“OMG! It’s the lemurs. It’s King Julian!” I exclaimed.
“Who?” he asked.
I gave him a perplexed look. “King Julian. You know, from Madagascar?”
He slowly shook his head. “From what?”
“You have never seen Madagascar?” I asked in shock.
“I have no clue what Madagascar or King Julian is.”
I placed my hands on each side of his face. “You have lived a very deprived and boring life, Parker.”
He chuckled and hooked his arm around me.
After a fun day at the zoo, I was feeling pretty tired so I asked Alex if we could have dinner back in our room. Once we made it back, he handed me the room service menu and asked what I wanted while he poured us some wine.
“I want a pizza.”
“Pizza? You don’t want a nice steak, or maybe some fish?”
Climbing on the bed, I shook my head. “Nope. You order that for yourself if you want, but I’m having pizza.”
“Okay. Then we’ll both have pizza. What do you want on it?”
“Anything but anchovies. You pick.” I smiled.
“How about pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers?”
“Sounds good to me. Could you also order some of that lemon cheesecake I saw on the menu?”
“Of course.” He grinned.
He placed the order for dinner and I patted his side of the bed. He smiled as he sat down next to me.
“Don’t you think we should wait to have sex after the pizza comes? I would hate to be in the middle of it and there’s a knock on the door.”
“We aren’t having sex, Parker. We’re going to watch Madagascar.”
“Seriously?” His playful look turned serious.
“Yes. It’s such a cute movie. You need to let out the inner child in you. Now make yourself comfy.” I pointed the remote to the TV and searched for Madagascar on the pay channels.
We sat on the bed, our backs propped up against pillows while we ate pizza, drank wine, and laughed at Madagascar. Every time I looked over at Alex, I could tell he was enjoying it. I shoulder bumped him and he looked over at me.
“What?”
“You’re loving King Julian.” I smiled.
“Actually, the penguins are my favorite.”
“Yeah. They’re pretty cool but King Julian rules!”
“King Julian is great but I’m a sucker for the penguins.” He grinned.
When the movie was over, Alex noticed there was a second one.
“Rent the second one,” he spoke.
“Don’t you think we should get some sleep since we’re leaving in the morning?”
“Go ahead and lie down, then, but I’m going to watch the second movie.”
“And sex?” I asked as I ran my finger down his chest.
“Sex can wait, Emerson. The penguins can’t.”
I sighed. I think I had just created a Madagascar monster. I set my wine glass on the nightstand and rolled over, secretly smiling while I listened to him laugh as he watched Madagascar 2.
****
Alex
When we arrived home, I went up to my office and started to do some much needed work. I had been taking way too much time away from my company and, surprisingly, it didn’t fall apart. As I was sitting at my desk, the reality of Adam coming home this week set in and, suddenly, my mood changed. After a couple of hours, I went downstairs and saw Emerson doing laps in the pool.
“I’m going to the office for a while. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay. I’ll cook us dinner.”
I gave her a nod and drove myself to a bar instead of the office. I just needed to think over a couple of drinks and I couldn’t do that with Emerson in the house.
“What can I get you, friend?” the bartender named Alan asked.
“Scotch on the rocks. Make it a double.”
“Coming right up.”
He poured the scotch and set the glass down in front of me. I drank it faster than he set it down.
“Another,” I said.
“You okay, man? You slammed that pretty fast.”
“Actually, I’m not okay. The woman I’m in love with is going to be leaving California soon and I don’t think there’s a damn thing I can do to stop her.”
“Sorry to hear that. Have you told her that you love her?”
“Not yet, and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. She hates it here. This place holds too many bad memories for her.”
He handed me another glass of scotch. “Maybe you can show her what the good memories used to be. Make her forget about the bad,” he spoke.
“She lost her parents and twin sister in an accident several years ago. She’ll never be able to forget that. Pour me another.” I threw a hundred-dollar bill on the counter.
“Nah. That would be hard to forget. I’m sorry, bro, but before that, there had to be good memories.”
I kept drinking and, before I knew it, Alan cut me off.
“Did you drive here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, you aren’t driving home. Can I call someone for you?”
“No.”
“Then I’m calling you a cab.”
“No. Call Phillip. His number is in my phone.” I slid my phone to him.
About a half hour had passed, and as I laid my head down on the bar, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing, Parker?”
Lifting my head, I looked up to see Emerson standing next to me.
“I thought I told you to call Phillip?” I drunkenly spoke to Alan.
“He didn’t answer and she kept calling. You need to go home, friend, and sleep the alcohol off.”
“Let’s go, Alex.” She grabbed my arm and helped me up.
As I stumbled out the door, Emerson began to yell at me.
“I thought you were going to the office. I made this nice dinner for us. I sat there alone, waiting for you to come home, and you were sitting in this bar getting drunk. Why?”
I didn’t say a word as she shoved me into the passenger seat of Adam’s car.
“I swear to God, Parker, if you puke in this car, you’re buying Adam a new one.”
I moaned as I lay my head against the window and she drove me home. She opened the door and grabbed my arm.
“Come on. Give me a little help here, Parker. I may be strong, but I’m not strong enough to hold up your dumb drunk ass.”
“I’m going to be sick.”
“Not on me you’re not. You are to wait until we get into the house. If you throw up on me, you’re buying me all new clothes and I’ll make sure they’re high end designer and cost you thousands of dollars. No, make that millions.”
I stumbled through the door and she took me to the bathroom off the foyer.
“There. Now you can throw up, you stupid man.”
Once I was done, I sat up against the wall as she wiped my mouth with a wash cloth.
“Can you get up the stairs?” she asked in irritation.
I moaned as I fell over.
“I guess that’s a no.”
She helped me up and took me to her room, stripped me naked, and helped me into bed. As she climbed in next to me, the last words I remember her saying were, “Throw up on me and I’ll stab you in your sleep.” I silently smiled because her mouth never stopped and I loved it.
Chapter 27
Emerson
It was the end of the week and Adam was due home today. Alex and I never talked about that night he got drunk. He wouldn’t talk about it and had been irritable all week long. We didn’t have sex and I barely saw him. He reverted back to staying late at the office and when I would text him and ask when he was coming home, he would just reply “soon.”
I pulled out my map and laid it across my bed to make my plan for my next move. With Alex’s behavior, he was making it easier for me to leave. What happened to the man back in Napa and Seattle? Something went seriously wrong and I wanted to know
what it was. The night he left and told me he was going to the office, nothing had happened, and I thought things were good between us. He was shutting me out again and it hurt me. It hurt me right down to the very core of my soul. I thought a lot about things and needed to put my mind to rest and concentrate on where I was going to go next. I still couldn’t help but be bothered that my money was almost gone. Something wasn’t right because I didn’t live to the extreme. I was very careful with what I spent.
As I was looking over my map, I glanced at my phone and it was seven p.m. Just as I diverted my eyes back to the map, my phone rang and it was Adam.
“Hey, Adam.”
“Hey, Em. I wanted to let you know that I’m on my way over. I should be there in about ten minutes. I can’t wait to see you, sis.”
“I can’t wait to see you either.”
I took in a deep breath and folded up my map. As I was on my way to the kitchen, the front door opened and Alex walked in.
“Impeccable timing, Parker,” I spoke as I continued walking.
“What do you mean?” He followed me into the kitchen and set his brief case down.
“Adam should be here in about ten minutes. Make sure to have a bottle of wine ready to pour for me. You and he will have to get your own.”
****
Alex
I’d been a real bastard to Emerson all week. The reason? I couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving. If I distanced myself from her and put everything we had done and been through behind us, it would be easier on me when she left. It was wrong, I know. But it was the way I dealt with things. I loved her so damn much and it was killing me to know that she wouldn’t be around much longer. I wanted to talk to her about that night, but I couldn’t. It was a lost cause. I would have confessed my feelings to her and been left there standing like an idiot. If she loved me, she would stay. Now, Adam was on his way over and I wasn’t sure how that was going to go. Since he never talked about his family, I would bet my life that his views were completely different from Emerson’s and there was going be a lot of arguing. I was glad I came home from the office early. This reunion was going to be interesting.
I went down to the wine cellar, grabbed a bottle of Pinot, and brought it upstairs.
“Here’s your bottle.”
“Thanks.” She smiled.
She took out the corkscrew and attempted to open the bottle. I noticed her hands were shaking. Placing my hands around hers, I spoke, “Let me open that for you.”
She let go of the bottle and reached up and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, dropping it to the floor.
“Fuck!” she yelled.
This wasn’t like her. “Emerson, don’t touch the glass. You’ll cut yourself.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you another glass.”
“Fuck the glass. What is wrong with you?” I asked as I walked over to her. “Are you that nervous to talk to your brother?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am. These conversations never go well with him. It’s the same thing over and over again, like a vicious, never-ending cycle.”
“Maybe this time will be different,” I spoke as I bent down to clean up the glass.
“Doubt it.”
The doorbell rang and she stiffened up. I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her head and gave her a hug before sending her into the war zone.
****
Emerson
I was happy to see my brother, but I was not looking forward to our conversation. The moment I saw him, I stood there for a moment as tears filled my eyes. It had been a long time.
“Hey, sis.” He smiled as he held out his arms.
I ran to him and hugged him tight. “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. Look at you.” He slowly shook his head.
“Adam.” Alex walked over and shook his hand.
“Alex.” He smiled. “Thanks for looking after my sister.”
I studied the look on Alex’s face. He simply smiled and gave Adam a nod. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Bourbon would be great. Thank you.”
I led Adam into the living room and grabbed my glass of wine, taking a large sip.
“So how was Tennessee?” I asked with a smile.
“It was okay. I got the company up and running again with no problems.”
“Good.” I laid my head on his shoulder.
Alex handed Adam his drink and I couldn’t help but notice the way he stared at me and Alex.
“Have you decided where you’re going to settle?” he asked.
Wow. Let’s just cut right to the chase.
“No. I need to talk to you about the money situation first. I really don’t understand how it’s almost gone.”
“That’s because you were off on your own little adventure without a care in the world.”
I took in a deep breath because, suddenly, the air became a whole lot thicker.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Alex spoke as he began to walk away.
“PARKER, SIT!” I commanded in a harsh voice.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Sit down!” I pointed at the chair and glared at him.
He took a seat in the wing-backed chair and looked at Adam.
“You let her talk to you like that, man?”
Alex shrugged and Adam got up from the couch.
“So why don’t the two of you tell me what’s going on here.”
“Nothing,” Alex responded.
“Adam.” I tried my hold my composure. “You brought me back to talk about me and my, as you call them, ‘adventures.’ This is about me and you. Not about me and Alex.”
Adam gave me a stern look as he took a sip of his bourbon. His tone changed as he sat down next to me on the couch and took hold of my hands.
“Listen, Em. You spent the last eight years gallivanting around the world and now it’s time for you to settle down and make a place your home. You can’t keep going on like this. It isn’t healthy and it’s irresponsible.”
“Why is it irresponsible? Because I chose to see the world instead of being held up in a stuffy office working a 9-5 job that I hate?”
“I don’t hate my job. You’re living off our dead parents’ money, sis.”
“I’ve had a few jobs over the years. Hell, I worked at Billy’s ranch, for God sakes.”
“Who’s Billy?” he asked. “Oh wait, the bull rider.”
I tilted my head and narrowed my eye. “No. That was Austin in Montana.”
“You were in Montana?” Alex asked as he cocked his head.
I held my hand up to him.
“You never mentioned Montana,” he spoke.
“It wasn’t worth mentioning. Anyway, Billy was the cowboy from Texas.”
“That’s right. The most recent one. The reason you needed to leave Texas.”
I sighed as I got up from the couch and took my glass of wine with me.
“That money is mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. You sure didn’t give me this much hell when I left in the first place.”
“You know why I didn’t?” Adam spoke with a raised voice. “Because I thought it was temporary. I didn’t think you’d be gone for eight fucking years!”
“I told you that I wasn’t coming back here!”
“You had everything going for you. You healed an arm that the doctor’s said you’d probably never be able to use again. You broke three records at Nationals. You had the best universities kissing your ass, hoping you’d pick them. You could have made something of yourself, but instead, you chose to run. Ran away from what happened here, from me, your friends, and everything that made you who you are.”
“That’s not true,” I spoke as tears filled my eyes.
“If it’s not true, then explain it to me!” he yelled.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you! I’m an adult!”
“You can’t explain it to me because you’ve been running for so long, you don’t even know why anymo
re.”
“I’m doing it for Emily. This is what we always dreamed of and talked about since we were kids.”
“You don’t think I know that!” Adam got up from the couch. “The two of you were always talking about going somewhere. It was a pipe dream the two of you had.”
I gulped when he said that. “How dare you.” I pointed my finger at him.
Chapter 28
Emerson
I walked over to the table and poured another glass of wine. The anger inside me was at a level I never knew existed.
“Admit it, Emerson. You’re running and chasing something that can never be found.” His voice softened.
I turned away as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes. I looked at Alex as he sat there with a saddened look on his face.
“I’m not running. I’m doing what me and Emily always talked about. I was on death’s door!” I whipped myself around and glared at Adam. “I actually died and then came back and spent three months in a coma. I’ll never get those three months of my life back and I don’t know when the next accident will happen, so excuse me, big brother, for wanting to see what I always dreamed of before I die.”
“That’s not the reason, Em, and you know it. Have you visited Mom’s, Dad’s and Emily’s graves yet?”
“That’s none of your business,” I spoke through gritted teeth.
“You haven’t.” He shook his head and looked at Alex. “Did she tell you that she never visited their graves, ever?!”
“No. I wasn’t aware of that,” Alex responded.
“You buried them when I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life,” I yelled.
“I had no choice! It had to be done and I didn’t know if you would ever wake up. Do you have any idea how hard it was to bury three members of my family at the same time and to maybe have to bury a fourth? Do you even care how I felt?!”
“I know that must have been hard on you and I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? I had to take a year off of college to take care of you. I sat by your bedside every fucking day begging you to wake up because the thought of losing the only person I had left killed me. Then, when you finally woke up, I took care of you. I was there for you every night while you cried yourself to sleep and asked God why he didn’t just take you. I supported you and provided for you so you could get better and move on with your life. And what’s the first thing you do? You take off and leave me here alone. You weren’t the only one who lost Mom, Dad, and Emily! I lost them too! They were just as much my family as they were yours! I needed you here for support and you didn’t care.”