"What was my dad like in high school? Carl's dad won't tell me. It's like it's a secret guy thing."
Monica laughed. "If I remember right, your father was pretty serious. He went to a lot of parties, but he never drank much, and never tried any of the drugs that were all the rage back then. Even Tony's dad broke down and smoked a joint now and then when we were young. He'd never admit it later of course. He was so involved when they did that drug free program in school. He always made sure Tony went to every meeting and function. Was always telling Lori that real medicine would do much better for her migraines than marijuana."
Tony looked like he wanted to crawl underneath the table Tory thought. He'd told her that his father would be disappointed in him, but not that he was so antidrug. What would his father think seeing his son as a drug dealer? Tony must feel terrible. Tory squeezed his hand. He gave her a half-hearted smile.
"Oh, we were talking about your father, Andi," Monica said. "I get a little carried away now and then, reminiscing about the past."
She got a faraway look in her eyes for a minute. Then her eyes drifted back to Ryan, who gave her a wave as he opened the door and went back inside.
"It's okay," Andi said. She gave Tory another look.
How could Carl and Tony be as oblivious as to what was going on between this guy and Tony's mom she thought? There was obviously something. But maybe it was good for her, Tory thought. Not that she'd ever tell Tony that. He'd flipped out when he thought Langston had wanted to go out with her. What would he think if a twenty-five year old that was supposed to be taking care of her, was REALLY taking care of her?
She turned back to Monica, who was speaking again. "Your mother was very popular in school Andi, being so beautiful and smart. All of the guys wanted a chance to go out with her. Tony's Dad and Carl's both went out with her a time or two."
"No he didn't Mom," Tony said. "He couldn't have. You and Dad were together since middle school."
"We were," Monica said. "But no relationship is perfect. We had arguments like any couple and broke it off a time or two. I think he mostly went out with Michelle to make me jealous. I think they went to the movies. Keith went out with her twice. He took her to a dance when Lori was mad enough at him to go with someone else and then he took her to a party. That was the night that your parents got together Andi."
"Really?" Andi said. Tory thought that she looked interested, like it was a story she hadn't heard before.
"It was the end of the school year and there was a huge party. Just about every teenager in town was there. Lori and Keith were still fighting, upset over their respective dates for the prom. Your mother went with this good looking college boy, Carl. He'd been trying to get her to go out with him since he was still in high school but Keith was the one that she'd always wanted. She had a crush on him from the time they were in grade school. It was their freshman year when they finally got together. This was the end of their sophomore year, the end of Anthony Sr. and I's senior year; so they'd been together for a while. They were fighting like an old married couple by then, driving each other crazy. Neither of them had really wanted to break it off, they were just too stubborn to say sorry. So Keith brings Michelle to the party, Lori came with Anthony and I, and your father was with some friends, Andi. Keith got very drunk and abandoned Michelle. He came to Lori practically crying, telling her he was sorry and that he didn't want to fight anymore. Poor Michelle was all alone. For some reason the guys weren't flocking to her like they always did. So, your father finally got up the courage and approached her Andi. As far as I know, they've been together ever since."
"Wow," Andi said.
Tory wondered if she was thinking about the fact that her boyfriend's dad had gone out with her mother, or that her parents had gotten together at a drunken high school bash. Tory was marveling at a couple of things herself. Not only that Tony's mother seemed perfectly together and was able to talk about Tony's father without breaking down, but the fact that Tony was named after his Dad and she'd never known.
"Do you two have a wedding date in mind?" Monica said.
Tony shook his head. "I'm letting her decide. As long as it's within the next fifty years, I'm okay with it."
Monica laughed. "You won't make him wait quite that long will you, Tory?"
"Probably not that long," Tory said. "Twenty should be good enough."
"Hey," Tony said.
"Kidding," Tory said. Tony's mom winked at her.
"Monica," Ryan called from the doorway. "Lunch is ready."
"Just a few more minutes please”
"Five minutes, Mon. I'll have hell to pay with the kitchen staff trying to keep it warm for you that long."
"You're so good to me Ryan," Monica said.
Whoa. No way in hell Tony could have missed that Tory thought. And he did have a funny look on his face when his mother turned back to him.
"Are they treating you okay Mom?"
"Of course. Ryan is such a sweetheart. He's always such a big help."
"Help with what Mom?"
"Oh, everyday things. He always makes sure that I get to meals on time and that I always have clean clothes and fresh sheets."
"Is that all Mom? He's not some kind of a pervert is he?"
Monica laughed. "Ryan? Of course not."
"Does he have a wife? A girlfriend?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"It seems like he's got a thing for you."
"Are you serious Anthony? He's half my age."
"No, he's not. He's what, in his middle to late twenties?"
Monica sighed. Tory could see that she was starting to get upset with Tony's questions. "I believe he's twenty-seven. Is there a point to all of this Anthony?"
"So he's not that much younger than you. My point is Mom; the guy's got a thing for you."
"He does not Anthony. Are you listening to yourself? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?"
"I'm not being ridiculous Mom. What if he did something to you?"
"Don't you think I'd tell you if he had? If he did have an interest in me, he wouldn't do anything about it. That could get him fired."
"Who says they would listen to you?"
"Anthony, an allegation like that would be something that would be taken very seriously. I may have been well, not myself for a long time because of what happened with your father, but you can see that things have changed. I'm getting better and I want out of this place. But believe me, me wanting out of here has nothing to do with Ryan. He's never been anything but kind to me."
"He wants to be more than kind," Tony muttered. "Are you interested in this guy? Is that why you're defending him? Did you forget about Dad so that you can shack up with some young guy with tattoos? First my girlfriend gets all hot and bothered over some guy with a nose ring. Now my mother wants to do the nasty with some young pervert with a bunch of tattoos."
Tory could feel herself blushing, but nobody was looking. All eyes were trained on Monica as her eyes changed like an ocean in the middle of a storm.
Tory could tell that she was livid. Her hands were clenched into fists.
"Anthony Nathaniel Wilson, who do you think you are? You're a grown man now. Your mother's locked up in a mental hospital so you think you can say anything you want? In case you're having a hard time remembering that around your little burst of testosterone, I think you need to stop and think about why I'm in here in the first place. Because I couldn't stand it when I lost your father. I know that I did things that I will regret for the rest of my life. But I don't need my son insulting me. If you hate me so much Anthony, to believe things like that about me; then get the hell out and don't bother coming back."
"Mom, I. . ." Tony started, but then Ryan was back again.
"Is everything okay Monica?"
Tony turned away, muttering something under his breath. All Tory caught was 'prick'.
"Yes Ryan, everything is fine. My guests were leaving so I can have my lunch. It was nice to meet you, Tory, Andi
. Good to see you Carl. Anthony, if you change your mind you know where I'll be." She gave him a tight smile.
Ryan took her hand as she got up from the table. Tory thought that Tony look like he wanted to spit nails, but he released her hand as soon as she stood up. She gave him a tired smile.
"I'm gonna take Monica to the lunchroom. Then I'll be right back to let you guys out okay?" Ryan said.
Tory nodded, giving Tony a look so that he'd stop glaring at Ryan. It didn’t work. Ryan looked puzzled, but he held the door open and followed Monica back down the hall.
"Tone," Carl said.
“Don't say anything Carl. I just want to get out of here."
Tory tried to take his hand but he brushed her away, looking towards the door with stony eyes. Ryan was back a minute or two later. He led them down the hallway to the door that led back out to the lobby and outside. He looked like he wanted to say something to Tony, but was quiet as he ran his badge through a scanner and let them out the door.
They collected purses and belongings from the lockers they'd been assigned in an area to the left of the desk and left the building in silence.
Tony got into the car and pounded his hands on the steering wheel. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He started the car. "Tor, light me a cigarette will you?"
She took a cigarette out of the pack in the console and lit it as he tore out of the parking lot.
"Tony," she said softly as she handed him the cigarette.
"I don't want to hear it right now, Tor."
"Okay."
It was going to be a fun day if he wasn't going to talk about it she thought. Carl and Andi were silent in the backseat.
As they neared his house, Tony said "Do you two want to go back to your place Carl? I'm afraid I'm not going to be very good company."
"Nah, it’s okay, Tone. We've got the jeep if we decide we want to head out. And you're never very good company bro."
Tony gave him a weak smile as he pulled into the driveway. His cell phone rang as they were getting out the car.
He answered it "Hello," and then sighed, handing Tory the house keys. "Yeah. I'm good. Yep, I'm home now. Yeah. Okay."
He hung up the phone, following them into the house.
"What's up?" Tory said.
"Someone's comin' over in a bit to buy some coke. Welcome home baby."
"It's okay. Are you sure you don't want to talk about what's going on with your mom?"
"Hell, no. I don't even want to think about it."
"You can't ignore it like it's going to go away."
"You can ignore your problems with your parents. So why can't I ignore the problems with mine?"
Carl and Andi were standing uncomfortably in the living room. "You guys can go into the bedroom. No. Shit. That dude's coming by. I don't want any of you around this shit. Fuck. Carl, you and Andi go in my room, Tor you go in the other bedroom."
Carl took Andi's hand and pulled her towards Tony's room. He obviously wasn't upset enough about his aunt having a relationship with her nurse in the mental hospital to keep his mind away from getting laid.
"C'mon Tor." Tony took her hand and led her into the spare bedroom.
She saw that someone had found sheets for the air mattress, so at least it was covered.
"I'm sorry baby. This guy shouldn't be too long. Do you want me to get my laptop for you so at least you'll have something to do?"
"Sure
"Be right back.”
He was back a minute later with his laptop. She took the cord and plugged it into the wall. "Those kids sure work fast. They were already half naked when I got in there."
"Damn. About your mom Tony. You need to talk to her about this. And calmly, no jumping to conclusions. You know what you told me about the whole thing with my dad?"
"I know." He sighed as he lit a cigarette. "But this isn't like your dad being married and not telling you. That's already done and over with. This shit is just starting or at least I hope so. I swear if that guy was doing something to my mom when she was out of it, I'll kill him."
"Tony." She ran her hand lightly over his arm. "I don't think he'd do something like that."
"How do you know? He obviously thinks my mom's hot. So wouldn't it be perfect to have sex with her when she was all drugged up? Some guys are into stuff like that, the sick fucks."
"Your mother is beautiful."
"That doesn't mean some sicko needs to violate her while she's locked up in that place."
"I don't think it's like that. What would it hurt if she liked him too?"
"Are you kidding me Tory? My Dad's barely cold in his grave and she wants to shack up with a guy who's barely older than me? What the hell?"
"Your dad's been dead three years Tony. She obviously cared about him so much that she couldn't stand to be without him. Like she told you, that's why she's there."
"But she can obviously stand to be without him now. This shit is driving me crazy Tor. I wanted to kill him. Touching her, giving her cigarettes, calling her Mon. He's her nurse. He's supposed to be looking after her, not hitting on her."
"Talk to her about it, Tony. I'm sure she'll explain to you what's going on. I'm sure that if there is something, nothing is going to happen while she's still in there. It really could get him fired."
"I don't want to talk to her about it. It makes me sick."
"She's a grown woman Tony. Don't you think she's been terribly lonely without your dad? Especially having been with him for so long."
"I don't care if she's lonely."
"Do you realize what you just said? That is truly messed up. I wouldn't say something like that about MY mother and she's the world's biggest bitch."
"That is messed up isn't it? But why does she have to replace my dad with someone like him? I'd almost prefer it if she fell for another patient."
"You don't know that anything is going on. You wouldn't listen to her. You were jumping to conclusions like I was with my dad. She obviously loves you very much. It hurts her to think that you're mad at her. Even with how angry you made her, you could see she was hurting at the same time."
"I know.”
A loud knock sounded at the front door. "That must be the dude for the coke. I'll be right back."
She nodded, connecting to the internet on his laptop, trying not to listen to the sounds of sex coming from down the hall.
A few minutes later she heard the front door open and close and then footsteps in the hall as Tony came back to the bedroom.
She wondered if he was going to mention Ryan to his aunt and uncle when they went over there for dinner tonight.
“At least Mom will be away from Ryan as soon as she gets out of that place.”
"What if she doesn't want to be away from him? Did you think of that? Okay." She held up a hand when he started to break in. "I know that right now they can't do anything because even if they wanted to, it would be really stupid on both parts. But did you ever think about what would happen if they did let her out and she wanted to have a relationship with Ryan? Maybe not even Ryan. Any man for that matter. Are you going to make your mother miserable because you think she's not honoring your father's memory? You know how much your dad loved her. Do you think he’d want her to be alone the rest of her life?"
She had to smile a little because he took a peek down her shirt when she leaned over him to reach for a cigarette.
"I don't want her to be miserable. But why him? Why some punk with a bunch of tattoos who probably gets off on flexing his muscles for teenage girls?"
"Would this bother you so much if I hadn't been drooling over that guy with the nose ring the other day? You seem to associate piercings and tattoos with the bad boy thing. You have the bad boy thing going on and you don't have anything pierced or tattooed." She broke down and ran her hands over his chest. "Though I swear if you grew your hair out some and got your lip pierced you'd look even hotter."
"Ha, ha."
"Only kidding. Well, not really, but I'll shut up now. But rea
lly Tony is part of the reason it bothers you so much that your mom might have something going with this guy because I happened to find someone that you associate with the same kind of guy attractive?"
"No Tor. I mean yes, sort of. Hell, I don't know. Am I still gonna turn you on when I'm not a bad boy drug dealer anymore?" He took the cigarette from her hand, depositing it in the ashtray, and moved to straddle her.
"Quit with the distraction Tony. This is serious. You need to call your mother."
"Damn it Tor. I don't want to."
"I didn't tell you you needed to call Ryan and apologize for acting like such an ass. I said you needed to call your mom before she gets any more upset and get this straightened out."
"How was I an ass? I didn't say anything to the guy."
"He could tell you wanted to kick his ass by the way you were looking at him."
"He shouldn't have been hitting on my mother in front of me."
"He wasn't hitting on her. Exactly. Call her Tony. I will not have sex with you until you've called her."
He sighed. "Barely engaged and you're already withholding sex."
She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who didn't want to do it last night after you proposed."
"We'd already done it so that doesn't count."
"Does too. Of course I'll find you attractive when you're not a drug dealer. You've got a little bad boy in you even when you're in slacks and a collared shirt. You'd better hurry up and call your mom, Tony."
He sighed. "Where's my phone?"
"I don't know. Is it in the living room?"
"Yeah, probably. I'll be right back."
He went to the living room and returned with his phone.
She glanced pointedly at the phone in his hand. "Call your mom."
"Yeah." He sighed, reaching for a cigarette.
She handed him a lighter, waiting for him to dial. He sat back on the bed and dialed the number of the hospital.
"It's a good thing it's not going to be Ryan that answers the phone," Tony muttered as he listened to the phone ring. "I don't think I could handle that. I'm going to put it on speaker as soon as she picks up so you can hear what she says too."
"Okay."
Tory joined him on the bed. At least it seemed to be pretty sturdy, she mused which meant it wouldn't collapse on them when they were having sex. That would suck.
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 138
