Forbidden Kisses (The Sterling Brothers #2)

Chapter One

Duncan

"Dad, Dad, I had an awesome day." My son, Jeremy, was beaming with excitement the second I came through the front door.

I smiled at him. His enthusiasm was contagious. "What did you do?" I asked.

"We went on a roller coaster."

I stopped in my tracks, looking from him to Maggie, his nanny. She was in her late sixties, and I wouldn't have pegged her as someone who wanted to go on a roller coaster.

"He insisted," she said, "and I couldn't say no. And it’s appropriate for his age."

"It was awesome. She turned green and threw up." My son was at that age where he found the strangest things exciting.

“I’m sorry, Maggie,” I said. “I’ll have a little something extra in your paycheck for your efforts.”

She, of course, told me it wasn’t necessary, but the poor woman puked! That was over and above the call of duty.

Once that was settled, I turned my attention to Jeremy and asked, "What else did you do?" Catching up with him after work was my favorite part of the day. Hell, if I could, I'd spend the entire afternoon with him, but that wasn't always possible.

"I ate popcorn. And ice cream. But Maggie said she needs to talk to you tonight, so I'm going to my room."

"You do that, buddy," I said.

Jeremy was ten going on eighteen. Sometimes I couldn't believe he was so grown-up. But then he did something like mention poor Maggie’s throwing up to her face, and I remembered once again that he was a kid after all.

Once Jeremy was out of earshot, I asked Maggie, "What's wrong?

Are you still feeling sick? Want me to call a doctor?

" One of the perks of living in a condominium was that I had 24/7 access to a concierge who could get me anything I needed—including a doctor.

It had been a lifesaver when Jeremy was younger.

"No, don't you worry. It wasn't that bad. Although I won't get on a roller coaster again any time soon."

We both smiled at that. Couldn’t say I was a fan of carnival rides either.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

She smiled sadly. Fuck, this wasn't good news. In my extensive experience as co-CEO of Sterling Investments, I’d learned a few things. One of them was that when someone gave an apologetic smile, they were about to drop a bombshell.

"Well, remember when I told you that my mom had surgery last week?"

"Yes, and you said she woke up feeling just fine."

"It turns out that she severely underestimated how much time it’ll take her to recover and how brutal these first weeks will be. But then again, no one tells you that, or probably no one would ever have a hip replacement."

My chest constricted. My first instinct was to tell Maggie that I would gladly pay for her mom to have round-the-clock care before I agreed for her to leave us. But I stopped myself in time.

She frowned. "Duncan, I've been with you and Jeremy for years. I really wouldn't be doing this if my mom didn't need me."

I ran a hand through my hair. I hadn’t expected this. "When do you need to go?"

"As soon as possible. I'd like to go tomorrow, if that's okay with you. A few neighbors are pitching in, but you can't ask strangers for help all day, every day. She can barely make it to the bathroom with her walker. She’s exhausted her insurance that had covered her home health care, so now she’d have to pay out of pocket with money she doesn’t have.”

“I can pay for anything she needs.”

She smiled weakly. “Thank you. That is very generous, but I’d rather take care of her myself.”

Clearly, this was an emergency, and I could see Maggie’s mind was set. I had no choice. "Just let me know when you'll be back."

"I think she's going to need me for the next three months. She insisted that one month would be good, but I spoke to her doctor, and given her medical history, it's going to be a slow recovery rather than fast. I don't want to leave her before she's ready."

"Take all the time you need." My mind was already spinning. Jeremy came home from school every day at two o'clock, and Maggie watched him until I arrived at six.

"I’d like to tell Jeremy myself, if that's okay with you. I didn't bring it up today because I wanted you to know first."

“Sure. Thank you.”

"I think your mom and dad would be more than happy to watch him now and then until I can return."

"Yes, I'll think about that," I said with a nod.

Maggie went to Jeremy's room to say goodbye while I stood there thinking about what the heck I was going to do.

She had a point. My parents were both retired. But recently, my brother Chase had bought back the retail store they’d owned when we were kids and gifted it back to them. Long story, but they’d sold it when they divorced all those years ago, and now they were running it together once again.

My parents had a complicated history. They'd been at odds for years after their divorce, but after Jeremy was born, they spent more time together and had grown much closer.

They could probably watch Jeremy a few afternoons a week.

But they had their hands full now, transforming the store into a place for pottery classes that Mom would teach and for selling fishing supplies, respectively.

Strange combination for sure, but it was none of my business.

I couldn't ask them to put that on hold, and I didn't want Jeremy to just hang around there as they tried to get their stores put together. He would be bored and get in their way. He needed someone who’d oversee his homework and play games with him and stimulated him intellectually.

His mother lived in Ireland, so there was no way for her to be able to jump in, unfortunately.

I'd have to search for an interim nanny.

Maggie came out with Jeremy. He didn't look as sad as I’d expected him to.

"Everything all right, buddy?" I checked.

"Yes. Maggie said she's going on an adventure for three months and that she'll be back."

It was one of the things I liked most about Maggie: she knew how to put a positive spin on things.

"All right, then. I'll leave you two," she said.

I wished her all the best before she left, and then it was just Jeremy and me.

"Buddy, want to help me make dinner?" I asked him.

"Yes. Pizza!" he shouted and proudly pushed his chest forward.

Three times a week, I came home at five and we prepared a quick dinner. The rest of the evenings, we ordered in or went to a restaurant.

“Sounds good. Let’s prepare a salad first, okay, bud? You start with the vegetables.” This kid would eat pizza 24/7 if I allowed it.

Jeremy ran to the kitchen and put the small stool near the counter, stepping on it.

He was tall enough, but he still couldn't reach it comfortably without help.

He was in charge of washing the vegetables, and I chopped them.

I did most of the cooking, obviously, but he was happy to be involved.

He always talked my ear off about his day while we made our meals.

"How was school?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. It's no fun. I like my afternoons more. They’re giving us too much homework. I told Mr. Mason that we’re kids. Kids should have free time."

I barely bit back a laugh. If there was ever any doubt that he was a Sterling, this would settle the matter.

“I like being outdoors.” That was no surprise. This was San Diego. Everyone liked to be outdoors.

"Buddy," I said in a calm, constructive voice, "talking back to the teacher isn't polite."

"But they need to know."

"They went to school, too, son. They know what's best for kids. If you don't agree with it, you can phrase it differently so they don't get upset. You could ask if it’s possible to have more free time."

He frowned at me. "But you never ask people nicely if they don't agree with you."

"What?" I asked.

"I heard you on the phone a few times. You just tell people what you want them to do."

Fuck. I couldn't argue with that. It was true. I wasn't an easygoing CEO. Some might say I was too strict, but I liked things done a certain way, and on my timeline. But parenting didn't come with a handbook, though I often wished it did.

"You don't have to do everything your old man does, okay?"

"When am I going to get a new nanny?"

"I haven't looked for one yet. You're probably going to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa at the store.”

“Yes! I love that," he said.

"If you want, you can always come to the office."

He jerked his head back, nearly falling off his little stool. "No, that's boring. Though if Uncles Finn and Knox are there, I might come."

I started laughing. I had five brothers, and Jeremy made it no secret that Knox and Finn were his favorites. Hell, they probably ranked above me on his list of favorite people, but I didn't mind. I appreciated that my son had a tight relationship with my brothers.

"We can work something out," I told him. "Now come on. Let's do this."

"Dad?" he asked, as if he was about to whisper a secret.

I looked at him. "What? You didn't get into more trouble at school, did you?"

"No. Can I pour the tomato sauce?"

"Sure."

We were making pizza today, and this was a big milestone for him. Two months ago, he'd spilled an entire can of tomato sauce on the floor, and ever since, he'd been afraid to even touch it. I was happy that he had the courage to work with it again.

"But can you watch me?" he whispered in an even lower voice.

"Right here, Jeremy." I put my hand over his small shoulder, and he seemed to instantly relax.

He frowned as he cupped the rather large jar with both hands and turned it upside down. He dipped his tongue to one side, moving his head circularly as he spread the sauce around. Then he took the spatula I handed to him and, with very precise movements, spread it all around the dough.

"That's great," I said.

"I did it!" he cheered. "This is going to be delicious."

I loved seeing him grow into a confident young man.

I liked to think I was doing my best, but sometimes I still wondered if it was enough.

I chopped mushrooms and pepperoni and arranged them in two bowls.

The third contained cheese. Jeremy helped me pile on the toppings until we were both satisfied.

"All right, while it's in the oven, let’s call Grandma and Grandpa and see what they think about you spending time at the store."

"Yes," he said with a grin. "But I already know they’ll be happy. They love having me there."

I kissed his forehead before he got down from the stool. After sliding the pizza into the oven, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, pressed Mom's number, and put her on speakerphone.

"Duncan, darling, how are the two of you?" she answered.

"We're good, Grandma. We have a question,” Jeremy responded.

“Maggie needs to take some time off to help her mother," I said without further ado. "I'm going to search for a new nanny, of course, but would you mind watching Jeremy this week in the afternoons?"

"Of course not. We’d love to have him."

"Thanks," I said as Jeremy squealed his delight.

"I made pizza, Grandma. I'm not afraid of ketchup anymore." He meant tomato sauce, of course, but I didn’t want to overshadow my son’s excitement with a small detail.

"Good for you, darling. I’m proud of you!” she exclaimed, then hesitated. “Jeremy dear, I'd like to speak to your dad for a bit, okay?"

"Sure, Grandma," Jeremy said as I took the call off speakerphone, bringing it to my ear.

"Everything okay?" I immediately slipped into problem-solving mode.

"Yes. I was going to ask if you need any help looking for a nanny. Several friends in my reading club have nieces and nephews, and maybe someone has time."

"Sure. Why not? But I’ll also contact some agencies and put out a job posting myself."

"Just so you know, those agencies usually take weeks and possibly months to find someone."

Fucking great. "I'll figure something out," I said, then changed the subject. "Is everything good with the store?"

They had their hands full with some renovations. Right after Chase bought it for them, they insisted that they only wanted to do some small changes, like sanding floors and repainting. But recently they’d discovered that the building’s foundation needed reinforcing.

"Yes. Your dad is in charge of the crew, and he's doing it brilliantly."

It still felt weird to hear Mom praise Dad. Growing up, they'd fought constantly. It was why they divorced. I was used to barely being able to be in the same room with them because they would snap at each other all the time. But they'd grown closer during the past two years.

My brother Griffin said he'd caught them flirting once, but I refused to believe it until I heard it myself. He was probably embellishing the story, although that wasn’t like him.

"All right. I'll keep you posted about my search, but I'm grateful for any contacts," I said.

We said our goodbyes, and I set the phone down on the counter.

This wasn't how I liked to do things. I liked to be prepared and took time with important decisions, giving them careful consideration. Finding a nanny for my son on a few days’ notice meant I'd have to cut corners.

But I had enough people in my circle that I could find someone soon enough, complete with a background check.

"Dad, we're going to burn the pizza," Jeremy said, sounding frantic.

Apparently I’d been woolgathering longer than I’d thought. Moving quickly to the oven, I immediately opened it.

"I think we've got it just in time." There was a very fine line between burned and crispy. We'd landed just on the right side of crunchy.

I took it out and sliced it, spreading out the pieces and letting the temperature cool a bit. Jeremy knew the drill and already had the plates and salad bowls on the table. He was waiting in his chair.

I brought the pizza over and served us each a slice, then dished out the salad with a touch of dressing.

"You're the best dad in the world," Jeremy exclaimed, his mouth full of pizza.

I’d never tire of hearing him say that.