“Oh!” Nina flushed. “No.”
“Not yet,” Theo put in. He leaned closer to her, inhaling her warm scent as he nudged Nina’s shoulder with his own. “Maybe soon.”
“What are you waiting for?” Charles asked. “A family is the most important thing you can have. If my business fell apart, I would be sad, but only for a day or two. If I lost my family, I’d never recover.”
“Agreed,” Theo said quickly. “Since Nina and Jack came into my life, everything has changed. I used to be all about work, all thetime, but now I see how much more meaningful life is when you have someone to share it with.”
Nina glanced at him, her brow furrowed slightly.
Maybe Theo’s words had seemed overly dramatic, but he’d been telling the truth. Thingsweredifferent now that Nina and Jack were in his life. He wasn’t just saying all this because of their act — though it was better for Nina to believe he was. She couldn’t know how he really felt about her, or their ruse would become much harder to maintain. She might even leave early, and he didn’t want that.
Theo still didn’t have the time or energy for a real girlfriend or a real family. He would just enjoy this temporary one while it lasted. And then, once he had his deal with Charles, and Nina and Jack were gone, he’d do his best to forget how much he really had enjoyed it.
If he couldn’t, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever let them go.
CHAPTER 16
NINA
Nina was very aware of Theo sitting next to her, his shoulder pressed against hers. Warmth blossomed from her hand, where his fingers were still interlaced with hers. Nina didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, but holding his hand like this feltso right. It was as if their hands had been made to fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle.
Get yourself together,Nina chided. For someone who didn’t believe in love stories, she was sure starting to sound like a romantic.
“Oh, looks like lunch is ready,” Charles said as a timer on his watch sounded. He and Jenny both got up to check on the food, and Theo leaned closer to whisper in Nina’s ear.
“You’re doing great,” he said softly. His breath was warm on Nina’s cheek, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was all too easy to imagine him pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, near where his lips were now.
“Thanks,” she said, scooting away to put a few inches of distance between them.
“And good save with the story,” he added softly.
“I’d already told another mom that story,” Nina whispered back. “So, I thought we’d better stay consistent.”
“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” Jenny asked, straightening up from the fire and smiling at them with her hands on her hips.
“Nothing,” Nina said quickly, her cheeks pinking. She felt like a teenager caught with her boyfriend by her parents, though that was silly. Jenny and Charles weren’t much older than she and Theo were, and they were supposed to believe they were a couple anyway.
Nina was much more worried about starting to believe they were a coupleherself.
“Sure, sure,” Jenny said with another smile. She turned and called to the kids, who came running back. Pretty soon, everyone had plates full of food, and they took places around the large wooden table on the patio. As they ate, Nina took in the scene around her.
They were in a beautiful area under an unseasonably blue sky. Jack was laughing with Sam and Michael, their heads bent together. Lizzy was talking with her mother, and Charles and Theo were engaged in conversation about their favorite sports teams. Theo’s laugh about some barb from Charles was warm and genuine and reminded her of the evenings they’d spent together talking.
For the first time in years, she was surrounded by happy families. And with Theo at her side, she didn’t feel as anxious as she’d expected she would. He was there, a steady presence, perfectly complementing her strengths with his own.
Nina trusted him. It was a strange realization. After Jack’s dad had left, she’d thought she’d never trust any man again, much less one like Theo. Yet here she was, leaning against him in this beautiful garden, sitting side by side as they ate, and it felt so very right.
This was only temporary. Nina knew that. Still, it was nice to know she could trust again. It was nice to be around Theo and to see him with Jack.
Maybe, Nina thought as she took a bite of her burger, this was another sign that it was time to start dating again. It would be good for Jack to have a father figure, and she was clearly ready for a relationship, based on how she was thinking about Theo.
Yet, when Nina imagined a handsome gentleman coming to her door with flowers, the only face she could picture was Theo’s. That was the problem. She didn’t just want to date again. She wanted to be with Theo, even though that was impossible. Even though he would never want that, and she shouldn’t, either.
“How’s your food?” Theo asked, bringing Nina back to the present. She smiled.
“Delicious. My compliments to the chefs.”
Charles and Jenny smiled. “We do this every week, so we’ve gotten good at it. Do you have any family traditions like this?”
