by Claire Adams
"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," I said, wanting to be respectful of Kayla's modesty. "Suffice to say, Kayla has the special key to relieving my tensions and making me feel like my true self when I'm filled with doubt or fear."
"Wow, you're a completely different man than guy you were in college," Gwyneth said, and I took it as a compliment. "The guy I dated would have closed himself off in a private stall to get loaded, and never opened up his true feelings to anyone. I like the new you a lot better.”
"I have Kayla to thank for that. Ever since we started seeing each other, I've felt like a different man. First, I closed myself off to the world with drugs, and then work. My career was a healthier obsession than speed, but an obsession none-the-less."
Vick nodded and said, "This is the longest I've seen in you a relationship with a woman since Gwyneth. You've had nothing but a string of one-night stands for the past 20 years."
"You're right," I admitted with chagrin. Squeezing Kayla's delicate hand in my own, I looked into her eyes and said, "It feels so good when we're together, I don't want to leave."
"Does this mean you're in a real, committed relationship now? Is the infamous bachelor officially off the market?" Gwyneth gasped. Her eyes were sparkling and she licked her lips, hungry to be the first one to hold such juicy gossip.
"We have to go now. Thanks for the drinks. We'll have to go out again soon, when I have more time. Right now, Kayla and I just want to be alone together," I said, without answering her question. I admit I took a cruel delight in leaving her hanging like that. as I grabbed Kayla by the hand and escorted her from the restaurant
I took her home to my mansion in Beverly Hills and poured us each a drink from the bar. We carried our drinks outside onto the balcony, looking up at the moon shining brightly over my backyard pond filled with Japanese Koi. I told Kayla everything she wanted to know about my past: my years in college, when I first started working for Krueger, and how I shared an apartment with a bunch of friends, partying all the time.
As the moonlight sparkled on the water, the fish leapt at insects drawn by the light and I kept talking. Sometimes she would ask questions, and I answered them all. It was like the dam had been opened and all my life's secrets came flooding out.
I told her about the pressures I'd felt to succeed at Krueger and how it got me addicted to speed. The erratic emotions of being a drug addict probably contributed to my quitting the company and deciding to branch out on my own. No sane man would have made such a decision, but I did it.
We talked about my relationship with Gwyneth and how shattered I'd been when it was over. I told her about the months I'd spent in Garden Hope Center getting myself cleaned up, and how I made my company my new obsession when I came out. I told her how my career was the only thing that mattered to me and how I refused to ever let myself fall in love.
Finally, we talked about the lawsuit, how ridiculous it was, and how scared I felt that I might actually lose half my company to Dorsey.
"Well, if the jury decides in his favor, then you'll just continue making the greatest motorcycles in the country. Your number one for a reason, and you don't need the money. You already have more than enough." Kayla was always one to look at the bright side of anything, and I kissed her lips for it.
"Thanks," she smiled happily.
"Thank you," I grinned at her. "You can make anything seem better. Now, what do you say we go inside?"
"Sounds great, but I just have one last question."
There couldn't possibly be anything left that was unsaid between us, but I was curious to know what she wanted to ask. "What is it?"
"It's actually Gwyneth's question from earlier at the restaurant, but I'd like to know the answer. Are we in a committed relationship now?"
Shit. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say yes, and that scared the shit out of me. I'd vowed to never put myself in the same, dangerous position my father had been suffering in for years. I had vowed to never fall in love, but I couldn't risk losing her. I had to think fast.
"Well, that's not fair," I said with a mischievous twinkle in my eyes. "I just spent the last several hours telling you everything there is to know about me and answering all your questions about my past; but what do I really know about you? How do I know you don't have some secret skeletons in your closet I need to be made aware of first?"
The ploy worked, and she giggled like I hoped she would. "I'll tell you what. Come with me to my parents’ house this coming weekend. They're having a party to celebrate my father's 50th birthday. You'll get to hear all the stories you ever wanted to hear about me and I'll have nothing left to hide. Then, you can decide if we're in a committed relationship or not."
There was no way I could say no. Besides, I was surprised to discover that I wanted to go. "Agreed." I grinned and she kissed my lips happily.
We ended up making love on the balcony under the moonlight, overlooking the pond of leaping Koi, and then again in my bed, and every night that week after that, and every morning, too.
It was amazing how quickly I'd come to think of my Beverly Hills Mansion as not just being mine, but ours, and how the bed I'd purchased was now our bed. It was a perfect week and easily the happiest time of my life.
As much as I was looking forward to the weekend and meeting Kayla's family, I was also dreading it. Because then this perfect time would be over and I would have to make a decision to commit to keeping it going, or risk losing her forever.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kayla
I couldn't believe how excited I was to take Ethan home to meet my parents — and more than a little nervous, too. They hadn't approved of the last boyfriend I'd had, and they'd been right not to.
Ethan was the complete opposite of Mick, though, and I knew they'd love him. I just hoped the feeling was mutual. My family could be a bit overbearing, and I really wanted Ethan to feel accepted by them. I knew he grew up an only child, and I didn't want him to feel overwhelmed by the chaos that often filled the Brandt home.
Someday I wanted to have a big family of my own, and I was feeling more and more like I wanted Ethan to be a part of that future. A lot was riding on this visit, even if neither one of us admitted it.
"Are you ready?" I asked Ethan excitedly as I threw my backpack over my shoulder. It had two changes of clothes (just enough for a three-day weekend), my toiletries, and a few Hollywood souvenirs for my siblings. I was dressed in my favorite pair of black jeans, boots, a pink tank top with the Speed Motorcycles logo emblazoned on the front, and the new black leather motorcycle jacket Ethan had given me for the trip. My hair was pulled back into a braid to keep it from flying in my face and my helmet was tucked under my arm.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied with just a hint of dread. He was dressed in designer jeans, a tight-fitting, black tee-shirt, and a very expensive-looking leather jacket that must have come from Italy or France. His backpack was even fuller than mine, and his specially designed helmet was propped on top.
"Don't tell me you’re nervous to meet my family," I teased him, but there was a little too much truth to the jibe and he became defensive.
"I'm not. It's just I'm never been very good at the family thing. If you'd ever met my mother, you'd understand. She was never the warm nurturing type, and my dad was always just struggling to hold himself together. I never had what you have."
"Well, maybe someday you will; if you want it." I wrapped my arms around his strong neck, pulling him in for a sensuous kiss. My breasts pressed against his chest, and I felt his erection growing against my thigh.
"Maybe we should just stay home," Ethan arched his left brow at me mischievously.
Giggling, I shook my head emphatically and mounted my bike. "Forget it. We're going and that's final."
"Okay, but maybe we should take the sedan instead of the bikes," he said, procrastinating now for real.
I suddenly realized how nervous he really was about meeting my family and I longed to comfort him. "The
bikes are terrific. My brothers will love seeing them and so will my dad. You should be proud of what you've created. I know I am."
"I just don't want to seem pretentious."
"And you think pulling up to our rundown little house in a luxury BMW would be any better?" I teased, and he flushed with chagrin. Touching his arm affectionately, I said, "Just be who you are. Don't worry about anyone else's opinion, and my family will love you or hate you just for who you are."
"Great, this is the first time you suggested they could hate me." He feigned being alarmed, but I could tell he was teasing. He kissed me passionately, drawing it out as our tongues intertwined. His hand grazed my breast before he let me go, seeming much more at peace.
He mounted his bike, and we took off onto the highway side by side. It was a beautiful trip as we road through grassy fields of wildflowers, shady patches of tall trees, and sunny horizons. The sky was clear blue with just the barest amount of clouds wafting through it.
We stopped at a field and ate the picnic lunch we had packed and ended up making love under a large tree. It reminded me of our first date, and when I said so, Ethan grinned brightly and agreed, "Me, too."
The sky was just turning to dusk when we reached my hometown, and suddenly all the sights became familiar. Excitedly, I pointed them all out to Ethan, shouting through the open facemask of helmet as he nodded and grinned at me.
"That's Polk High, where I went to school. That's the Tasty-Freeze, where I had my first job. That's the house where I went to that birthday party and threw up all over the hostess. I was so embarrassed; I never spoke to her again. I was always such a shy kid that I never had any friends. It's why I couldn't wait to get out of this town."
"What happened? You're not shy now," Ethan teased playfully, making me laugh.
"I guess I just needed to meet the right guy," I told him, trying to bluff away my nervousness, but he saw right through to the heart of me.
I was suddenly feeling like that shy kid with no friends again as we pulled to a stop in front of my parents’ house and removed our helmets. We shut off the engines and dismounted, staring up at my childhood home where so many memories had been made.
Caressing my cheek, Ethan said softly, "I'd like to take credit for the confident, powerful, beautiful modeling star you've become in L.A., but I can't. You were like that when I met you. All that you've achieved, you've done on your own, despite setbacks like Mick and the hardness of L.A. You had something inside you ready to break free and shine — you just had to get out on your own to find the courage to set it loose."
"You really think so?"
"I know so." Ethan pulled me to him and gave me a passionate kiss that was so hot it melted away all my uneasiness and reminded me of everything good in my life, including him.
"Hey, you two. Knock that off or go get a hotel room!" A familiar voice startled me and made us both jump. I turned to see my sister Morgan coming out of the house. She wrapped her arms around me in a big embrace, and I hugged her back, blinking back tears of joy.
"Cool motorcycles! How fast can they go? What's the horsepower on an engine like this?" My brother Tommy rolled his wheelchair up to my bike and started touching the handlebars.
"Hey, this is a sweet ride. Can I take Tommy for a ride around the block after dinner?" my brother Joe Junior lifted Tommy out of his chair and set him astride the seat of the bike. Tommy was beaming so wide, I thought he might burst.
"Let me through so I can give my sister a hug," my sister Emily cried out happily, pushing her way past my brothers and holding her arms out wide.
Ethan looked terrified as he whispered to me, "We're surrounded."
"It's okay, they don't bite," I laughed and hugged each of my beloved siblings in turn before pulling them all together into one giant group hug.
"Exactly how many brothers and sisters do you have?" Ethan asked me.
"Four: two brothers and two sisters. I'm exactly in the middle, with two older and two younger," I explained, still embracing them all.
"Yeah, and once I came along and got diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, she had to run away from home just to get any attention," Tommy said, and I could see Ethan shift uncomfortably in his boots, although I had a feeling he was relieved to learn what was wrong with my baby brother without having to come out and ask.
It wasn't nice of me not to have forewarned him of Tommy's disability, but I'd gotten so used to it over the years, I didn't even think about it. None of us did. He was just Tommy to us. Plus, we'd all discovered a kind of fun in intentionally not telling anybody about his disease and enjoying the surprised look on their faces when they found out.
It was a good way to judge someone's character. The way an individual reacted when they were first confronted with Tommy's disability and how they chose to treat him after they knew his diagnosis said a lot about what kind of person they were. So far, Ethan was a blank slate and time would have to tell.
"Well, can you blame me for wanting to get away from you?" I teased Tommy and then ruffled his hair lovingly, making him laugh. We shared a hug, and I helped Junior put Tommy back in his wheelchair before he fell or got hurt.
Then I said, "You know it had nothing to do with you. I just felt lost, like I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere, so that's why I ran away. Now I realize what a mistake that was. I do fit in; I fit right in the middle of the Brandt family."
"And you always will." My siblings embraced me in a group hug again. Letting them go, I turned to Ethan then and introduced him to them all one by one.
There was Junior; he was the oldest and a born athlete. He went to college on a baseball scholarship, graduated with a business degree, and married a girl he went to college with named Shelby. They had their first child two years ago, a chubby boy they named Joseph III. As I told the story, Junior grinned at me and said, "And, Shelby is about to make him a big brother. She's pregnant with a little girl, due in January."
"Congratulations!" I hugged my big brother tightly, no longer able to hold back my tears of joy. His lovely wife approached holding their young son, and I put my hands on her rounded belly, blinking back tears of joy again.
Then, I introduced Ethan to my big sister Emily. She was the brilliant academic I could never live up to. If they made a trophy for it, she had it. Spelling Bee Champion, President of the Future Leaders of Tomorrow Club, Student Body President, Class Valedictorian. Polk High may not have been a big school, but inside its walls, Emily Brandt was a shining star. Everybody loved her, and she had won a full-ride scholarship to the state university.
"Of course, all those trophies didn't mean a thing," Emily said, as humble as she was brilliant. "I ended up dropping out of the university my sophomore year when I got pregnant. I married my college sweetheart Mark and we had little Madison. Now I'm just a housewife while all my friends are getting their master’s degrees."
"Yeah, but you’re Super Mom." I wouldn't let her get away with putting herself down. "I hear you’re the head of Toddler Time and Mommy and Me and you held a fundraiser to get new toddler safe equipment at the park."
"Yeah, but that's just local stuff. I've never been on a national magazine or the star of a huge marketing campaign," she said. Now it was my turn to blush.
Next came Morgan, the musician the family. She could play piano, violin, and cello.
"When I graduate in June, I've been accepted into the music program at the University," she gushed happily, and it was clear we were all extremely proud of her. Then, it was time to introduce the baby of the family.
"Last but never least, you've already met Tommy," I said with a wave of my hand. I headed for the door to our house, ready to allow Ethan to escape the awkwardness by going inside to meet my parents. He surprised me, however, by hanging back and taking the time to shake Tommy's hand and spend some time with him first. A lot of people who'd come to the house couldn't wait to get away from Tommy because his disability made them uncomfortable, but I was glad to see Ethan wasn't one of tho
se people.
"We haven't met officially, but now we have. What about you? Do you have big plans for the future?" Ethan asked, and Tommy's face lit up.
"I spend a lot of time studying on the computer, and I really love engineering. The things you've done to improve the speed and efficiency of your motorcycles is impressive. It's given me some ideas I've been developing. I just wish my hands worked the way I wanted them to so I could build models and try them out."
"Well, maybe I could give you hand with that. I'd love to look at your ideas. If they're any good, I could have some of my innovation techs build it."
"That would be so cool!" Tommy nearly fell out of his chair with excitement and we had to hold him back.
"We'd better get you inside before you hurt yourself and I end up getting in trouble with your parents before I've even met them," Ethan joked and Tommy laughed heartily. It was good to see him so happy, and nice to see Ethan taking the time to make him feel good. He probably had no real intention of actually showing Tommy's designs to his tech team or wasting the money to develop them just for some kid, but Tommy didn't know that and it was sweet of Ethan to make the offer, even if they were just words.
Mom and Dad embraced Ethan with a bit more wariness than my excitable siblings had. It was obvious from the first awkward handshake that Ethan was lot closer to my Dad's age than he was to mine.
"How old are you, son?" my father asked, making my mother flush.
"Joe, it isn't polite to ask such things." Mom had turned bright pink, but Dad didn't care. His arms were crossed over his chest, in full protection mode of his family.
"That's for women, not men," Dad said to Mom. He turned to Ethan, and looked him up and down disapprovingly. "You look a bit more mature than the average young man I'd expect my 21-year-old baby to bring home."
"Yes, sir. I'm 42. I realize that seems a bit mature to be dating a girl of 21; but if I may say so, Kayla isn't your average kid. She has maturity and class that far exceeds her years.
