“Plus, I don’t want to be one of those old women who doesn’t have pictures of grandchildren to show off, Hayes. Do you want me to be that woman? The old lady that cries in her handkerchief and then pees herself in her diaper because her only son never married and she’ll never be able to brag about her perfect grandchildren to her friends?”
“Now who’s being dramatic,” my father mumbles into my mother’s ear before she swats him away.
“All we’re saying is that there are more important things in life than making money, and we don’t want you to end up with any regrets, Hayes.” My mother flashes me a tight-lipped but sincere smile as I study the two of them next to each other on the couch.
I hit the jackpot when it comes to parents, really, especially compared to my best friend, Wes. While his mother couldn’t be bothered to raise the children she birthed and his father hid an illegitimate son from his family late in his life, my parents were only able to have one child and devoted their time to make sure I knew how much they loved me. My mom almost died giving birth to me, which lead to complications where she had to have a hysterectomy after I was born. Therefore, I was the only kid they brought into this world, which left quite a responsibility on my shoulders to be the perfect son and prepare to take over the family business when the time came.
Okay, that last part was an exaggeration. On the contrary, my parents never once demanded perfection from me or insisted that I take over control of Weston Investments when my father retired. The decision was mine alone to pursue that endeavor, and since I’m good with people and trusting my gut, my business sense kicked in right out of college and hasn’t steered me wrong since. In all honesty, sometimes the chase of a new property investment, particularly in the nightclub circuit where I’ve established dominance, has lost some of its appeal as of late.
Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing my money come back to me tenfold, knowing my intuition was solid and a thriving business was built or saved from a mutual agreement between the owner and myself. But it’s starting to get old, particularly the life of attending club openings surrounded by loud music and scantily clad women throwing themselves at me until two o’clock in the morning. And the media is relentlessly trying to pin me down to some super model I may casually smile at during a night out or attempt to paint me as a playboy, which isn’t as true as they try to make it out to be.
But honestly, what would I do with my nights otherwise? It’s not like I have someone waiting for me at home, and I don’t necessarily want that. I like my independence. I like not having to answer to anyone and worry about making a woman mad. But perhaps my parents are right. There’s got to be more to life than this. I just hate that this conversation feels like I’m in trouble. I’m a grown man and can make my own decisions on my own time clock.
“So, would you like me to apply to 90-Day Fiancé then? Or put in for a mail-order bride?” I set my wineglass down and then cross my arms over my chest. It’s apparently my turn for the dramatics.
“That’s not it at all, Hayes,” my mother quickly interjects.
“But until you can show us that you’re at least trying to build a future for yourself outside of work, I’m not going to hand over the reins just yet,” my father explains, which has me gritting my teeth together.
“What if I don’t want to get married, or have a family? Isn’t that my decision?”
“Yes, absolutely. We’re not saying you have to get married tomorrow. We just want you to think about what you want your future to look like. And if remaining single is your choice, your father and I will support you and accept it. Less people are marrying and having kids nowadays or doing so later in life. But part of me wonders if you even think about those things, Hayes. Are you even dating anyone? Or actively trying to date?”
“I don’t have time. Most women want someone at their beck and call and that’s not going to fit into the craziness that is my life, Mom.”
“On the contrary, son,” my dad chimes in. “The right woman will support you and understand how important your work is. And you’ll realize that she’s more important than your job. Real love is about give and take, compromise, and a need to make the other person happy, not the feeling that you have to.” His gaze shifts over to my mother where she sits beside him, and the look he gives her, the pure adoration on his face makes me realize that I’ve never felt that way about a woman before.
My mom turns to meet his eyes and her smile lights up her entire face, causing a chain reaction as my father’s mimics hers. My parents genuinely love each other, unconditionally, and unapologetically. But that is rare, and deep down I doubt that I’ll ever find something like that for myself. Not with my name and the dollar signs attached to it. Not with the attention on me from various media outlets and paparazzi. Not with the time constraints I have to deal with surrounding my work. And not with the very important detail that there isn’t anyone I’ve felt that I’d want to make that leap with.
“Can we be done
