ROME
She loves me.
And I just sat there and did nothing. I wished I could turn back the time, grab her head, kiss her so hard and tell her I loved her more than I had shown her.
We landed earlier, and I couldn’t get a hold of Carly- I already missed her.
Zee drove me to Mom’s house, and I knew we were all tired. Linden and the other guys went home.
“Go home, Zee. Take a day or two off.”
“You need a bodyguard, Rome.”
“I’ll call Cade. Go and see Heera. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
He nodded. “But if you need me, I’ll be there ASAP.”
“Okay.”
Mom surprised me in her living room. “What are you doing here, Rome?”
“I missed you, too.” I opened my arms to give her a hug.
“Oh, my boy. I think you are getting taller than the last I saw you.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it was two weeks ago. Next week, my head will reach the roof.”
“You just landed?” She saw my suitcase on the floor. It had been a while since I came home. It just, I saw Dad in every corner of this house, and it fucking hurt that he was not here anymore.
“Yeah. Do you mind if I stay here for a night?”
“Are you crazy? There’s nothing more I want than to be with my son. Rune is at school. Hungry?”
“I’m good, Mom. Thanks.” Her helper took my suitcase and carried it upstairs.
“Go ahead and take a shower and rest. I know you’re here not to see your mother.” She smiled. “We’ll talk once you take a nap.”
“Mom, I came to see you.”
She cupped my face. “You came from me, and I know my boy very well. Now go.”
I was exhausted from a long flight. I went upstairs and took a shower. I changed into a shirt and sweatpants before I went to bed. I checked my phone but hadn’t received a message from Carly.
I rested my head on the pillow, trying to get some sleep before I went back to work tomorrow.
Mom had not changed a thing in my room since I moved out. I was not like every privileged boy out there.
Although I went to an Ivy League school, my family came from old money, and the pressure was on me to be the son of Sterling, but I still chose to fight for my country to break the cycle.
I heard my phone ringing. I blindly searched and answered it. I must have fallen asleep.
“Langston.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Romare Langston. You just won a million-dollar cash prize. Please provide your account number in the text, which you will receive immediately.”
“Sweetheart? You’re giving me a million?” I was already smiling.
“Oh, did I wake you up?”
“Aren’t I lucky? My princess just woke me, but it would be great if you woke me up with a kiss.”
Then I heard a kiss. She kissed me from the other line. My heart just melted. “Anything else you want, Langston?”
“I want you.”
“We can’t-” She laughed out loud. “This line is not secured.”
“Then I should buy a telecom and create a multi-firewall security.” I laughed with her, dragging myself to lean against the headboard.
“That’s a little too extreme. How are you, babe?”
I rubbed my eye. “You said you love me. Did you mean it?”
“I won’t say if I don’t, Rome.”
I closed my eyes and thought of her beautiful smile. “Say it again. I wanna hear it.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Storm. I had loved you before you told me you loved me. I just-”
“You said, take my heart with you. I know. And you don’t have to say anything.”
“I want you to hear it, sweetheart.”
She suddenly went silent.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Storm, you’re gonna tell me if something is going on, right?”
“Yeah. I’m just overwhelmed, I guess.”
“Me too. That’s why I stared at you like an idiot.”
I heard her laugh again. I drew a deep breath to hold my emotion at bay. I wished I was with her and watched her as she laughed.
“God, I miss you, Storm. Just give me a few days. Then we can meet wherever you want.”
“I’ll give you an update on my schedule.”
“Thank you. How are you?”
“I’m good. It’s just felt different without you here, like something is missing.”
“We’ll figure something out. Do you trust me?”
“I do, always. And Rome?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re the best thing that ever happened in my life.”
I closed my eyes and bit my lip. My emotions are all over the place right now. I meant, she just told me the most beautiful words I’d ever heard. I was speechless.
“I have to go. Call me soon.”
“Wait.” I drew a deep breath. “When I see you again, I will prove to you how much I love you. And I would do everything in my power to be with you, Storm.”
“I know.”
“Take care of yourself, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.”
God, I was fucking in love with a wonderful woman who was thousands of miles away. How fucking hard was that? I felt desperate, and I didn’t know what to do for us to be together.
There was only one way I knew.
I was sitting on the bed when I heard a knock. “Come in.”
It was Mom smiling at me with a tray of a plate of cookies and a bottle of water.
“How did you know I’m already awake?” I took the tray from her. “Thanks.” I grabbed a cookie and bit it. It was our thing, especially when I felt down. “It never grows old.”
“I know you need it.” She sat on the bed.
“Thank you.” I took a huge bit. “I badly need it.”
“I know you are torn between your work and your princess.”
I put a small piece of the cookie back on the plate and took the water. I drank half of it. And Mom was patiently waiting for me. I took the CEO seat because I wanted her to take a break. Losing the love of her life wasn’t easy for her. It took months before she recuperated. And I felt like I was about to betray her.
“I love her, Mom. I had never felt like this before. I never felt so connected to someone that it felt like I was ripping a part of my soul when I walked away from her.”
“You’ve never been in love, Rome. You had girlfriends, but none of them was the right one for you.” She took my hand, squeezing it. “The first time I saw you with her, I knew it was more than just a co-worker relationship. Your eyes lit up, and the way she looked at you, I knew something was going on that you were still scared to admit.”
I drew a deep breath. “What should I do, Mom?”
“I think it’s time for me to take over the Langston Realty Group again.”
“What?” I asked in shock. “Why?”
“Your company, SH Global, only needs a physical office to run. The rest you can work through your computer. I’ll continue what you’ve started.”
I shook my head. “Mom, I can’t let you do this.”
“Then do you have a better idea you wanna share with me?”
“No,” I answered almost immediately.
“Then what do you wanna talk about earlier?”
I scratched my head. “That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Then it settled.”
“You can resign anytime, and I will take the seat from you in a heartbeat, Mom.”
“Shush. It’s always been me who should be sitting in that position. I’m better now. I will always love your dad, Rome. And trust me, he wants me to do this if he’s right here with us.”
“Thank you.” I hugged Mom tight. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, honey. Now, tell me about Carly. Princess Carlott.”
I grabbed another cookie and took a huge bite. “She’s great.”
“Don’t talk when your mouth is full, Rome. I taught you better than that. And don’t worry. I’m not interested in the details of your sex life.”
I nearly spat the cookie out of my mouth. “Mom.”
“I’m your mother. And I saw you naked a million times.”
“Mom, please?” My cheeks burned. I knew she was messing with me. I could see it in her eyes. “I’m an adult. Let’s not talk about my junk. Ever.”
“How’s her family holding up?”
“Hanging in there.”
“Should her family accept you first? I read about them online.”
“They leaked the photo. And they know more about me than I know myself.”
“Why’d they do that? They did a background check on you?”
“Yeah. More than that, I guess. And the photo is their way of telling the public that they are aware of our relationship.”
“So, the King knows.”
“Yeah. And he kinda asked me about my intention toward his daughter.”
Mom’s hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes were dancing with joy. “I’m so proud of you.” She took something from her pocket. “This is just a small piece I want you to have. You can use it, or you don’t. It’s up to you.”
“What is it?”
She gave me a blue box. I knew what it was even if I didn’t have to open it.
I pushed it back to her. “I can’t take it, Mom.”
She flipped it open. “It’s the first engagement ring your father gave me. It passed on through generations of Langston. Your grandmother gave it to your father.”
“Mom.” It was a beautiful vintage platinum ring with a big rock in the center.
“It’s Langston’s tradition. I know you can afford a better engagement with a bigger diamond, but you can keep it or customize it if you want.”
“This is beautiful, Mom. Thank you.” I kissed Mom on her cheek. “She’s gonna love it.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
“You’ll gonna love her. You both love flowers and plants.”
Mom smiled.
“Her father, The King, has already given me his blessings.”