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The past two weeks had been nonstop traveling and pitching Security Training Academy services to business people in Texas, Nevada, California and next, Washington state. I’d been running around so much that I didn’t have any downtime, which was good, because it didn’t leave me time to think about Shannon and that one hot night we had together.
I wanted a repeat of that night, but I knew it was a bad idea. We both had scars on our hearts, and she was too fun, too sexy, too damn appealing to risk spending more time with her. We could be friends. Only friends. The image of her lips wrapped around my cock, those green eyes staring up at me, would be the only image like that I’d ever get.
Too bad.
As I stood at the shoreline staring out into the endless Pacific, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I cursed my need to have the wretched thing with me at all times. But building a business from nothing took a lot of time and effort, and I was determined to make STA work.
“This is Miles.”
The familiar disappointed lip smack was my first clue that I should have looked at the screen first. “Is that how you answer your phone, Miles? I’m certain I taught you better than that.”
“Hello to you too, Mom.” Louisa Anderson was a five-foot-nothing force of nature and world class meddler. “How are you?”
She sighed and I could see her shaking her blond hair that had started to show streaks of silver in my mind’s eye. “I’d be a lot better if you tell me you’re coming home for your brother’s birthday. It’s a big one, he’s turning forty.”
As if I could forget. “Can’t. Busy.” Shawn was the last person I’d make any effort to see or celebrate with, especially after what he did.
“I wish you that you boys could just put this all behind you so we can be a family again.” Of course, that’s how she saw the whole situation, as a minor inconvenience to getting what she really wanted.
“You mean if I forget that he fucked my fiancée while I was serving our country?”
“Language, Miles!” Somehow I always got her most disappointed tone, as if I’d done something wrong.
“Yeah, that’s the problem, Mom. My language. That’s what happened, whether you like how I said it or not. I’m not going to pretend I give a damn about him. Or her.”
She sighed. “Shawn and Carly are married now, don’t you think it’s time you got over it?”
“I am over it. That doesn’t mean I forgive them, or want to be around them. Ever.”
“Miles…”
“No, Mom. I’m sick of hearing about this and about them. They did this, Mom, not me. If you want to be disappointed with someone for screwing up the family, be mad at them. They knew what they were doing, and they knew who it would hurt.”
“If you’re over it all, what’s the harm in coming home?”
“None, because I’m not coming home, and definitely not to celebrate his birthday. I am over it, but I’ve chosen not to be around people I don’t like or trust, which is my right. You have the grandchildren you’ve always wanted, why isn’t that enough.”
“Because,” she whispered. “I miss my baby boy, Miles.”
“You miss me, I have room if you and Dad want to come for a visit. You’d enjoy this town.”
“Louisa stop badgering the boy.” I heard my dad’s voice, growing closer with every syllable, before his voice came on the phone. “I knew you wouldn’t come home for your brother’s birthday and I respect your decision, son. You deserved better than what they did, and Shawn owes you an apology.”
Which he never gave me, as if he had the right to sleep with my woman and then go and fucking marry her. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that.”
He gave a grunt of support and, thankfully, changed topics. “How’s the business going?”
“Great! I’m in LA right now, signing up more clients.” I told him all about my corporate retreat idea and listened to his tales of retirement.
“Golf is for old men and I don’t have the patience for it, but I’m enjoying cycling and Nordic walking. Strange with those sticks, but it’s fun and just physical enough that I’m not too winded to make fun of ol’ Rayburn in his tight shorts.” Dad barked out a laugh that brought a smile to my face.
I miss my folks, and that only made me resent my brother more, for stealing this valuable time from me, and from them. “You’re cycling? Make sure Mom takes a photo because that’s something I have to see.”
“Maybe I’ll go cycling around that postcard town of yours, if I can ever pull your mother away from the little ones.”
“You can always come without her. There’s a bakery in town that makes the best pastries you’ve ever had.”
