“So this is a huge family event.”
“Huge, yes, but it’s not a family thing per se. My family hosts, but we have employees and their families and neighbors and friends. You don’t have to worry about being surrounded by Prescotts.”
“You want me and my kids to meet your family?”
“Of course.”
“But—”
“My sister has been nagging me about meeting you. It’s only fair. I survived the first meeting with your kids. It’s your turn.”
“We’re really doing this, huh?”
“Doing what?”
“Being a couple.”
“Is this just dawning on you now? We’ve been dating for almost two months.”
“It was easy for it to be fun when it was just the two of us. Bringing family in and doing couplish things makes it feel real. And serious.”
“I seriously enjoy being with you.”
“Me, too. See you Monday.”
“Won’t we talk later?”
“I’m on at the hospital, but I’ll call when I get a break.”
“Talk to you later.”
When they disconnected, he stared out his office window and considered whether he could sneak over to Tess’s house after she got off work.
Chapter Twelve
Monday morning on the boat went off without a hitch. Miles spent the time amazed by Tess. She kept a constant watch on all three kids. It was like she had a weird sixth sense and always knew when someone was going to need something even before they asked. Miles didn’t know how she wasn’t totally exhausted. As he pulled back into the slip, she was below packing up the remainder of their stuff. He wondered if she ever took a break. He’d thought today would be a fun outing for them, but now he had doubts.
He’d seen Tess smile, so she hadn’t hated the day. She had worried when he suggested the kids jump off the back of the boat to cool off. He went in with them while she stood watch. That was how Tess handled life—she took care of everyone.
He cut the engine and went to help her grab the bags and cooler. The kids were sprawled all over the deck. When he went below, Tess was rolling towels and shoving them in a bag.
“What can I help with?”
“I got it. We just need to carry it all back to the car.”
He flipped the lid on the cooler. “They demolished the food you brought.”
“Swimming and sun equals constant hunger.”
“Are you still okay with going to my parents’ house?” He stumbled as he said parents. Although his dad had been dead for more than a year, he still thought of it as his mom and dad’s house.
Tess looked down at her clothes. “I wish I’d brought something else. We won’t have time for me to go home to change.”
“You look fine.”
“I don’t want to look fine when I meet your family.” She ran a hand over her ponytail, which was barely restraining her hair. “And the kids. They’re an even bigger mess.”
“They’re going to run around and get sweaty and messy at the party. Trust me. I’m not changing.”
Tess rolled her eyes. He stepped closer and held her shoulders. “This is you. It’s who you are. I don’t expect you to change for my family. I’ve seen you in scrubs, and a fancy gown, and jeans. It doesn’t matter what you wear. I like you in anything.” He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, “Or nothing.”
Tess laid her forehead on his shoulder. “You make this hard.”
He chuckled. “That’s what he said.”
“You’re such a goof.” She laughed.
“My family will be thrilled I’m bringing you to the party. They’ll love you.”
“What time does the party start?”
“About two hours ago.”
She shoved away from him. “Are you serious? We’re late for a party with your whole family?”
“We’re not late. People drop in whenever they want.” He checked the time on his phone. “Food will probably be ready in an hour or two, but then they’ll make more later. It’s an ongoing kind of thing.”
She looked panicked. “We’re going to make a horrible first impression.”
“You’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
“If your family hates me, it’ll be your fault.”
He shrugged. “I don’t care what they think of you. This is my life.”
He lifted the cooler and walked up the steps while calling to the kids, “Let’s go. Time for a party.”
They grabbed their stuff and followed behind him quietly. Miles was pretty sure they’d had a good time, but their silence was unnerving. “Are they okay? They’re really quiet.”
“They’re exhausted. Wait until they get their second wind.”
He closed up, and they piled in the car. Within five minutes, the kids were in various stages of dozing off, so he took advantage of the moment and held Tess’s hand.
“Did you have a good time today?” he asked her.
“Yeah. The kids had a blast. They’ve never been on a yacht before. Well, neither have I. When you said the family’s boat, that’s not quite what I imagined.”
“I meant did you have fun?”
“I said yeah.”
“You didn’t look like you relaxed at all. I wanted you to have a day off.”
She laid her hand over their interlocked ones. “There is no such thing as a day off for me. I’m a mom. I don’t mind doing the things I do. My pleasure comes from seeing them have a good time. You gave them a great experience. That matters more to me than taking a nap and missing out.”
He wanted to understand. Her words made sense, but she should be able to have more, have it all. “You still need to take time for you.”
“I do.”
He didn’t believe her for a second. As he pulled off Lake Shore Drive to head toward his childhood home, he released Tess’s hand. “You should probably wake them. We’ll be there soon.”
Tess looked around. “Crap. I know I should’ve asked this before, but you grew up in a mansion, didn’t you?”
He had never given it much thought. “I suppose by some standards it might be considered a mansion. The house isn’t castle-size or anything. There are only four bedrooms.”
Tess laughed. “Only four.”
“You have three.”
“And they’re all small.”
“Does it matter where I grew up?”
“Not really. You won’t get it. I grew up lower middle class, like barely clinging to middle class. We lived in an apartment my whole childhood. When I was able to have a house for my kids, that was huge. But they look at our house and compare it to the one William bought for himself and his new wife. I can’t compete. They’re kids. They don’t understand what things cost.”
“Do you want to skip the party?”
“No. I’m just feeling uncomfortable in my skin right now. I’ll get over it.” Then she reached around like some kind of contortionist and woke the kids. Andrew groaned at her to leave him alone.
She shook his leg. “Come on, buddy. We’re almost at Miles’s party. He said there are going to be a bunch of kids there for you to play with.”
He kicked out, not really at her, but more of a flailing leg.
“This is where I grew up,” Miles said as they turned a corner. He pointed at the park. “That’s where I used to play baseball.” He pointed at a large old house. “That was where my first girlfriend lived.”
“Hey, Miles,” Zoe called from the back seat. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to talk about ex-girlfriends in front of your new one?”
He looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Only if your new girlfriend is insecure, which mine absolutely is not.” He winked at Tess. “And this is home.”
Andrew groaned again. “I don’t feel good, Mom.”
Tess twisted in her seat. “What’s wrong?” She took one look at him and jumped from the car. She flung the sliding door open, and before Miles could even process what was going on, she had Andre
w out of his seat.
The boy hurled all over the grass.
“Ew. Gross,” Zoe called as she climbed out.
“Is he okay?” Miles asked, keeping a safe distance.
“Probably just too much sun.” She went to the back of the van, pulled out a bottle of water, and put it up to Andrew’s lips. “Take some small sips and see if it helps.”
“Should we take him home?” He realized the significance of we and home but hoped no one would read too much into them. He wasn’t ready to consider why they so easily slipped from his mouth.
“No way,” Billy said. “We’re already here.”
Tess looked at Miles and then at the kids. She pressed the back of her hand to Andrew’s head. “What do you think? You want to rest a little while and see if you feel better?”
He nodded and then hung around her neck. Tess struggled to stand with her son in her arms.
Miles rushed to her side. “Let me take him.”
“I don’t think he’ll go for that.”
He touched Andrew’s shoulder. “Can I carry you inside? I’ll take you to my old bedroom.”
Andrew nodded again and leaned over for Miles to take him. Holding him as Tess had, on a hip, was awkward as hell, so he shifted all of Andrew’s weight to the front and started toward the house. He couldn’t see over his shoulder, so he hoped Tess followed.
As he let them in the house and trudged up the stairs to his bedroom, he couldn’t help but think about how much work kids were. He’d played and hung out with Tess’s kids and always had a good time, but today he’d seen parenting, and it wasn’t pretty.
He remembered why he didn’t have any of his own kids.
…
Tess was torn. Being at the party to meet Miles’s family was important to him, and she wanted the kids to have a good time. But her baby was sick. This was her primary job. She followed Miles into the house and tried not to let the shock get to her.
He might not call this a mansion, but she would definitely classify it as such. They stepped into a foyer that led to an open concept living room and beyond that, a huge kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances. Miles headed up the stairs, so she continued on.
Behind her, Zoe and Billy murmured their opinions, but Tess figured they were as in awe as she was. Miles pushed into a room and laid Andrew on the bed. When he turned he looked surprised to see her and the kids.
“You didn’t have to come up. I can handle laying Andrew down.”
“I want to make sure he’s okay. And uh…we don’t know anyone. Can you take Billy and Zoe down and maybe introduce them to people? I’ll join you in a couple of minutes.” While Zoe might be adventurous enough to head out, she knew Billy wouldn’t.
“Oh, sure.” He turned to the kids. “Let’s go see who’s here. I know there’s some good junk food around, too.”
Tess shook her head. He’d lowered his voice as if he was sharing a secret, but he’d said it loud enough for her to hear. She moved to the edge of the bed and touched Andrew’s head. “How you doing, buddy?”
“Tired.”
“Is your stomach still upset?”
He shook his head.
“Why don’t you take a nap, and then if you’re up to it later, we can enjoy the party?” She brushed his hair off his forehead. His skin was pink from the day in the sun even though she’d slathered him with sunscreen. She’d thought she’d given them all enough water to stay hydrated, but maybe she’d miscalculated. “Want to try another sip of water?”
He shook his head again.
She put the bottle on the nightstand. “I’ll leave it here in case you change your mind.”
She stood, and he said, “Are you leaving?”
“No. Just going to look out the window to see if I can spot Zoe and Billy.” She took a slow walk around the room, checking out the trophies and medals lying on the dresser and bookcase. No pictures on any shelf, which seemed odd since she’d seen pictures in his condo. Maybe he’d taken them all from here.
Tess scanned the titles on the bookshelf. Mostly required reading kind of books, except for the long line of fantasy novels and computer gaming books. Miles was a nerd. She chuckled to herself.
“Spying?”
His voice from the doorway startled her.
“Of course. Did you think you were going to bring me into your childhood bedroom and I wouldn’t snoop?”
“There still might be a Playboy under the mattress,” he whispered.
“Not the kind of information I need.”
He took her hand. “Ready to come downstairs?”
She looked at Andrew. “I don’t think he wants me to leave. He’s in a strange place.”
“Give me your phone.”
“Why?”
He held out his hand, and she gave it to him. “Does he know how to use it?”
“Of course.”
“Passcode?”
Then she realized his plan. “He knows it.”
Miles arched a brow. “But I don’t. Keeping secrets?”
“No secrets. It’s not like I know your passcode.” Were they at the point where they should share those details? “It’s my birthday.”
Miles knelt beside the bed. “Hey, Andrew.” When her boy opened his eyes, Miles put her phone in his hand. “Call my phone when you wake up if you want to come out to the party and we’ll come get you. Okay?”
“Or call if you feel worse, and we’ll go home,” Tess added.
“Call if you need anything.”
“’Kay. Night.” Then he rolled over with the phone tucked in his little hand.
Miles stood. “Problem solved. Let’s go get you a drink.”
“I thought I was here to meet your family. Are you telling me I’ll need a drink to get through this?”
“You’ve met my mom, so that’s no problem. Sabrina is pushy. She’ll ask a ton of questions. Bradley is a dick. He probably won’t say much of anything.” He pulled her from the room. “I want you to relax a little.”
“Where are Zoe and Billy?”
“Last I saw, Zoe was playing strip poker with a room full of guys, and Billy was doing shots at the bar.”
She nudged his shoulder. “Funny.”
“I introduced Zoe to a neighbor’s daughter who is about the same age, and Billy found my nephews, who were all talking about video games.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I worry about them. I can’t imagine that will ever change.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Miles stopped and faced her. “I think you’re a great mom. But I do feel like you don’t trust me. I would never do anything to hurt your kids.”
Tess didn’t know how to explain herself. It had nothing to do with Miles. She was like this with pretty much everyone. “You barely know my kids. I don’t think you’d do anything to intentionally hurt them, but you’re not a parent. You won’t think like one. It’s not a flaw, just a reality.”
He pressed a closed-mouth kiss to her lips. “Ready to meet everyone?”
“As ready as I’m gonna get.” Tess tried not to be nervous. The problem was, she hadn’t had to meet a boyfriend’s family since she’d started dating William. This was far worse than first-date jitters.
“They’ll love you.”
“Sure.” She looked down at her clothes again. She probably smelled like puke. This is such a bad idea.
Miles led her through the house, giving her a brief tour as they made their way toward a wall of glass that led out to a beautiful brick patio full of guests.
Everyone was dressed beautifully in designer—although casual—clothes. She looked like a schlub. Never in her life had she wanted to punch someone as much as she wanted to hit Miles right now. She didn’t think she’d given anything away, but Miles stopped again.
“What’s wrong?”
She gritted her teeth. “What’s wrong?” she asked with a clenched jaw. “I’m completely underdressed for this party. Look around. Can’t you see the difference
between how I look and how they do?”
He didn’t even glance at the crowd. Instead, he lowered himself so they were eye to eye. “I don’t care what the label says. Having money doesn’t make me a snob.”
He didn’t understand. He couldn’t. He’d grown up like this, so he had no way of knowing how this would make her feel, so she couldn’t hold it against him.
“I care about you,” he added. “If they don’t like it, they can fuck off.”
She couldn’t help but smile. He was so sure of himself and his feelings. In the back of her mind, though, this was a pulsing reminder of why they wouldn’t work long term. She couldn’t live her life feeling like an outsider. Mustering up some bravado, she threw back her shoulders. “Then let’s do this.”
…
After the bumpy start they’d had to their afternoon, Miles was thrilled at how things had changed. Andrew had woken up from his nap and called him. He’d had dinner and began running around as if he’d never lost his lunch on the lawn. Zoe and Billy barely stopped to check in with Tess, which bothered her more than he thought it should.
But mostly, he loved that Tess relaxed enough to have a good time. She had a couple of glasses of wine and really hit it off with Sabrina, which was no surprise since they were two independent, career-minded moms. Sabrina took no time at all to lure Tess away from his side and they spent hours talking.
Unfortunately, he knew it was too good to last. Tess gave him a look that said the fun was over. She crossed the lawn in bare feet, having kicked off her sandals shortly after she’d been hit with a stray water balloon. He was caught in a sad mix of emotions. He loved the sight of her coming to him, but her attention was still split. Even with her eyes on him, she was cataloguing the location of each of her kids.
“Something wrong?”
“No, but it’s time for us to be going. First day of school tomorrow.”
“The sun hasn’t even set yet.”
She laughed. “I can’t use that as a guide. They all have to take showers and make sure their bags are packed so I don’t maim anyone during the mass panic tomorrow morning.” She took his hand. “If you want to stay and enjoy yourself, that’s fine. You don’t have to come with us. I’m sure you can get a ride from someone.”
One Night with a Millionaire (Daring Divorcees) Page 14
