Page 11 of Forbidden Kisses

This was good. It was nice to set a specific time, and mornings were better than evenings when it came to screen time.

"I know you have Duncan's number, but I can also give you mine just in case you need anything, okay?" Susan suggested.

"Sure, I'll put it in my phone."

"Great. I still have to show you the kitchen."

She rattled off her phone number as we walked back past all the other rooms. The kitchen was adjacent to the living room, and it opened up onto a terrace.

If I’d thought this place was divine before, now I was convinced of it. The kitchen was dark gray mixed with black accents. With the light filtering in through the huge windows, it was exquisite. I'd never imagined a black kitchen could look so good.

"Duncan said you might cook a bit," Susan said.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I actually quite like it. And in a kitchen like this one, it will be a privilege to cook.” At home, I had to fight Julia and Christine for space.

"All right, then. You've got my number, and you've seen the condo. The condo keys are on the counter, and Duncan mentioned that you’d have a car to use within the next few days, but he probably told you that. He’s going to be home around five thirty or six."

I nodded. "Good to know."

"Then I’ll leave you to it."

"Sure. Thank you, Susan. It was great to meet you."

After our goodbyes, Jeremy asked, "Can we go back to my room?"

I laughed, ruffling his hair. "Of course."

He took my hand again, leading me through the condo.

God, I loved kids so much. They had an innocence that I simply adored. Their hearts were open to giving and receiving warmth and love. I had to pinch myself to believe I’d gotten so lucky.

CHAPTER FIVE

Riley

We went straight to his playroom, and I sat down on the floor with him.

His eyes widened. "Oh, you can sit on that chair. Ms. Williams always sits there. She says her hips are too bad."

I couldn't help but laugh. Then I snorted and put my hand over my mouth.

"Sorry, that was very unladylike. I'm good on the floor," I said.

Poor woman. I couldn't really imagine keeping up with Jeremy in my sixties, but some people were young at heart even if their hips weren't on the same page.

For the next hour, he told me more information than I thought one could possibly know about a toy car. He tried to get me to learn the names of the cars. I remembered Fiat and Mercedes because they had real car names, but I couldn't remember the made-up ones. Still, I’d trained to be a lawyer, so if I heard them a few times more, I was sure that I would commit them to memory.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked him after he put his cars back.

He turned around. "Can I play a video game?"

Hmm, mental note: I should just give him options, not a blank slate."You said your father only allowed you to do that during the weekend."

"But you're not Dad," he said quickly.

Game on, Jeremy.“How about going outside?" Then I got an idea. "Or maybe you have something we can prepare for dinner?"

He shrugged. "No, Dad and I always go to eat in the city on Thursday. I'm in the mood for tacos."