Stalking her will have to be enough to satisfy me for the time being.
I catch the familiar sound of a trash lid slamming shut just as I near the corner of the gray house’s white picket fence, and I smile when Jackson comes into view.
He gives the tall gate a solid tug to latch it, and when he turns toward me, his face splits into a wide grin.
“Hey, Gio! Where were you yesterday? Did you have a sleepover at a friend’s house?”
The innocent question makes me chuckle, and I step closer to bump knuckles with the little man—a greeting he introduced me to a few days back that apparently proves we’re really friends.
“Something like that,” I agree—after all, I’ve been sleeping in one of Miko’s guest bedrooms.
And while he’s technically my adopted brother, he’s also about the closest thing I have to a true friend.
“What did I miss?” I ask, glancing toward the house as if to glean some information of my own.
Jackson shrugs. “I got a warning for being late to school this morning.” Then he drops his voice, leaning a little closer like it’s a secret. “But don’t tell Mom. She always feels bad when that happens.”
“I won’t say a word,” I promise, amusement playing at my lips even as my heart clenches.
The kid can’t be much older than six, judging by his size, and yet he’s already protecting his mom.
I might not know much about children, but I suspect his level of compassion is unusual for someone his age, and it makes me adore him all the more—because that comes straight from Stephanie.
Damn it.Jane,I remind myself for what must be the hundredth time.
I’m going to have to be careful about that if I intend to play her little game.
The sound of a door swinging open makes my heart skip a beat, and a moment later, Stephanie peeks her head outside.
“Jackson?” she calls, her neck swiveling until she spots her little boy.
Then her eyes lift to mine, and nervous anticipation crackles along my spine as they light up, a smile curving her red-painted lips.
“Gio, what a pleasant surprise.”
Is it?I half expected another severe scolding, and maybe she can read the thought on my face as her cheeks flush a tantalizing pink.
“Nice to see you again, Jane.” If that isn’t the understatement of the century.
As she steps out onto the pathway, letting the side door swing closed, it feels like I take a deep breath into my oxygen-starved lungs for the first time in days.
“I was starting to worry I’d scared you off with my whole momma bear act,” she admits, stopping behind Jackson and wrapping her arms affectionately around his shoulders.
He leans into her, tilting his head back so he can look up at her. “Gio was having a sleepover too,” he says.
Shock flits across Stephanie’s face, followed by what I can only interpret as disappointment, and her cheeks flush as she meets my eyes with a hint of embarrassment—as if she’s learned something she would rather not know.
“Is that so?” she asks, her voice suddenly guarded.
An odd reaction, considering she’s married, but I could almost take it to mean she thinks I spent the night with another woman—and she doesn’t like the thought.
“I was at my brother’s,” I clarify, testing my theory.
Yes, I know her well enough to recognize that look of relief. Interesting.
She sees nothing wrong with moving on and having children with another man—but she doesn’t like the thought of my doing the same.
“You must be close,” she observes, tugging her lips into a warm smile to mask her true emotions.
