Page 7 of Instant Bond

“Dad,” he groused, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Right. Sorry. I’ll wait patiently for the surprise.”

He loved surprises, whether he was giving or receiving them. I couldn’t remember myself at his age to know if I had loved them back then, too. All I knew was I didn’t really like them now. Uncertainty and change were my enemies.

“Well, I can give you one hint for what my favorite animal is,” he said, obviously thinking himself very generous for the offer.

“Go ahead.” I knew his favorite animal without question. We went to the park to feed them on the weekends. It thrilled him and was cheap for me. A win-win.

“Okay, here’s the hint.” Ty took a deep breath before letting out a very loud and very insistent quack. In a combination of a march and waddle, he made a circle around me, letting out more quacking sounds.

“If you keep quacking like that, you might turn into a duck,” I warned, though his face only lit up excitedly.

“Cool! I wanna be a duck!”

When the bus pulled up just a few moments later, rolling to a stop in front of us, I leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of his head. His hair was soft and smelled like fruity kids’ shampoo.

“Have a good day at school, baby. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get done.”

“Okay!”

“I love you.”

“Love you!” Ty gave me a big wave as he pranced up the steps, the bus doors sliding into place to close behind him. It started up with a hissing sound before rumbling off down the road to pick up other kids.

I wondered how many more years I’d have of the enthusiastic and casualI love you’s and if I should start preparing myself for when Ty would be too embarrassed to be kissed goodbye in public. Because the thought gave me a very unhappy feeling in the pit of my stomach, I pushed it away.

I had enough to be nervous about, anyway. Today was the day I’d agreed to do the product testing for Morrison Beauty. Well, I’d agreed to do it for Karter specifically. At least in my own mind, I could admit that. And I was a moron for even agreeing to it. I definitely needed the money, but there was a part of me that wouldn’t let me say no, because it would let me be close to him, even just for a few minutes.

I knew very well that a man like Karter couldn’t have more than a passing interest in someone like me. He was so obviously important and successful and I was a high school dropout. As much as I hated the extreme reaction my body had to him, I couldn’t help but want more of it. I was drawn to him, whether I wanted to be or not.

I knew part of his appeal to me was that I was never the recipient of that kind of attention from alphas. Even if they initially found me cute, their attraction would fade as soon as they found out I had a son. I couldn’t blame them for not being delighted by the idea of becoming a stepdad, but I had long given up on the dream that some Prince Charming would come and rescue me from this life. Pining for that was a recipe for pain.

But that was why it had hurt so bad when I’d figured out that Karter didn’t realize that Ty was my kid. I knew better than to let myself dream that someone would like me for me and accept my life, but yet still somehow he’d convinced me, for a few minutes at least.

On the short walk back to the apartment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

A driver will be picking you up in half an hour. - Karter

My heart stumbled in my chest, a flash of anxiety overtaking me before I took a deep breath to try and quell it. There was nothing to worry about. I was just going to some place to try some stuff and make some money and then come home. There was absolutely nothing to freak out over. It was basically like a super temporary little part time job. It’s not like this was going to turn into a Pretty Woman situation. Even if he wanted something like that, I’d have to say no, no matter how much I liked him.

Reciting the most calming mantras I could think of, I sat on the couch that also doubled as my bed and awaited my fate.

The car that arrived in front of my building was probably the nicest car that had ever been parked there. Before I could even get to it, a uniformed driver stepped out to open a rear door for me, gesturing for me to slide inside. When I did, I was shocked to see Karter sitting on one side of the spacious interior with his ankle crossed over his knee.

“I, um, I didn’t know you’d be riding with me.”

I’d figured he would probably be around for some of the day while I filled out surveys or whatever but nothing more. My nerves, already buzzing inside me like busy bees, intensified.

“Of course,” he answered smoothly. “I’ll be with you all day to ensure you’re getting the best experience.” As he spoke, he leaned forward to subtly press the button to push up thepartition window thing, closing us off from the driver in the front. “I hope that isn’t a problem.”

“Of course not,” I lied. But it wasn’t like I had a right to complain.

I didn’t know enough about men’s suits to know exactly what Karter was wearing, but it was navy blue and it fit to his powerful form like a glove. He had a pair of stylish aviator sunglasses hanging from the lapel.

When I noticed him staring at me, I cleared my throat, again embarrassed by the stark difference in our attire. I was wearing tight skinny jeans that had definitely seen better days, frayed at the knees and ankles. My t-shirt had the words ‘snailed it’ emblazoned over the chest with a sunglasses-clad snail underneath. At least my butt looked kind of nice in these pants.

“I wasn’t sure what to wear, so… Should I have dressed up or something?”

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