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“Let’s do a test during a lunch run. Next week?”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
The dining shift was busy enough to take my mind of Kade for a bit, but the minute things stopped, he was front and center in my mind.
When we closed, I locked myself in the office while the staff took care of cleaning and shutting things down for the night. I sat staring at the phone on my desk, willing myself to call Kade and arrange to see him to tell him the truth. But I couldn’t get my hands to work.
The phone buzzed on his own, startling me. Kade’s name came on the caller ID. It was like the universe was telling me what to do.
“Hello.”
“Hey. You sound tired. Busy night?” he asked.
“Busy enough.” I took a deep breath and prepared to ask him to come by tonight.
“Listen, I’ve got to fly out to Romania tonight.”
Huh?
“My dad bought some resorts in Romania and Latvia and I need to visit the one in Bucharest. He’s hassling me about plans and I can’t put him off any longer.”
“Duty calls.” Should I tell him over the phone? I couldn’t decide.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s all right. Of course it is. This is your work. It’s important.”
“So are you, Morgan. You’re important to me.”
My heart both melted and cracked. I was such an idiot to risk losing this man.
“I should be back Saturday, maybe Sunday. I’ll call you then,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Or maybe I’ll call you when I’m lonely in bed in Bucharest. You can cheer me up with a little phone sex.”
I laughed, even as I was crying inside. “What’s the time difference? When you’re in bed there, I might be expediting.”
“Expediting turns me on, baby.”
God, he was so perfect.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Safe travels.” I hung up the phone having mixed feelings. I was going to be able to put off telling him, and yet, putting off telling him was only going to continue to make things worse. How was I going to get out of this mess and still have the man of my dreams?
29
Kade — Sunday
I liked to travel. In the past, when I’d visit our properties in other countries, I’d enjoy the food of the culture, and maybe find a willing warm woman to show me their country’s language of love. This time, all I could do was miss Morgan. We texted a few times, but between my working sixteen to eighteen-hour days so I could get home, the time difference, and Morgan’s schedule, we had little time to chat.
I was able to confirm that her mother had started her treatment program. I was sure to get that all arranged before I left. I’d also started looking for a new place to live. One that would have a grandmother’s apartment for Mrs. Andrews, and would be big enough for a child. I wondered if Morgan would think I was moving too fast. She hadn’t really agreed to move beyond a casual affair, so asking her to live with me might be more than she wanted. Still, I was a man who asked for what he wanted, and more times than not, got it. I might have to be patient with Morgan, but eventually I’d win her over.
I arrived home early this morning. I’d wanted to see Morgan, but I still had some work to do, and then I had to go to a family dinner, this time at Hunter and Grace’s, because Sara was too pregnant to host. I’d thought about inviting Morgan, but again, I was concerned she wasn’t ready to be included in official family gatherings. Instead, I’d try to arrange to see her later that night.
The family all looked the same. Chase was hovering over Sara, who looked like she would have that baby any moment. Hunter was feeling up Grace’s ass as she plated the appetizers I’d brought from the bistro. It didn’t seem right to have a family meal and not bring some food, considering I was the food guy.
Only Ash and Beth seemed out of sorts. They were in a heated discussion across the room. On occasion, Beth would glance at me. It made me squirm a little. Did she know I was fucking her friend? Was she upset about it? Or was Ash? He was the one who told me to stay away. Maybe they thought I was the father of her baby. Considering how adamant Ash was about my not touching her, if he thought I’d knocked her up, he’d be pissed.
I sat and watched it all from the outside looking in, as it had always been. As the youngest, it was hard to be included. It took forever to be taken seriously by my brothers. Even now, I felt like they often dismissed my ideas.
“Okay, appetizers are served,” Grace said setting the dish on the table. “Dinner will be up shortly. By the way, boys, no shop talk okay?”
