Page 103 of Loving the CEO

Tory shook her head. “I’m trying to put it behind me."

"I don't know all of the details," Mom said, "but I hope you’re done spilling tears over that asshole. I only have one piece of advice: don't think about him. He’s not worthy of your time."

"Thank you," Tory said.

As we ate the waffles Tory and I made, Mom told us about her latest adventures.

"I keep going back to Bali. The first time a friend told me to head there, I figured it would be too crowded. And it is, but if you discover theright spots, it’s wonderful. There’s something very tranquil and calm about it. I actually can't wait to go back."

"You don't intend to live in the States again, do you?" Tory asked.

"Well," Mom said, "it's debatable. If I became a grandmother, I’d come and help in a heartbeat."

Tory nearly dropped her waffle in her lap. I choked on my mouthful.

"That was too forward, wasn't it?" Mom asked. "I swear, Jeannie's ways are rubbing off on me.”

"Yes, they are," I said.

Tory wasn't saying anything. She still looked shell-shocked: eyes wide, mouth hanging open. She was adorable.

"Oh, you're not mad at me, are you?" Mom asked Tory.

Tory shook her head. "No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting that, I guess."

"Mom," I warned. Although, I had to admit, a child with Tory didn’t frighten me.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I went way overboard. So, tell me a bit about your plans, Tory. Since you've moved into your own place, I'm figuring that you want to stay here in Boston long term, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Tory said animatedly, then started telling Mom about her job and about how welcoming the women in my family had been.

After we finished breakfast, Mom said, "All right, should we go see what expensive apartment my son splurged on for me?"

"Oh, let him spoil you," Tory said. "It's one of his joys in life. He's really looking forward to it."

Mom beamed. "I know. I just don't... well... never mind."

"I'll just go to the bathroom real quick," Tory said.

"Okay."

While Mom and I went to the front door to wait for Tory, she headed upstairs.

"When do you think we could get together with your brothers?" Mom asked.

"Today, if you’re not too jet-lagged."

“I’m good. I’m looking forward to seeing them."

I looked at her intently. "Mom, something is off. What is it?"

"Well, it's not exactly off. Just something that's been on my chest for a while. I wanted to wait for all of you to be together to bring it up, but since you asked... I met up with your father a while ago."

I went completely still. "You're in contact with him?" I tried to keep my voice completely neutral, but if she said that she'd been in contact with him all these years, I was liable to lose my shit.

"No, no. God, no," Mom said, and I felt my entire body relax. "He contacted me when he was in Jakarta for a layover. I’d posted on Facebook that I was there too. I figured, what were the chances of us being on the same continent, let alone the same city after all these years? So, I met with him."

"Let me guess. He told you some sob story."

---