Loving the CEO (Whitley Brothers #7)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Leo

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Mom touched down the following Saturday morning. I offered to pick her up from the airport, but she flat-out refused. Her plan was to come from the airport straight to my place, and then I’d drive her to the Airbnb I'd leased for her.

"How long until she arrives? You said ten minutes after ten o’clock, and it's already eight past," Tory said.

I chuckled. "Relax, babe. Why are you so on edge? You already know my mom."

"Yeah, but she's going to take one look at me and know we've had sex. That's a bit weird."

I blinked. "Now that you've put it that way, I kind of agree with you."

The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts. Tory jumped slightly.

"How do I look?" she asked.

She was wearing jeans and a tank top.

"You look fucking perfect."

She rolled her eyes. "You do not need to butter me up. You're not going to get sex for the next few hours."

I kissed her forehead. "You look great."

The second I opened the door, Mom stepped forward and hugged me. I kept her tightly in my arms.

"I missed you, my boy. "

"Mom," I began, taking a step back, "I have someone I'd like you to—"

Before I managed to finish the sentence, she shrieked, "Tory, darling, so great to see you again!"

Tory stepped forward. To my relief, the tension simply seeped out of her body as Mom hugged her. I wondered why she was so on edge. Unlike her mom, who had never warmed up to me, mine genuinely liked Tory.

"You look fantastic," Tory said.

"I’m trying to stay young and restless by doing yoga and traveling the world," Mom said with a wink.

What did that mean?

"As you should," Tory said with warmth in her voice.

Mom turned to me. "You didn't tell me this pretty girl was going to be here too."

"Surprise!” I winked.

Mom looked at Tory. "I thought you'd moved out."

"I d-did," Tory stuttered.

"You guessed correctly, Mom. Tory and I, well, we're not just friends anymore." I looked at Tory, expecting to see her beaming with pride. Instead, her face turned beet red.

"Way to put the poor girl on the spot," Mom said. "But I'm so happy about this. I imagine Jeannie's bursting with joy."

"We haven't had the chance to tell her," I said quickly.

Mom grinned. "You mean to confirm, right? She probably knows already.”

"Something like that," I agreed.

Mom yawned.

"Come on, let's get you some coffee,” I said.

“And we made breakfast,” Tory added.

Mom startled, looking between the two of us. I couldn't properly read her reaction, so I let it slide.

"How wonderful of you two. Thanks." Stepping inside the kitchen area, she glanced around and smiled. "Tory set the table, didn't she?"

"Guilty," Tory said.

"How could you tell?" I asked.

"My darling, I love you, but table arrangements aren't your thing. And I still remember that time you threw a Thanksgiving party with your friends and Tory did this lovely arrangement." Tory softened up, clearly relishing Mom's compliment. "You made those swan-shaped napkins that looked very fancy."

"I can't believe you remember that," Tory said.

"I’d always hoped you'd stay in Boston after college," Mom said as we sat down around the kitchen island. "Maybe keep this one company."

Tory laughed without humor. "I wish I had. Then I wouldn't have gone through all of this mess."

Of course, I’d filled Mom in on Tory’s leaving Walter at the proverbial altar. Mom agreed right away that it was the best thing Tory could have done in that situation.

"I'm sorry. You’ve been through a lot."

Tory shook her head. “I’m trying to put it behind me."

"I don't know all of the details," Mom said, "but I hope you’re done spilling tears over that asshole. I only have one piece of advice: don't think about him. He’s not worthy of your time."

"Thank you," Tory said.

As we ate the waffles Tory and I made, Mom told us about her latest adventures.

"I keep going back to Bali. The first time a friend told me to head there, I figured it would be too crowded. And it is, but if you discover the right spots, it’s wonderful. There’s something very tranquil and calm about it. I actually can't wait to go back."

"You don't intend to live in the States again, do you?" Tory asked.

"Well," Mom said, "it's debatable. If I became a grandmother, I’d come and help in a heartbeat."

Tory nearly dropped her waffle in her lap. I choked on my mouthful.

"That was too forward, wasn't it?" Mom asked. "I swear, Jeannie's ways are rubbing off on me.”

"Yes, they are," I said.

Tory wasn't saying anything. She still looked shell-shocked: eyes wide, mouth hanging open. She was adorable.

"Oh, you're not mad at me, are you?" Mom asked Tory.

Tory shook her head. "No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting that, I guess."

"Mom," I warned. Although, I had to admit, a child with Tory didn’t frighten me.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I went way overboard. So, tell me a bit about your plans, Tory. Since you've moved into your own place, I'm figuring that you want to stay here in Boston long term, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Tory said animatedly, then started telling Mom about her job and about how welcoming the women in my family had been.

After we finished breakfast, Mom said, "All right, should we go see what expensive apartment my son splurged on for me?"

"Oh, let him spoil you," Tory said. "It's one of his joys in life. He's really looking forward to it."

Mom beamed. "I know. I just don't... well... never mind."

"I'll just go to the bathroom real quick," Tory said.

"Okay."

While Mom and I went to the front door to wait for Tory, she headed upstairs .

"When do you think we could get together with your brothers?" Mom asked.

"Today, if you’re not too jet-lagged."

“I’m good. I’m looking forward to seeing them."

I looked at her intently. "Mom, something is off. What is it?"

"Well, it's not exactly off. Just something that's been on my chest for a while. I wanted to wait for all of you to be together to bring it up, but since you asked... I met up with your father a while ago."

I went completely still. "You're in contact with him?" I tried to keep my voice completely neutral, but if she said that she'd been in contact with him all these years, I was liable to lose my shit.

"No, no. God, no," Mom said, and I felt my entire body relax. "He contacted me when he was in Jakarta for a layover. I’d posted on Facebook that I was there too. I figured, what were the chances of us being on the same continent, let alone the same city after all these years? So, I met with him."

"Let me guess. He told you some sob story."

She nodded once. "I think he's feeling a lot of guilt. And he’s got some unresolved issues."

He deserved to feel guilty. I could not give a fuck about his unresolved issues.

"Did you know that he had the nerve to try and open a hotel near Boston?" I said.

"Yes, he told me. He was afraid that you boys sort of interpreted that as an act of war. I think he wants to make amends. He’s very apologetic about ruining everyone's life."

"I fucking hope he is."

"Leo!" Mom said, her voice soft. "Obviously, I couldn't tell much from that one dinner I had with him, but I think he’s changed. And he simply wanted to come home. "

"Mom, he left the Whitley name in shambles," I said carefully. She didn’t know all the details. We’d never shared too much with her because it felt weird. She didn't know how much damage he'd done to the company, though she knew about all the rest. “Him being here might make people wonder if Ryan Whitley is going to mess up the business again.”

"But now you boys are in charge."

"Still, the business world remembers him."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you. I don't even know why I’m telling you all this. I just didn't want to keep it from you, I guess. But I don't think he wants to hurt any of you or be your competition. I don't think he’ll try to contact you again. But if he does, maybe it's time to let bygones be bygones. It did me good to meet with him." Mom stiffened a bit. "I told him everything I had on my heart. It was cathartic."

"I'm glad for you. Closure is good." But I couldn't see any of us doing that. And although I didn’t bring it up, I knew my grandparents didn’t need to see him. He’d put them through hell and back, and I felt protective of them.

Mom beamed. "Let's change the subject. I don't want to waste any more time talking about this. I'm really happy that you—what do the boys call it these days? Made a move on Tory."

I laughed as Tory came down. "So am I."