Saving Us (The Billionaire Brothers of NY Duology #1)

16. Gage

CHAPTER 16

Gage

“ M r. Parker, I need a minute. I know it’s late,” Maryellen said. “This just came across my desk, and I thought I should alert you of it immediately since it’s actually only a few weeks away. I don’t understand how these groups can’t give better notice for things like this. I already checked your schedule, and we would have to move a few things around for you to make this, but I’m sure you’d want to.”

Looking at the invitation in my hand, my stomach fell slightly.

“I guess this is for the endowment we give them each year?” I asked.

She nodded while tapping on her tablet.

“I was thinking, sir?—”

“Maryellen, please.”

“Gage, I was thinking this might be a good trip to send your brother on.”

My head snapped up to hers at that idea.

“He needs a bit more responsibility placed on him, and this might be just the thing. I thought you might not want to head back down to Virginia so soon after coming home.” She continued tapping on her tablet. “He doesn’t have nearly as much to move around on the calendar, so it would be easier. And brU only needs a rep from Parker Financial, they don’t need their alum.”

Plopping in my chair, I was once again silently thanking my father for hiring Maryellen. It was one of the best decisions he made before making his quiet exit from the company. Although not official, he hasn’t been in the office in over four months. He’s basically retired.

“Did you know that I’m a graduate of Blue Ridge University?” Maryellen asked.

My eyes couldn’t have grown wider after that statement. There are so many things that remained a mystery when it came to Maryellen McEntyre. But this was not one I expected.

“I did not know that, Maryellen. I’m assuming we weren’t there at the same time?”

That comment got a rare smile out of her, and her face lit up. And suddenly I realized how wrong I’d been. We weren’t that far apart in age, after all.

“We, sir, were actually there together for one year, but that’s it. My senior year was your freshman year. I don’t think we would have crossed paths.”

Twenty-nine years old.

“I think your dad hired me, specifically, because of my schooling. He talked about you all the time and how proud he was of you not falling into the cookie cutter trap that happens up this way.” She laughed, thinking about the memory. “He loved that I went to brU as well.”

“How did I not know this?” I asked, completely dumbfounded.

“I don’t know, si—Gage. We don’t really sit around talking much about our personal lives. But I thought I’d let you know that little tidbit.”

She stood from her chair, about to leave my office.

“Hold on,” I said. “I have an idea.”

Living in the city, I didn’t have the opportunity nor the need to take my car out that often. But having her was one of the reasons Rebecca and I chose to buy the brownstone we did. It has a garage. Paying to store a car is ridiculously expensive and a huge pain in the ass. I loved the convenience of taking her out for a ride whenever the mood hit. And yeah, the car is a ‘she,’ as all cars should be since they can be so temperamental.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best night to have the top down. The temperature had dropped a bit, and we had a decent ride. Once I pulled up to her apartment building, I shot Harper a text.

Me - I’m here and don’t forget a sweater or jacket

Harper - KK I’ll be right down

Double parking was a risky business on her street, it was narrow and hard for other cars to get by. Thankfully she was coming out the door before I caused any issues.

“Well, I don’t know much about cars,” she said, plopping onto the passenger seat, “but I know enough to realize that this one is special.”

She looked around the interior, admiring it, and that made me happy. But all I wanted to do was admire her. The curls she had in her hair still looked amazing, maybe even better since I’d seen her earlier. And the dress she was wearing accentuated every curve of her body.

“So, what do you think of Shelby?” I asked.

She looked completely confused as I started driving. But looking out the windshield, she put it together and laughed. “Shelby? You call your car Shelby?”

“Well, she is a Shelby, so it only makes sense that’s her name.”

Laughing out loud, she rolled down the window and put her hand outside. “I like it. I like that she has a name. She’s a Mustang, I know that at least.”

But I couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying, even if she was talking about my prized possession.

She had her head against the headrest and was staring out the window as her hand played with the wind. The sun kept hitting us in between the buildings as I drove and would bounce off her face, illuminating her skin. Every time I saw her, I found something else that intensified her beauty.

Then she realized we were heading to the Holland Tunnel, and she sat up as she took notice.

“Are we heading to New Jersey?” she asked, excitement in her voice. Looking over, she spun her body in her seat to face me completely.

I nodded and couldn’t help smiling at her.

“Did you know I’m from New Jersey?” she asked.

So fucking adorable.

“I did not know you’re from New Jersey.” That was information I would tuck away for later. “I hope this is a restaurant you’ll like.”

We were doing okay on traffic through the tunnel. Our reservation was at seven thirty, and even though the drive was only a little over five miles, it could easily take us an hour at this time.

“Well, where is it? But to be honest, it won’t matter where we’re going.”

She turned away, looking out the window since we exited the tunnel and were now in her home state. There was something about this whole night now that made coming here a bit more special.

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we eat.”

When she said that, I was tempted to pull the car over and drag her onto my lap. Instead, I reached across the console and gripped her leg just above her knee, right below the hem of her dress. She kept her eyes looking out the window but put her hand over mine. And squeezed it.

“We’re almost there.”

Thankfully the weather held out, and we were able to eat at the table I reserved on the patio. Batello’s is one of my favorite restaurants in Jersey City because of its view of downtown NYC over the river. But I have to say, the view I had across the table stole all my attention during our meal. And the best part was her complete ignorance of how beautiful she was and that everyone in the place stopped and stared when she walked in.

Her dress was simple but pretty. It was pale pink and hugged every curve. Yet I noticed she paired it with flat shoes. I was missing those stilettos she wore at the club. But it didn’t dissuade my mind from having thoughts of taking her into the back somewhere. Maybe find a wooden table…

“That was delicious,” Harper said. “And this place really is a beautiful spot. I’ve never spent time in Jersey City. When I was growing up, it wasn’t so up and coming as it is now.”

She held her wineglass close to her mouth as she looked over the rail we sat up against. The sun had already set behind us and the city lights illuminated the horizon. It framed her perfectly, and I was tempted to snap her picture, to always remember this moment.

“What a view,” she said, looking across the river.

It was a spectacle. Living here, I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the city enough, instead noting its daily shortcomings. It was nice to be reminded of its beauty now and again.

“How is it that you’re single, Harper? You’re stunning, funny, fun to be with, smart. All the things that anyone would want. Why are you not with anyone?”

I loved how the blush on her cheeks spread to her chest whenever she was embarrassed. It made me want to reach across the table and touch her, to see if her skin was as warm as I expected it to be. Shaking her head slightly at the compliments, she took a moment to respond.

“Well, I was, for a bit. Last year I had a guy I spent some time with, but it wasn’t anything serious. And he wasn’t really on board with my plans for staying here in New York, so it would’ve never worked.” She appeared distracted as she looked out at the river, a boat catching our attention as it raced by. “There was someone serious right after college, but, well, it didn’t work out.” The amount of wine she drank after that declaration told me not to push on the topic.

“What about you?” she asked. “All the same positive traits could be said about you, but we must add successful to the list. So why is there no soon-to-be Mrs. Parker on your arm?”

It was my turn to take a gulp of wine.

“Well, there was a Mrs. Parker. And now there isn’t.”

She was surprised, but she recovered well.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m better off, believe me.” My sarcastic chuckle didn’t go unnoticed.

“So, it was divorce,” she said rather than asked. “That couldn’t have been easy to deal with this early in life. I mean, I think we’re close in age, so that kinda sucks, I’m sorry.”

The regret at bringing up the topic must have been all over my face. But Harper had no idea how new this situation really was for me, so this was my fault, not hers.

“How old are you, Gage?”

Her warm smile was welcome as she easily changed the subject.

“What do you think?” I asked her.

She contemplated that for a moment, staring me up and down as she did. The wag of her eyebrows lightened the mood as she blatantly checked me out. We both let out a laugh.

“Well, you’re pretty advanced in your career, but I do know it’s a family business,” she started with. “I think you’re the older brother between you and Chase, so that’s another clue.” She took a long sip of her wine, finishing it off. She held her glass out for me to refill for her, which I willingly did. “He seems pretty young, if you ask me. So based on my limited information, I have you at twenty-eight.”

Staring at her, I was mentally attempting to deduce her age, knowing full well that was the next question. And that’s always a tougher question with women.

“You’re not far off, but I’m not quite there yet,” I told her. “Twenty-six in a few months.”

That seemed to surprise her.

“I won’t put you through the torture of guessing mine,” she said. “I’m twenty-seven.” Her eyes narrowed as she watched me carefully. “Does that bother you?”

“Do you take me for being shallow? You’re a year older than me, Harper. There’s no issue with that for me. Is there for you?”

“Nope,” she said matter-of-factly as she put her glass on the table. And it appeared the topic was closed. “Do you have any other siblings?”

“No, just me and my brother. What about you?”

I knew we were at the “getting to know you” stage, but talking about family was one thing I really didn’t want to do. Nothing good would come out of Harper learning too much about my family.

“Just me, myself, and I. Well, and my mom, but she lives in Florida now, so it really is just me I guess.”

A veil of sadness floated over her as she stared out at the river again. It appeared she also didn’t want to talk about her family. I wasn’t sure if changing the subject again was in order or letting her work through her thoughts in her own time.

Instead of either, I reached across the table and took her hand. Her fingers gripped me back before her gaze met mine. An appreciative smile let me know she needed those few quiet moments.

Her hand pulled from mine as her hand went toward the vase in the center of our table, her finger grazing the flower.

How ironic it was a single pink rose.

“Pink is my favorite color,” she offered as her finger gently rubbed along the petals. Her thoughts seemed distant as she said it. “It has been since I was a little girl. My dad would always bring me a dozen pink roses for my birthday and Valentine’s Day every year. He bought red for my mom, but pink for me. He said they meant different things for different people.”

I nodded as she paused in her story. Her eyes scanned the river, contemplative. But then her gaze locked with mine, ready to talk again.

“I don’t know if him bringing me those flowers all those years played a role in me loving them as much as I do. I’m sure it did. But it definitely played a role in pink being my favorite color.”

Her small smile held some pain in it. But I felt as though her sharing that with me was a big step for her.

For us.

“You look beautiful in pink, so it’s a great favorite color,” I told her.

And the slight pink blush that fell upon her cheeks was close to the color of her dress.

“Hey, can we take a selfie?” she asked as her chair scraped against the pavers, ready to change the subject again.

She was up and finding the perfect backdrop before I could make it to her side of the table. Grabbing a hold of her around the waist, we put our heads together with the lights of downtown behind us. She snapped a ton of pics as we laughed.

“May I, sir?”

The waiter came to see if we’d like him to take a picture for us.

“That would be great, thank you,” I said.

Harper handed over her phone, and we struck a more formal pose, her hand around my middle as I held her close. Then I felt her tug on my tie.

“Ya know,” she whispered, quiet enough so our photographer wouldn’t hear, “I can’t look at a man’s tie the same way anymore.”

“That’s enough, thank you,” I firmly told the waiter and held out my hand for her phone. Once I had it safely in my pocket and knew we were alone, I spun on her and pulled her against me, my mouth against her ear.

“I take it that means you liked what I did to you on the table?”

Her simple statement had me wanting to beg her to let me take her right here, in the restaurant. Somewhere. Anywhere.

But slow…I said we would go slow.

She nodded.

Still pressed against her and holding her head close, my fingers dug through her hair. I know she felt my cock as it hardened against her belly.

“You can’t say things like that to me when I’m trying to be a gentleman, Harper. Slow, remember?”

Lifting her face up to mine, she made sure our eyes connected. “Gage, I appreciate your intentions, but when we’ve already done what we’ve done, why wait? We’re both adults.”

My mouth crashed against hers as the last word left her lips. I gently cradled her face, but it was an oxymoron to what my mouth was doing to hers. The lashing of our tongues was like a dance between our lips.

I pulled away, breathing heavy against the side of her mouth. “I think I should get the check.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” And then she placed a tender kiss on my cheek before her words echoed in my ear. “Hurry up.”

Damn it. Why did I choose a restaurant so far outside the city? And why was there traffic heading back at nine thirty at night on a Tuesday? All these thoughts were running through my head as Harper tried to keep the conversation light. And why did I insist on driving? I should have used the car service.

“So, Maryellen is your secretary, I’m assuming. She’s the nicest in the world. When you and Chase walked in that day, I have to say, after our little run-in that morning, I was slightly upset it wasn’t her I was meeting with.”

Finally! We were out of the tunnel, and the traffic was moving better now. My phone indicated we’d be at my place in ten minutes.

“Uhm, yeah, I know. When Chase and I heard you say something about Fiona when we first met you, we knew going in we were gonna see you. Well, obviously, we brought you your breakfast.”

Looking her way, I needed to just blurt my question out.

“The drive home kinda killed the mood, are you still up for hanging out? I know it’s already late and we both have work, but if you’d like to come…”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I’d like to still hang out.”

Got her answer just in time to make the turn to my place.

“We’ll go to my place if that’s okay, since I have my car. Too much of a hassle to find parking and I have a garage.”

Her neck looked like it could have broken it snapped so quickly in my direction.

“You have a garage? Like, your own on your property for your car?”

The disbelief in her voice was comical.

But many didn’t come from the world we lived in. I’ve tried to stay humble and not flaunt what my father has built for us, but sometimes things slip out. Like this. And I really hated how it sounded.

“Um, yeah.”

Her hand went immediately to my thigh and squeezed. “You should never be embarrassed about your successes in life, Gage, and I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I can’t wait to see your place.”

Fucking hell, where has this girl been?

“Well, most of the success is due to my father, he only recently left the company in our hands. He was working full-time up until a few months ago.”

Hitting the button on my visor as I turned the corner down the alley, I saw the door rising. It was tight back here, and I was always nervous pulling this car in and out, but it was still better than having an attendant doing it anywhere else.

“That’s awesome that you’ve been able to work with your dad. I mean, I’m assuming you worked with him for a while leading up to him retiring.”

Talking about my father would do the complete opposite of the mood I wanted to be in when we walked inside.

“I wouldn’t call it retirement for him, but we can talk about him another time,” I said as I put the car in park and turned it off.

By then, she was looking around the garage in awe. She opened her door, though, and quickly realized how tight the space was.

“Yeah, it’s tight, but I don’t complain because it’s amazing I found a brownstone that I not only fell in love with but also had this.”

Once out, she met me at the front of the car and grabbed my hand.

“C’mon, I can’t wait to see your place!”

The two of us walking into this house together as I held the door for her, and her smiling up at me walking through it, felt…real. I hadn’t brought anyone back here, truly willingly, since my divorce. No one that I had intentions of wanting to spend time with.

And it scared the shit out of me.