Chapter Twenty-Three

A couple of weeks later I was in a large house on the outskirts of Los Angeles, lounging by the pool. My grandmother lounged next to me, in a one-piece suit with a large straw hat over her face.

“It’s important to stay out of the sun, honey. It’s a killer,” she said as she sipped at a rum and Coke.

“I know, Grams.” I smiled at her, my own straw hat hiding my face entirely. “I don’t want freckles, and I get them if I’m out in it too much.”

“It’s that ginger gene from your grandfather’s side. Your poor dad had it bad. I used to slather him in sunscreen and keep him in long shirts, even when the world was telling us to absorb as much sun as possible and try to turn our skin into leather. I never did think it was good.”

She was a humorous woman with a lot of love to give. I’d forgiven them for the silent years when she explained how devastated losing my dad had been for them both. The pain that was still in her voice when she talked about him, told me all I needed to know. I could only imagine what they’d felt, how it must still hurt.

“It’s not. But it’s nice to be warm.” I grinned because, despite our hats and sunscreen, a huge umbrella had us in the shade. There was no chance the sun was going to get to us.

“So, about this man that keeps you busy on the phone?” she asked, and I could tell this was going to be another one of those moments that could rip my heart out.

I decided to tell her anyway because I didn’t want her to find out any other way.

“Well, there are four of them actually,” I started, and her eyebrow rose high, so high I could see it over her large sunglasses.

“Four? How do they feel about that? Or do they know?” She looked like she wanted the juicy gossip and I could only let the relief wash over me.

“Oh, they know. They’re quadruplets.” I waited for her to answer, and she made me wait when she took a sip of her drink.

“So, are they fun in bed?” She pulled her sunglasses up to reveal eyes not too different a color from mine. Dad got his eyes from his father.

“Grams!” I couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Child of the 80s, my dear. You think your generation invented cocaine and wild parties? Ha!” She swiped at a drip of sweat that crawled down from her blond hairline. “I remember parties in LA that would make you fall over in a faint, little love. Wild times.”

Just like Mom had done, Grams was now reminiscing about the old days. Old days that were apparently wilder than I thought. I’m not sure why it all shocked me, but it did. Mom hadn’t mentioned drugs, but the rest was the same.

“Your grandad and I met at a swingers club, you know? I’d gone with a friend and met him there.” She grinned wickedly and my eyes went wide.

“Seriously?”

“Oh yes. Quite seriously. That’s how your grandad made his money, after all, he made, ahem, adult films.”

I could have fainted; she’d shocked me so much.

“Porn, Grams?” I was fairly certain I’d fallen into some alternate reality, but she just chuckled.

“Somebody had to make them. And he made a lot of money at them, so I didn’t complain.”

“He wasn’t, like, in them, was he?” I didn’t want to know, but I had to know too.

“No, dear, he was just doing everything else. He had a small inheritance and then he made a ton of money with it.”

I could see now that she’d been nervous too, worried that I’d reject them for their past deeds. “Awesome.”

“It was. It was fun too. Just not a life we wanted to expose you to. Which is another reason we stayed away. If we’d have had some sense, we’d have helped your mother out a little more, been more involved with you, but grief is a hard thing to battle.”

“I understand, I really do,” I told her, my heart nearly breaking for them both. “It’s so sad that Granddad has Alzheimer’s.”

“It is. I wish you’d have met him before it got so bad. He adored your father, and he’d have adored you even more. We’ve made a lot of mistakes in our lives, and I’ll regret the one we made with you for the rest of our lives.”

“Well, you’re both here for me now, even if Granddad doesn’t know me.”

“I’m glad we can be, honey. Tell me more about these men of yours.”

As I had with Mom, I told Grams about the four wonderful Rome brothers and their plans. Only she had something to offer once I told her about their trust funds.

“That sounds like a good plan. Let me know if they get cut off, honey and want to go ahead with it. I’ll have a chunk of money ready to donate for them.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask that of you!” I denied her offer but felt happy she’d made the gesture.

“I’m not making it for you, Nic, I’m making it for the kids they want to help,” she said gently.

“Oh. Good. In that case, I’m sure they’d gladly accept.”

“Just let me know how it goes for them.”

“I will,” I promised and picked up my phone when it buzzed.

Being in California made it hard to communicate with the guys. They were hours and hours ahead of me and I could never remember how many it was. Apparently, they’d gone down to the orphanage that day to see smiling kids for the first time. That flood had been terrible and had taken a lot from children who already had so little.

I showed Grams the pictures they sent of the happy children and she asked about the orphanage as well. When I told her, she asked for their contact details so she could send them money right away.

“Grams, you’re going to spend your retirement fund here,” I warned but she waved me away.

“Honey, we made billions in porn. Don’t worry about it. You’ll inherit whatever’s left, by the way, when we’re gone. You’ll get a trust fund with a portion of the money when your grandfather passes, and the rest after I do.”

“What?” I asked, astonished. I hadn’t imagined they had that much money!

“Yep, you’ll be worth millions, baby. Get used to it.”

“I can’t!” I cried, completely shocked.

“If you don’t want it, give it to charity. I don’t care, It’s yours when the time comes.” She got up then to refill her drink and brought me one too. I took the strong drink and sipped carefully. I’d had to learn to drink rum with her. It wasn’t hard to do, if I didn’t have too much. I’d already had one hangover.

“Now, let’s relax until dinner.” She would go in long before then to check my grandfather was alright and as happy as possible. He had a full-time nurse that watched him when Grams wasn’t with him.

I’d visited him every day, even though it was clear he had no idea who I was. It did him good because he’d always smile when I talked to him or read a story to him. He didn’t talk a lot, but he’d said my Dad’s name once. He’d had tears in his eyes as he looked at me, and I guess he saw something in his face that reminded him of my dad. I held his hand and just smiled until he blinked and looked away.

It wasn’t always the easiest place to be, but Grams made it fun. We’d go out to eat at some of the fanciest restaurants I’d ever been to, and she took me shopping more than once. I had another suitcase to carry it all home in.

“I’m going to come out to North Carolina and see your Mom, I think,” she said as she came back to the loungers and sat down by me. “I owe her an apology for abandoning her like that.”

“Oh, she understands, really. You all coped the best you could.” They could have done more, true, but again, grief can take a life just as quickly as any illness. In the case of my grandparents, it had made them retreat from the world for a very long time. Some couples can’t stand to be near each other after the death of a child, so the fact that they stayed together was an accomplishment on its own.

“She did, I know that. You’re a brave girl, Nicolette, and I can’t enough how proud I am of you.” She smiled softly, the wrinkles around her mouth deep from all those years of grief. She was a slim woman, one of those that stayed slim no matter how much she ate, and she looked fragile, but I suspected she’d been the strongest one in her marriage.

She lit a cigarette and blew it away from me. I didn’t complain, she was old enough to know better, but it was her choice. “Life is shit sometimes. We had it all and thought we’d retire with more grandchildren to love. Then it all fell apart in an instant. Your mother needed us, though, and you too. We should have… I don’t know, but we should have.”

“Grams, stop beating yourself up. It’s alright. I promise.” It might have been nice to have them to turn to when I felt alone in the world, but I’d got through it. I wouldn’t tell her that, though.

“I hope so, Nicolette,” she smiled and took another drag on the long cigarette. I kind of liked the smell, even though most people hated it. I wasn’t about to light one up, but it wasn’t that bad.

“It is, Grams. Now, are we going to that art thing later or have you changed your mind?” I wanted to Skype with the guys before they went to bed and would do it before we went if she wanted to go.

“Of course, I want to go. No need to stay around here moping about my sins. In fact, I’ll go start to get ready.” She got up with her glass in hand and went into the house.

I smiled as she walked away. She was trying but still grieving. It would never leave her, I suspected, but she’d learned to cope in her own ways. I went into the house and found my bedroom so I could call the guys.

Michael answered on the first ring. “Hi, sweetheart!”

“Hi, honey!” I replied with my phone on my nightstand. “How are you all?”

“We’re fine, though Tristan is dying to come home. We all are, but I think he’s really lovesick. I thought that was some bullshit romantic thing somebody made up long ago, but he’s actually pining for you or something.”

“You aren’t?” I teased but eased it with a smile.

“Of course, I am, but not as badly as he is. I can’t wait to get back to you, you know that.”

“I can’t wait for you to get home. Not long now,” I answered him. Daniel came on then and then the rest of the brothers. They were sitting outside on a patio tiled in red terracotta tiles with a dozen white lights strung on a line behind them.

“Not long at all, then we’ll be back between those amazing thighs,” Adam answered for them all, and I laughed.

“You always have sex on the brain.”

“I do, but that’s because it’s you. I don’t think about it with anyone else, Nic, only you.” Now that was an admission coming from him. Maybe he had a little bit of a romantic side to him too. Or maybe he just really missed me. Either way, I’d take this romantic side at any time.

“I miss you too, Adam. I can’t stop dreaming about all of you, do you know that? I want to sleep all the time because I’m with you in my dreams every night.” I felt silly saying it over the phone, but there was no other way to tell them.

“It won’t be long now. And, as you said, we’re doing good work here.” Daniel broke in this time. And we got a text from a lady that I think is your grandmother. She wants to give us $25,000 for the orphanage?”

“Yeah, that’s probably her. Damn, she works fast!” I said, surprised. She meant it then.

“Yes, she does. Not that I’m complaining. It will be a great help here. These kids have so little, it would be nice to give them more before we go.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t forget then.” I sat on the edge of the bed, awkward. There were people all over the house, housekeepers, a cook, my grandfather’s nurse, my grandparents, and it was the middle of the day. At night, when I was alone, I felt more at ease, so I kept my conversation a bit stilted. They knew that, but I noticed that Tristan was staring at the phone and knew what he was thinking. I could see it in his eyes.

“Tristan, stop that!” I said with a giggle.

“I can’t help it, Nic! You really don’t know how beautiful you are. Even over this shitty line.” He leaned in closer and smiled. I loved his smile. Okay, all of their smiles, but his was the one I was looking at for the moment.

“Sorry, I can’t do more for you.” I looked at the closed door and knew I had privacy, so I took my shirt off quickly, despite the nervousness I felt. I put my headphones in and then took off my bra. “Does this help?”

“Fuck no! Can we go home tomorrow, guys?” Michael, the stoic one, suddenly broke. “I need you so much, Nic.”

“No, we have to go to Juan Emanuel’s tomorrow,” Tristan said sadly. “But we’ll be home soon enough.”

“Touch yourself, show us those lovely globes, Nicolette.” Adam sat forward, suddenly taking control.

“I have to go soon, so all you’re getting is a look, you beggars!” I grinned, happy to tease them. I knew I’d pay for it when they got home. I also knew that payback would be exceptionally good.

I did, however, lift my breasts in my hands to show them what they were missing. Groans filled the air as they all took a better look at my breasts. Good times, even if it sucked to be so far apart.