Page 116 of Forbidden Kisses

"But that's unfair," I replied.

"Listen to me, Riley. Law firms are like hawks. Every corporation is. They watch you closely when you first start. They need to see you at your very best. You can't be worrying about your boyfriend's son."

The way he phrased it made my heart hurt. Of course I wasn’t Jeremy's mom. I knew that. I just felt like I was.

"You said that this week is going to be brutal and that you’ll need to stay at the office every evening," he continued.

"I know," I said quickly. "But I didn't know that Jeremy would get sick."

"He's a kid. They get sick often." Duncan sounded calmer. "But this week I want you to forget about us and give it your best.Don't even think about asking your bosses to let you go earlier in the evening."

"I don't like the sound of that," I said.

"I don't like it, either, but it's necessary. The last thing you need is for us to hold you back."

"You're not," I replied. Why did he keep repeating that? "Send me text updates, okay?"

"I can do that. I promise," Duncan said.

My heart was still heavy as I hung up.

Duncan

"Dude, what the fuck? That's a shitty way to tell her not to worry." Griffin had dropped by this morning to discuss business with me after I told my brothers that I couldn't join them at the office.

"Huh?" I asked. I was completely wrecked. I’d slept maybe two hours combined the whole night, probably even less. I woke up often, and then I couldn't fall back asleep.

When Jeremy woke up and threw up again at four in the morning, I called the doctor. I feared he might need an IV or something. It happened so often when he was a baby, and I still had PTSD from it. But the doctor assured me that it wasn’t necessary.

"What's with all that talk about keeping her back?"

I shrugged. "It’s the truth. What do you think a boss would think if she told them that she's coming late because she needs to check on her boyfriend's son? Or that she has to leave early?"

"That's not the point. Obviously, you’re right. It's just, you know, you have no filter when you're exhausted."

"I'm not just exhausted," I said. "I'm demolished."

"Yeah," Griffin said, "I can see that. I shouldn’t have dropped by."

"I can’t even think about business. I'm going to lie down with Jeremy."

"I can call the family and have us watch him in turns."

I shook my head. "I appreciate that, but it's really not necessary."

He laughed. "Unlike Riley, we own our businesses, so no one can tell us off for taking time away."

I waved my hand.

"Is your nanny coming today?" Griffin asked.

"She was supposed to, but I messaged her this morning and told her that Jeremy's sick. I won't leave him alone with someone new when he’s feeling like this. I'll play it by ear."

"Well, whatever that ear says," he said, pointing at me, "make sure you don't scare Riley off. We like her. She's good for both of you."

"I know that," I said. "Stop giving me shit." I had no idea what had gotten into him.

After he left, I fell asleep right away.