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Ugh.
Steed.
“Where is the class pet, Ms. Monroe?” Chloe asked. I glanced down at her. Great. This one wasn’t going to let anything get by. Apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
I put my finger to my lips. Leaning down, I whispered, “I forgot to get one, Chloe Cat!”
Her eyes lit up and she tried to hide her giggle. I wasn’t sure why I had started calling her that. I only did it when the other kids couldn’t hear. My biggest fear was showing her more attention simply because she was Steed’s daughter. But knowing her mother never gave her the love she deserved made my heart ache. I wanted to shower her with so much attention that I had to force myself not to. Again, Steed was to blame.
Ugh.
“There’s my mom! Bye, Ms. Monroe!” Timmy called out.
A few parents asked how the first day went, but not all. Some simply wanted their kids and took off.
Chloe had dropped my hand when her new best friend Lilly walked up. I smiled as I watched the two of them giggle as they whispered about something.
“Oh, God. There he is.”
I turned to see one of the moms talking to another mom.
“I saw him drop his daughter off this morning. I heard he’s a widower.”
The other mom gasped. “No!”
“Yes! Check out that body. You can tell he is a Parker brother. Give me one night with him, and I can make him forget his dead wife.”
My eyes widened in shock. What in the world?
“Daddy!” Chloe cried out as she ran to Steed. He lifted her with one arm like she weighed nothing and both of the moms next to me sighed.
“Look how strong he is,” one swooned.
I rolled my eyes.
Steed knelt, pulling out a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handing them to Chloe.
Now I was sighing right along with the two moms. I couldn’t help but smile. That was such a Steed thing to do. He used to bring me flowers all the time for the simplest of things. It always made me feel so special.
Chloe wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. She grabbed Steed’s hand and pulled him over to where Lilly and her mother were standing.
One of the moms next to me grunted, causing me to peek over at them again. “Oh great. Gina Higgins is going to sink her teeth into him.”
The other mom snarled, “Bitch.”
Turning finally, I recognized both of them. “Wow, okay ladies, if I can hear you, the kids can hear you.”
They turned to me, shades of pink covering their cheeks. “Sorry, it’s just, he’s so good looking.”
The other mom wiggled her brows. “All the Parker men are gorgeous. I went to school with Waylynn, their oldest sister. I got to see them all. And damn they were hot as hell, even the younger ones.”
Both moms covered their mouths and laughed.
“Wait.” The one mom said as she faced me. “Oh. My. Gawd! Paxton, you dated Steed!”
The other mom’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Mom! I’m ready to go now!”
The tall mom turned to her son. “Hold on, Jerry. Mommy’s saying goodbye to Paul’s mommy.”
I needed to change the subject and fast. “The first day of class was amazing. You should both be so proud of your sons. Jerry actually pulled Lilly’s chair out for her when she went to sit down.”
Jerry’s mom beamed. “That’s my boy!”
She turned to the other mom. “I’ve got to run. Tell me if Gina sinks her claws in.” Turning back to me, she said, “We need the scoop on you two!”
After the tall mom left, the other mom frowned. “Paxton, I’m sorry we were gossiping like that and I’m sorry I didn’t remember you dated him.”
Clearly this woman knew me and I had no clue what her name was. Damn. I usually had all the kids’ parents memorized by the first day of school. I gave her a polite grin. Turning, I glared at Steed.
His fault. Again.
Glancing over to Paul’s mom, I replied, “It’s okay. You were a couple of years ahead of me, I don’t expect you to remember something that happened so long ago.”
We gave each other small smiles before turning and watching the scene with Steed and Gina. I knew it was wrong, and I never gossiped, especially with parents. But I couldn’t stop the words that flew from my mouth. “So, Lilly’s dad?” I asked.
“Left her. For his boss. They moved to Dallas or something. She’s not from here so she hates it. She’s waiting to sell her house so she can move back to Denver I think?”
“Really?” I asked. “Chloe will be so sad if Lilly moves.”
“Well, if Gina hooks up with Steed Parker, she won’t have to go anywhere. Especially when she finds out he’s the son of the wealthiest man in the county. Hell, probably in the state.”
