At The Millionaire's Request

M.J. grinned back. “I’m shocked and appalled.”

“Don’t tell your aunt.”

“Our little secret.”

“So, what’s he like?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say he was a hottie, but M.J. held back. He definitely was that. And so much more.

“You met him,” M.J. said, not trusting herself to talk about the brooding intense man.

“I remember. He’s not the kind of man a woman could forget. Not even an old one,” she said with a grin.

M.J. understood all too well. “He’s certainly a concerned father.”

She admitted that concern, although she’d been infuriated by his insinuation that she was dragging out the therapy for personal gain. He’d told her he didn’t trust anyone, but she was only beginning to realize how deeply ingrained the mind-set was. Whatever happened to him must have been bad for him to still be so wary. He’d admitted Sean’s mother was the guilty party. And she knew the woman wasn’t involved in her child’s life. That was just wrong.

M.J. would give anything to have Brian here with her. The familiar pain took its place in her chest and she wondered how a mother could abandon her child.

How could a woman abandon Gavin?

The thought came out of nowhere and she shook her head, as if that would clear away the feeling. If she couldn’t get rid of it, she’d be forced to admit she was attracted to the man. It was a complication she didn’t need.

“What’s his house like?”

“Big. Beautiful. Overlooking the ocean. It’s a dream house. Like you’d expect a millionaire to have.”

Evelyn thought about that. “I’ll bet it doesn’t have the same character as this place and all the tradition of several generations.”

“That’s true.” Her stomach knotted. “He has a mansion, but it’s a house, not a home.”

And Sean was being raised by staff, not family.

True, Gavin was a working father. He had financial resources. But all the money in the world didn’t replace a mother’s love. The question was why Sean’s mother was out of the picture. Was it by choice or had Gavin “fired” her because she didn’t meet his expectations?

He was a demanding man and that concerned her for Sean’s sake.

She’d seen the way the boy looked at his father, as if the sun rose and set on him. She’d also seen Gavin rush in or not show up at all while she was there. He worked long hours and she could understand that. But was it by chance or by choice? Was he paying the staff to parent and her to put the boy back together?

Children wanted to please their parents. Even the antisocial teens she taught wanted approval whether they admitted it or not. M.J. couldn’t help feeling that Sean would progress faster if his father got involved with the therapy. That would mean spending more time with Gavin, as if her life wasn’t already complicated enough.

After six weeks, three sessions a week, M.J. wasn’t having much luck in distancing her emotions from Sean Spencer. They were on the floor in the family room as she looked at his easy smile and dark eyes. She smiled back and a little more ice melted from around her heart. If she weren’t so tired…