Page 22 of Embracing Us

“And I prefer when you’re smooth too, Beautiful,” I tell her then deliberately drop my eyes down her body pausing at her crotch. “It is far less distracting when I’m eating that delectable pussy of yours.” When I bring my focus back to her face, I’m met with rosy pink cheeks and wide eyes. She giggles then leans forward and places a soft kiss on my shoulder.

“What do you think your Aunt Susan wants to talk to you about?” she asks, and I shrug. “Is everything all right?”

“I don’t know. From what I’ve seen these past few days, she’s aged a lot in twelve months. Something doesn’t feel right, but I can’t put my finger on it. She’s different.”

“Crystal never leaves her side,” Linda muses.

“I’ve noticed that as well. Whatever it is, I’ll find out soon.” I look at my watch. My aunt asked me to meet her at midday, she had things she wanted to talk to me about. Any questions I asked were dismissed, and I was told I would find out everything when we met. “I’m worried,” I admit. Linda’s hand rises to my upper arm, squeezing gently.

“Whatever she tells you, we will deal with it together,” she says, softly. “Sometimes, you get a premonition that things will be bad, but a lot of the time these worries don’t come to anything. Go with an open mind.” We stand together in silence whilst I finish shaving, as I lean down to wash the remaining cream from my face, Jackson alerts us that he is not happy with a scream. Linda sighs, then leaves the room to go care for him. I fix my hair, looking at myself in the mirror as I tease the strands. My heart tells me what I’m going to hear today is something I don’t want to. It’s an unwelcome thought.

Upon returning to the bedroom, I pull on the shorts and t-shirt Linda has laid out for me on our bed. No matter how many times I tell her she doesn’t need to, she still does it. “I like looking after you,” she will say when I bring it up. “It’s a small thing I can do to make your day easier. You do a million things for me.” I’ve stopped arguing. If she wants to care for me, I should let her.

With a final kiss on the lips of my future wife and the forehead of my son, I slip on my flip-flops and go off in search of Aunt Susan. I find her where she said she would be, in the bar nursing a cup of coffee. Crystal sits beside her, her crazy hair framing her round wrinkled face. She gives me a tight smile as I enter the room. My aunt stands and walks over to me, taking me in her arms.

“What is it?” I ask as my concerns skyrocket. She collapses against me, and I quickly bare her weight by moving my hands beneath her arms. “Let’s sit down,” I say, encouraging her towards the sofa.

Crystal remains where she is. Aunt Susan sits beside her. I drop down on the matching leather chair opposite them. “Do you want a drink?” Crystal asks, and I shake my head. All I want is to know what is going on. My Aunt has been like a mother to me all my life. With no children of her own and me losing both my parents in my late teens, she was someone I came to rely on. Even though I never lived with her full time due to her being in Spain, my summers here gave me back a semblance of the family I lost.

When I lost my parents in a car accident at eighteen, I’d been considered old enough to look after myself. Luckily, our family home was mortgage free, and I’d been able to live there, then sell it once their estate had been distributed. Having no siblings made the process smooth but lonely. I came to rely on the few friends around me I could confide in, mainly Jace. He was a constant in my life from the moment I’d been given the devastating news, ensuring I was eating and knew how to handle the daily household finances. Without him, I’m not sure where I would have ended up.

Our friendship is unconventional, him being much older than me and us having completely different outlooks in life. But he was a person I knew vaguely through my father as they worked together. He reached out and came to my side when I needed a friend. For all my parents’ demise was horrific, from it, I found someone I can trust.

“Max,” Aunt Susan says, softly interrupting my thoughts. Her face is contorted as if in pain, and I see tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve had some unfortunate news. It has made me consider my future and how I want to spend my remaining years.” Her words are straight to the point as always.

“What news?” I ask, a little too quickly as my nerves rise. The words, remaining years, send shivers across my skin.

“Over the past few months, I’ve…” She pauses, then taps her head with a finger. I look to Crystal for a hint as to what is going on. “Damn,” she hisses, “what is the word.”

“Suzie, do you want me to tell Max?” Crystal suggests kindly.

“No,” she snaps, startling me with her harsh tone. “I’ll tell him myself.” Crystal nods, and mumbles acceptance then sits back slightly in the chair. My aunt takes a deep breath, closes her eyes then opens them, pinning me with a cool stare. “I have Alzheimer’s disease,” she says, bluntly. “It’s in the early stages, but I’m having issues with my memory.” I go to open my mouth, but no words form as shock rages through my body. “The doctor gave me the confirmed diagnosis yesterday. Obviously, there are consequences for the hotel and myself.”

“Yes,” I stammer, then rise, walk over and drop to my knees beside her. I take her frail hands in mine. “Aunt Susan, what do you need me to do?” She smiles down sadly at me.

“Always such a good boy,” she whispers, and tears begin to escape their confines, running down her cheeks. Her hand lifts and ruffles my hair. “This is perhaps not what you can do for me, but what I can offer you.” I blink at her, confused. “My condition will progress, but it can take years for it to become bad enough to affect my day-to-day life. At the moment, I’m forgetting words or where I put my keys. Sometimes, I get a little confused.” She turns to Crystal, reaching out with one hand and squeezing the other woman’s knee. “But this incredible lady here has been keeping me right.”

“Thank you, Crystal,” I say, sincerely. “Thank you for being here.”

“I won’t be leaving. Well unless…” She looks back to my aunt. “Go on, Suzie, tell him our plans and your proposition.” Aunt Susan looks at me and her face breaks into a wide smile. Her eyes widen, sparkling with mischief.

“I want to spend my final years travelling,” she tells me, and my brain misfires trying to process what she said.

“Travelling?” I repeat back to her, needing to ensure I heard her right.

“Yes,” she confirms with a nod. “Crystal and I are going on an around-the-world trip. I have some savings and the income from here. What I want to ask you is…” She takes a deep breath then looks me straight in the eye. “Would you and Linda consider moving here to run this place until it’s time for me to sell up and move into care?” The room falls silent, and my mind whirls with what she has asked of my new family.

“I’ll need to speak to Linda,” I stammer. “Our jobs are in London. Her home is in London. Marina is in London.” She places her hands on my shoulders. Those shrewd eyes I know so well holding mine.

“Last year, you followed your heart and took a chance. Walked down a path you never expected to find yourself on. Look where you ended up, happier than you’ve ever been.” She pauses, lifting her eyes to the ceiling as she considers what to say next. “But from what you say, things in London come with their issues. Perhaps, this could be an opportunity for you all to take some time and live without all the outside distractions. Concentrate on the most important people.”

“I don’t know. I need to speak with Linda,” I repeat, not wanting to be bulldozed into agreeing to something that may gain me a divorce before I’m even married.

“Of course you do. She’s your wife, or will be soon. By the way, you need to get a ring on her finger. It’s been over a week since you announced your engagement.”

“It’s been six days,” I correct her.

“A week, six days. All but the same.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Get that woman a ring. That’s an order.” She chuckles, then swipes at my cheek with fine fingers.

“I’ll sort a ring,” I concede.

“Good, and think about my offer. I want you to see this as an opportunity.”

“What will you do if we can’t move here?”

“Sell up and live off the proceeds. I won’t need money when I’m dead. But if we can both benefit from this dreaded situation for a while, I’d rather do that.”

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