Secret Moves(15)

He suppressed a sigh. He already knew why his mother wanted to meet with them. His grandmother had called him the night before and had pleaded with him to be "nice".

He didn't want to have lunch with his mother, but he supposed he might as well get it over and done with.

"Okay, I'll be there," he said resignedly.

"Thank you, Trey. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. I haven't seen you for a long time," his mum said softly.

"I have to go," he said, cutting the conversation short. A one-hour lunch would be more than enough for his mother's chit-chat.

"Everything okay?" Dylan asked as he trundled back to his seat.

He made a face. "I have to meet my mother for lunch. No prizes for guessing what her news would be about."

"Again?!" both Dylan and Adam exclaimed in surprise.

"Yup," he said with a mirthless laugh. "So what's new, hey? The last fiancé must have run out of money."

"Have you met this new guy?"

"Are you kidding me? After she divorced husband number three and broke up with her last fiancé, I'm not interested in her love life anymore."

Dylan patted Trey on the shoulder. "At least she still makes an effort to communicate with you and Bec."

Trey snorted. "As far as I'm concerned, it's better if she doesn't. I only see her because of Grandma."

He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. When he was eight and his sister was four, their mother had walked out on them to be with a wealthy Frenchman who promised to take her travelling around the world. They were left in the care of their maternal grandparents who had, for all intents and purposes, been the ones who raised him and Rebecca.

He had never known his own father, and their mother broke up with Rebecca's dad when Rebecca was only two years old.

Oh, his mum had moments when she was a doting mother, when she was between relationships and was with them at his grandparents' house. However, it was never long before she found yet another man who would take her travelling everywhere, and disappear again.

When his grandfather became gravely ill, his granddad asked him and Rebecca to do only two things after he passed. The first was to look after their grandmother, and the second was to never, ever close their doors on their own mother. He'd said that regardless of what their mum had done, they should still show some respect to the woman who gave birth to them.

Trey had loathed promising the latter, but out of love and appreciation for the man who had lovingly and painstakingly raised him and his sister, he'd agreed. That promise was the reason he could remain civil with his mother.

A few years ago he was prepared to think that not all women could be like his mum—a woman who declared her love for a man only to leave him for a new, better, richer one. After all, his own grandmother was proof of that. But then he was jilted at the altar by his then-fiancé, who'd said "sorry, but thank you for your generosity to me and my family" in a letter that was left with an altar boy at the church.

He let out a snicker. No wonder he was so distrustful of women spouting love for him.

"Sorry, bro," Adam said quietly.

Trey shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, sorry for the interruption. Let's get back to work. We're running behind as it is."

"Okay, good," Dylan said, positioning himself near the screen to continue where they'd left off. "We have to finish this meeting on time today, if you don't mind, guys. I have an appointment with the jewellers."

Trey looked at Dylan in shock while Adam let out a loud whistle.

"You're getting a chain tied around your neck?" Trey asked his friend in disbelief.

"If by chain you mean Ari's arms, then yes," Dylan responded with a grin.

"Damn, Dyl. Are you sure about this?" Trey queried.

"Yeah. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"This is not your dick talking?"

Dylan laughed out loud. "No. This is my heart talking."

Trey groaned. "Oh, man. What's happened to you?"

"He fell," Adam said dryly.

"Come on, guys. I was hoping you'd be happy for me," Dylan said quietly.

"I am, Dyl," Adam said, giving Dylan a man-hug. "Seriously."

"Hey, I am too, bro." Trey also pulled Dylan in a manly embrace.

"Thanks, guys. But let's not get carried away. She might say no, you know."

Trey snorted. "I can't see that happening, seeing how into each other you two are."

Trey was truly glad that Dylan was so very happy with Ari. He felt a pang of envy, knowing that that kind of bliss was something he'd never get to experience—or more to the point, that he'd chosen not to experience. For him, all the pain and difficulties a relationship brought simply weren't worth whatever satisfaction it gave. He got enough pleasure from his casual liaisons to desire anything more. He was content with his life.