Page 39 of Forever with the CEO

Annie didn’t say anything for a few beats. Then she said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Bob replied. Sophie just nodded.

“Jack doesn’t talk much yet.”

“But he talks to you, right? They both do?” Sophie asked.

“Of course.” I stroked Annie’s hair and patted Jack’s cheek so they could feel my love for them. “But they’re shy when they meet new people.”

“We’re not new,” Sophie said briskly. “We’re their grandparents.”

I truly couldn’t believe any judge would give them custody, but whatever.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to change topics. “I hope you like spaghetti and meatballs.”

“We should have met at a restaurant,” Sophie said. “Just the four of us.”

Clearly it was time to set some boundaries. I rolled my shoulders back and said, “No, Sophie. You informed me a few days ago that you wanted to visit. You’re lucky we had time.”

“We could still go to a restaurant. Where we’ll be served some proper food.”

This woman! It wasn’t as though I hadn’t met them before. Nora used to tell me horror stories of how they could be toward her, but after all that happened, you’d think they’d be a little kinder. Obviously not.

I guess a zebra really can’t change its stripes.

“No, Sophie, we’ll eat here. I told you that the twins’ bedtime routine starts at seven. There’s no time to get to a restaurant, be served, and get back home by then.”

“Well, that’s why you should have planned ahead for our visit,” Sophie pressed on.

“This is outrageous,” Bob said, and that pissed me off.

Annie went right to her chair, and I helped her into it. Jack was still in Nick’s arms.

“It’s really not. You came here uninvited. So, you’ll have dinner with us or go by yourselves to a restaurant, and we can plan another time to meet in advance when it works for everyone involved.” My tone was final.

Sophie opened her mouth, but Nick interrupted her. “I suggest we start dinner. We won’t be able to entertain you for long. Allison already told you that, but we’d appreciate more of a heads-up.”

Sophie grunted but didn’t say anything.

Oh, so she’s only mouthy with me, huh? That’s interesting.

Nick lowered Jack into his chair before he came over and put an arm around my shoulders. “Need me to get anything from the kitchen, babe?” he whispered in my ear, loud enough foreveryone to hear. The skin on my whole body simmered when he called me babe. Why did I like it so much?

I shook my head. “We’ve got everything we need. Thank you.”

Bob and Sophie looked absolutely ridiculous in their outfits as they sat on my chairs and tried to eat spaghetti without splashing themselves with sauce. As a result, they took a long-ass time to actually eat. We didn’t manage to make much conversation because Annie and Jack both needed my assistance with their food. Even so, they made a mess of themselves and of my shirt, of course. I looked like I’d been in a crime scene.

Nick laughed. “Want to trade spots so you can eat?” he asked when we were halfway through the meal.

Looking down, I realized I’d barely touched my plate. I smiled at him because I knew it was a genuine question, not for Bob and Sophie’s sake.

“I’m good. I’ll eat once these two are in bed.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us to come afterward?” Sophie said, sounding exasperated.

I swallowed hard, looking straight at her. “Considering the reason you contacted me in the first place, I thought you wanted to spend time with them.” I didn’t want to saycustodyin front of the kids or even insinuate that she might want to take them away because they’d understand that, and it would stress them out.

Sophie pressed her lips together. Bob gave her a sharp look.

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