Chapter Seventeen

~ Patrick ~

I blew out a breath as I set the pen down and then pushed the contract toward Jake. The responsibility Zaq and I had just taken on was a heavy one, but one I looked forward to.

"Is that everything?"

Jake glanced to the man beside him. "Miles?"

Miles grabbed the contract Zaq and I had signed and read it over quickly before closing the leather binder and smiling up at us. "That's everything. All the stuff you listed should already be in the clinic. Now that you and Zaq have passed the state licensing exam, you can start practicing medicine tomorrow if you want."

"You have that list of clients?" I asked. I wanted to make sure the people that had signed up for the program were the ones we would be treating.

Miles handed me another black leather bound folder. "This is everyone to date. In all, there are a little over fifty people currently signed up. Most of them are people that paid into the program, but a few or employees of those people. Like Lucas, he's signed up Oliver, his butler. Jake here has signed up Stella and Fred. Sam and I signed up Burke, and so on."

"Make sure everyone has our phone numbers so they can call us if they need us," Zaq said. "No sense on being an on-call doctor if no one calls."

Jake chuckled. "Everyone got your phone number when they signed up and paid their annual fees."

"I guess we're all set then." I turned to look at my husband. "Do you have any questions?"

"Only one," Zaq replied. "Does this signing conference include lunch? I didn't have a chance to get breakfast this morning before Patrick rushed me out the door and now I'm starving."

I chuckled as Jake said, "We can do lunch. I'll buy."

"Why don't we go to Le Bernardin ?" Miles suggested.

I'd heard of the place, but I'd never been there. It was a little above my price range. If Jake was buying, however, I was all in.

"Let me call Jai and see if he wants to go," Jake said as he reached for the phone.

Miles grabbed his cell phone and started dialing. "I'll call Sam."

A few minutes later, the six of us were walking out of Jake's office with several bodyguards. It was kind of weird. I had grown used to having Jackson around, but not the others.

I doubted anyone would fuck with us.

The elevators took us straight down to the parking garage. Zaq and I climbed into our car with Jackson at the wheel. Well, technically, it was Jake's car, but he'd loaned it to us until we could purchase one of our own.

We pulled out onto the street and started heading down the road toward the restaurant. We'd only gone a few blocks when my cell phone rang. When I answered, a security guard from our building was on the other end.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Scotton, but there is a Mr. and Mrs. Scotton here in the lobby wanting to see you. They say they are your parents."

I huffed. "Very well. Keep them there. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Yes, sir."

As soon as I hung up, I dialed Jake. "Change of plans, man," I stated as soon as he answered. "My parents are in the lobby of our building. They want to speak to me. I need to head back and deal with them."

"Do you want us there?"

I almost said yes, but these were my parents. As much as they frustrated me, I did know that they loved me. "No, it's okay. You guys go ahead to lunch. This shouldn't take very long. Maybe we'll still get a chance to join you."

"Are you sure?" Jake asked. "We can hold off on lunch for a little longer."

"I'm sure."

"Okay, call us if you need us."

I hung up with Jake and turned a regretful frown toward Zaq. "Baby—"

"I heard," Zaq replied. "You still owe me lunch."

"I won't forget."

I gave Jackson directions to return to the condo and then glanced out the window at the passing scenery. I had to wonder how they had found me considering I had never told them where I lived. I could only wonder if Peter had told them, in which case, I shuddered to think of why they had come to visit.

I doubted it was to see me. My parents hadn't come to see me in ten years. I was always going to see them. It often felt as if they would only acknowledge my existence when it was convenient for them. They never really went out of their way for me.

"Are you going to be okay?" Zaq asked.

I nodded, squeezing the hand he wrapped around mine. "I'll be okay."

"I don't know why your parents have suddenly shown up, but if mine do, run."

That brought a small chuckle to my lips. "I'll remember that."

Unfortunately, the ride back to our condo happened way too fast. Before I knew it, we were pulling into the underground garage and then Jackson was leading us to the elevators.

I really would have preferred just going up to our condo and skipping this whole scene, but it was better to get it over with. When my parents wanted something, nothing would stop them.

It was fairly quite when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Zaq and I waited for Jackson to step out and check before joining him. Jackson fell back to walk behind us as we made our way to the open lobby area.

I spotted my parents instantly.

I also spotted Zaq's parents.

"Didn't you say run?" I whispered.

Zaq gasped, his hand tightening on mine. "What in the hell are they doing here?"

Before we could take another step, I glanced over my shoulder to Jackson. "Call Mr. D'Amato and Mr. Cranston and tell them to hightail it back to our condo."

We needed the backup.

"When we get upstairs, make sure video and audio surveillance is recording in the condo." I had no idea what these people were up to, but the cold chill going down my spine told me it was nothing good.

"Yes, sir," Jackson answered before pulling out his cell phone.

I kept a tight hold of Zaq's hand as we entered the lobby area and walked past the security desk. Our parents looked up just as we reached them.

"Mom, Dad, I wasn't aware that you'd be visiting. You should have called ahead and we would have made arrangements for you."

Zaq didn't say a word.

"Patrick," my father started as he stood. "Is there somewhere more private we can talk? We have something important to discuss with you."

As much as I didn't want to let them into our condo, I also didn't want our family issues being spat about in public.

"We can talk upstairs in our condo."

I turned with Zaq and started toward the elevators again, but I stopped when I reached the security desk. "Mr. D'Amato and Mr. Cranston will be stopping by. Please make sure that they get escorted up to our condo when they arrive." And by escorted up, I meant that I hoped they brought their bodyguards.

"Yes, Mr. Scotton."

When we reached the elevator, I kept myself between Zaq and our parents. Jackson stood directly at my side, half blocking me. He didn't know the situation with our parents because we had never explained it to him, but I was sure he could feel the tension between us.

The man's intuition was something else.

Once we reached our floor and the doors slid open, Zaq and I waited while Jackson got off and checked the area. We got strange looks for not immediately getting out of the elevator, but so what?

The same thing happened when we reached our condo door. Zaq and I stood off to one side while Jackson went in and checked the place over for any threats.

"Patrick, what is going on here?" my father asked. "Why aren't we going inside?"

"We will," I replied. "Just as soon as Zaq's bodyguard clears the condo."

My father's eyes widened as they darted to Zaq. "Why does he have a bodyguard?"

"Because he was recently harassed, stalked, and attacked with a knife."

The instant my father's lips thinned I knew why they were here and I almost laughed. They hadn't come to visit me. They had come to plead for their golden child.

Boy, were they in for a surprise.

Once Jackson came back and gave us a nod, I walked into the condo knowing that our parents would follow. I glanced at Jackson, who gave me a quick nod, telling me that the video and audio recording was working.

If there was an issue, I wanted evidence.

"Why don't you get everyone settled in the living room while I get us all something to drink?" Zaq asked.

I nodded and reluctantly let him go. After he walked away, I gestured to our parents. "Come on into the living room."

Our living room had a big bay of windows all along one side of the room. The opposite side was lined with a fireplace and rows of built-in bookshelves on either side.

Zaq and I had chosen two navy blue couches sitting facing each other with a mahogany coffee table between them. Two blue and cream plaid print wingback chairs sat in front of the windows facing the fireplace, a small side table between them.

Zaq had brightened the room up with several throw pillows, a rug with blue and yellow tones, and some bright pictures.

"Please, have a seat." I specifically took one of the wingback chairs, leaving the other one for Zaq.

My father looked around the room with wide eyes as he sat down on one of the couches, sitting next to my mother. Zaq's parents took the other couch.

"How do you afford all of this, Patrick? This building is across the street from Central Park. I've heard that places like this can be pretty pricey."

"We were lucky," I replied. "A friend of mine knew the previous owner. When they decided to move, they just wanted to sell it. We offered them a purchase price before it went on the market."

"But how do you afford it on your salary?"

I so wanted to roll my eyes.

"Do you actually know what I do for a living?" I asked.

"Peter said you worked in some office as a janitor," my father stated. "There's nothing wrong with being a janitor, though. An honest day's work deserves an honest day's pay."

"I'm glad you think so, but I am not a janitor. And now, before you ask, I do not work at a convenience store like Peter has been saying for the last ten years."

My mother frowned. "Then what do you do?"

"He's a doctor," Zaq said as he walked into the room with a tray of coffee. "We just opened our own private practice here in the city."

Zaq set the tray down on the coffee table and began pouring cups of coffee for everyone. He doctored mine and his and handed a cup to me before sitting down in the seat next to me.

My mother gasped. "You're a doctor?"

"I am," I replied. "I was a doctor for several years while I was living in Texas. I even became a hospital administrator for a few years, but I wanted to go back into practicing medicine so I came here with Zaq and we opened our own private practice."

"Why did you never tell us?" she asked.

"Because you would have told Peter." I clenched my hands, digging my fingernails into my palms to remind myself not to shout at my parents. "You tell him everything, and I didn't want him to know."

"Why wouldn't we tell him? He's your brother."

"Not anymore he's not."

"Patrick!" my mother gasped.

I leveled my gaze at her. "Do you really think I want to have a brother that stalks my husband, harasses him, and tried to stab him with a knife?"

My mother rung her hands together, her eyes darting around the room. "Peter is just confused."

"Peter is a psycho!"

Yeah, I snapped.

"Peter has been a psycho his entire life, but you're too blind to see it. He put a tracking app on Zaq's phone right after they started dating so he could keep track of him."

"Lovers do that," my father insisted as he glanced away, telling me he didn't believe a word of what he was saying.

"We were never lovers." Zaq smirked. "Hard to be lovers with someone that isn't even gay."

We got a blank look from both my parents.

"Oh, you didn't know about the girl he's been living with for the last three years? You should. She's the one he ran away with when he left Zaq standing at the altar. He took her to Hawaii using the honeymoon Zaq had planned and paid for."

"He's been living with someone?"

"Yes, Mother. Your golden boy has been living with someone for the last three years, even during the time he was engaged to Zaq and supposed to marry him."

My father jumped to his feet, his face going stiff with anger. "Don't talk to your mother like that."

When I went to get to my feet, Zaq grabbed my hand. When I glanced at him, he shook his head. I slowly sat back down, but refused to release Zaq's hand.

"Two weeks ago, Peter showed up in the lobby and started demanding to see us. No matter how many times we told him we were married, he refused to believe it. He was insistent that I was his fiancé and we were in love." Zaq snorted. "We were never in love."

"Then why did you agree to marry him?" my mother asked.

"Because you all insisted," Zaq said. "It was some great business merger. Peter marries me, your companies merge to become one, and he takes over. It had nothing to do with love. It was a business deal. Peter knew and I knew it, which is why his behavior is so odd."

"Maybe you saw it as a business merger, but Peter obviously loves you."

I grunted at my mother's words. "Oh yeah, Peter loves him. Sure." I sat forward in my chair. "The day after Peter showed up in the lobby, Zaq and I decided to have lunch in the park. While we were there, Peter came out of nowhere and confronted us. He started demanding that Zaq go home with him because Zaq belonged to him. When Zaq refused, Peter pulled out a knife and tried to kill him. That's love to you?"

My mother's lips pressed thin and she glanced away.

"Look, whatever, Zaq and I just started a new life here and we just want to live it in peace and quiet. We are happy together and we love each other. Whatever business merger crap you've got going on is your business. It has nothing to do with us."

"Your brother is facing twenty years in prison, Patrick," my father pointed out.

"Good," I replied without hesitation. "That means I don't have to worry about him trying to kill my husband again for twenty years."

"Patrick," my mother exclaimed as her head whipped around. "He's your brother."

My mother just wasn't going to get this.