Page 21 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“We must take some disciplinary measures, I’m sure you understand.” She shakes her head regrettably. “You’ve got a great kid, Mr. Waverly. The final exams are in three months, and you know how important it is for him to pass it if he’s going to get into Livingston.”

“I saw the library on my way in here.” Silas crosses his legs. “It looked like it could use some repair.”

Principal Morgan’s eyes widen as soon as she hears that. “Um, I’ll see what we can do about the suspension.” Silas stands, and she stands, too. They shake hands as I stand there like an outsider. “But keep what I told you in mind, Mr. Waverly. A two-parent household is necessary for a kid, especially for a busy man like yourself.”

When we finally leave her office, my patience hangs by a thread. The second we’re out of earshot, I turn to Silas, my voice sharp.

“You need to be more present in Caleb’s life,” I say, my words cutting through the air between us. “He’s going to grow up resenting you if you keep treating him like this.”

Silas stops walking, turning to face me, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Caleb.”

We’re out in the yard now. School’s out, and many of the kids have left. Just a few are hanging around, probably in detention. The sun is warm on my skin as we walk to the car.

“You know, throwing money at shit won’t solve anything.”

“I just had his suspension rescinded.” Silas throws me a look. “So, yes, it will, in fact, solveshit.”

“You didn’t even ask what happened or why he was fighting.” I accuse. “You just threw money at the problem, hoping it went away.”

“You don’t know shit.”

“I know enough,” I shoot back, crossing my arms. “I know what it’s like to have a father who’s too busy for anything but his own agenda.”

He’s silent for a moment, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. Then, out of nowhere, he says, “What if we got engaged?”

I blink, caught completely off guard. “What?”

“A fake engagement,” he clarifies, like that explanation makes it any less insane. “Just for a few months. It would solve a lot of problems.”

I stare at him, my mind racing. Is he serious?

“You can’t be serious,” I say, my voice shaky with disbelief.

But the look on his face tells me he is. And that’s when it hits me. He’s not joking. He’s dead serious.

And somehow, that makes it worse.

Chapter eight

Silas

The road ahead stretchesout under the fading orange of the sunset, the narrow lanes winding back toward home. Driving in silence with Caleb, I can’t help but replay my offer. What the hell was I thinking? Proposing a fake engagement to Leah?

But, strangely enough, the more I think about it, the more the idea sits well with me. Maybe I’ve lost it, or maybe I’m a genius—the jury’s still out on that one.

If Leah agrees, I could solve my two biggest problems at once: get Caldwell Media to back off and give Caleb the appearance of the two-parent household Principal Morgan seems to think he needs.

“You're still thinking about that fight, aren’t you?” I glance over at Caleb, sitting with his arms crossed, and his headphones clamped over his ears.

He’s like a mini-fortress of teen angst. I can barely make out his mop of brown curls under the hoodie he’s pulled low over his head.

He shrugs. That’s about as much communication as I will get from him right now. Well, that’s that.

“Wanna talk about it?” I try again.

Caleb doesn’t look at me; he just shifts slightly in his seat. “No.”

Fantastic. This is going to be a long drive.

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