The Spiral Down (The Fall Up #2)(79)

“Evan, you have a boyfriend who is famous enough for Sally Walters to know he’s your boyfriend before your own mother, I’d say she’s more than flipping out. She’s hurt.”

I flinched. I hated that she’d found out that way, but there hadn’t exactly been a good time for me to sit her down and tell her about Henry. Things had been so tumultuous with us from the start—mentioning him to the parents had felt a tad premature. Hell, I’d spent most of those two months trying to find reasons why we couldn’t be together.

“It’s not like that, John. Shit. This thing… It just kinda happened.”

“I’m calling horseshit. I’ve met Henry Alexander. Nothing just happens with him. Did he mention that he was on that AirUSA flight of mine? He begged me to be his personal pilot for months after the accident. I swear to you I was retired and had no interest in a new job, but he was so convincing I nearly agreed.”

I smiled. Yep. That was my Henry.

“You know how I feel, then. Tell Mom that I fell victim to his persistent charm and didn’t have a chance to call and tell her.”

He barked a laugh in my ear just as I felt Henry’s head tip back.

“Victim to my persistent charm?” he accused softly, the skin between his eyes pinching together in pain.

Last night, I would have apologized profusely that he’d gotten the wrong idea about my conversation. Today, after the promises we’d made to each other both verbally and physically last night, I was almost frustrated that there could be any doubt in his mind.

I twisted my lips and glowered.

Lifting my phone in the air, I pressed the speaker button and John’s voice came through midsentence.

“…you serious about this one, or do I need to stop your mom from redecorating the living room?”

Henry began worrying his lip as he waited anxiously for my answer.

I couldn’t fight the grin as I replied, “He’s the one, John. And I’d honestly say that even if he weren’t sitting here, staring at me like I was about to kick his puppy.” I held Henry’s gaze as I lifted my hand in a Vulcan V.

He smiled, and the breath he was holding rushed from his mouth.

“Oh, hell! Didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“No problem. You’re on speakerphone too.” I motioned for Henry to say something.

His eyes flashed between me and the phone as though I’d asked him to sacrifice himself to the parental gods. Finally, he timidly said, “Hi, John.”

Forget the grin. I outright laughed.

“Mr. Alexander. So we meet again.”

“Yeah, but this time, I’m sleeping with your son.” His face flashed red as he slapped his hand over his mouth, turning apologetic eyes my way.

Stunned, I cocked my head in silent question. Henry entertained thousands on a daily basis, yet one conversation with my dad turned him into a bumbling wreck.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that and just keep talking, if that’s all right with you,” John said with more than a hint of humor. “I have to say, when Jackson told me you hired Evan, I wasn’t surprised. He’s the best pilot I’ve ever met, and I took the liberty of including myself in that pool.”

I smiled huge. Praise from a man I respected never got old. Neither did the way Henry’s eyes lit as he looked up at me.

“However, I have to say, you dating my boy is taking stalking to a whole new level.”

Henry finally laughed, and his arms tightened around my midsection. “I wouldn’t have been stalking you at all if I’d known Evan back then.”

“Well, excuse me for not introducing you sooner.”

I chuckled, secretly enjoying the ease with which John was accepting Henry. While my parents knew I’d been with a man, Shannon and I had been done before they’d ever had to deal with it. This would definitely be a first for all of us.

“Anyway…I’ll let you two go. I didn’t mean to…uh, interrupt.”

I grinned. “Sorry about the omelet, John.”

“Don’t worry about it. There’s always next weekend. I’m going to try to get a Diet Coke in your mom and see if I can calm her down. Give her a call in a little while and tell her when you can bring Henry home for dinner.”

I glanced at Henry, one eyebrow raised in question. His only response was a megawatt grin.

“I can do that,” I replied.

“Love ya, son.”

“Love you too.” I hung up, dropped the phone beside me, and then aimed a scowl at Henry.

He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“For?” I gave not a single damn that he had talked about us sleeping together in front of John. I did care that he’d started to panic when he’d first overheard my conversation.

“You know why,” he replied, pushing up on his arms and then prowling up until his lips were on mine.

“I do know why, but I love hearing you tell me anyway.”

He nipped at my bottom lip and tugged back the covers between us. After slinging his leg over my hips, he settled in my lap, both of our cocks growing hard when they made contact.

He huffed when I didn’t react to his blatant advance. “Fine, because I assumed you were saying something else and, instead of trusting you, I let it bother me.”