Page 4 of Kiss Me Forever

"On Friday night? Shouldn't you have a date or something?"

He grinned. "As a matter of fact, I do have a date. So you need to go home."

Tyler let out a heavy sigh. "I guess."

Alex frowned. "Is everything okay with the Monroes? Are they treating you right?"

Tyler shrugged his shoulders as he stood up and dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "They make me go to church on Sunday."

"It's good to be exposed to religion."

"And they want to see my report cards," Tyler said with another heavy sigh.

"Imagine that."

"I'll be happy when I'm done with school," Tyler added.

"School is important."

"You didn't go to college."

"No, but I wish I'd had the chance," he said, getting to his feet. "I told you that if you make it through four years of college, you have a job waiting for you here."

"That's in a million years," Tyler said with a roll of his eyes.

Alex laughed. "Time goes faster when you get older."

"Do you want me to come by tomorrow and help you with more game research?"

"On Saturday? Don't you have something better to do?"

"The Monroes are going to visit some old lady. They don't need me around."

Alex sat down behind his desk and sent Tyler a thoughtful look, worried by the undercurrents in his tone. "Did they tell you that?"

"No, but it's not like I'm their real kid." He kicked at a spot on the carpet. "It's okay. I don't really care. They're better than some of the people I've lived with."

Alex nodded in agreement, wishing he could tell Tyler that everything would be fine. But would it? He knew firsthand how tough life could be, especially for a kid on his own. "I've got some things to do this weekend. Why don't you come by Monday after school? I'm going to test a new game that's still in early development. I could use your opinion." He liked to involve Tyler in the games for two reasons: one, to keep the kid engaged in life, and, two, because teenage boys were his target demographic.

Tyler's face lit up. "Awesome. Can I run the train once before I go?"

Alex smiled. In addition to his game business, his company constructed some of the most sophisticated model trains in the world, and one of those trains wound its way around his office on sleek silver tracks.

Alex pushed the controller over to Tyler. "Go ahead."

While Tyler started the train, Alex checked his calendar to see what he had scheduled for the weekend: dinner tonight, sailing on the bay tomorrow and another party tomorrow night. It should be enough to keep a reporter fromWorld News Todayhappy. He could show her the wonderful, exciting life he led. She would be dazzled, and he would beMan of the Year.

His smile turned into a sigh. Press was a necessary evil, but he didn't enjoy interviews, especially in-depth profiles. Hopefully, he would not have to answer too many questions.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the train begin its path around the office, through the tunnel, under the chair, and over the file cabinet. He'd always loved trains. And while they were only a small part of his business, they were probably his favorite part.

Tyler looked over at him in delight, his smile turning mischievous as they heard his assistant's voice outside the door. Alex gave a negative shake of his head, but as Ellen pushed the door open, Tyler hit the whistle. The shrill noise caused Ellen to take an abrupt step backward.

Tyler laughed, and Alex bit back a smile.

Ellen was a fifty-eight-year-old woman who'd been with him for the last five years, and while she was usually a good sport, she'd never been a big fan of all the games in his office.

"Very funny," Ellen said dryly. "Do I need to remind both of you that this is a place of business?"

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