Page 26 of Loving Hard on the Highway

“So many times,” I sighed dreamily. “I have never come so hard in my life.”

“Get out!” Evie squealed. “When did this happen?”

“A couple nights ago in Saddleback, and then last night here all night.”

“Oh my gosh, Laurel is calling. Let me put her on with us.” Evie didn’t ask and disappeared for a couple of seconds. “Hey, Laurel, I’ve got Gabbie on the phone.”

“Hey, are you okay?” Laurel asked.

“I’m fine.” I barely answered before Laurel rushed with her next question.

“Are you still traveling with that guy Sean?” she asked.

“Traveling with him,” Evie chuckled. “They are full on having sex. And lots of it.”

“Oh…” was all Laurel said.

“I know it’s fast, but he told me this morning that he loves me. He needed to see his grandfather and his brother. His grandfather has been pretty sick and just got out of the hospital.”

“His grandfather, George Iverleigh?” Laurel asked.

“I don’t know his name,” I said. “Sean just calls him grandpa. But I don’t think it’s Iverleigh because it’s his mom’s dad.”

“No, I’m telling you his grandfather is George Iverleigh of Iverleigh Farms. They supply our meat and dairy at therestaurant. They are all over the U.S.,” Laurel said. “I saw the packaging and looked it up just out of curiosity.”

“Oh okay,” This surprised me, but it wasn’t as if I had asked. “It would be weird to talk about his grandfather’s business when the man is dying.”

“Oh, the grandfather is just the tip of the iceberg,” Laurel continued. “I went on a deep dive this morning. That’s why I was calling Evie.”

“What are you getting at, Laurel?” Evie asked.

“So Iverleigh Farms is an old family business, but the real hot gossip is that George Iverleigh started a tech business in the 80s called Ivetech. George’s daughter married Max Holsten…”

“Of Holsten Industries!” Evie shouted. “Holy shit. They own the InView social media platform and the Lyrix music app.”

“That’s what I’m getting at,” Laurel explained. “Max took over Ivetech and changed the name like twenty years ago. There is a lot of bad blood from what I can find out. Maybe it’s why Sean goes by Iverleigh and not Holsten.”

I sat listening, just taking it all in. It all made sense, though it felt unbelievable. This side of the story was blowing my mind and left me with a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Why wouldn’t Sean tell me? And what else was he keeping from me?

“Gabbie, you’re being pretty quiet,” Evie chimed in. “Did he ask you not to tell us? Because we aren’t gold diggers. I don’t care how rich he is. If he’s an ass wipe, I don’t want you with him.”

“He didn’t ask me to keep it from you. We just didn’t talk about it,” I managed, trying to fight the hurt in my gut and convince myself as much as to convince them. “I knew he had money and was maybe rich.” That was a stretch.

“But he’s not just rich,” Laurel said. “He isrichrich.”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal.” I attempted to brush away the feeling. “Anyway, girls, I have to go feed Ollie and call my sisters.”

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up as fast as I could. Why was this happening? Had I rushed into another relationship, only to find out the guy was not who I thought he was? Did he think I was a gold digger? Was he just playing games with the poor black girl he picked up on the side of the road?

I lay in my room, my stomach in knots as every moment of my time with Sean ran through my mind. He told me what he thought of me, but I found that hard to believe.

When I heard the door click, my heart dropped. I was so nervous about what to say and how to bring it up. I desperately tried to convince myself that maybe it wasn’t a big deal.

Ollie jumped up and leaped into Sean’s arms before he had the door shut.

“Hey, little guy.” Sean gave Ollie a rub. “Did you miss me?”

He carried him to the bed where I sat up. I could see the stress on his face, especially around his eyes.

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