Reserved the pitstop ser.., p.31
Reserved (The Pitstop Series Book 6), page 31
We had a very awkward dinner where my mother and I didn’t speak and Nova couldn’t stop talking to fill the awkward tension with conversation. I love my sister, I do, but it didn’t help. The looks I got from Mama were enough to tell me she still hasn’t forgiven me for this decision, for choosing to live my life the way I want to, not the way she thinks I should.
“I will personally pay you monthly so you can move into a place with a bigger bathroom,” Nova calls out before a dramatic gasp escapes her. I translate what Nova said to Aileen, and she giggles at her girlfriend’s words. “You only have one drawer for your bathroom things?”
“Leave my bathroom alone,” I say as Papa walks up to me and wraps an arm around my shoulder. I lean my head on his torso, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“I can’t believe you live here,” Mama says, scrunching her nose up in disgust. “You had a house, a home with so much space, and you gave it all up for… this?” Aileen frowns at my mother, so I place a hand on her shoulder to assure her it’s okay.
“Yes,” I say, not hesitating. And I’m happy, I add, signing the words because if I said them out loud, I have a feeling it would hurt her more.
My mother has been many things for me in my life. A friend, someone to lean on when times got tough, a patient listener when my anxiety first started. She’s been overbearing and controlling too, but she’s never been cold. That’s not who she used to be to me, but she’s grown so fucking cold, I don’t know what to do anymore.
“There’s something you wanted to discuss with me,” Papa chimes in, hugging me a little before stepping away to stand in front of me and block my view of Mama.
“It’s work-related,” I say, hoping he hears in my voice that I want to discuss what happened in private. I give Papa a look when he furrows his brows at me, and understanding washes over his features.
“Then, let’s go get some ice cream and discuss. I’ll see you all back at the hotel,” he announces to Mama, Nova, and Aileen, signing the words with his hands at the same time.
We all make our way outside of my building, Nova and Aileen hugging me goodbye and telling me they’re excited to spend the day together tomorrow. Mama simply disappears into the taxi, not looking back once.
My heart hurts a little now.
“Will she ever forgive me?” I ask Papa, and he holds out his arm for me to take.
“She doesn’t see how successful you are yet, so she thinks you made the biggest mistake of your life. But, everywhere I go during the race weekend, I hear people praising you. ‘The young journalist who has exceeded everyone’s expectations,’” he says, and half a smile tugs on my lips. “She wants you to move back home, but I can see now how well you’ve been handling everything. I’m so proud of you,” Papa goes on, and I squeeze his arm.
A tear slips down his cheek, but he wipes it away quickly.
“It’s just hard for both of us that you’re not around, which doesn’t mean that you should move back. It’s just, you grew up so fast, and we miss you.”
My own tears stream down now. I want to respond, but it takes me a second to get rid of the lump in my throat.
“I miss you both a lot. There is still so much I need you both for, things that have me tossing and turning all night that I can’t seem to answer for myself. I will always need you, no matter what,” I point out, and he nods, his eyes fixed on the street in front of us.
“Then tell me, what has you tossing and turning?” Papa asks as we make our way toward the gelateria.
“My boss has been hiding that new tennis players have signed with Griffin Sports to have articles written like the ones I write for the Formula One drivers. She told me she didn’t know, but I have a feeling she’s lying to me,” I explain.
“Why do you think that?” He looks down at me, his face void of any emotion.
“Because these are famous tennis players, top tennis players. They’re probably paying a lot of money to get these exclusives. How would she not know about this for two weeks?” I ask, and he nods, clearly agreeing with my train of thought. “I wanted a job in the tennis department, but they didn’t have a spot for me. Now they do. I’ve proven to be a good journalist. There’s no reason for her to keep this from me,” I say, frustrated all over again.
“Maybe there is one that she didn’t want to share with you,” he guesses, shrugging a little. “Give her some time. Now she knows that you know. She won’t be able to hide it from you anymore,” Papa adds, and I already feel a lot better now, having spoken to him.
“Yeah, you’re right. Thank you,” I say as we stop in front of the gelateria.
“Your mom will come around too.” I appreciate his reassurance, but, right now, it feels like I’m the villain in her story, and I’m not even sure I want her to forgive me.
There shouldn’t be anything to forgive.
Maybe if I say it a few more times, I’ll stop feeling so guilty.
Chapter 50
Adrian
Leonard, James, Cameron, Gabriel, and Damian are staring at me. I notice it too late after I’ve already grinned at my fucking phone because Nevaeh told me she can’t wait for our date tomorrow. We haven’t seen each other in days because her family is visiting, and I miss her already.
Yes, she also said a few other things, but her “Can’t wait for tomorrow, baby” had me beaming at the screen. The happy look faded as soon as I saw my family’s confused, yet slightly amused expressions.
“Hay fever?” Cameron asks, his Australian accent thick as he addresses everyone but me.
“Maybe. There’s definitely something wrong with his head so it has to be fever-related,” Leonard chimes in, and I think about flipping both of them off for a moment.
“No, there is only one logical explanation,” James says, bouncing his son on his knee. “This isn’t Adrian. The real Adrian was kidnapped, and we have some kind of shapeshifter in front of us.”
Oh my fucking God, they can’t be serious. I smiled at my goddamn phone, it’s not a big deal. Even if it is. Even if I’m a completely different man when it comes to love and romance now.
“Careful, boys, this shapeshifter can do more than put on the face of the most handsome man on planet Earth,” I say, and they all let out a laugh that sends a wave of happiness through me.
“At least he’s still as arrogant as before, maybe more so now after convincing one of the most beautiful and fascinating people in the world that dating him was a good idea,” Cameron adds, and I roll my eyes at all of them.
I don’t understand why it’s so surprising that Nevaeh would choose me… am I that wrong for her? I don’t think so. I hope not. I’ve done everything in my power to give her the world so far, but maybe it’s my way of lying to myself. Maybe I’m just wrong in every way, and I’ve managed to convince everyone I’m not. Oh God, my brain hurts from overthinking the most ridiculous things.
Nevaeh is happy with me. I’m good for her as long as I keep her this way. Right? Fuck. Relationships are so stressful.
“Oh no, now he’s thinking. Don’t hurt yourself, mate,” Cameron says, and I stand up, walking into my kitchen while they chuckle at my expense.
Why the hell did I invite them over again? Oh yeah, I missed them. Silly me.
“Come on now, Adrian, don’t pout. We’re glad you managed to rip yourself out of Nevaeh’s arms long enough to spend some time with us,” Leonard explains, and, although I want to tell him how ridiculous that is, he’s right.
I haven’t given them much of my time. They’ve asked me to, but I had no interest in leaving my girlfriend’s side. I still don’t, but she put the phone into my hand a few days ago, dialed James’ number, and told me to have a night with my friends. I tried to argue that she’s also my friend and should stay, but then she told me about her family visiting and Val inviting them all over for dinner.
If anyone is ever going to be a threat to my relationship with Nevaeh, it’s my sister. I’d laugh at the thought if it weren’t an actual concern at this point.
“Yeah, I’m hooked. I like her so much, it fucking hurts to be away from her. The last time I checked, every single one of you feels the same, except James of course,” I add the last part with an apologetic smile, but he shrugs off my comment, looking into his son’s eyes with a warmth like no other. He’s also holding his ears closed because I’m swearing, and he doesn’t want his son to adopt that “filthy” habit, as he put it.
“We do feel the same,” Gabriel says, grinning now. “Which is why we’re teasing you. It’s too much fun when we know how accurate our jokes are.” I roll my eyes again.
“Can we get to the part of this evening I invited you all for?” I ask, settling back down in my chair. Five sets of eyes are on me again, and I let out a long, hard sigh. “Fine, you freaking butt faces, ask your god darn questions,” I say, and James gives me an appreciative smile.
The rest of the group has curiosity spilling onto their faces like blush would on Nevaeh’s cheeks. Cameron is the first to speak.
“Are you actually making plans for your future with her? I remember you telling me that’s the last thing you’d ever want with someone.” Fuck no, I’m going to have to tell them corny shit, don’t I? No, I don’t. I’ll answer, but my cheesiness is only meant for Nevaeh.
“Yes, I am.” Three words, enough to answer his question, but he pries because he knows he can.
“One kid? Two kids? Five? None? Settle down here in Monaco or somewhere else? Big wedding or small ceremony? Big house or small apartment? Any pets?” Man, he’s annoying.
So why the hell do I answer all of this?
“However many kids Nevaeh wants. Wherever Nevaeh wants to grow old. The biggest or smallest ceremony she could ever dream of. A mansion or a shoebox, anywhere with her. Lots of pets because she loves animals. Happy?” None of them expected me to give them this much, to be so vulnerable without hesitation.
“Son of a bench, you’re in love,” Leonard says, and panic creeps into my chest.
“No, I'm not,” I argue, even though I have no idea how to describe what I feel. It’s more than like, but I’ve never been in love before, so how the hell would I know what it feels like? “Am I?” I find myself asking. All four men across from me look at each other before bringing their gazes back to me.
“Only you can answer that question,” Gabriel says, but Leonard snorts.
“Of course, you’re in love, you idiot. It’s so obvious.” I let out a pretend shocked gasp.
“No need to get so rude,” I say and place a hand on my chest in mock offense. Leonard scowls at me, but the familiar half-smile he’s given me for years tugs at the right side of his mouth.
“Alright now, let’s give Adrian what he wants. We came here for game night, not to tease him about his sappy behavior,” Gabriel says, but Cameron snorts.
“Speak for yourself. I’ll do both, you’ll see.”
And he stays true to his word the entire night.
Chapter 51
Nevaeh
My laptop shuts down on me in the middle of a photo edit, and I curse under my breath. This is the third time in two days it has done that. Luckily, the edits were just for myself and not for the article I sent to Ms. Martin this morning. She wanted me to write one for the upcoming weekend, try out something new. She already sent back feedback, telling me she really enjoyed it and will publish it sometime this week. Meanwhile, I slam my laptop shut and sit back in the cocoon chair, my favorite place in the apartment besides the bedroom or anywhere in Adrian’s arms. He said he has something planned for us to do today but that he needed another hour, so I’ve been working instead.
“Come with me,” Adrian’s voice fills my ears, and I look up at him with a smile slowly creeping onto my face.
“You’re so bossy, do you know that?” I ask, but he’s already lifting me out of the chair and pulling me toward the door.
“I’ll stop when you stop loving it so much,” he replies and turns to me to briefly flash me a sexy smirk that heats up my cheeks. I do love it when Adrian’s bossy because I know I still have a choice. He would never make me do anything I didn’t want to do.
“Before we go anywhere, is my outfit appropriate? This is Monaco, after all, and I know you told me to wear sweatpants, but I’m wearing sweatpants, in Monaco,” I state, and he spins around, looking me up and down with an appreciative smile.
“No one on planet Earth pulls off sweatpants like you. Fuck,” he says before his bottom lip slips between his teeth. A low sigh escapes him, and he shakes his head to refocus. My body catches fire from his gaze, and I suck in a sharp breath when I remember to breathe. “Let’s go before I forget how important today is.” I cock a brow but follow him without asking questions. He pulls a cap over my head and an oversized sweater on my body, making sure I’m unrecognizable, just like I always am when we go out.
We drive for a bit, the noon sun shining brightly onto us in the car, the benefit of having a convertible. Adrian is silent and the radio is quiet. I watch my boyfriend almost the entire way, getting lost in the way his blonde hair flattens out and then gets poofy depending on how the wind moves it. His smile, however, stays consistent the entire way.
“You’re so beautiful,” I can’t help but say, his grin growing wider from my words.
“I’ve never been called beautiful before,” he replies and takes my hand in his to press a small kiss to the back of it. “Never thought I’d like it this much,” Adrian adds, and I lift my fingers to his cheek to run them over his defined cheekbone.
“Well, you are. You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my entire life, mein Mond,” I inform him, and he lets out a sound that I can only describe as a combination of a groan and laugh.
“You keep giving me new weaknesses.” I shake my head at my man before my gaze shifts to Stade Louis II, the football stadium here in Monaco. “We’re going to play a bit of soccer,” Adrian says, driving all the way to the underground parking area where a security guard waits for us.
She hands Adrian a ticket, and he takes it with a “thank you” and a kind smile. He’s so polite to every single person, always making sure to spread kindness. And I like him all the more for it.
The parking garage is completely empty, not a car in sight as Adrian parks. I open my own door very slightly, but he reaches across me and pulls it shut again, making me burst into laughter.
“You don’t open your own doors when I’m around, Nevaeh,” he scolds, and I watch him with a laugh as he runs around his car to open my door for me.
“You rented out a whole stadium just for us to play soccer?” I ask to change the subject, and he nods. “That must have cost a fortune!” I say, but Adrian shrugs nonchalantly.
“It barely cost me anything. The manager owed me a favor because I got him seasonal F1 tickets, and I cashed it in. Please, never worry about something like my money, okay?” Since it is none of my business anyway, I give him a nod, which he replies to with a satisfied smirk.
We walk into the grand stadium, past the players' lockers, and then out onto the field. An impressed gasp leaves me as I spin around, taking in the size of it all.
“You made the same sound the first time you looked at my cock. If that isn’t an ego boost, I don’t know what is,” he says, and I press my lips together.
“Like you need it,” I mumble with a smile before walking onto the artificial grass and letting out a short laugh. Adrian moves over to the benches where he grabs a ball and then kicks it over to where I am.
“No one is here, I made sure of it in case you—” He cuts off, and I tilt my head. “In case you wanted your fantasy to come true,” he says, and I slowly make my way over to him, every step fuelling the excitement inside of me.
“We’re all alone? No people? No cameras?” I ask, and he flings his arms around me, dragging me against his chest.
“Yes.” I wrap my arms around his neck and touch my lips to the lobe of his ear.
“Care to play a game?” I whisper, making him tense. He always tenses when I turn him on, which is why I nibble on his lobe, making his hands slip onto my ass. “One where we’ll end up naked?”
“Are you suggesting strip soccer?” he asks as I step away from him, breaking all skin contact.
“I score a goal, you remove a piece of clothing. You score a goal, I do,” I say, licking my lips when his eyes attach to them.
Adrian holds out his hand for me to shake, so I slide mine into his briefly before running toward the soccer ball and kicking it toward the goal closest to us.
“Cheater!” Adrian calls after me with a laugh, but I don’t stop until I kick the ball right into the empty goal.
“Oh yeah!” I scream and turn to him.
He’s a few meters behind me, pushing his tongue to the roof of his mouth and placing his hands on his hips.
“Let’s start with something small. Your shirt, please, baby,” I say and smile as he reaches for the hem of it.
“Usually, people start with a shoe or a sock,” he reminds me, but he doesn’t have to. I’m well aware of how these things are supposed to go, but I want his torso naked and exposed to me, even if it may distract me.
He does as I instructed, his trained body only covered by a pair of shorts now. My eyes dip to the dusting of hair leading from his belly button all the way into his boxers, and I run my fingers down its path as he steps in front of me. His chest is rising and falling against mine, adrenaline shooting through us from anticipation and excitement.
“Alright then, let’s play this your way,” he says before taking the ball from me and moving backward.
Since the whole field would be too big for two people, we stay close to the goal we’re nearest to. He’s so quick now, I can barely keep up with him before he scores, and I lean my head back to groan.
