Page 64 of Falling for the Bad Boy
The compliment made me smile, but it also caused my cheeks to ignite. “Sure, we’re good friends. He told me about his aunt having surgery today. Is everything okay?”
Mrs. Martin nodded. “She’s fine. The procedure went well, and they were able to do what needed to be done. Can you tell Oliver that we’re looking forward to seeing him soon?”
“Yes, of course. I’m sure he’s homesick too.”
“I doubt it.” Isla spoke up again.
“Who are you talking to?” Oliver came out of the bathroom, a towel barely covering his lower half.
I gasped and dropped the phone. It clattered to the floor and landed screen-side down. Voices floated up through the speaker. “Are you still there?”
Oliver took swift steps across the hardwood floor and snagged the phone in one hand. I clapped my hand over my mouth to prevent nervous laughter from making the situation even worse.
“Mum, Isla, hey. How’s Aunt Agnes?” He angled the phone so just his face showed and tried to hold the towel closed with one hand.
“I was just telling your friend that your aunt will be just fine. Surgery went well, and she’s expected to make a full recovery. She’ll have to make some dietary and lifestyle changes. I don’t think she’ll be able to help with the lambing anymore?—”
“I’m glad she’s doing okay.” Oliver nodded and tightened his grip on his towel. “Can I call you back later? I promised Trinity here that we’d grab a bite to eat, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
I shook my head. Whatever was going on with his family was much more important than my current craving for a bacon cheeseburger.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’ll head next door so you can finish talking.”
He pressed the screen against his chest and nudged his chin toward the couch. “Just give me a minute. Please?”
“Okay.” I took a seat in the corner of the couch while he wrapped up. If he was pissed, I deserved to hear what he had to say. I’d always protected my privacy, and if someone had snagged my phone off the table and answered a video chat with my parents while I was in nothing but a towel…a chill raced down my spine, and I shivered. I could only imagine what my parents would think.
A few minutes passed, and he hung up. I got up from the couch and moved toward him. “I’m so sorry. I had no right to answer your phone. I don’t know what I was thinking. It rang, and I saw ‘Mum’ on the screen, and all I could think about was your aunt and how worried you must be, and I didn’t think, I just reacted.”
Oliver set the phone down on the table and adjusted the towel. “Well, that’s not exactly the way I pictured you meeting my mom and sister.”
“You’ve pictured it?” The idea of him picturing me meeting his family made my heart melt a little around the edges.
“Of course. But I figured it was a long shot. Thanks to modern technology, now you’ve met.” He shrugged and headed back to his dresser.
“They’re going to hate me, aren’t they?”
“What makes you say that?” He dropped the towel and stepped into a pair of boxer briefs.
I chastised myself for wanting to go to him. We were talking about his mom. What kind of weird horndog would drool over getting a glimpse of naked butt cheeks after having a very awkward video call with her hookup’s mom whom she’d never met?
“I was awkward.” I buried my face in my hands. “Oh God, and you came out of the bathroom practically naked and…”
“Hey, I’m sure it was just as weird for her as it was for you.”
While I appreciated his effort at trying to make me feel better, he was way off the mark.
“Come on, let’s go grab a bite and then we can come back here, and I can introduce you to my shower.”
“Is an introduction necessary?” I asked. Thankfully, the heat had almost fully dissipated from my cheeks.
“It is if we’re going to be spending a lot of time in there.” He gave my ass a playful swat as I passed him on the way out the door.
I’d met his mother. And his sister. So what if it had only been through the grainy connection of a video app? That was another milestone I’d never reached in any of my adult relationships. I had to find a way to keep Oliver in the States. I just had to.
CHAPTER 28
Oliver
