Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,54
rolled her eyes, but Tani pursed her lips and raised both eyebrows at her.
“Trust me. He could wreck it before we even realized something was going on. There’s nothing scarier than a silent toddler. You’d be surprised how much they can get up to in just a few minutes.”
“I remember drawing an entire mural on my mother’s wall in permanent ink,” Bart offered with a nostalgic grin I hadn’t seen before on his face. “I also might’ve cut my hand on something I shouldn’t have been playing with. Then I bled all over her carpet before I worked up the courage to tell her.”
“You see?” Tani laughed. “Any kid is terrifying when they’re quiet, but I’m convinced boys are worse. I don’t remember doing anything like that. I’d have to check with my mom to be sure, though.”
“I don’t think you have to check with her,” I said. “Between my brothers and I, I don’t know if there’s anything in my parents’ house that survived our childhood intact. Except maybe the house. We didn’t break it down. Not the whole thing anyway. If you can’t say the same, boys are probably more destructive.”
She laughed. “Destructive. Inquisitive. Potato, potahto.”
“Do you have any sisters?” Rylee asked me while Bart turned to Tani to tell her some more of his own stories.
Judging by the way they were looking at each other and the animated movements of Bart’s hands, I had to hand it to Rylee. This had been a good idea “Nope, just a bunch of brothers. If the whole acting thing doesn’t work out for you, I think you’d have a bright future in matchmaking.”
“I might just agree with you.” She glanced at our friends with an extremely satisfied, serene expression softening her features. When she turned her attention back to me, my heart started racing again. “Do you have any plans for Christmas with your family? You said before they were overbearing, but I imagine with there being a whole bunch of you, family Christmases must be entertaining.”
“They are, but not this year. My brothers are all doing their own thing since we were home for Thanksgiving. My parents are under the impression they’re coming here for the holidays, but I’ve already told them no.”
“Why?” Her brow puckered before she smoothed it out and shot me a playful smile. “Are you embarrassed by me or by them?”
“Neither. I just don’t have any time off for Christmas. The contract says I’m with you until January.”
“Yeah, but they could come here?” she suggested. “I’d be one hundred percent good with it. It’d be fun, even. My parents aren’t coming for Christmas this year, and it’d be nice to meet yours. Christmas is a time for family. Invite them.”
“Yeah, man,” Bart interrupted, apparently having overheard the last part of our conversation. “If Rylee’s okay with it, I’m fine with it too. Your parents are great. You’d have a good time with them, and then your mom won’t castrate me for having you on a job at this time of year.”
Fuck. I really need to tell her who I am.
My folks would recognize her immediately, and while I might’ve changed over the years, they certainly hadn’t. A few more lines on their faces at most. Their accents were also much stronger than mine. If she didn’t know who they were the second she saw them, she’d put it all together very, very fast. Even if I asked them not to say anything to her, but I didn’t want to do that. It would be taking the lie to the next level, making it into something so much more than it was.
Fuck. Time to face the music, Demming.
As soon our friends left, I was going to have to come clean. Why didn’t I just tell her in the first fucking place?
If it was possible, I’d have kicked my own ass up and down this penthouse right now. When I tuned back into the conversation, Bart and Tani were talking a mile a minute again and Rylee was waiting for my answer.
“Yeah.” My voice didn’t come out quite as strong as I’d have wanted it to. “Sure. I’ll speak to them.”
She grinned and gave my thigh a quick squeeze under the table. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
The food looked and smelled delicious, but it tasted like cardboard to me. Bart seemed to be having the same problem, pulling back from Tani when Cash came running back into the room.