“You look…beautiful, today, Miss Vesper,” he finally claims, giving me a glance over in my moss green dress. “Thank God you don’t teach high school.”
A traitorous blush radiates over my cheeks as I watch him slowly approach. It appears innocent and normal, but inside, it feels like he’s stalking his prey.
Me.
“Have a seat, Mr. Wolfe,” I advise as coolly as I can. “And we can go over?—”
“I already spoke to Heath about what’s going on. We’ll be working on it.”
I frown. “But you don’t know?—”
“He’s been standoffish and sad. His grades might not be slipping too much because I see what he brings home, but as his teacher, it worries you. Understandably so. I was trying to protect him from what’s been going on with Laura, and it backfired on me.”
“Oh.”
That’s all I’ve got.
It’s up to Micah on the details he wants to divulge about his custody battle with his ex, and honestly, it must be hard trying to decide when to share and how.
“Is there…” I inhale, not knowing how but offering it anyway. “Something I can do to help?”
“Plenty,” he offers freely as he approaches the side of my desk and not the chairs in front of it. “He mentioned you, of all people, Miss Vesper. I think we both like you.”
His words throw me off a bit because I know Heath and I have had some small breakthroughs, but I didn’t know it’d make it home.
“Heath understands his mother left us because she had”—he throws his middle and index finger up and quotes—“‘things to do’ and that I’m upset about it. I explained why I didn’t think itwas fair, but I gave him the choice. A chance with his mother, even though he’s six.”
My heart begins racing in his chest. “And what did he say?”
“Thank fuck, no,” he mutters, running the tips of his fingers along the top of my desk as he gets closer. “We talked about a lot of things we both wanted out of this year. How we were both going to make ourselves happy and not sad.”
“What were his?”
A ghost of a smile appears along his lips before he bows his head and says, “Football. More movies. Dinosaur applesauce. A brown plush bunny that matches yours.” His blue eyes flick up to me then. “And a mommy like Miss Vesper.”
My body instantly forgets how to breathe becausenochild has ever said that about me unless he’s lying.
He has to be lying.
Heath might be a quiet child, but…me? A mother?
That’s not what or where I saw myself this year. I know Micah came with a child, and I was fine with that. However, due to the circumstances of what’s happened, I never saw it as a possibility anymore.
Micah sighs quietly, and I find myself hanging on to every word he says then. “I explained it’s against the rules. And, apparently, my son has the same rebellious streak running through him because, he said, we could keep it a secret.”
“We can’t,” I immediately blurt out. “There is no reason why we would bring a small child into this?—”
“You can word it however you want, Miss Vesper. However, you have two Wolfe boys stalking you now and, honestly, I don’t see that you have a chance in this.”
I scowl. “Even if I weren’t teaching Heath anymore, I’m sure Principal Simpson would have something to say about that.”
“She’ll keep her mouth shut if she wants a coach for her football team. And I’m persuasive.”
My eyes roll with that blatant confidence of his. “You thinkflirtingwith her is going to get you what you want?”
“Hasn’t failed me before.”
I scoff and take a well-needed step away from him. “Was that all, Mr. Wolfe?”
