Billionaire's Single Mom

"Oh please," Riley said as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm 12, and even I can see it. You two are nuts about each other. I get it."

"What on Earth . . ." I said as I looked at her, shocked that she was being so blunt, and a little scared that she was right.

"I'm just saying that you guys obviously like each other a whole lot," she continued, unaware of how she'd thrown me for a loop. "Just saying."

"I'm not sure Leah feels that way about me," I said cautiously. I didn't want to have a “he said—she said” conversation with Riley, but I did want to know if Leah had actually told her anything about how she felt. I wanted to kick myself as soon as the thought crossed my mind.

"Dunno," she shrugged. "Seems obvious to me, but I'm just a kid. What do I know?"

"All right, well, I'll take that into consideration," I said as I moved toward the door adding, "Good job on the math homework."

"’night, Jack," Riley said as she rolled back over and returned to her homework.

I closed the door and headed down the hall toward my mother's room. There was one more piece of the plan that I needed to put into place before I put everything into play, and my mother was the only person who could help me make it happen.

I just hoped she'd agree to the plan.

Chapter Forty

Leah

I spent the night tossing and turning as I thought about what Jack and I had done in my new office. I wanted him more than ever, but I also knew that I was playing with fire. My job and my future were on the line if I continued down this path, and I couldn't afford to be another of Jack's discarded conquests.

&n

bsp; However, there was something that struck me as different about him. He wasn't the self-centered jerk I'd thought him to be when he'd first returned to run Baby Steps. He'd done so much to ensure that I had what I needed to run the warehouse effectively and efficiently, and he'd made sure to build me an office that would make it easier for me to do my job in the future.

The way he touched me sent shivers down my spine.

I wanted to believe that there was the possibility of something more with Jack, but my common sense told me that to entertain that idea was to dance a little too close to the fire. Besides, I had a lot of things to deal with right now. Adding a romance with a man who seemed incapable of being romantic was more than I could handle. I needed to put this crush to rest and write it off as a brief moment of weakness.

But something nagged at me. What if I was wrong? What if there really was something between us? What if I wrote it off and missed out on something wonderful?

"Argh!" I cried as I flipped my pillow over and tried to find sleep. My mind raced as I sifted through my thoughts, and suddenly I remembered a moment with Molly.

She hadn't yet started drinking or taking drugs, and she'd been getting ready for a date with a boy she really liked. I sat watching as she applied her makeup and fixed her hair, and she'd told me all the secrets that high school girls seemed to magically know.

"You know, Leah," she said swiping mascara onto her impossibly long lashes. "If a boy really likes you, he'll make sure he takes care of all of your needs before he takes care of his own."

"Like giving you the last sip of soda?" I asked as I bounced up and down on her bed.

"Something like that," she smiled. "Just remember when you get older and you want to kiss boys, that they're good if they make sure you feel good first."

"Ew," I said, sticking my tongue out and scrunching up my face. "Why would I ever want to kiss a boy?"

"Someday, you might," she said as she dabbed lipstick on and pressed her lips together. "Just promise me you'll remember."

"I promise," I said as I watched her run a brush through her long, dark hair. She was the most beautiful girl I knew and I absorbed every one of her actions, trying to memorize them so that I could repeat them later.

Molly smiled as she stood up, straightened her shirt and smoothed her skirt. Then she patted me on the head before dropping her lipstick into her purse and tossing it over her shoulder. She headed down the hallway and out to the front porch.

"Where the hell are you going?" Mama yelled as Molly and I walked quickly past the family room where Mama sat smoking and watching television.

"Out," Molly called without stopping.

"Well, don't do anything illegal and, for God's sake, don't get knocked up, girl," Mama called after her.

"Understood," Molly said in a clipped voice before yanking open the front door and stepping out onto the porch. She swore under her breath, "Stupid bitch."