“There’s only two problems with that idea. Number one, he’s gay. Number two, he’s Flex’s man.”
“Love isn’t perfect.” Michael chuckled. “But there’s another reason why you should come over.” She lowered her voice. “I invited Morgan over for dinner.”
“What?” Peyton pressed her brakes. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Are you kidding? It’s going to be great. What better way for Flex to prove that he’s moved on? I’m telling you, Morgan is going to take one look at Trey and just break down.”
“Okay. I’m going to say something that I’ve never said before, and I mean this with love and sincerity— You need help.”
Michael laughed. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“I highly doubt that. Isn’t Morgan dating someone new?”
“Actually, Sheldon said that she heard through the grapevine—her hairdresser—that Morgan and his sugar daddy broke up a few weeks ago.”
“So Morgan thinks he’s coming over to make up with Flex?”
“Something like that.”
Peyton couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Listen to me. You are asking for trouble. It’s bad enough that we have Flex staying with Daddy after their ugly fight, and now you’re going to surprise Flex with inviting for dinner the very person he moved to get away from? Don’t you see this could blow up in your face? What are you going to do if he storms out and refuses to go to the wedding?”
“Don’t be silly. He would never do that. Besides, I know what’s best for all concerned. Most of all, I know Flex, he’ll thank me for giving him the opportunity to give Morgan his comeuppance.”
“You’re delusional and I don’t want any part of this.” Peyton eased off the brake and pulled out into traffic. “Tell you what, Lincoln and I will stop by in the morning after the dust settles.”
Michael’s laughter filtered through the lines. “I’m telling you, girl. Tonight is going to be a night to remember.”
Chapter 22
When Lincoln woke up this morning, he never imagined that his day would’ve turned out this way. Even now, he couldn’t believe a missed flight would lead to him pretending to be Flex’s boyfriend by the end of the day.
Minutes after talking with Peyton, he called Enterprise and requested a rental car to be delivered at the Adams home.
“Well, that’s that,” he told Flex. “How far does Peyton live from here?”
“Two doors down.” Flex paced the floor. “Sheldon is two doors up, Frankie is around the block and Michael and her fiancé remodeled the basement.”
“You guys have a severe case of separation anxiety,” Lincoln said, shaking his head. “Where did you and Morgan live?”
“In Sunnyvale. I couldn’t very well have my father—” He stopped and drew a deep breath.
Curious, Lincoln crossed his arms and watched his friend start pacing again. “What’s the story between you two, anyway? On the way here, I couldn’t have cut the tension in the car with a chain saw.”
“It’s nothing.” Flex waved him off. “By the way, when we get back home—”
“Mum’s the word.” Lincoln pretended to zip his lips.
Flex’s shoulder slumped and he took a spot next to Lincoln on the bed. “There’s no way to get out of this. If we faked a fight, then what are we going to say when you’re introduced as Peyton’s new boyfriend?”
“We can always say you were just a fling.” Lincoln laughed.
“Really?”
“Hell no.” Lincoln leaned away from him. “What’s wrong with you? It’s obvious that your family just wants you to be happy. They love you. Any blind man can see that. So you lied.” He shrugged. “It’s not the end of the world. They’ll forgive you.”
Flex slumped his head even lower.
“I, on the other hand, will kill you if you don’t fix this mess.”
“All right, all right.”
A knock sounded at the door and Frankie’s voice filtered through. “Dinner’s ready.”
“We’ll be right there,” Flex called out, and then glanced over at Lincoln. “Regardless, man. Thanks for not completely freaking out on me.”
He nodded, and then gave him a good hearty pat on the back. “You know, I’ve known the guys in our department for a long time. I can honestly say that you’re never going to meet a better group of guys. There’s no reason you can’t be who you are with them. Remember that.”
Finally a small smile hooked the corners of Flex’s mouth. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.” He took a deep breath and stood. “C’mon. Let’s go and clear this thing up.”
“Sounds good.” Lincoln stood. “Looks like for once I was able to help you through a problem, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Flex opened the bedroom door. “Don’t let it go to your head, though.”
Lincoln laughed and glanced at his watch before he followed his friend. “Hey, how much time do you think I have before Peyton gets home?”
“About thirty minutes,” Flex whispered back. “And by the way, we still need to discuss this thing about you dating my sister.”
“You have to be kidding?”
Flex’s large shoulders vibrated with silent laughter, but midway down the staircase he came to an abrupt halt. “Morgan?”
“Hello, Francis.”
Morgan? Lincoln glanced over Flex’s shoulder at a well-groomed brother who wasn’t unbelievably shorter than Tyrone.
“What are you doing here?” Flex asked.
Morgan suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I was invited.”
Flex’s head swiveled toward his sisters.
The three of them blinked prettily back up at him.
“There’s definitely plenty of lasagna to go around,” Sheldon said. She waltzed over to Morgan and reached for his jacket. “Let me take that for you.”
Lincoln wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but the dynamics had changed, and there was suddenly enough tension in the room to choke an elephant.
“I take it you weren’t told I was coming?” Morgan concluded as he slid out his jacket.
Flex didn’t respond, nor did he move.
Marlin suddenly appeared from somewhere in the back. He stopped short when he saw Morgan and then looked toward the stairwell where Flex and Lincoln stood rooted. “I just want to go on record, I have nothing to do with this.”
* * *
Peyton sped down Highway 101 with a lead foot.
It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she wondered how Lincoln knew how to get to her house, but then dismissed that thought when she realized anything was possible with today’s technology.
“Tonight is going to perfect,” she repeated to herself. “At least it should be better than running across California for most of the day.”
She thought about the three months, she even smiled when an image of Lincoln’s handsome face popped into her mind. “If Michael thinks this Trey is fine, wait until she sees my Lincoln,” she mused.
But what was she going to feed him? She hadn’t planned on cooking tonight. “Maybe I could just swing by Dad’s and steal some lasagna.”
Just when she was warming up to that idea, a pair of flashing blue lights caught her attention in the rearview mirror. “Great. What else can go wrong today?”
* * *
“Why don’t we all just sit down for dinner?” Sheldon said, clapping her hands together.
“I know I’m starved,” Morgan said.
His smile was a little too wide and his posture a bit stiff as he smiled at everyone.
Lincoln leaned forward to whisper near Flex’s ear, “Maybe it’s a good idea that we move from the stairs.”
Flex didn’t respond, but he did finally descend the rest of the stairs.
“Good,” Frankie said, and appeared somewhat relieved that World War III hadn’t transpired—yet.
“Uh, you guys go ahead,” Lincoln said. “I need to talk to Flex for a minute.”
“Oh, certainly.” Michael swept everyone out of the foyer, while beaming her own smile to everyone. “You two don’t take too long.”
The doorbell rang.
Michael made a one-eighty to answer it.
“I’ll get it,” Flex seethed. “I think you’ve done enough for one evening.”
She jumped back as if her brother had turned into a rattlesnake. “C’mon. Surely, you’re not angry.” She actually succeeded in looking astonished. “We did this for you.”
The doorbell rang again.
“Maybe I should get it,” Lincoln mumbled, and opened the door. At least it wasn’t another surprise guest, but the delivery of his rental car.
“What do you need a rental car for?” Michael asked, trying to peek around her brother to see who was at the door.
“So we don’t have to rely on the family for transportation,” Flex told her and then jumped back on her case. “You really have some nerve inviting Morgan here. He’s the last person I want to see.”
“I, uh, am going to test drive the car,” Lincoln said from the doorway. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait. You can’t leave.” Michael pushed around her brother. “Dinner is ready.”
“Maybe he feels uncomfortable with the fact that you brought my ex-partner to dinner,” Flex barked. “Have you ever thought of that?”
Lincoln latched onto the excuse. “Yeah. I think, uh, I need to go for a drive to, uh, clear my head. This is just too much for me right now.”
“There you go,” Flex said.
“Please, Trey, don’t go.” Michael rushed over to him and tried to take him by the hand.
He stepped back and looked to Flex. “I expect for you to handle this before I return.” His eyes narrowed to make his meaning clear.
“I didn’t think what this would do to you. We just thought—”
“That’s the problem,” Flex hissed. “You’re always going behind people’s backs and trying to fix things.”
Michael looked frantic. “Okay, I was wrong, but don’t leave. I can fix this, I swear.”
“Didn’t you hear a word I just said?” Flex pulled her around and signaled for Lincoln to make his getaway. “I don’t want you fixing things!”
Lincoln slipped quickly out the door. He signed the papers from the stunned delivery driver and hurried off with the keys.
“No one is ever going to believe this,” Lincoln said, sliding behind the wheel. He started the car the same time he saw the house door open. “Get out of here. Get out of here,” he changed, and threw the car in reverse just as Sheldon’s bulging belly came into view.
He laughed to himself. “This is crazy. Crazy.” The ride to Peyton’s house took all of one minute, but he was pleased to see he’d made it there before Peyton returned. Now he just hoped one of those crazy sisters didn’t hop into a car and try to follow him—though, at this point, he wouldn’t be too surprised if they did.
Lincoln exhaled a long breath and laid his head back against the headrest. The day’s events replayed in his mind, and then suddenly he was laughing. “Me, Flex’s boyfriend. Give me a break.”
The sound of an approaching car ended his laugh-fest, and for a brief moment he feared it would be the meddling triplets, coming to hog-tie and drag him back to dinner.
Instead, he recognized the figure behind a black Mercedes and his heart leaped with excitement.
When she shut off her engine, they both climbed out of their cars.
“I can’t believe it,” Peyton said, rushing around her car. “You’re finally here.” She jumped into his arms.
Lincoln caught her and twirled her around in his arms. “Ah, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” He slid her down the length of his body and then accepted
her soft lips in a tantalizing kiss.
Peyton moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Once the kiss ended, her eyes twinkled as she whispered against his lips, “I hope you’ve packed a lot of energy bars, big boy. You’re going to need them tonight.”
He laughed. “You do a lot of trash talking for a little girl.” He swatted her on the butt and she quickly popped him in the stomach.
“Watch who you’re calling a girl.” She pulled out of his arms and winked. “You better believe that I’m all woman.”
“Thank God for that,” he said, following her toward the house. At least the night held more promise.
“Welcome to my hacienda,” Peyton announced, as she led the way across the threshold.
Lincoln glanced around and was impressed by the immaculate home. They passed the small foyer and stepped into the living room. Everywhere he looked were beautiful paintings or intriguing sculptures. The whole setting gave him a better insight to this magnificent woman.
“You have a lovely home,” he said. “It’s also very clean. Sort of tells me not to invite you to my place until I hire a cleaning woman.”
“Not very domesticated?” she asked, moving to stand next to him.
“I can work a vacuum, if that’s what you’re asking.” His gaze fell to her lips again and then to her curvy body. “I have a feeling that by the time morning comes, I’m going to need either an ambulance or a priest.”
She smiled. “I have a first-aid kit and a Bible. You’re going to have to make do.” Peyton pulled him down by his shirt and stole a quick kiss. “But before we jump to dessert, I have some bad news,” she said.
“Oh?” His hands caressed his hips.
“I didn’t cook,” she admitted. “So I’m going to run up to my father’s and sneak some lasagna from them.”
“No!”
Peyton blinked at his sudden outburst. “Is there a problem?”
“I, uh, I’m not too crazy about lasagna,” he said, and took some comfort in the fact that it wasn’t a lie.
“Oh?” She frowned. “I didn’t know that. Then I guess we have a bigger problem than I thought.”
“How about we order a pizza?” he suggested.
“A pizza? It’s not exactly a romantic dinner.”
“Says who? Pizza is perfect for any occasion.”
“That is such a ‘man’ thing to say,” she said with a sly smile.
“If it looks like a man, walks like a man and talks like a man—then chances are you got yourself a man.” He smiled and pulled her pliant body against him. “Besides, I’m hungry for something other than food.”
“Hmm. Is that right? You go for three months without laying a finger on me and now—”
“The time is right,” he finished for her.
“I tell you what. I’ll order the pizza and you can grab your luggage.” She turned away from him.
He blinked. “Luggage?”
She laughed and glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, you know those things you pack before going on a trip?”
“I, uh, the, uh, airlines lost my bags.” Now he was lying.
“You poor thing. You really have had a bad day.”
Lincoln
laughed. “You just have no idea.”
Chapter 23
Peyton was surprised by how nervous she was about this evening. After all the erotic dreams, teasing and trash talk, it all boiled down to tonight. While she called her favorite pizzeria, Lincoln took a shower.
“Nothing is going to ruin this night,” she affirmed, hanging up. Giddy with excitement, she sprinted throughout the house and lit every candle she could find. Once that task was completed, she rushed out to her car and grabbed a bag of rose petals she’d purchased from her local florist.
She sprinkled the petals throughout the house, but dumped most of them around and on the bed. At the sound of the shower shutting off, she made one last dash to the kitchen to deliberate over which wine would work best with their dinner.
“It’s a perfect fit,” Lincoln announced, joining her in the kitchen in an imperial kimono robe. “Where did you get this?”
“Kanji, an artist I represent, had a show out in Tokyo a few weeks ago and brought back all kinds of things. I thought this would be perfect for you.” She grabbed a merlot. “Do you like it?”
He eased up behind her and whispered against her ear, “I’ll love anything you give me.”
“Ooh?” She grinned as his hands slid around her waist.
Simultaneously, the phone and the doorbell rang.
Lincoln kissed the back of her head. “I’ll get the door.”
“And I’ll get the phone.”
“Make sure you unplug it when you’re through,” he said, as he hurried out of the kitchen.
“You got it.” Her grin remained wide as she reached for the phone. “Hello.”
Michael’s low voice hissed over the line. “P.J., it’s a disaster!”
Peyton instantly knew what her sister was referring to. “I take it that dinner isn’t going too well?” she asked cheerfully.
“Don’t gloat. Help us figure out a way to fix this. When Morgan showed up, Trey stormed out and Flex isn’t talking to us.”
“I told you something like this would happen. When are you going to learn your lesson?” Peyton looked to see Lincoln racing through the house.
Measure of a Man Page 16
