A Billionaire's Holiday Love - Posey Parks Page 0,31
away five years ago. A drunk driver crossed the median on the highway and crashed into our family car. She...” Her lips rose and fell. “...died instantly.”
I was so selfish and bitter I hadn’t asked Hope how she was coping after her mother passed away.
I pulled her against my chest and her body quaked.
“Baby, I’m so sorry.”
“My mother would want me to live my best life. And that’s what I try to do every day. The vacation home is a tribute to her. I know she’s there with me in spirit.” She sniffled.
Hope sat up and met my gaze. I swiped the padding of my thumbs across her face, removing the tears.
“We both lost people we love, Noah.”
“Hope, we’ll celebrate those we lost this Christmas.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’d love that.”
CHAPTER TEN
NOAH
“Let’s eat. After dinner we’ll decorate the tree. My grandmother's tree topper is in the hall closet.”
“I can’t wait to see it at the top of the tree.”
Threading our fingers, I led her into the kitchen. “Shit, I almost forgot to call my mom.”
“Go ahead. I’ll prepare our plates.”
“Thanks, baby. Oh, I forgot to mention. My dad’s an alcoholic. He usually gets himself into trouble around the holidays. My mother needs to leave him. Hopefully, one day she will.”
“That’s her decision, Noah.”
“Yeah, trust me. I know.”
I hit the FaceTime button on my phone. Mom picked up after the third ring.
“Noah, how’s my baby boy?” her blue eyes sparkled.
“Mom, I’m not the baby. Forget it,” I laughed.
My mother was the sweetest woman until me or one of my brothers destroyed something around the house. Those were the days. She deserved to vacation year-round at her sons’ expense. Hated she was in the company of our asshole father.
Reclined on a lounger, she flicked her long black hair over her bare shoulder under the night sky.
“Where are you?”
“Your dad and I are in Cozumel.”
I ran my hand gruffly over my bearded face. “Mom, why would you take him to an island known for booze cruises?”
“Look at the beautiful sand.” She changed the subject and flipped the camera.
“It’s beautiful, mom.”
She flipped the view back.
Dad stuck his face in the frame. “Hey, son. How are you?” His short brown and gray hair was neatly trimmed.
“Fine.”
“That’s all you have to say to your old man?”
“Be good to my mother. Don’t go to jail over there. If you do, we’ll leave you.”
“Your mother already warned me. Who’s that pretty woman behind you?”
My parents’ faces brightened.
I wrapped my arm around her waist. “This is my woman, Hope Manning. I’ve nicknamed her Ms. Christmas. It’s her favorite holiday.”
Mom’s brows rose. “Nice to meet you, sweetheart. Not sure what you did to my son. He hates Christmas.”
“I look forward to meeting you both in person. He told me why he dislikes my favorite holiday.”
Moms hand flew over her mouth. “He did?” A tear escaped her eye.
“Grazie Dio.”
“She said thank God.”
“Il mio bellissimo ragazzo. My beautiful boy.”
“Mom?”
“Fermare. Stop.”
“Sorry to speak in Italian around you. She called me her beautiful boy, and I asked her to stop.”
Hope laughed. “It’s ok. Enjoy your vacation.”
“Thanks Hope,” my parents said in unison.
She darted around the large black counter with our plates.
“I love you, Mom. Talk to you both soon.”
Dad nodded. He knew I wouldn’t express my love for his ass.
“Love you too. Bye.” Mom disconnected the call.
“If only meeting my family were that easy. Dad will want to sit down with you.”
“Merda. Shit.”
“Yeah. He will grill you.” Hope slipped a sliver of lemon grilled chicken into her mouth. “This is good.”
“Happy you like it. After I left the bar, I needed to clear my head. I stumbled upon the healthy restaurant called Delish at the end of town.”
“I didn’t know you weren’t home.”
“After you asked me to leave, I drove into town.” Sitting beside her, I bit into a buttered roll.
“While I was at the bar, a rival beer distributor Lewis Barker tried forcing my hand.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
I explained what happened.
“How did he know you were here?”
“There’s an article about our kiss in the local paper. The newspaper probably fell across Barker’s desk because he’s a fucking stalker when it comes to all things Canyon beer. I’m not giving in to that asshole. If I catch him in the city alone, I’ll take matters into my own hands. He’s a rich bastard with too much time on his hands.”
My brothers and I kept in touch with our cousins Vincent and Vincenzo over the years. They assured me they wouldn’t ask