Page 35 of A Billionaire Rebel

I shouldn’t have beennervous. Damon and I hadn’t only slept together. I wasn’t deluded into thinking that we were soulmates – if I even believed in that sort of thing – but there was an intimacy to the things he and I had shared, something beyond just the physical. I was comfortable enough with him to have done things I’d never done before, but that didn’t do anything to keep my stomach from twisting itself into knots.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mom asked as she picked up her purse. “I can stay if you need me to.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “You can go home.”

I managed to not sound annoyed, even though I hated going through this every time Jamie or I had to call on our parents to help out when it wasn’t planned. They didn’t think that, even together, both of us could possibly know what was best for Kevin. Or rather, they didn’t think Jamie could raise a kid, and I apparently couldn’t babysit one.

“Grilled cheese and tomato soup, Jae? A boy needs more than that.”

I raised an eyebrow and kept my voice even. “Actually, Mom, I’m pretty sure it hits at least three of the food groups, and it’s what Jamie and I planned for his dinner tonight.”

The look Mom gave me said she wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t going to argue anymore. At least not tonight. It was an ongoing battle with them, and it wouldn’t be solved any time soon. What could still end up happening tonight was that I could really end up on my mom’s shit list by her finding out that I’d invited a man over to the apartment.

She wouldn’t care that I was an adult or that it wasmyapartment. She’d just see an irresponsible woman inviting a stranger into the house where she was alone with a toddler. The only thing that made it bearable was that her meddling was more about protecting us than it was about not trusting us.

“He’s not going to settle down for dinner with me until you go home,” I pointed out.

She gave me an annoyed look but went over to where Kevin was sitting on the floor and kissed his head. “I’ll see you later, sweetie.”

“Bye, Nana.” He didn’t even look up from the blocks he was stacking.

I waited until after she was gone to rush into my room, calling to Kevin that I’d be right back. I wasn’t going to change into anything too dressy, but I didn’t want to be in my work clothes all night. Jeans and a t-shirt were fine, even if I would’ve liked to finally do something that required me to wear something nice or sexy.

Nope. I shook my head. I was not going to think about sex when my nephew was waiting for food. I wasn’t irresponsible for inviting Damon here, but I would be if I neglected Kevin because of it.

“Hey, kiddo, ready for dinner?”

“Yes!” He jumped up as I walked into the room. “Cheese!!”

I laughed, picking him up and putting him onto his chair. The boy loved his cheese.

I was just flipping the sandwiches over to toast the second side when Damon knocked on the door. At least, I assumed it was Damon. I was smart and cautious enough to check before opening the door.

“Something smells great.” He kissed my cheek, lingering long enough to whisper in my ear, “I’m sure the food smells pretty good too.”

I blushed and took the ice cream from him. “Behave yourself.”

He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Kevin, we have a guest for dinner. And he brought ice cream.”

Kevin cheered, and Damon was a hit. Such a hit, in fact, that I kept having to remind Kevin to eat, but the two of them were so cute together that I couldn’t really be annoyed. When we finished and moved to the couch, Kevin sat between us, but Damon didn’t seem the least bothered that the closest we could come to touching was when the arm across the back of the couch allowed his fingers to brush against my hair.

It didn’t take long for Kevin to nod off, but I let him stay where he was for a little while longer, both to ensure that he was thoroughly asleep and to give Damon and me a little bit of silence to see how it felt. To make a memory.

Maybe he didn’t need the extra time, but I did. When all this was over, I doubted he’d ever want to think about this time of his life again. The best I could hope for was him to fondly remember that he’d had a pleasant distraction during an awful time.

“I’m going to put him down,” I finally whispered, getting up.

“Want me to take him?”

I smiled and shook my head. “I’ve got him.”

Usually, Jamie or I put Kevin to bed and read him a story, but sometimes, he was allowed to fall asleep in front of the TV, but only after a bath and brushing of teeth. Neither Jamie nor I commented on the fact that we usually had those ‘special’ nights after a stressful interaction with one or both of our parents.

Once I got him settled and lingered an extra minute to make sure he didn’t wake up, I stopped in the bathroom to catch my breath before going back out to join Damon on the couch again. His arm was still stretched across the back, but when I sat down next to him, he wrapped it around me and pulled me even closer.

“Everything good?” He kissed my temple.

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