Page 34 of Love Affair in London (Once Again #12)

He wanted to roll his eyes like Liam had, but he was too old for that. “It appears I’m in a bit of a sticky wicket, to use a phrase I’ve heard on British TV.”

“I don’t envy you this one.”

He chuckled at himself. “As you can see, I deftly put off having to deal with it now.” His laugh was self-deprecating.

“Classic parental move—hope the problem will magically solve itself by the time you actually have to do something.” He didn’t think of himself as a bad parent, but some situations defied easy solutions.

She comforted him with a pat on his hand. “If the guy is really that bad, your ex might realize it before you even get home.”

His sigh was as dramatic as his son’s. “I can only hope and pray.” He settled back into the seat, his arm around her shoulders. “What would you do?”

“I’m not a parent, and I’d probably give you the worst advice possible.”

He toyed with her hair, enjoying the silky feel of it between his fingers. “But if I followed your advice and something went wrong, that would be on me, not you.”

She sipped her coffee and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I still wouldn’t want to be responsible for any mishaps.”

“Fair. But let’s make it hypothetical. Imagine you had a couple of kids, and your ex-husband was dating someone they couldn’t stand. What would you do?”

She tilted her head to look at him. “I wouldn’t talk to my ex myself. He’d see it as me sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. And it might even damage our co-parenting relationship, which I’d want to keep solid for the kids’ sake.”

That was definitely his position. “I wouldn’t like Erica butting into my personal life any more than she’d like me doing it to her.”

“Exactly. So, I’d have to deal with my kids. I’d sit them down and say that me interfering in their dad’s life would only make things worse, and we’d need to come up with a strategy together. Treat them like adults, make them part of the solution.”

“Liam would appreciate that.” Jared liked the idea. He liked the feel of her against him, liked her soft voice.

“And I’d involve their sibling, too. Get their perspective. I wasn’t sure if your daughter thinks things are as bad as her brother says. Even if she called the man a dickhead.”

Jared shot out a harsh laugh. “Sorry about that.” But Piper was mirroring his own thoughts—Liam was dramatic, but Scarlett was more grounded.

“If your daughter agrees he’s just as bad,” Piper continued, “then the solution has to be theirs. Ask them how they would handle it.”

She shifted on the bench to face him fully, her expression thoughtful.

“Actually, let’s put me in your ex-wife’s shoes instead.

I’m dating a guy I really like. He seems great to me, but when I’m not around, he’s treating my kids poorly.

If I’m a reasonable person—and I assume your ex is, or you wouldn’t have married her—then I’d want to know. ”

Jared appreciated how she refrained from criticizing Erica. “She’s a good woman.”

“If I were her, I would want to know that this guy was two-faced. And I wouldn’t want my kids exposed to that.”

“You’re saying I actually need to talk to her?”

“No, not at all. If I were her, I’d get mad, confront the kids, and maybe even put them on guard. It could make them feel like they couldn’t tell me the truth.”

He nodded, understanding. Erica wouldn’t mean to, but her anger could spill over unintentionally.

“Ask your kids to be brave and talk to their mom themselves. You could offer to be there if they want, but it’s really between them and her. You don’t have any say in it.”

Her suggestion made sense, but it didn’t sit perfectly with him. “That feels like shirking my responsibility as a parent.”

“I think it’s respecting them and your ex-wife,” she said simply.

He sat with her words. He wanted to solve his kids’ problems, but this wasn’t straightforward. Going to Erica about her douche of a boyfriend might feel like an accusation. If the roles were reversed, he’d probably react defensively, even if he’d try to be open-minded.

She broke into his thoughts. “When I was a teenager, I wanted to be treated like an adult. I know Liam came to you for help, but I think he’d appreciate the chance to handle it himself.”

“You’re right,” he finally said. “Their mom cares about them, and she’ll listen.”

“Exactly. Talk to Liam and Scarlett. Let them vent, then ask them what they want to do. Involve them in the decision-making. And that will lead them to realizing they need to address the issue with their mom.”

He gazed at her, admiring the empathy in her expression. “You’re really quite brilliant.”

She clucked her tongue. “I’m just an accountant.”

“And I’m an engineer. I make the pieces fit together, and that’s exactly what this predicament needs. You’ve given me the blueprint.”

She placed a hand on his chest. “You’d have figured it out on your own. But I’m glad I could help.”

He pulled her close. “Come here. I need to kiss you for that.”

The kiss was sweet, her body warm against his.

When she whispered, “Maybe you should take me back to the room now,” he wanted nothing more than to taste every inch of her.

Piper lay in Jared’s arms, feeling the warmth of his body against hers.

The night had been perfect. She didn’t care that the pub had been so loud her ears were still ringing hours later—or maybe that came from his passionate lovemaking.

And there was the way he’d listened to her opinion.

He hadn’t dismissed her thoughts with, You wouldn’t understand—you’re not a mother.

Roger had never listened. He’d brushed her off, saying things would work themselves out, that she didn’t need to worry about his daughters because he had everything under control, that they’d eventually fall in love with her. The situation had only gotten worse.

But Jared had validated her thoughts.

Maybe that’s all she’d ever needed from Roger.

She snuggled deeper into Jared’s arms, her cheek against his chest. “Thank you.”

His smile came through in his voice. “It was all my pleasure.”

She let him think she was talking about his lovemaking because she needed to sit with the deeper pleasure—his words, his confidences, his validation.

“What’s your plan for tomorrow?” he asked.

She sighed softly, her breath fluttering the soft hairs on his chest. It was terrible to admit, even to herself, that she didn’t want to do anything except lie in bed with him, thinking about him, being with him.

She even wanted to beg him to blow off his conference and spend the day with her. But she wouldn’t say any of that.

“The British Museum,” she said decisively. “I want to see the mummies.”

The vibration of his chuckle shimmied deliciously through her body. “Very ghoulish.”

She bumped him lightly. “Didn’t you mention mummies the other day? Anyway, I love mummies. I’ve watched all the mummy movies, all the way back to Boris Karloff.”

“I thought he was Frankenstein’s monster.”

“He was that too.” Her smile felt like it stretched across her face. He made her smile, made her laugh, made her scream.

“Okay, mummies.” His fingers trailed lazily up and down her arm. “What else do you want to see at the museum?”

“The Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, like you suggested. And the Rosetta Stone.”

“Do they have dinosaurs?” His touch teased her even as they talked of unrelated things.

“Nope. The dinosaur bones are at the Natural History Museum.”

“Ah, but you have to see dinosaur bones too. Liam loves dinosaurs.”

“Then I’ll definitely go see them.” She slid her leg up his, caressed his calf with her toes. “I’ll take pictures for your son.”

“He’d like that.”

He traced warm patterns on her skin. “I’d rather spend the day with you.”

Her heart fluttered as he echoed her thoughts. “I’d rather you spent the day with me too.”

“I would if I could.”

“But you can’t,” she finished for him.

“I’m not sure about dinner tonight either. I might not be done until much later.”

She laid her hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “Whenever you get here is fine.”

He kissed the top of her head, and the tender gesture wrapped around her like a blanket.

She didn’t remember drifting off to sleep, but the next thing she knew, his phone alarm was beeping. He twisted to turn it off, then bent over to kiss her forehead.

She heard him pad into the bathroom, and the sound of the shower filled the room. He’d brought a change of clothes, like she’d suggested.

Fully awake now, she couldn’t resist. Naked, her body warm from the residual heat of their night together, she entered the bathroom. Pushing the shower curtain aside, she climbed into the tub with him.

He was already rinsing shampoo from his hair, but he heard her and turned.

His gaze swept over her before he pulled her into him under the spray.

Doing amazing things to her with his hands, he left her trembling with pleasure.

Then she soaped him up, her fingers gliding over his slick, firm skin, teasing and stroking until he gasped her name.

As they dried off, his eyes were lit with humor and heat. “Now that’s how I like to start the morning.”

She leaned into him for another kiss. “It’s the only way to assure yourself of a good day.”

It was Thursday, and she had three more mornings like this to look forward to.