Escorting the Billionaire #3(16)

 

I just held her for a second. “Can you live with that, Audrey?” I asked.

 

“I want to,” she said.

 

“That’s all I’m asking,” I said, smoothing her hair. “But I think maybe it’s time we scared her a little. She’s past due.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The valet knocked on our door the following morning at seven a.m. I gave him six crisp five-hundred-dollar bills. “Please tell Mrs. Preston that Miss Reynolds left as expected,” I said, nodding at him. “Off you go.”

 

“Why’d you do that?” Audrey asked, padding out to the kitchen in my T-shirt. She turned the coffeemaker on and squinted at me, clearly still half-asleep. “I’m so confused.”

 

“I’m just looking for the element of surprise,” I said. “It’ll be fun to see my mother’s expression at breakfast.”

 

“You have a weird idea of fun,” Audrey said and yawned. “You want some coffee? You’re gonna need it.”

 

My mother’s face at breakfast wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Unfortunately, she’d injected so much filler into it before the wedding it couldn’t move that much. “Good morning,” I said to her at the buffet. I pulled out a chair for Audrey at her table, and I sat down in between them.

 

“Ah,” she said, looking pointedly at Audrey. “I see you’re determined to enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

 

“We’re planning on enjoying lots of things. And she’s not going anywhere, Mother,” I said, spearing a piece of cantaloupe off her plate. “Audrey’s agreed to move to California with me after this.”

 

“Is that so?” my mother asked benignly.

 

“Yes, that’s so.” Audrey was tense beside me, but I refused to let my mother get under my skin. I wanted to see her crack, just a little, but that was going to take patience. My mother was the Ice Queen. It was going to take a blowtorch to get her to melt.

 

And even the blowtorch method would require some patience.

 

“What are you going to do for work out there, Audrey?”

 

Audrey looked pale. “I haven’t decided yet, Mrs. Preston.”

 

“I’m sure you have quite a resume. You’ll find lots of willing, ready, and able employers in California.” She gave her an in ice-pick smile.

 

“That is enough,” I snapped, furious. “The only reason we’re still here is for Todd. I want you to know that Audrey told me everything you’ve said. You can be as horrible as you like. But you need to know from me—your son, who you claim to care so much about—that your behavior will change nothing. Audrey and I will simply cut you out of our lives and our future. That’s your choice, Mother.”

 

My mother turned to me, her eyes softening a little. “Please don’t say things like that, James. You’re always too harsh with me.”

 

“You’re the one who’s been too harsh. I’m done. Audrey is part of my life now,” I said. I grabbed her hand from the table, lacing my fingers through hers. “I love her. You can’t scare her off, and if you don’t treat her with the respect she deserves, you’ll never hear from me again.”

 

“James,” my mother said, “if you choose to have a relationship with Audrey, I will support that. I didn’t realize you were this serious.”

 

She forced herself to smile at us. “I can be pleasant, see? You never give me any credit.”

 

“That’s because you don’t deserve any,” I said.

 

She nodded and clutched her mimosa, her hands looking old to me for the first time. “You might just be right about that, dear.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Well that was horrible,” Audrey said after breakfast. “But at least she seemed appropriately chastened.”

 

“Don’t believe it for a second,” I said. We were changing to go on a snorkeling excursion with Todd, Evie, Cole, Jenny, and some of the others; I would be happy to put some distance between my parents and myself right now. “My mother is a lot of things, but sorry is rarely, if ever, one of them.”

 

“Do you think that was just for show?”

 

I considered it for a second. “Yes. More for me than for you.”

 

“So where does that leave me?” she asked.

 

“By my side. Where I can keep you out of her way.” I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

 

“Are you going to wear that black bikini again?” I asked. “’Cause I don’t know if I can take you out in public like that.”