Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
I giggle. “You’ve already got a pair—the black, lace ones you stole that very first weekend.”
“Yes, I know. They’re my prized possession. Unfortunately, however, they lost their glorious scent a long time ago.”
“Grayson.”
“What can I say? I’m an addict, baby. A junkie. Your panties are my favorite sensory aid, whenever I’m alone in bed and missing my hot girlfriend who never lets me come over to her house.”
“Naughty boy,” I whisper.
“Only with you.” He pauses. “Okay, I’m at the restaurant now. Are you close to leaving?”
“Uh, sort of. Hang on. I’m gonna put you down.” I put the phone on the bed and throw on my dress. But as I’m doing so, I think I hear my dog, Daisy, scratching at my closed bedroom door. So, once my dress is on, I quickly swing open the door . . . And that’s when I discover, to my shock, the noise I heard wasn’t made by Daisy, but, rather, by my darling son who’s very obviously been eavesdropping on my conversation with Grayson.
“Drew!” I blurt, as he stumbles back. “Fuck!” I grab my phone off the bed. “Gotta go. I’ll see you soon! Order me an extra-dirty vodka martini!”
“I know exactly how you like it, babe!” Grayson calls out, before I shout a quick thanks and disconnect the call. With my heart hammering, I race back to my doorway, where I find my nefarious and nosey son fleeing down the hallway.
“Andrew De La Torre!” I shout to his retreating back. “Stop!”
To his credit, Drew halts, exhales visibly, and turns around, every inch of his face reflecting his guilt.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Did Drew overhear Grayson and me talking about tea-bagging in my bathroom, for the love of fuck? No, I don’t think Drew could have heard a single word said behind that closed door, thank God, even with the call on speaker phone.
But what did Drew overhear later on in the bedroom, when I had my phone pressed against my ear? Did I say the word “panties” or was Grayson the only one? I’m fairly certain only Grayson said the actual word, while I teased Grayson that he “already had a pair.” But what other kind of “pair” could I have been referring to, if not panties? Gloves? Pants? Shoes?
Fuck! I think I said something about Grayson having stolen “my black, lace ones.” Damn! That sure enough put the word “pair” into context. Plus, I’m positive I called Grayson a “naughty boy” toward the end of the phone call—and in a highly suggestive tone—which almost certainly wouldn’t have gone misunderstood by a fourteen-year-old boy with raging hormones.
“How long were you listening to my phone call?” I demand.
“I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Drew rolls his eyes. “I only listened for like two minutes, Mom. And it wasn’t a big deal. I already know about your boyfriend. I’ve known about him for months.”
“What?”
He nods. “Dad told me months ago he bumped into you on a date with your boyfriend.”
My jaw nearly clanks onto the floor. Fucking hell. What the fuck did Andre say about that encounter to our son? I’m too mortified to ask Drew for any details. I’ll save that question for Andre.
“But even if Dad hadn’t told me,” Drew continues, most likely reacting to the rage he’s seeing on my face, “I would have figured it out for myself. You’ve been running into another room to take calls from someone for months now, which you never do if it’s Victoria or Marnie or a client. And then, I can hear you giggling on the phone, but trying to stifle it, so I won’t hear. And after you’ve hung up, you always come back with this goofy smile on your face.”
I press my lips together, rendered speechless.
“And every time you get that same goofy grin on your face while texting with someone,” Drew continues, “I always ask who you’re texting with, hoping you’ll finally come clean with me about your boyfriend.” He shoots me the same stern look I wear when I’m scolding him. “But you never do.”
My face feels hot. He’s just been caught, eavesdropping outside my door, and he thinks he can chastise me for withholding information from him that’s none of his business? Ha! I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my child flip the script on me! Crossing my arms I say, “Why didn’t you tell me you knew, all this time?”
“Because you obviously didn’t want me to know. Also, because it’s been hilarious watching you lie like a rug.” Chuckling at my annoyed facial expression, Drew walks toward me. “The more important question, Mother Dear, is why you’ve been hiding this guy from me? Do you think you’re a bad mom if you date someone? Because that’s stupid. Eddie’s mom dates all the time, and she’s a great mom. And you know Dad’s introduced me to more girlfriends than I can count at this point—although I probably shouldn’t have brought that up, since he’s the furthest thing from a great father.”