Page 38 of The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3)

ROME ASHbrIDGE

After trying to help Declan out with Parker not that long ago, it seemed fitting that I’d end up on Declan’s doorstep. Except I was surprised by who opened the door.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Parker greeted as he stepped aside to allow me in.

“Nor was I expecting you to open the door. Franks busy?” I inquired, mentioning the assistant-slash-housekeeper-slash-babysitter that Declan had on staff.

“Chef Donovan ran to the market to pick up a few things for the week, and Franks tagged along. He also offered to pick up Joy from daycare on the way back. I think he wants to take Joy shopping because he’s mentioned twice this week that she’s growing out of several outfits.

” Parker led the way through the foyer to the lounge, where white sheets covered all the furniture.

There was a ladder, a stepladder, and lots of buckets of paint and brushes.

“I keep telling them to stop going so over the top on Joy’s wardrobe.

She’s a baby. She’s going to grow out of everything in a month. But what do I know? I’m just the dad.”

A snort escaped me as I looked up at the wild, swirling sketch that had been drawn on the white walls. Parker was an amazing artist, and his preferred media were giant murals. The bigger the scale, the better. Right now, he was in the middle of painting all of Declan’s home.

“I didn’t mean to disturb your work. I was hoping to catch Declan. He mentioned he was going to take a long weekend.”

Parker shook his head. “Change of plans. He flew to Paris yesterday for business and was incredibly grumpy about it.”

“And you didn’t go with him?”

The artist swung around and shot me a dark look.

He picked up a wide paintbrush and pointed it at me.

“Don’t start. I had to deal with his pouting about leaving.

My passport has expired, and I haven’t even started getting one for Joy.

He’ll return on Wednesday, and I think he’s planning to take off Thursday and Friday. ”

“Oh. Shit,” I muttered. I turned slowly in place, running a hand through my hair as I stared at the walls without seeing them.

Declan had been my first choice because I’d helped him and Parker.

Declan was also very analytical, like Liam.

I thought he’d been the best choice to understand Liam’s brain and assist me in figuring out what to do next.

“What’s up? Billionaire thing or a romance thing?”

My lips twisted into a half smile. “Romance thing.”

Parker perked up. He dropped the brush and hurried to my side. “It’s Liam, right? Are you and Liam are together?”

“How did you…”

“Sebastian has a big mouth, and you know it,” Parker chortled.

Okay, that was true. Sebastian was an amazing, supportive friend. Ride or die. He’d always go to bat for you. No matter what. But he also loved to talk among our close circle of friends.

I hesitated, and Parker huffed at me. He waved his hands. “Here. Give me your coat, jacket, and tie. You’re going to paint with me and talk. It’ll make you feel better.”

This sounded like a disaster waiting to happen since I couldn’t paint, but Parker wasn’t the type to take no for an answer once he had something stuck in his head.

So, I shed the clothes he’d told me to and put on the smock he thrust at me.

It was enormous and looked like I was wearing a baby blue tent.

“I got that for Declan. When he’s grumpy about work, I make him paint with me,” Parker explained as he put my clothes in the next room, away from the paint.

Parker returned and set me up with a small paintbrush that appeared better suited for a canvas rather than a wall and a can of dark red paint. He gave some instructions on what I was supposed to be doing—namely, filling in a section of wall where he’d put some sketch boundaries on.

He climbed up the ladder and resumed painting another section of wall in a softer shade of red.

“You know, Declan told me it was your suggestion for him to text me and what to say. That was pretty smart. If I hadn’t been trying to figure out my way to him, that would have totally sucked me in,” Parker murmured. His words warmed the cold spot in my chest.

Parker and I hadn’t gotten off to the best start in our friendship, so his praise was more than a little reassuring that I hadn’t destroyed the bridge between us.

“Thanks. It’s good to know that I’m not a total loss,” I muttered as I slowly spread the red paint across the white wall.

“Come on. We know you’re not a total loss. The fact that you salvaged a destroyed friendship after twenty years and turned it into something a lot more is pretty amazing. What’s happened?”

I told him everything. It all came spilling out. How we became estranged, how his parents were, his childhood, and on to where Liam had said that he needed space.

“Things should be fixed at work for him. If he takes his job back, that’s not really my doing.

His boss has been trying to get him to return.

I think the thing that’s killing me is that the issue doesn’t appear to be the gay thing.

I was ready to tackle the gay thing. But after a few early bumps, it’s like he’s relieved and moving on.

The problem seems to be my money, and I don’t know what to do about that.

Everyone else has loved the money. It wasn’t a problem. ”

Parker’s sharp laughter broke off my monologue, and I looked up to find him half lying on his ladder, giggling like a loon.

“What?”

“You said it perfectly! Everyone else loved your money, and you never stuck with any of them. But you found the one guy who doesn’t want your money. Makes him pretty awesome, right?”

Oh, yeah. Parker had a damn good point.

“Liam and I were kids together. I grew up in a rich family, and he didn’t seem to blink an eye at it.”

Parker cocked his head. “For being rich, your day-to-day life sounded pretty average. From what you told me, you hung out, played video games, and did homework. Did your parents treat you and Liam to extravagant things? Like spur-of-the-moment month-long European vacations?”

“No. My parents weren’t big on spoiling. We did the European vacations, but only for a week, and we didn’t bring friends along. Those were family things. Birthdays were usually a trip to the movies and a sleepover.”

The artist shrugged on his perch and returned to his painting. “That sounds pretty middle-class to me. That’s how I grew up.”

“I don’t get it. Since we’ve known each other here, we have done nothing extravagant. The symphony. The zoo. Was it the car? Too flashy?”

“It’s not the car. It’s the five-million-dollar donation to the museum that Liam has been stuck in the middle of. He’s worried about using you. And he’s probably worried about people using him to get to you.”

“What do I do? Give away all my money? I can be poor. I’ll be poor for him.”

Parker snickered and rolled his eyes. “Honey, you have no idea what poor is. If you said that to Byron, he’d fucking punch you.

No one wants to be poor. There were times I thought I was poor, and no, it was nothing like what Byron went through.

It’s living in a constant state of fear and stress.

Never being able to buy a little thing to make you happy or something just because it’s pretty.

Everything goes to bills and survival. If you do splurge, you immediately feel guilty and regret it.

It’s awful, and no one should live like that. ”

I sighed and frowned at the wall in front of me.

“Don’t glare at my painting! You’re putting bad vibes into it,” Parker called from his perch.

I turned my glare on him, and he grinned in response.

“I’m not trying to be an asshole. Giving up all your money won’t fix anything.

You do a lot of charity work, Rome. You’re doing good.

Don’t let this bump in the road stop that.

Plus, the idea that you work at a library is adorable.

What has to happen is that Liam must adjust.”

That was what I was afraid of. I swirled the paintbrush in the paint, watching the thick movement of the liquid before resuming my slow progress of spreading it on the wall.

It was kind of cathartic. I was doing something with my hands and adding to something beautiful.

At least, I hoped I was and Parker wouldn’t have to paint over it later.

“How did you learn to deal with all Declan’s money and dating him?”

Parker made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat.

“It wasn’t easy. We’re still working on it.

There would be times he’d start spending money impulsively, and I’d freak out that it was too much, so he sat me down and showed me his portfolio.

That only made me panic more because it was so much.

I’ve stopped worrying about him spending us into poverty, but I don’t feel good about him attempting to spoil me and Joy constantly.

I’ve learned to watch what I say. Changing things from ‘Ooooh…I want that’ to ‘Ooooh…that’s nice’ because the first one results in the item showing up on our doorstep the next morning.

He’s getting better. He’s checking more prior to pushing the Automatic Buy button. ”

“Lucky,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Huh?”

“Declan’s lucky. He got the chance to spoil you.

I haven’t had that with Liam yet. I paid for our tickets to the symphony and the zoo, but that’s it.

No gifts. No trips. No spoiling. Liam needs to be my boyfriend, and I need to spoil him with fun, shiny, expensive things.

” My fist tightened on the paintbrush, and I wanted to stab it into the wall.

“Did you know his car is at least ten years old?”

Parker laughed so hard the ladder rocked underneath him. “Shit. I gotta work on the ground, or you’re gonna make me fall off this thing.”

After he descended, he sat on what looked like a sheet-covered footstool. “I don’t think Liam driving an older car is the end of the world.”

“But I want to surprise him with a shiny new one with heated seats and a heated steering wheel.”

“I had no idea you could be adorable.”

I flipped Parker off, and he snickered. “You complain about Declan spoiling you, but I bet you both spoil that little princess.”

Parker’s laugh turned into a groan. “You mean the four of us. Chef Donovan and Franks are no better. I’ve laid down the law with them and Declan, and then immediately regretted it because I wanted to get her something.

So yeah, it sucks when you love someone and want to make them happy.

But I also don’t want to create a spoiled brat who thinks she’s entitled to everything.

Things are nice, but acts of love and devotion are a hundred times better.

Declan reading a story to Joy every night is better than anything he can buy her. ”

At least Declan had landed a guy who was sensible, just like Byron was for Sebastian.

Liam and me? We were fumbling in the dark all the time, but I liked it that way. I wasn’t the only one who was lost, and we had more fun as we found our way together.

“So, what do I do to help Liam?”

Parker tilted his head to the side as he stared at me. His smile changed into something softer and maybe a little pitying. “Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“Give him space.”

I scowled. “That’s shit advice.”

Parker broke into another wild cackle that chased away the worst of my frustration.

It was hard to stay mad at him. “Yep,” he admitted, “but it’s your best option right now.

Liam is going through a hell of a lot of changes in his life right now.

He thought he was straight; now he’s bi.

He thought he hated you; now you’re okay. ”

“Hey! I’m a lot better than just okay!” I pointed the paintbrush at him, forgetting that the bristles were loaded with paint. Red splattered across everything, speckling even Parker.

“Asshole!” Parker jumped to his feet, looking at himself.

I snickered at him this time. Sheets covered all the important places, and what had landed on Parker would wash off.

Deep down, I knew he was right. There was nothing I could do except allow Liam the time to think and figure some stuff out for himself. I didn’t think I would lose him like I had when we were kids. I was more afraid he’d realize that I wasn’t worth all this trouble and choose to walk away for good.