Close the Distance (2 page)

Adrien leant forward to rest his forehead against Ion’s. “I’m tired of being the one to clean up his messes. Just once I would love it if he tried to fix his problems without calling Mother or me.”

Embracing him, Ion pressed his lips against Adrien’s ear. “Someday he will. Unfortunately, until then, you have to be the adult and help him out.”

“I know. All right. I’ll have Daniel drop you off at your parents’. If you want, he can take you back to your apartment afterwards as well.” Adrien stood, taking Ion with him.

“I can grab the subway back. Daniel can either go home or come back to drive you to the city.” He snagged his jacket from where he’d tossed it earlier then got his bag.

After wandering downstairs, Ion gave Mason his luggage to put in the trunk of the car. Ion thanked the man then followed Adrien to the drawing room where Alyssa waited.

Alyssa greeted him with a worried smile. “I hope you don’t mind me stealing Adrien away from you, Ion.”

He took her hand in his then covered it with his other one. “I don’t mind at all, Alyssa. I completely understand. I have to head back, but I wanted to thank you for the wonderful weekend. I truly enjoyed meeting you and all of Adrien’s family.”

“I’m so glad Adrien brought you. You’re the perfect match for him, and I look forward to seeing you again.” She kissed his cheek and pressed his hand before letting him go. “Adrien, walk Ion out. This can wait until you say goodbye.”

“Certainly, Mother.” Adrien gestured for Ion to head out in front of him.

Daniel was standing by the car outside, and Ion pointed towards the man as they left the house. He turned back to kiss Adrien goodbye.

“I’ll text you when I get to my parents’. Let me know if you’re going to be back tonight or if you’ll have to stay out here longer,” he said.

Adrien nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow at work if I get all of this taken care of tonight.”

Ion hugged him tight before strolling over to where Daniel held the door to the back of the car open. “Can you just drop me off at my parents’? Then you can go home or back here if necessary.”

“Yes, sir.” Daniel shut the door.

Leaning back in the leather seat, Ion pulled out his phone while Daniel climbed behind the wheel then started the vehicle. He dialled his parents’ home number.

“Vasile residence. How may I help you?” his mother answered.

“Hey, Mama,” he said, staring out of the window, watching the Bellamy mansion slowly fading out of sight.

“Ion. You are still coming to dinner tonight?”

It was funny that the first thought on her mind was dinner. “Yes. I’ll be there, but not until six-thirty. I’m heading back into the city now.”

She hummed and he could almost see her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Into the city? Where were you?”

“I was out in the Hamptons with my boyfriend, visiting his family.” Ion braced for her reaction. “He was going to come and meet you tonight, but he had an emergency to take care of. He’ll come out next Sunday, if it’s all right with you.”

Silence met his comment, not surprising him. Ion chose to wait her out because he wasn’t going to let her off the hook. He waited to hear what she had to say.

“We’ll talk about it when you get here. I’ll let the others know that dinner will be a little late. Drive safe.” She hung up without saying goodbye.

Ion tossed his phone onto his jacket in the seat next to him. He should’ve known Adrien wouldn’t get a warm welcome at his home. His parents were nice people, but they were old-fashioned in their beliefs, which meant they thought he should marry a good girl and have children to continue the family name.

Bogdan had done his job, having married Olive and had two kids. Ion was a constant disappointment to his mother for not giving her more grandchildren to spoil and another daughter-in-law to teach to cook traditional family favourites. There was nothing to say that she couldn’t teach Adrien to make them, and Ion wouldn’t have been surprised if he wanted to learn.

He’d been taking a chance in bringing Adrien home, but he had wanted to give them a chance to meet the man he loved. Ion knew that if they turned their back on Adrien and refused him entrance to their home and family, Ion would choose Adrien over them. Life was too short to be miserable. He wouldn’t deny the love he thought he could find with Adrien just because his parents didn’t want him to be gay.

His phone rang and he checked the screen. It was his brother and he took a second to decide whether he wanted to deal with him at the moment. Finally, taking a deep breath, he answered, “Hello, Bogdan.”

“What did you say to Mama?” No hello. Just immediate accusation.

“I told her I’d be late because I just left the Hamptons and was driving back in.” He wanted to see what she’d told them.

“What’s this about you spending the weekend with your boyfriend? And that he was going to come to dinner with you.” Bogdan’s unhappiness could be heard in his voice.

Ion rolled his eyes. “Yes. I spent the weekend with Adrien and his family. It was his mother’s birthday and they had a party for her. I had planned on leaving early enough to get to dinner on time, but I didn’t. Plus Adrien had some family business come up, so he couldn’t make it.”

“Don’t you think you should’ve asked Mama and Pops before you just showed up with him?”

“Why would I? You didn’t when you brought Olive home. Shouldn’t I get the same consideration when I want to bring my boyfriend home?” Ion was starting to get angry. He might have expected such a reaction, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Bogdan snorted. “Not when you know how they feel about your life style choices, Ion.”

Ion growled. “My choices? Do you think I’d choose this lifestyle? That I do this because I want to upset our parents? Thank you so much for judging and condemning me for something I have no control over.”

His brother started to say something, but Ion interrupted, “Never mind. Tell Mama I’m sorry, but I won’t be coming for dinner tonight. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”

He hung up then tossed his phone away. When it rang a few seconds later, he just let it go to voicemail. He wasn’t interested in listening to his brother tell him why he needed to cut his parents some slack. He’d been doing that ever since he’d come out and had to listen to his mother talk about some nice girl she’d met at the grocery store or somewhere else in the neighbourhood.

After spending the weekend with Adrien’s family, who didn’t seem to care that he was a guy or that he came from a blue-collar family, it hurt to know his couldn’t be as understanding. The Bellamys liked him for himself, and because Adrien liked him. Why couldn’t his family be the same way?

“Daniel, there’s been a change of plans. I need you to take me to my place. I’m not going to my parents,” he informed his driver.

“Certainly, sir.” Daniel didn’t ask for directions, so Ion trusted him to know where to go.

Leaning back, Ion closed his eyes. He’d call Adrien later to let him know what had happened, not wanting to bother him when there was nothing he could do about it. At least he’d be able to get his homework done early instead of having to stay up late to work on it.

Chapter Two

Adrien returned to the drawing room after he watched the car disappear down the driveway. His mother stood by a window that overlooked the backyard. She played with the necklace Ion had given her, running it back and forth on the chain.

“I’m sorry to keep you from going with Ion,” she said as Adrien joined her.

He touched her shoulder. “Ion understands that family is important, and to be honest, I don’t think he’s all that thrilled to have me meet his parents. So you’ve given him a reprieve.”

His mother glanced at him. “Why wouldn’t he want you to meet his parents? Is he ashamed of you or something?”

Her indignation made him laugh, as did her belief that Ion would ever be ashamed of him. “No. Ion isn’t ashamed of me. The problem lies in the fact that I’m a guy, not a girl, and more than likely if they find out that I now own the company they work for, that’ll be a problem as well.”

“Why?” Alyssa wandered back to the loveseat then sat. She gestured towards the chair across from her. “I don’t know why either one would be an issue.”

After sitting, he stared at her for a moment then said, “I’m sorry, Mother. I seriously underestimated you and the rest of my family.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to apologise, honey, but I’m not surprised. You’ve been thinking we’re a bunch of snobs for a while now. And yes, we haven’t done much to change your opinion of us, and God knows, your brother continues to prove you right in that respect.”

“Let’s discuss what Alain’s done now.” Adrien changed the subject, not wanting to talk about what he’d thought. It would take a little while to get his mind wrapped around how wrong he’d been.

Alyssa sighed. “He called to ask if I would send him some money. He seems to have gone through the allowance you give him each month.”

“Already?” Adrien shook his head. “I just had that transferred into his account on Friday.”

“I know. He didn’t tell me what he did with the money and, frankly, I’m too scared to ask. I’m afraid he’ll tell me he’s addicted to drugs or something.” Her worry showed on her face.

Adrien stood then went to sit next to her on the couch. He took her hand in his. “Mother, you need to cut the apron strings and I have to cut the purse strings. We’ve been enabling him to keep doing what he does, not that I know what that is. I get bills from hotels and casinos, so I assume he’s gambling.”

Alyssa sighed. “I know I spoil him and let him get away with things you and Amelia never did, but he had such a hard start and I didn’t want him to have to struggle for the rest of his life.”

“I know, but he needs to grow up. None of us can keep taking care of things for him. What happens if he out lives all of us? How is he going to take care of himself then?” As angry as Adrien got with Alain, he didn’t like cutting him off either, but he knew they had to do something to get his little brother to accept responsibility for his own actions.

“Maybe you could cut his allowance. Don’t take it all away from him, Adrien.” She squeezed his hand. “Tell him he has to come home. That you want to see him and talk about what is going on. Maybe give him a job at the company. Your father never took him seriously.”

He thought about what she said. It was true. The moment Adrien was born it had been assumed he would take over the company when Robert was ready to retire. Amelia had been expected to marry well, have children and do charity work like her mother. There had been no expectations for Alain, as long as he didn’t embarrass the family name. To tell the truth, Alain had done a very good job keeping the Bellamy name out of the gossip rags, for the most part.

Hell, Adrien had been in them more than Alain had. How had that happened? Had Adrien paying off hotels and casinos kept people from talking, or was Alain smarter than any of them gave him credit for?

“I think you might be on to something, Mother. I’ll cut his allowance in half with the caveat that he has to come to New York and see me face-to-face. I haven’t talked to him in over a year and it’s time for a family chat.” He grimaced then said, “I might be able to find him a job in the company, if he convinces me that’s what he wants.”

His mother laughed. “I’m pretty sure Alain will say he’s fine and doesn’t need anything so mundane as a job.”

“Probably not, but I have to make the offer. I’ll expect him to seriously think about it because I don’t plan on funding his jet-setting journey around the world for much longer.” He brushed a kiss over his mother’s cheek before he stood. “I’m going to try and get a hold of Alain. I’ll see if I can get him home soon.”

Alyssa stood then threw her arms around him. He was a little surprised because his family wasn’t into public displays of affection, even in the privacy of their own homes. He hugged her back, breathing in her familiar scent of Chanel No. 5.

When they broke apart, she looked up at him. “I’m proud of you, Adrien. You’ve become an amazing man. We all ask so much of you to keep the company going and help your family when we need it. I’m glad that you found Ion. He’s perfect for you.”

“We haven’t been together that long, Mother. Don’t be picking out wedding venues yet.” He winked and she giggled.

As he left the room, she called out, “There’s no need to look for a venue, dear. You’ll get married here, of course.”

Waving at her, he went to find Mason to see if the butler knew where his father was. He found Mason in the kitchen talking to one of the maids. After getting Mason’s attention, he waited in the hallway until he came to him.

“How may I help you, sir?”

“I wonder if you know where my father is?” Adrien asked.

Mason nodded. “He’s out in the garage. If you hurry, you should be able to catch him before he leaves. He goes to the club on Sunday afternoons.”

“Thanks.” Adrien strolled to the garage and got there just as his father was about to climb into his car. “Father,” he called.

“Adrien?” Robert looked at him. “What are you still doing here? I thought you and Ion had left a while ago.”

“Mother needed to talk to me and now I need to talk to you.”

Robert shut the car door then approached him. “It was about your brother, right?”

Adrien led the way back into the house. Once there, he went to his father’s study where he sat on a chair and his father took his seat behind the desk. Robert sighed before he waved a hand in Adrien’s direction.

“Tell me what’s going on now.”

He gave his father the rundown of what his mother had told him, plus his decision to cut Alain’s allowance in half and call his brother home. “Mother suggested I offer him a job in the company. What do you think of that?”

Robert rubbed his chin while he thought and Adrien stayed quiet. He’d learned patience while dealing with his father. Robert Bellamy didn’t rush a decision—he worked out as many angles as possible in his mind before giving voice to any idea.

“You can certainly give it a try. I’m not sure Alain is reliable enough to be counted on for any important job, but there must be something. We own several companies and corporations. Something will show up that will fit his personality.”