The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 17

Aveline

I dared to look up at his face properly for the first time, and immediately regretted it.

Orion Blackwell was even more devastating in person than he'd been in that hotel room. Dark hair perfectly styled but with just enough texture to suggest you could run your fingers through it. Strong jaw that was clean-shaven, showing off the sharp angles of his bone structure. And his eyes—God, his eyes were this incredible dark brown that seemed to see right through you.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored business suit that did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that underneath was the same body I'd explored in intimate detail. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and I could see just enough of his forearms where his sleeves were rolled up to remember exactly how strong those arms had felt.

The guilt hit me like a sledgehammer.

This gorgeous, successful man was standing here thanking me for helping his son, and all I could think about was how he'd felt beneath me when he was too drunk to consent. What kind of monster was I?

"You look a bit pale," Orion said, studying my face with concern. "Are you feeling alright? You seem... unsteady."

"She spit out her tea!" Ryan piped up helpfully, bouncing up beside us. "Right when she saw your picture, Daddy! She went 'pffft' and sprayed it everywhere! It was really funny!"

I wanted to disappear into the marble floor.

"The tea didn't agree with me," I said weakly. "Definitely feeling a bit off."

Orion's expression grew more concerned, and he stepped slightly closer, which was absolutely the last thing I needed when I was already having inappropriate physical reactions to his proximity.

"Perhaps you should sit down for a moment," he suggested. "Mitchell could bring you some water?"

"No! I mean, thank you, but I really do need to leave." I was backing toward the door again, desperate to put some distance between us. "Actually, Ryan, I was thinking—maybe tomorrow we could meet at Arlington Academy instead? You could spend the day there with the other children. I'm sure they miss you."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop about ten degrees. Orion's expression shifted from concerned to something much cooler and more calculating.

"The academy," he repeated, his voice carefully neutral. "I thought we'd agreed on in-home sessions."

Shit. I could see the suspicion forming in his eyes. He was probably wondering why his son's miracle worker was suddenly trying to avoid coming to the house.

The tension in the room was building when Ryan suddenly piped up, his response coming out in a rush like he'd surprised himself. "Okay!"

But then his face fell slightly, and he fidgeted with his hands. "I mean... I know the kids there don't really like me much," he said quietly, almost to himself. "They think I'm weird because I don't talk to them."

My heart clenched at his vulnerable honesty. I knelt down to his eye level, my voice gentle. "Ryan, I believe they're going to love you just as much as I do. You're funny and smart and kind—who wouldn't want to be your friend?"

He looked up at me with those serious dark eyes, then seemed to draw strength from somewhere deep inside. "Okay!" he said again, this time with more conviction.

The look of pure shock that crossed Orion's face would have been funny if I wasn't dying of mortification. Clearly, Ryan had never shown any interest in attending regular school before.

"You... want to go to school?" Orion asked his son, as if Ryan had just announced he wanted to become an astronaut.

"If Miss Aveline will be there, yes!" Ryan said firmly. "I'll do anything for Miss Aveline!"

I felt something warm and guilt-inducing flutter in my chest at his innocent devotion.

Orion looked between Ryan and me, clearly trying to process this unexpected development. "Well," he said slowly, "if that's what you want, Ryan, then of course. I'll have the driver take you first thing in the morning."

"No." The word came out sharper than I'd intended, driven by a sudden flash of irritation at his casual dismissal of parenting duties. "I mean, if you're going to send Ryan to school, you should take him yourself. How often do you actually spend time with your son, Mr. Blackwell?"

The words hung in the air between us, and I saw something flicker across his face—surprise, maybe even a little shame.

Orion looked taken aback, and stepped closer, lowering his voice to an embarrassed whisper. "I... well, to be honest, I'm worried he might not enjoy being alone with me for that long. It might be awkward, you understand? We don't really have much... practice at spending time together, just the two of us."

The vulnerability in his admission caught me off guard. I leaned closer, whispering back with a gentle smile, "I think if Ryan can find the courage to make such a big change, maybe his father can find the courage to do the same."

Orion looked down at Ryan, who was watching our quiet conversation with curious eyes, then back at me. Something shifted in his expression—determination replacing uncertainty.

"You're right," he said aloud, turning to his son. "Ryan, would you like me to take you to school tomorrow? Just you and me?"

Ryan tilted his head, trying to look nonchalant but unable to hide the spark of excitement in his dark eyes. "Just you and me? No Mitchell, no driver?"

"Just you and me," Orion confirmed.

Ryan let out a small sigh, as if this was a great inconvenience. "Well... I guess that would be okay." He paused, then added with exaggerated resignation, "If you really want to."

But the smile that broke across his face completely betrayed his feigned reluctance, and the smile that crossed Orion's face in response was so genuine and warm that it made my chest ache.

God, this man loved his child. Really, truly loved him. And I had—

"Wonderful!" I said brightly, desperate to escape before I started crying from guilt. "Nine o'clock sharp, Arlington Academy. I'll see you both then!"