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"Ah, there she is," Bain says as I walk into the kitchen, holding his arms out to give me a hug. "It's been a while, Ryan."
I'm not sure why he has a thing with hugging me every time he sees me, but I won't complain because his hugs feel good, and his scent is sexy as hell. "Hi, Bain."
He pulls away. "I'm so glad that things are going well between you and your mom." He holds me by my shoulders as his warm brown eyes gaze into mine. "A mother/daughter bond should always be a strong one, and the two of you are important to me…you are my girls."
I'm not sure how to respond to him, so I just grin and let him lead me over to the kitchen island where the two large pizzas are sitting. When Bain finally lets me go, he returns to my mother's side and kisses her temple before making her sit down while he makes a plate for her. I'm in awe of how he treats her and can see how mesmerized she is by him. I hope I find a man like Bain.
"So, Bain. Can you tell me about yourself?" I ask him when he hands me a plate, too.
"Sure. What do you want to know, kiddo?" He grins and sits across from me, beside my mom.
I cringe a little at his use of the word 'kiddo' when referring to me, but I let it slide. After all, he is in his forties. "What do you do for a living?"
"Have you ever heard of Bellini Formal?" he asks, before taking a big bite out of his slice of pizza.
"Do you mean the excessively expensive formal wear company? The one where even if you sell an organ, you still couldn't afford the cheapest outfit they create?" My eyes widen when my mother covers her mouth and snickers. "No fucking way!"
"Ryan! Mind your manners," my mom chastises while still wearing a smile.
Bain chuckles, "It's okay, Lacey, and yes, Ryan. That's the one. That is my company, and you're right; our clothing is expensive, but everything is made in Italy and of the finest fabric."
My face reddens. "I'm sorry, Bain. I didn't mean to offend you at all…"
"Nonsense, you're fine. I'll forgive you this once." He smirks and winks at my mother.
Wanting to move on from this embarrassing moment, I ask my next question, "Have you ever been married?"
"Ryan," my mother whispers and shakes her head back and forth.
Bain places his hand over hers. "It's alright, Lacey. She will find out eventually." He turns his attention to me. "Yes, I was. She left me and my son years ago."
"Oh, you have a son? Where is he?" I ask, finishing off my first pizza slice.
"Hopefully, working," he chuckles. "It's where he was when I left him, but then again, he's got a new girlfriend, so when he's not at the office, he's with her."
"Speaking of," Mom chimes in. "We want to have dinner at Bain's in about two weeks. That way, everybody can meet each other."
"Sounds good to me." My phone buzzes, and I glance at the text Beau just sent.
A burst of laughter springs forward when I see what looks to be a picture from a copy machine. When you look at it closely, you can see a set of butt cheeks. Is he so bored that he amuses himself by taking photocopies of his ass?
My fingers glide over my screen as I respond…
ME: Working hard, I see…
HUNTLEY: Hey, do you know how hard it is to photocopy your own ass and get a good angle?
ME: What's the point of being there?
HUNTLEY: Waiting for a messenger to arrive with an important package.
ME: Well, I better let you get back to work. Please refrain from sending 'other' body parts.
HUNTLEY: No promises…
I shake my head and put the phone aside. When I look across the table, Bain is wearing an unidentifiable expression. I just shrug it off and dig into my second slice of heaven. My mother looks like she wants to say something but is worried about doing so.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
