Instead of going into his bedroom to change for dinner, though, Theo went to Nina’s room. When she’d left, she’d only taken a few things, leaving her sheets and most of her clothes and personal items behind. He kept expecting her to come back and take them, but she never had. Clearly, she was so set on avoiding him that she was willing to abandon most of her things. That thought made Theo’s heart ache.
The room still smelled like Nina’s fragrant shampoo. The desk was still decorated with pictures of her and Jack, and even one photo of the three of them together, smiling with their arms around each other. Theo wasn’t sure when she’d printed that one, but his heart ached again at the sight. Maybe she still thought of him.
Most likely, she hated him.
He ran his hand along the edge of her bed, then straightened up and left. Still, he didn’t go to his own room. Instead, he went down the hall to Jack’s room. Just like in Nina’s, the space was still filled with a few of Jack’s toys, his superhero posters, and hissuperhero bedspread. Theo remembered tucking the little boy in after his nightmare, and his heart gave another pang.
Jack must be confused about their sudden move. Maybe Nina had told him everything, and Jack now believed that Theo reallywasthe supervillain he’d first thought he was. Something told him, though, that Nina had probably crafted a story to save Jack’s feelings, even if it meant painting Theo in a good light.
Above Jack’s desk was a corkboard. A few of his drawings were pinned there, as were the certificate from his spelling bee win and a flyer for the Thanksgiving concert. Theo took the flyer, his heart thudding in his chest as he realized that the concert was tonight. Jack had talked so much about the choir concert and how hard he was working on his songs. Theo had promised that he’d go.
He would have to break that promise. He needed to give Nina and Jack their space. Plus, the signing dinner was today, at the exact same time as the performance. This deal was the whole reason Theo had asked Nina and Jack to stay with him, and he couldn’t just not show up.
Theo set the flyer down on the desk, his heart heavy. He missed Jack, with his sticky hands and his big blue eyes and his enthusiasm. He could barely remember how annoyed he’d been at first when Jack had broken his vase on that first day.
Theo missed Nina, too. Some part of him still thought that she might appear around the corner of the hallway and lean against the door, smiling at him and teasing him for being so sentimental. If only Theo really were the guy he’d pretended to be. If only the fake family they’d created could have been real.
But some things just weren’t meant to be. Theo went to his room and changed into a suit and tie for dinner. As always, he’d put his work first. He had to. He’d already shattered any chance of a future with Jack and Nina, anyway. The only thing he could do was save his company.
CHAPTER 23
THEO
“Welcome,” Charles stood as Theo approached the table. Theo had booked a private dining room in a high-class restaurant for the signing dinner, wanting to make sure everything went off without a hitch. “I was a little early, and I already ordered us a bottle of wine. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Theo sank into the chair across from Charles, “I’m sure you picked something excellent.”
“No need to butter me up,” Charles winked, “the deal is almost signed.”
Theo chuckled. “If I were trying to butter you up, you’d know it.”
“So, tell me,” Charles sat back in his chair, steepling his hands, “how is your family?”
“They’re well,” Theo reached for his wine and took a long sip.
“I haven’t seen them around recently,” Charles took a sip of his own wine. “Jenny and the kids have been asking aboutthem. Nina and Jack were quite a hit at the barbecue, and the invitation to Cape Cod is still open.”
Theo nodded. “We’ve all been busy. But I’m sure we can plan something together soon.”
“I just worry about you,” Charles gave Theo a kind look. It was the type of gesture Theo might have expected from an older brother, not a business partner. “You’ve been working hard on our deal, and I hate to think that your time with your family might suffer because of me.”
“Not at all.” In fact, Charles was the only reason Theo had experienced family life at all, even though it had been fake and only for a short time. He couldn’t say that, of course.
The two men began to eat, sharing the bottle of wine and each ordering the surf and turf that the restaurant was famous for. Theo loved this restaurant, but his juicy steak and fresh shrimp turned to sawdust in his mouth. All he could think about was Jack getting ready for his huge concert and Nina sitting in the audience, recording on her phone with a huge smile on her face.
It was too easy to imagine walking up to her, and her standing with a smile, making room for him to sit beside her. If he hadn’t told Nina that they could stop pretending, he’d be there right now, holding her hand and smiling at Jack on stage with his young friends.
Now, even if he ran out of this dinner in the middle, Nina wouldn’t stand and smile at him. She’d probably turn away, her face blank, done with him.
“A toast, perhaps,” Charles said, raising his wine glass, “to our families.”
Theo raised his glass and clinked it against Charles’s. Charles drank deeply, but Theo froze with the glass halfway to his mouth.
Our families.
He didn’t have a family. Nina and Jack had never really been his.
But that wasn’t true. For those few weeks that they’d lived with him, they had been his family. And he’d been theirs. He’d truly cared about both of them with all his heart. He’d felt like Nina was his real wife and Jack was his real son. It hadn’t been pretend. It hadn’t been fake. It had been real, and Theo had thrown it all away.
