Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
Love is hugs and kisses.
“Mommy?” A finger poked my shoulder. “Mom. Mommy.”
I groaned and pried open an eye. The pale light from the hallway streamed into the bedroom and shone directly on Oliver.
He was standing in front of me wearing his favorite pair of cargo shorts and one of the new button-down shirts he’d insisted on using some of his birthday money to buy. He said he wanted to match Mr. Gil.
“Little man, the alarm hasn’t gone off yet. You know the rule.”
“It’s four forty-two.” He pointed at the digital clock next to the bed.
“What? No! It can’t be.” I needed to get dressed, obsess about what happened last night, make Oliver’s lunch, get to the café, and do it all in eighteen minutes. I tried to sit up but somehow, I was trapped. Again .
“Hi, Mr. Gil.” Oliver waved.
I froze and took stock of my surroundings.
Oliver’s little stunt. Ollie’s room. Bed.
Arm around my waist. My back pressed against a warm wall.
That wall belonged to the one person I should not be cuddling with, especially in front of Oliver.
Talk about giving him ideas. He’s going to think that Gil is my?—
“Mommy, is Mr. Gil your boyfriend now?” he asked, practically levitating in his excitement.
Exactly that.
With a grunt, I shoved Gil’s arm off me and scrambled out of the bed. My hair had been in a messy bun but now it flopped forward to cover my eyes. I shoved it back.
“Young man, you are in deep, deep trouble for locking us in here.” I set my fists on my hips. His precious little face fell, and my heart squeezed. Punishing him was the worst. I had to be firm here. “It was not cool at all.”
His eyes darted from me to Gil and whatever he was doing behind me and then back to me. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you and Mr. Gil to spend time together. Teacher says that’s what dating is. She says that’s how you fall in love and be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“Oliver—”
“And then you can be married, and I can get a baby brother.”
“Oliver,” I groaned. “That’s not how these things happen.”
His little forehead scrunched in confusion. “How does it happen then?”
“How does what happen?”
“Getting a baby brother?”
“No, sir, we are not talking about where baby brothers come from.” I pointed at the clock. “We have twelve minutes to get ready now. That conversation will require a lot more time and visual aids and…and…Just not now. Go get your shoes on and wait for me.”
Shoulders slumped, he hung his head and nodded. “Okay.”
I hated to see him so sad even though there was a dang good reason for it. With a sigh, I looped my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. “I love you, you know that. But there will be consequences for this.”
He buried his face in my stomach. “I know.”
After kissing the top of his head, I shooed him out of the room.
“A baby brother?” Gil asked.
He was all rumpled and messy and unshaven and he looked good that way, too. I glared at him.
“That was not supposed to happen again, remember? We are not people who cuddle. Especially in front Oliver. Oliver’s already gotten too close to you.
He’ll be devastated when he finds out his new favorite person wants to sell the only home he’s known and walk on out of his life, on top of it.
” My hand curled into a fist. I was getting real worked up now.
“Do you get it, Gilbert? That kid does not deserve to have his heart broken.”
Me neither, I thought but I didn’t say that out loud. Because with a sudden clarity that bordered on painful, I realized Gil could break my heart. I was so tired of my heart getting broken.
He stood, still looking far too rumpled and sleepy. With a groan, he gripped his hair and gave it a tug. “Can we just sit for a second and talk?”
“No,” I snapped. “I have eight minutes to get to work.”
I stomped out of the room without a backwards glance.