Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Adrian’s nose wrinkles. “No one knows Mom. Except me, and after yesterday…” He sighs. “I don’t know. I love Mom. I’ll always love her. She’s my best friend. But she’s always hustling, trying to rearrange the world to her liking, and she doesn’t care who she has to steamroll to get what she wants.” His lips curve in a wry smile. “But I’m the same way a lot of the time, so…”
“You don’t have to be,” I say. “You’re still young. Nothing about you is set in stone. You can choose to be whoever you want to be.”
He pulls in a breath, but before he can respond, his cell dings. He pulls it out of his jeans pocket, his shoulders inching closer to his ears as he reads. “It’s Gigi. She wants to talk. At her place in the Village.”
I rest a hand on his shoulder, giving the tight muscles a gentle squeeze. “Good. You’ve got this. And if you want to talk after, we could grab an early dinner later. Maybe sushi at that place you liked when you were in junior high, the one that sends the rolls by on the toy train?”
Adrian laughs and rolls his eyes. “I think we’re both too old for that one now, but there’s a kick-ass Thai place not far from here. Maybe Thai later? If I’m not crying in my beer somewhere because Gigi told me she lied about me being her baby daddy?”
I tip my head down until my gaze is level with his. “You already have a hangover. I would suggest a moratorium on beer for the rest of the weekend. And Thai food is a great choice on a hard day. If you start crying, you can always blame the spicy curry. Or you could come here, and we could order takeout.”
“Yeah, takeout sounds good,” he says. “I’ll text you if I can make it. And thanks. For the talk. It was good.”
“It was great,” I say, meaning it with everything in me. “I love you. And you’ve got this. I believe in you.”
He leans in and we hug again—two hugs in less than thirty minutes after years of being held at a distance in every way possible. It’s almost more than I can handle, a fact proven when I stand staring at the door for several seconds after Adrian leaves before I remember—“Sydney. Fuck.”
I hurry out onto the balcony. “Hey, I’m sorry. Are you okay? He just left.”
“I’m fine,” she says, crawling out from under the tablecloth. I reach to help her up, but she’s already on her feet. “So, what’s up? Is he okay?” she asks, running both hands quickly through her hair. “Sorry. There was a spider under there. I’m pretty sure it was in my hair at some point.”
“I’m sorry. Here, turn around, let me check for you.”
She smiles as she tosses her hair over her shoulder and turns. “Checking your lady friend for spiders. Is that one of the many services you provide?”
“For you, yes,” I say, running my hands over her soft curls. “Any other woman, I’d toss her an electric razor and encourage a buzz cut.”
She laughs. “Really? You’re scared of spiders?”
“No, I was kidding. I’m good with bugs and rodents. Snakes aren’t my favorite, but as long as they’re not crawling into my bed, I figure live and let live.” I lift her hair, checking under the collar of her robe. “You’re safe, I think. But I’d need you naked in my bed coming on my cock to be completely sure.”
She giggles as she spins back to face me. “Tempting, but I should get home. I have laundry to do and finding a free machine in our building on a Sunday is always an adventure.”
“Bring your laundry here next weekend,” I say. “I have a washer and dryer in the guest bathroom.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow. Aren’t you fancy? My dad doesn’t even have a washer and dryer at his place. He used to have one, but when it broke, he never replaced it. He likes sending his laundry out. Our maid could never make it smell as good as the place on Eighty-First Street.” She crosses her arms. “So, are we going to keep making small talk about spiders and laundry or are you going to tell me why you look so happy?”
I smile. “I am happy. Adrian and I had a really good talk. Best one we’ve had since before he was in middle school, actually. I think we might have finally turned a corner. He’s going to call later, and we might do Thai takeout tonight for dinner.”
“Oh, Gideon, that’s so great,” she says, her eyes shining with relief. “What amazing news. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
“Thanks,” I say. “He actually mentioned you while we were talking. Said he owed you an apology and that…he thinks I would really like you.”