She checked the time, then looked toward the street, clearly weighing her options.With a huff of frustration, she gave in.
“Fine!I’ll let you drive me.But only because I missed my train and the next bus doesn’t come for twenty minutes.”
She climbed into the SUV with regal indignation.
Saif followed, barely resisting the temptation to look at her perfect ass—but he was only human.He’d been reminding himself of that a lot lately.
The door closed.The car pulled away.
Five seconds passed.
Then he turned to her, scowling.
“I’m listening.”
He waited, watching her closely.
Jemma took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and met his eyes.“I have a child, Saif.”
Jasper’s face instantly came to Saif’s mind.He opened his mouth to brush off the reveal—until he remembered: Jasper was sixteen.Definitely not hers.“And kids are a big responsibility.I get that.But—”
“There’s nobut,” she cut in, her voice firm.“Yes, a child is a big responsibility.And it’s worth every second.Ilovemy responsibility.”
He frowned, sensing the weight behind her words.
“I know you’ve never wanted kids.But…it’s harder than I imagined.And somehow…more fun too.”
“But your mom is—” he began.
“No,” she interrupted softly, gaze turning toward the window.“My mother passed away.Aggressive breast cancer.”
Silence.Heavy and immediate.
He watched her chest rise and fall as she fought back the emotion.Tears welled, but she blinked them away.
“How long ago?”His tone had softened without conscious thought.
“Six months.”Her voice broke slightly on the words.“It was…very hard.”
He nodded.He couldn’t imagine losing his own mother.He was close to both of his parents, as well as his chaos-magnet sister Angela and her two hilarious kids.The idea of grieving while raising a teenager?
Tough didn’t cover it.
“Is that why you moved?”
“Yes,” she admitted with a weary sigh.“I couldn’t afford the mortgage.”
“You earned a damned good salary when you worked for me,” he said, the old frustration sparking to life again.
“I did,” she agreed, quietly.“But when I took this job…I didn’t have much leverage.”
That didn’t track.He’d taught her how to negotiate.She’d been brilliant—sharp, intuitive, a powerhouse in a boardroom.
“So you left a great job for a lousy one, lost your mother, your house, and now you’re single-handedly raising a moody teenager.All in less than a year.”
She flinched, and his words hung between them like a slap.
“I don’t appreciate that description,” she said primly, clearly wounded.“But yes.It’s been a rough year.”
