Chapter 17
THEO
“Will you read me a story?” Jack asked. The little boy was standing in the doorway of Theo’s office, wearing his pajamas and smelling like shampoo. His blue eyes were wide with hope, and he was shifting from foot to foot.
Behind him, Nina waited with a smile. She was in her pajamas, too, shorts and a sweatshirt, with her black hair pulled up in a messy bun.
“I hope we’re not disturbing you,” she added. “He was really excited about you reading his bedtime story, so I said we could ask.”
“It would be my pleasure, SuperJack,” Theo said, closing his laptop and getting to his feet. “Let’s go.”
Jack held up his arms, and Theo picked him up. The little boy rested his head on Jack’s shoulder, and as he did so, Theo exchanged a warm look with Nina.
It all felt so domestic and sweet. And so right.
He’d meant what he said to Charles — things were different now that Nina and Jack were in his life.
It was hard to imagine going back to the life of an eternal bachelor with nothing but his work for company.
Already he’d begun to wonder if he should ask Nina and Jack to stay longer, at least until he’d been working with Charles for a while.
After all, it would be suspicious if his “family” disappeared the moment they’d signed a contract.
Theo couldn’t admit, even to himself, that he wanted this family to be real. It was easier to think that he just needed them a little longer than anticipated.
He tucked Jack into his bed, pulling the superhero sheets up to his chin, and sat in the chair beside him. The book Jack and Nina were reading waited on the side table, with a bookmark in the right place. Theo picked it up, cleared his throat, and began to read.
At first, Jack seemed hyper, jumping in with comments about what was happening in the story or questions.
But after a while, his eyelids grew heavy, and he stilled.
Once his breathing was slow and even, Theo put the bookmark back in the book and tucked the sheets more tightly around the sleeping child.
Then he stood and tiptoed towards the door.
“Theo?”
He froze and turned back. “Jack, I thought you were sleeping.”
“No,” Jack said softly. He yawned and sat up. “Can I ask you one more question?”
“Okay,” Theo went back to the bed. “What’s up?”
“Do you like my mommy?” Jack asked.
“I do.” There was no other answer. Theo more than liked Nina, but it was close enough to how he really felt.
“Do you like me?”
“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 I never 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 that he won’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.”
“Are they?” Nina asked. “Are all of your dreams really about work? Because I think there’s more to you than that.
I’ve seen how much fun you have playing with Jack.
I’ve seen you—” She cut off abruptly, then continued in a way that made Theo wonder what she’d been wanting to say.
“Really enjoy your life outside of work.”
“I do,” Theo admitted. “I guess… maybe I have some things to think about.”
Nina smiled at him. “Maybe you do.”
He reached out, one hand tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Theo wasn’t sure what had possessed him to do it, only that touching her face like this felt just as right as holding her hand or putting his arm around her had that afternoon.
Nina stiffened for a heartbeat but then relaxed into his touch.
“Sorry,” he said, letting his hand fall.
“That’s okay.” Nina cleared her throat. “I…” she trailed off, “I just want to thank you one more time.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you,” Theo said. “You’ve helped so much with Charles Ackley. I would never have gotten this far without you. And it’s been nice having you both around. I never thought I was a family kind of guy, but this has been… good.”
“Even though we made you take down all your expensive, fragile artwork?” Nina teased. Theo laughed.
“Even so.”
Nina leaned back on the couch, pulling a blanket over her legs. Theo settled in beside her, stealing an edge of the blanket for himself. He was in no rush to get back to work.
“Tell me more about what you were like growing up,” Nina suggested.
Theo smiled, “Are you trying to picture me as a kid?”
Nina nodded, “Exactly.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I’m not sure.” She waved a hand, “Anything.”
“Once, when I was about nine years old, I had a pet ladybug for a few months. I kept it in a jar with holes in the lid, and I had to catch aphids to feed it. I thought at first that they just ate leaves,” Theo said.
Nina began to laugh, her eyes crinkling with delight as she bent double.
It sounded like the laugh of a princess in a fairy tale, which reminded Theo of how he’d thought she looked like Snow White when they’d first met.
“Why are you laughing?” Theo chuckled, too, her laughter contagious. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“It was,” she giggled. “I can just imagine you as a kid with a pet ladybug. It’s adorable.”
“I am pretty adorable.”
Nina laughed again. “Okay, so that’s not exactly what I was imagining, but I like it.”
“Good,” Theo smiled. “I’m glad I made you laugh. You look completely different when you do.”
Nina frowned slightly. “I feel mildly insulted.”
“No, no. It’s a good thing. You always look beautiful, but when you laugh…” He was the one to trail off now, though he’d already let beautiful slip out. He needed to be more careful, or he was going to throw his last ounce of caution to the wind and kiss her.
He wanted to kiss her. He wanted nothing more than that.
“When I laugh, I look like a tomato,” Nina suggested. “I always blush when I laugh.”
“Sure. That’s what I meant,” Theo said, though it wasn’t at all. “Tell me about you when you were a kid.”
“I don’t have any stories as good as the ladybug one,” Nina said. “But let me see.” She tapped one finger against her lips as she thought, drawing Theo’s attention to the movement. Once again, he fought the urge to kiss her.
He couldn’t stop thinking of the feeling of her lips brushing his cheek, that afternoon in the Ackleys’ garden. It had been such a simple, innocent gesture, yet he couldn’t forget about it.
“I can’t think of anything,” she said after a moment. “Sorry. I guess I must sound boring.”
“You? Boring?” Theo smiled. “Never.”
“Really?” Nina tilted her head at him. “Compared to you, I must seem like a tired mom with no direction in life.”