“Do you like my mommy?” Jack asked.
“I do.” There was no other answer. Theo more thanlikedNina, but it was close enough to how he really felt.
“Do you likeme?”
“I do,” Theo answered again. His heart constricted as he thought of the mother and son who’d found their way into his heart.
“Then can we stay?” Jack asked.
Theo patted his shoulder. “I hope so,” he said honestly.
“Okay.” Jack smiled and lay back down, pulling the sheets up. “Good. And will you come to my concert?”
“Of course,” Theo answered.
“Promise?”
“I promise.” Theo smoothed Jack’s hair back from his head. “I’ll be there.”
Theo waited until Jack’s breath evened again before slipping out of the room.
Nina was waiting for him downstairs on the couch. She smiled when he appeared on the stairs and waved him over.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He came to sit with her.
“Thanks for doing that,” Nina said. “He was overjoyed that you agreed to read to him.”
“It was my pleasure. Jack’s such a sweet kid.”
“He is,” Nina smiled. “And you’re so good with him. I wanted to say thanks. Being here these last few weeks has been really great, and not just because I don’t have to worry about money as much anymore. You’re such a good role model to Jack.”
“Are you sure you want such an arrogant role model for him?” Theo joked. Nina whacked his bicep playfully.
“I’m being serious. You’ve been a big help. It’s so hard being a single parent — I love Jack, and I wouldn’t change anything about my life with him, but I’m always worried about whether I’m doing the right thing. And I worry about him not having a male role model. I really appreciate that you’ve been that for him.”
“Like I said,” Theo replied, “it’s truly been my pleasure. And I understand how hard it is to be a single parent.”
“You do?” Nina asked. She shifted on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her, and her blue eyes met his.
“I do. I was raised by a single mom,” Theo smiled. “She was wonderful in every way, and she made my childhood magical, as much as she could. As I got older, though, I saw how much she struggled, often working multiple jobs and saving every penny so I could have what I needed. I vowed that I would someday earn enough to give her the kind of life she deserved.”
“And you did,” Nina said. Theo nodded.
“I did. I bought her a house by the beach, and she’s so happy now. She goes on vacations with her friends and comes to visit me when she can.”
“I had no idea you were raised by a single mom,” Nina said.
“I don’t usually advertise it. In the wealthy circles, it makes people think I’m somehow undeserving. But my mom is the person who taught me the value of hard work, dedication, and love. She’s the reason I work so hard. She’s the reason Inever take a break, and the reason I’ve poured everything into Epsilon.”
“Is that what she wants for you?” Nina asked softly. Theo turned to her, surprised.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just… I work as hard as I can for Jack. When it’s just the two of us, I don’t mind getting up at the crack of dawn, or staying up late, or working through naptime, because I want to give my son everything. Everything,” she smiled. “But the reason I work this hard is so thathewon’t have to. I want him to grow up to be happy. I want things to be easier for him than they were for me. I want him to have a life in which he doesn’t have to worry about money. I want him to have time to fall in love and have a family and do what he loves. So, I wonder… does your mother want you to work so hard?”
Theo sighed. “She always just tells me she wants me to be happy and follow my dreams. I guess my dreams are about work.”
