Page 70 of Taming the CEO

"Darling, how are you?"

"Just heading home. I was at the grandparents' house. There was a storm here in Boston."

"Oh, I know."

She did? That was surprising. Maybe she’d talked to Leo or Nick.

"Where are you now exactly?" I asked.

"In Bali. It's wonderful."

"I'm glad, Mom."

"So, how are you really?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard you're seeing someone."

"Did I step into an alternative universe? How would you even know about this?"

"I just spoke with Leo. He might have mentioned it."

I started to laugh. "Holy shit, I didn't realize he was such a gossip."

"Well, he's not. I mean... usually there's nothing to gossip about."

"Mom," I said because I could see where this was going, "don't make this into something it's not."

"Oh, I'm not. Far be it for me to do that. But it's difficult not to get excited. Now, I do love traveling the world, but one thing that would make me stay closer to home would be grandkids."

I was shocked. Mom had never mentioned that word at all. Frankly, I'd never even thought about marrying, let alone becoming a dad. "All right. You're officially getting ahead of yourself."

"You’re right. But I'm very excited."

"Where are you going next?"

"I'll probably spend a whole month in Indonesia. Now, I’ve got to go. My Pilates class starts soon."

"Have fun," I said.

"You too."

After hanging up, I couldn't help myself and texted Leo.

Maddox: You big gossip. Why did you tell Mom about Cami?

Leo: One thing led to another, and I just did. Wasn't intentional. I can't believe I've mocked Gabe every time he said he doesn't intend to run his mouth. I'm doing the same.

I laughed but didn’t reply. I wasn’t really mad at my brother. This was just unexpected.

Mom’s words rang in my ears as I parked in front of my house.

Grandkids.

That’s not going to happen, Mom. It’s not who I am.

Thankfully, my house wasn’t damaged at all by the storm. All my appliances were connected to an app on my phone, and it didn’t report any outages, which meant everything should be perfectly fine.

---