The Daddy Wish

She wasn’t without sympathy. She could only imagine how painful it was for an almost-nine-year-old boy to sit around while his younger sisters were involved in their own activities.

“Take your 3DS,” she suggested, expecting him to jump at the offer.

“We’re not s’posed to have ’lectronics at school,” he told her.

She held back a sigh as she zipped up his lunch box and slid it into the front pocket of his backpack, double-checking to ensure that his rescue inhaler was where it was supposed to be. “Keep it in your locker.”

He shoved more Fruity O’s into his mouth, but he chewed and swallowed before speaking again. “Where’s St. Louis, anyway?”

She opened the atlas she kept on hand to assist with his geography homework and pointed out Missouri. “Right there.”

He studied the map. “It’s a lot farther than Washington.”

She knew he meant Washington, DC, which they’d visited the previous summer. “Yes, it is,” she confirmed.

“Why do you hafta go there?”

“It’s a business trip,” she said, trying not to sound impatient as she glanced—again—at the clock.

“When are you gonna be home?”

“Tonight,” she said. “And I’ll pick you up straight from the airport.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

He pushed back his chair and started to carry his empty bowl and juice cup to the dishwasher. She was trying to teach him to pick up after himself—an uphill battle, to be sure—but she decided that today wasn’t a day for lessons. Not if she wanted to get Dylan to school and herself to the airport on time.

“I’ll do that.” She took the dishes from him. “You go brush your teeth and get dressed.”

Thankfully, he didn’t drag his heels too much while doing so, and they were only three minutes behind schedule when they walked out the door. If the traffic lights cooperated, she might be able to make up that time on the way. But before Dylan climbed into the backseat of her car, she took the time to give him a hug and a kiss, because she knew he wouldn’t accept any outward displays of affection when she dropped him off in front of the school.

He didn’t say too much on the drive, and she knew that his mind was already shifting its focus to the day ahead. She was pleased that he did well in school, and frustrated by the realization that his success hadn’t led to enjoyment. She thought he might like it more—or at least hate it less—if he made some friends, but he didn’t choose to interact with many of the other students, except if the teacher forced them to work in groups, and even then, he didn’t say much as he quietly did the work that was assigned.

She pulled up in front of the school as the bell rang and watched as he walked up the front steps to the main doors. It seemed like only yesterday that he’d refused to let go of her hand on his first day in kindergarten. The years had gone so fast, and so much had changed since then. Now he was in third grade, and she was lucky if he bothered to wave goodbye when she dropped him off.

He did today, lifting his hand as he glanced over his shoulder before he pulled open the door and disappeared inside, and the casual gesture tugged at her heart.

Then she pulled away from the school and turned toward the airport.

* * *

The acting CFO was already at the gate when Allison arrived.

Nate offered her a smile and a large coffee. “Cream only.”

She didn’t ask how he knew, she just accepted it gratefully. “Thanks.”

As she sipped her coffee, she tried to focus on what she’d told her son—that this was a business trip, not unlike so many other business trips she’d made with John Garrett in the past. Except that this time she was traveling with her boss’s nephew, and the memory of that one stolen kiss was still far too vivid in her mind.

When they boarded the plane, she was grateful that flying business class meant they wouldn’t be sitting as close together as they would if they were in coach. Although Nathan didn’t have the same girth across his belly as his uncle, he was a couple inches taller, his shoulders were broader and his legs were longer.

He paused at the aisle to let her precede him.

“You don’t want the window seat?”

“No, I like the aisle.”

“Oh. Okay.” She slipped past him and into her seat.

He settled beside her and buckled his belt.

His choice of aisle over window wasn’t a big deal, except that she couldn’t help feeling as if she was trapped between the wall and Nate’s body. Nate’s long, lean and delicious-smelling body.

She tried to ignore his proximity, but every time she drew in a breath, she inhaled his scent and felt a little quiver low in her belly.

Seriously, the man was dangerous to her peace of mind.

While everyone else was boarding, she kept her attention focused on her tablet, checking her calendar for the dates and times of meetings in the next couple of weeks. Nate, she noted, was reading a newspaper, but he tucked it away when the flight attendant began to review the safety procedures of the aircraft.

Most of the passengers in business class were frequent fliers who probably knew the spiel as well as the staff, and she didn’t doubt that he was one of them, but he gave the flight attendant his attention anyway. Or maybe it had nothing to do with the safety procedures and everything to do with her big...smile.

When the presentation was finished, he turned to Allison. “Are we being picked up at the airport?”

She shook her head. “John always preferred to have a rental car rather than be at the mercy of someone else’s schedule. I didn’t think to ask what arrangements you wanted made.”

“I would have told you to make the usual arrangements,” he said, and smiled.

And damn if that smile didn’t make her toes want to curl.

In an effort to refocus her thoughts, she said, “Did you want to review any of your uncle’s notes before the meeting?”

“I did that last night.”

“Do you have any questions?”

He shifted in his seat, so that he was facing her more fully. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Okay.”

“Why are you pretending that nothing happened at the Christmas party?”

She felt color climb up her neck and into her cheeks. So much for her determination to stay focused on business. “I meant—do you have any questions about the meeting?”

“No,” he said. “But I want to know why you’re pretending the kiss we shared never happened.”

Since he obviously wasn’t going to let her ignore his question, she decided to answer it succinctly and dismissively. “Not making a big deal out of it isn’t the same as pretending it never happened.”