Page 52 of Forever with the CEO

“Early night?” he asked me.

“Yeah, that’s my glamorous life right now.”

“It’s going to beourglamorous life soon enough.”

I swallowed hard. How on earth were we actually going to manage living together?

It was on the tip of my tongue to cancel any plans for the weekend. But ultimately, I didn’t.

“I can’t wait to see you on Friday.”

“Me either.”

Chapter Fourteen

Nick

I always prided myself in taking things as they came and simply doing what needed to be done. I liked to foresee things, of course. Predictions were helpful; preparation even more so. But I’d completely failed to foresee that Mom would get wind of my impending marriage.

“How come my son is getting married and I didn’t hear it from him?” she said instead of hello.

Usually, she waited for my call so that I wasn’t in a meeting or anything similar. Then again, it was seven thirty in the morning. She knew I didn’t have any meetings scheduled this early. I was surprised she was awake, though. She was in Asia right now. I’d completely lost track of time zones.

“Who blabbed?” I asked as I threw my clothes for the day on the bed.

“It doesn’t matter. You thought I wouldn’t find out?”

“Mom, I was planning to tell you.”

“When? I need to organize myself and buy tickets.”

I stilled in the act of pulling a tie from the tie rack. “You want to come?”

“Nick! Of course!” It was the first time I’d heard her warning tone in years.

“Whoever blabbed told youwhythis is happening, right?”

“Yes. I got all the information.”

“And you still want to come?” I double-checked.

“Yes. It’s going to be a very nice moment, and I want to be there.”

“But there’s nothing to celebrate,” I reiterated.

“I disagree. My son is taking this huge step to make sure that his best friend’s kids are cared for.”

Her words disarmed me completely.

“You don’t need to worry about plane tickets. I’ll buy them.”

“Nonsense. I love that my sons take care of me, but I’m making a good income with my yoga and Pilates classes. And my cost of living is really low here in Bali.” She spent most of her time there these days, though she moved from one island to another in Indonesia.

“The ticket is on me,” I insisted. “It’s going to cost a lot because it’s such short notice. No reason for you to break the bank. How long do you want to stay?”

“Depends when it is. I’ve got some retreats planned.”

“Mom, really, you don’t have to come—” I began, but she interrupted me.

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