little Closer

“Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly sounding a lot more alert. “Tallulah? Why are you upset? What just happened?”

I frowned. “I, uh. Nothing. I’m fine. I think I’m just tired. Good luck with your meeting in the morning. I’ll see you soon?”

“Of course. Good night, baby. I love you.” It sounded like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just sighed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied, wondering why on earth my mother would be calling me. “Good night, Niall. I love you too. Bye.”

“Bye, my love,” he said, sounding worried but hanging up the phone without pressing the issue, which I appreciated.

While I would tell him about the surprising phone call, I just needed a minute to chew it over by myself before I was faced with potential questions. My parents had cut off all contact with me after I’d gone through with the divorce, and though it’d been years, I’d never heard from them even once.

They hadn’t reached out for birthdays or Christmases, and as time had gone on, I’d accepted they’d simply never forgive me. In fact, I hadn’t even realized they had my number anymore. I’d changed it after I’d left California so Carter wouldn’t be able to contact me, and at the time, I’d sent it to my parents just in case, but I’d sort of assumed they’d never saved it to their contacts.

Now, however, it seemed they did still have it. I just had no idea why my mom would suddenly be using it after so long, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be good news. I also had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

34

NIALL

As I hung up the phone with Tallulah, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I hadn’t liked the way she’d sounded when we’d said goodbye at all, and after giving the uneasy feeling a few minutes to subside, I got up and strode over to my closet.

Despite my insanely early meeting tomorrow, I was going over there. Something was wrong and I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that it was something big. I’d gotten to know Tallulah pretty well and she wasn’t one to turn molehills into mountains.

Whenever she’d sounded distressed in the past, it’d been because she’d had good reason. In this case, I didn’t think it was sudden doubt about our relationship again and I already knew about her past, so it couldn’t have been that either.

Which meant this was something different. Something new that had happened between when she’d picked up my phone call and when we’d ended it, which was puzzling.

Striding into my closet, I put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then grabbed a suit in case I ended up staying over there. I would have to leave before sunrise to make it to my office in time for the meeting, but I had to be there for it.

Jake and I were meeting with property developers in China via video conference and I couldn’t exactly meet with them while sitting in bed. Blowing out a deep breath, I grabbed a few toiletries as well, tossing my toothbrush and razor into a bag before heading out.

When I got to the guest house, I knocked quietly on the door, calling out to her but not hearing any sound coming from inside. I pushed the door open, setting down my things and looking around the darkened interior to see a lamp on in the living room.

“Tallulah?” I called softly again, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep. Following the light, I was a little surprised to find her on the couch, looking pale and withdrawn with a blanket pulled over her and a cup of tea in her hand as she stared into the middle distance. “Baby? What’s wrong?”

She blinked her eyes back into focus, moving her gaze slowly to mine as if she hadn’t even realized I was there. “Niall? What are you doing here? I thought you had an early meeting.”

“I do, but I knew something was off while we were talking, so I figured I’d come check on you.” I strode across the room and sat down on the couch with her, turning so I was facing her and putting her feet in my lap. “What happened?”

“My mom tried to call me while we were on the phone,” she explained listlessly, sighing as she took a sip of her tea and winced. “Ew. That’s cold now.”

I took the cup from her and set it down on the coffee table, catching her hand and squeezing it, willing her to look into my eyes. It took her a moment, but finally, she glanced up at me, her hazels filled with worry, hurt, and confusion.

“She didn’t leave a voicemail or anything, so I don’t know why she called, but it wouldn’t have been for anything good.”

“Do you want to talk to her?” I asked cautiously, knowing I had to tread lightly when it came to this.

Tallulah sighed and gave her head a little shake. “No, not really. They chose Carter over me and that’s all there is to it.”

I frowned, breathing in deep in an attempt to remain calm. Whenever we spoke about these people, I felt like I would turn into the freaking Hulk. “Do you think they might’ve reached out because they’ve realized how wrong it was to have chosen someone else’s child over their own?”

“I wish I thought that, but I don’t.” She averted her gaze, fidgeting with the blanket and seeming completely dejected as she shook her head. “If they were any other people, I might’ve thought it was possible they’d finally come to their senses, but not my parents. In their eyes, I was the one in the wrong. They made it perfectly clear that I was their greatest disappointment and an embarrassment to the family name. They told me they would never forgive me for the way I humiliated them and that they’d have been better off never having children at all than to have had one like me.”

I felt the blood draining from my face, and I blinked hard as I stared back at her. I honestly didn’t even know what to say to that, but I was suddenly more thankful for my own mother than I’d ever been. I also really couldn’t believe that any parent would ever say that to their child, let alone follow it up by years of not actually speaking to said child after.

It was despicable, and it made me want to be sick and bash their heads in all at the same time, but ultimately, this wasn’t about me. “God, they sound awful. Don’t worry about that call, okay? You’re free of them now and I love you. They’ll get what’s coming to them at some point.”

She sighed but let me take her hands when I reached for them, her expression contemplative when she finally looked into my eyes again. “Why do you think they called?”