Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Brooks

I sat on the Addisons' front porch three days later, waiting for Skylar to get back from yet another meeting, when an unfamiliar silver BMW pulled into the driveway.

A man and a woman got out, their gaze immediately fixed on me.

"Can I help you?" he called.

I recognized his voice from past phone calls. This was Gavin Addison. My actual boss. And I was sitting on his porch after rolling around in bed with his son.

Awkward.

"Hi," I called, standing and tucking my hands into my pockets. "I was just waiting for Skylar."

Gavin strolled toward me, looking well put together but comfortable in a pair of navy blue shorts and a white polo. "You're Brooks, right? Are you here on business?"

"Ah…" I hesitated, but it seemed like a bad idea to start with a lie if Skylar and I really were going to become serious. "No. Skylar and I have become friends."

He raised his eyebrows. "Friends?"

My heart thumped. "Yeah."

Mrs. Addison reached us then, highlighted blond hair glinting under the sun. She was beautiful, and I could see that Skylar got his high cheekbones from her. "Hello?"

"This is Brooks, the bar manager down at The Rusty Pub, and apparently a friend of Skylar's," Gavin said. "Brooks, this is my wife, Charlotte."

"Nice to meet you," I said. "I don't want to be in your way. I'll just—"

"Oh, you're a friend of Skylar's." Charlotte brightened. "That's lovely. I was worried he was sulking all alone out here."

I frowned. Sulking? What did Skylar's parents think happened with Blaize?

"I told you Skylar was doing some work for me," Gavin said.

Charlotte scoffed. "Yes, and you thought you were fooling me. Skylar has never wanted to work for you."

They exchanged a meaningful look, and I was just about to excuse myself—even if it meant walking back to town—when Skylar pulled in behind their car.

The moment he stepped out of the door, his gaze met mine. I tried not to telegraph my inner panic, but really, this wasn't quite how I'd imagined meeting the parents.

Skylar's gaze flicked between us all as he came up the driveway. "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?"

Charlotte laughed. "Is that any way to greet your mother?"

While she swooped in to hug him, Gavin's lips curled in a wry smile. "This is our house, you know. We decided we could use some time off."

"In the middle of your mall project?" Skylar's tone called bullshit.

"Yep. And we've just arrived, so we're tired." Gavin glanced sidelong at me. "Your friend here was waiting on the porch."

"Friend?" Skylar's tone was neutral.

"Uh, yeah." I cleared my throat, nervous. "I wasn't sure what you'd want to…"

Skylar stepped up beside me, slipping an arm around my waist and giving me a reassuring squeeze. "Mom, Dad, this is Brooks. My new boyfriend."

Charlotte's gaze widened and swept over me again. "Nice work, kiddo."

"Charlotte," Gavin muttered, shaking his head.

"What? I'm impressed. Skylar left that jackass Blaize and got himself an upgraded model."

Skylar rolled his eyes. "Mom, please don't talk about Brooks like he's a vacuum cleaner."

"Well, if he sucks—"

Gavin clapped a hand over his wife's mouth. "She had one too many drinks on the plane. We'll, uh, just go rest up. Now's not a great time for visitors."

"I have to get to work anyway," I said, uncomfortably aware that work was at Gavin's pub.

"I'll give you a ride," Skylar said.

"Skylar, we should catch up about this resort plan of yours while your mother rests."

Skylar nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"But…"

Skylar started down the steps, so I followed. "I could, uh, just go on my own if you need to stay and talk."

"Nope." Skylar yanked the driver-side door open. "I need a few minutes to brace for the grilling."

"Grilling?" My stomach flip-flopped as I slid into the passenger seat. "Over me?"

"No." Skylar flashed me a small smile. "Over the project. That's why he's here."

"Oh. Is there a problem?"

"Not yet," Skylar said grimly, "but Dad expects there will be or he wouldn't have shown up." His shoulders hunched. "That or he really doesn't trust me to know what I'm doing."

I reached out, squeezing his shoulder. "He wouldn't have agreed to let you take it on if that were the case, right?"

"Probably." Skylar sighed. "I just had my second no-show over at the resort. Now, Dad is here. I'm just… It's been a lot today."

"Yeah." I cleared my throat. "Um, I was planning to move tomorrow, but considering the sudden arrival—"

Skylar winced. "You can stay tonight if you want. I already told them you're my boyfriend." He kept his gaze on the road as he navigated a sharp curve. "I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, of course. I just didn't want to introduce myself to your parents that way if you weren't ready for it."

Skylar gave a brittle laugh. "Ready or not, they're here."

"Are things with your parents…okay? I mean, by the way your mother talked…"

"What?"

"They don't know about how Blaize treated you."

Skylar shook his head. "I love my parents, but my dad is overprotective at the best of times. I didn't want to deal with the fallout." His mouth tightened. "I hope you won't tell them either. I'm trying to take control of my life. That's impossible when my father is determined to rescue me."

"Of course not," I said. "But I'm not sure staying at your place is such a good idea. I'll crash at the new apartment tonight. I've got a few spare things at the pub."

"I'll bring the rest of your stuff over later," Skylar said with a tense smile. "This wasn't how I wanted this move to go. It wasn't supposed to be so sudden."

I grasped his hand and lifted it to kiss his knuckles. "Hey, this was our decision before your parents even showed up. Maybe it's good they're here to hurry us along. I might have never actually left otherwise."

Skylar chuckled. "And I might have tied you to the bed."

"That can still be arranged," I joked.

Skylar gave me a hot look. "I'll keep that in mind."

I squirmed a little in the seat at the idea, adjusting the fit of my shorts, which were suddenly too tight. The idea of Skylar tying me down and taking what he wanted shouldn't be so hot, but clearly I got off a lot more on letting someone use me however they liked than I ever imagined I would.

Skylar parked in front of Just The Sip. "Here we are. You wouldn't want to forget Grandma's coffee."

I chuckled. "Yeah, she'd never forgive me."

"I'll come by the pub later," Skylar said. "I meant it when I said I wanted to help you move. I'll pick you up at closing."

"You don't have to—"

Skylar kissed me so suddenly it caught me off-guard. He cupped my face and drew it out, long and intense. When he pulled back, his eyes were fierce.

"This isn't goodbye."

"I know."

It did sort of feel like goodbye, but only so that we could start a new chapter. I just wished Skylar's parents hadn't arrived in the middle of our transition. Still, I'd meant what I said to Sky. If they hadn't, I wasn't sure I'd have ever gone through with it. And we both needed to see that we could have a relationship without me playing at being bodyguard.

"I'll see you tonight," Skylar repeated. "I'll bring your bags and one of my own. We can christen the place together."

The tightness in my chest loosened, and I smiled. "I like the sound of that. If your parents get to be too much…"

"What?" His lips twisted wryly. "You going to protect me from them?"

Skylar had a point. I couldn't protect him from everything. I shouldn't be trying. That was one of the reasons it was important to reset the framework of this relationship, wasn't it?

"I wouldn't know where to start," I admitted with a chuckle. "But I'm always here to listen if you need to vent."

"I appreciate that." He brushed one last kiss across my cheek. "Now go before you're late."

Fifteen minutes later, I sat in front of my grandmother, thinking that it must be a very inopportune day for parents.

"Mom does not need your help," I argued for the tenth time.

Grandma scowled at me. "And you know what your mother needs because you're psychic?"

"I know what you need," I argued, "and it's not my mom taking advantage of you."

I knew Mom suddenly calling Grandma again out of the blue was going to lead to trouble. She'd convinced my grandmother to send her fifty bucks of her own spending money—and Grandma didn't have much to start. Even worse, she'd suggested that if Grandma moved in with her, they could "share" bills.

That was code for "you can give me your Social Security checks." Grandma currently used her checks toward her rent and personal expenses, then I made up the difference. If she moved in with my mother, no doubt, that money would all go straight into her pocket, and when she was irresponsible and didn't pay the bills—like she'd demonstrated many times before—Grandma would be the one who suffered.

Grandma huffed, clearly unhappy with my attempt to protect her. "I'm not a child, Brooks. I'm living in a freaking old folks' home!"

"It's assisted living," I said. "That's not the same thing. And you're getting better all the time."

"I am." She rose from her chair and took a couple of steps toward me with her cane, moving better than she had in years. "And I'm not sure Silver Cove is always going to be the best option. For either of us."

I blinked. Yes, Grandma was doing better, but this was our long-term plan. Even if we could get a house again—which was a big if— I'd still have to work so much she'd spend a lot of time alone. If she fell again, she might not recover so easily next time.

"I don't think you should spend all day alone, though, and I work too much to keep you company."

"Not to mention you've got no place to stash your old grandma," she said with a chuckle. "But that's why going to your mom's could be perfect. I could just visit first. Test the waters, see if maybe I can move in with her. It's time for me to stop being such a burden to you, Brooks. I don't want you to take care of me. I want you to start your own life."

"I am."

"How? By living in the gosh-danged pub and working all hours of the day?"

"Actually, I'm moving into Fisher's old apartment tonight. So you don't need to worry there."

"Oh. Well, that's better than living at your job, but it doesn't change the fact you work too much. You don't even have time to date."

"Grandma." I gave a chuckle. Apparently, it was the day for boyfriend declarations. "I was going to wait until Skylar could visit with me again to tell you…"

"What?"

"We're dating. Skylar is my boyfriend, and I've been working a lot less hours at the pub."

Not that I could sustain that and Grandma's bills, but it wouldn't help my case to tell her that.

"What?" she squealed and nearly tipped over. I jumped up to steady her, and she swatted my hand away. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm not going to break a hip just because my grandson has a boyfriend."

She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tight. "But I will hug the stuffing out of you! Why didn't you tell me you were gay?"

"Because I'm bisexual," I said with a chuckle. "Sky is the first guy to ever…"

She drew back, cupping my cheek with one hand. "I'm so happy for you, Brooks."

"Does that mean you'll stop talking nonsense about going to help out Mom? Because I need you here. I've never been in a real relationship before. I'm sure to screw it up without your sage advice."

"Oh, you are full of crap," she said with a laugh as she released me and returned to her chair. "But fine, I won't go just yet."

"Yet?"

She shrugged. "I'll be here for as long as you need me, Brooks. I'd never leave you. Not when so many others have."

My throat tightened, and I could hardly get the words out. "Thank you."

"Besides, I've got a few weeks of physical therapy left," she admitted.

I laughed. "Oh, the truth comes out."

She smiled and waved a hand at me. "It's not about that. I don't want to hold you back. I've been doing it for far too long."

"Wrong," I said. "You could never do that."

But her words stayed with me after I left. So did the disbelieving look in her eyes.

Grandma had promised not to leave me, but somehow I didn't think she was giving up on the idea of leaving Silver Cove, either. If I didn't come up with a solution, I was afraid she'd take matters into her own hands.

Or worse, put them into my mother's untrustworthy ones.