Chapter 31
Elliot
“?Mi nino precioso, sabes cuanto te quiero?” Mami wraps her arms around me and brings me up to her lap.
Do I know how much she loves me. I shake my head and she holds me tighter and blows kisses on my cheek. My laugh filling the room.
“Te quiero mucho, mucho.” She speaks through her laugh. “Never forget my love. Nunca.”
I shift in her lap and take her face in my hands. “I love you too, Mami.”
She smiles and then presses so many kisses all over my face.
I don’t know why out of all the memories I have of my mother, that one came to forefront.
That had to had happened when I was around six, possibly, years before she disappeared. Why am I think about it now?
Maybe because she’s been on my mind a lot more lately than what I care to admit.
It’s been a few weeks since Leo mentioned the moniker she has been working under and since I asked my little brother to look into her.
I know the same amount of information now than I did back then and I think it’s finally getting to me.
Not knowing where my mother is and what she is planning is becoming a dark spot in my mind.
The memories coming forward must be my mind subconsciously telling me I can no longer ignore the subject that is my mother and I have to work harder to get answers I’m looking for.
I fucking hate my mind sometimes.
Though, I do have to listen to it soon, otherwise memories will continue to haunt me.
Thankfully, I don’t have to do that now, not with the text message that just came through.
Bennett
Family dinner tonight at the manor.
I look down at the message and inwardly grown. All thoughts and memories of my mother, push to the very back.
Out of all nights, why the hell did he decide to have a family dinner tonight? I already had plans—plans that included flying Aria to New York so she could try this place she found on social media.
According to her, it was droolworthy.
Since she has an early shift at the hospital tomorrow morning, I was going to cancel the meeting I had with a seller in Milwaukee, fly us to New York and get back at a decent time so she wouldn’t be tired for work.
Now, I guess dinner in New York will have to wait and I still have to head to Milwaukee.
I quickly reply to the family chat.
Elliot
what time?
Ella
7, please.
Charlie
Why must you do this when I’m not in town?????
Ella
it was Bennett’s idea. Sorry, little sis. I will make it up to you, I promise.
Charlie
hmmm
Drake
I can’t really say no to dinner since I’m already at the manor. Count me in!
Samantha
Same
Grayson
I’ll be a little late, but I will be there.
Ella
Elliot?
I think about it. Is it bad that I want to bring Aria with me?
It’s only been two days since the gala, since we said we would talk about the whole her being mine thing. I had all the intentions of talking about that tonight, since yesterday was very much about sex from the second I got back from my meeting. Not a lot of deep conversation.
So her going with me to dinner with my family is somewhat of a big thing that I’m not sure we’re ready for. Still, I find myself sending a text message.
Elliot
Can I bring Aria?
As soon as I send the message, I know I’m going to get bombarded with questions. Sure enough, my notifications go off with text after text.
Charlie
Who is Aria?
Samantha
Elliot’s girlfriend.
Charlie
Are you telling me I missed the news of Elliot having a girlfriend?
Elliot
She’s not my girlfriend.
I mean, that part is true.
Grayson
She also happens to be one of my recovery nurses.
Drake
and a woman he met in Vegas three years ago.
Charlie
You’ve had a girlfriend for three years?!
I roll my eyes at the screen. I regret even brining Aria up.
Elliot
She’s not my girlfriend, and no.
Samantha
She has to be something if you want to bring her to the manor.
Ella
Maybe his wife. She called a bit ago and told his assistant as such
Ella is supposed to have my back, not add to the bullying.
Charlie
!!!!!!!!!!!
A sigh escapes me. As a thirty-year-old man, I shouldn’t have to explain myself.
Elliot
Not my wife! She’s important to me, okay? Can I bring her or not?
To that, my siblings and Charlie don’t say a single thing. Ella and Bennett are the ones who answer.
Bennett
Yes, you can bring her.
Ella
Can’t wait to meet her.
With that, I leave the family chat and go to the thread I have with Aria. The I made it to my place text she sent my way this morning sits at the very bottom of the thread.
I start to type out a message, but right before I hit send, I decide against it and call her instead.
She answers within two rings. “Not even a full day, and you’re calling me. Did you miss me already?” she says by way of a greeting, and I can tell she has a smile on her face.
“I always miss you,” I admit.
A chuckle sounds in my ear. “Good. Let’s keep it that way. What’s up?”
I scratch the back of my head. “I have a question.”
“Okay?” Confusion laces her voice. “What’s the question?”
“Do you want to have dinner with my family tonight?”
There’s silence for a beat. “You want me to have dinner with you family?”
I take a second to see if I can pick up any uncertainty in her tone, but I don’t detect any. If anything, her question has a bit of surprise to it.
“Yeah, if you want to. You can say no.” The words leave me quickly, something I’m not use to. I’m not one to ramble.
“Why would I say no?” she asks.
My hand stops moving though my hair. Is she saying yes?
“Families can be awkward, and since all my siblings are in town, we are bound to be hit with a lot of questions. Given our situation, I don’t know if that’s something you’re comfortable with.”
She’s silent for as beat. “At the gala, you said you wanted to make me yours. Does that not apply anymore?”
Her question has me rearing back. “It still very much applies, but since we haven’t had that conversation yet, I didn’t know how you would feel about dinner with my family. I wanted to ask you first and see if it’s something you wanted to do.”
A small laugh comes from her end. “Did you know you ramble when you’re nervous?”
“It’s something I’m just realizing,” I say after letting out a sigh.
“It’s cute,” she says, and I can tell she’s smiling again. “So what does one wear to dinner with trust fund babies?”
Now, I’m smiling. “Jeans? Anything you want? It’s just dinner, nothing special.”
“I’m meeting your family for the first time. Of course it’s special,” she tuts.
“You’ve technically met two already.”
I swear, I hear her roll her eyes through the phone. “If I go to this dinner and someone is wearing designer dress or even designer shoes, I’m going to shove my stethoscope up your ass.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?”
I’m kidding, but I can picture her in her living room, eyes wide, trying to figure out what kind of response to give to that.
“Wh-what do you want it to be?” She sounds both freaked out and intrigued.
A smirk plays on my lips as a different type of memories comes to the front.
“I’m all for trying anal play, though if I remember correctly you told me to stay away from your ass in Vegas.
” The smirk turns into a grin when she laughs.
“There’s curiosity on my part, but if we do try, we should look into something with a base so it won’t get stuck. ”
“Oh my God! That reminds me of this one time when I was working the ER back in Austin, before I was in pediatrics. This guy came in saying his penis felt like it was going to fall off because it hurt so bad. When we checked him out, he had a plastic spoon in his urethral opening.”
Instantly, my hand goes to my crotch, as if I’m the one with a plastic spoon in my dick.
“How the fuck does that even happen?” I ask, absolutely disturbed. I feel like I want to cry and puke from the phantom pain. My whole body shudders the more I think about it.
“From what I remember, he had a friend that did something similar and he wanted to give it try.”
“I think I like your pediatric stories better,” I say, still very much shielding my penis from harm’s way.
“Oh, I do too. The ER is fucking wild. I saw so much stuff, I don’t know how I don’t have nightmares.”
“I’m going have nightmares.” I shudder again.
“Anyway, forget what I said in Vegas, I’m down to try anal play if that’s something you want to explore.” She says it so nonchalantly, it scares me.
“After that story, I don’t think I want you to even touch me.”
“Eh, you’ll forget about it in a few hours.”
“Nope; that visual is going to be stuck in my head until the end of time.”
She lets out a sweet laugh, and I almost forget about the spoon—almost. Hearing her laugh does bring other visuals into my mind, though. Her in my bed, in my kitchen, in my office, in every single one of my places, just bringing everything to life.
“So dinner with your family. What time?” she asks, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand.
“Are you sure you want to go?”
She doesn’t hesitate for a second. “I’m sure. Just tell me what time, and I will be there.”
I smile into, wishing she was here now instead of at her rental. “I’ll pick you up at six. The manor is out of city limits.”
“Sounds good. I will be ready.”
I didn’t realize just how much I wanted her to say yes until now. I wasn’t lying when I told my family Aria is important to me, but I don’t think even I knew how important until now.
Instead of ending the call, I take a second to collet myself. “Thank you for wanting to go.”
There’s a pause before her voice comes through softly. “Of course. I’d go anywhere with you.”
I thought the same thing during our night in Vegas together.
It’s in that moment I realize whatever is happening between us is strong, and if it ends, it will destroy us both.