Page 44 of The Billionaire's Son

“What about—”

Her eyes widened. “Please don’t suggest your chopper.”

“I was about to suggest Hans could drive a different car.”

Before she could respond, Jason crawled onto the sofa between them and leaned against Kelly. “I’m hungry, Mommy. Let’s go eat.”

“It’s pizza night,” Trey told Kelly when all three of them had found their seats.

“I’m surprised anyone would be allowed to deliver to this island,” Kelly said.

“Not quite,” Trey said with a laugh. “Greta makes her own whole-wheat crust and a fresh tomato sauce. Jason loves it.”

“Fresh mozzarella is the secret,” Greta said, placing a huge, steaming pizza in the center of the table.

“And fresh basil, which smells heavenly,” Kelly said.

Greta placed a slice on the plate in front of each of them.

“Except for an apple, I missed lunch, so I’m starving,” Kelly said.

“Why did you miss lunch?” Trey asked.

“My command performance for the FBI.”

“You should have said something,” he said. “We didn’t have to wait to eat.”

She shrugged and took a huge bite of her slice. Trey did the same. Delicious, as usual. His cook was a gem. He hoped Kelly appreciated that this was a much simpler meal than usual.

Kelly asked Jason about his day. His son grinned, obviously pleased to have her attention, and began rattling off his activities, including his daily romp in the pool.

Trey listened, surprised at how easily Kelly interacted with Jason. She knew exactly how to draw him out and even appeared to be interested in his responses.

“Daddy,” Jason said when they were finished eating, “can I watch TV a little more before bed?”

Trey hesitated. Normally, he allowed Jason to do whatever he wanted. But dinner was being served later than usual because of Kelly’s schedule. Maybe it was time for some boundaries. Maybe Jason should go on to sleep.

Or maybe he didn’t want to delay a repeat of that good-night kiss with Kelly.

Stunned at the realization he’d been looking forward to kissing her all day, Trey said, “Maria has to give you a bath first and then only thirty minutes of TV. Okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.” Jason jumped from his chair and raced into the hallway where Maria waited.

“Come on, Jasonito,” she said.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Trey told Kelly when they’d gone upstairs.

“No, you don’t.”

“You think I’m spoiling him.”

“No. I think he should be learning his ABCs, not zoning out while watching television.”

“Seriously?”

“Education would be better for his brain than pretend heroes,” she said. “Maybe a dose of reality would help ground Jason.”

“Reality?”

Kelly shrugged. “Life doesn’t always have a happy ending like in cartoons. Education is what helps a kid get ahead.”

“He’s four.”

“So? Some kids are in preschool at that age. I didn’t see any educational toys in his room, either.”

“Isn’t Jason a little young to face the harsh realities of life?”

“He was kidnapped. I’d say he’s already faced some pretty serious realities.”

“And as a result, he retreated to some safe place inside himself. Look, I know your childhood wasn’t all roses, but—”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about my childhood?”

“I hope everything. My attorney ran a background check on you.”

“What did you say?”

Startled by the vehemence of her question, the anger behind her words, Trey mentally kicked himself. He’d meant to compliment her on how she related to Jason. Instead he’d insulted her again. He should have known she’d think a vetting was intrusive. And perhaps it was.

“I already knew you were in foster homes,” he said. “You told me that yesterday.”

“That didn’t give you the right to snoop around in my life.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

UNSURE WHY SHE was so furious, Kelly pushed back from the table and stood. She didn’t have anything to hide. In fact, she was proud of how far she’d come.

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