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Konstantin shook the younger man’s hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a great deal about you as well.”
Jerome Leeds smiled. “We aren’t supposed to have favorites, but I have enjoyed teaching Mikhail very much.”
“He likes Mom too. Lots,” Mikhail said guilelessly.
Stiffening, Konstantin gave the teacher a look meant to intimidate and wasn’t even a little ashamed to do it. “Is that right?”
“Yep. I think he wanted to date her, but Mom doesn’t date.” Mikhail frowned.
Konstantin didn’t like the idea that his son might be disappointed Emma had refused to date the other man.
“I’m sure she had her reasons,” Konstantin told his son. “Are you ready to go?”
Mikhail’s sweet little-boy face lit up. “Yes! Where are we going?”
“Nowhere until you call your mother and check in with her.”
“Oh, right.” Mikhail turned back to his teacher. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Leeds.”
The man, who was now showing every evidence of embarrassment, nodded. “See you tomorrow, Mikhail.”
“I’ll tell Mom hi for you like you always ask.”
Mr. Leeds gave Konstantin a defiant stare and said, “You do that, Mikhail.”
Konstantin took out his phone, dialed Emma’s number and handed the instrument to his son.
He waited until Mikhail was engaged with his mother before saying to the teacher still standing there, “You are aware that the mother of my son is no longer available for dating.” Though from what Mikhail said, she’d never made time for it.
Konstantin hadn’t dated either, but he hadn’t been celibate the last five years and suddenly, he regretted that. He didn’t know why. He’d been single. He’d never regretted having casual sex on Nataliya’s behalf.
Their contract had spelled out very clearly that until a formal betrothal announcement was made there were no personal obligations between Lady Nataliya and any of the Princes of the House of Merikov. Konstantin’s father, King at the time, had signed on behalf of their house and the contract did not stipulate Konstantin personally.
Though both families had expected him and Nataliya to marry one day, it had been an unwritten obligation and one that did not carry with it the burden of fidelity to a relationship that did not exist.
Regardless, now he wished he’d handled a lot of things differently the past five years, not least of which was cutting himself off completely from Emma.
“Does she know that?” the preschool teacher asked. “Only a man who wasn’t there for the first few years of his son’s life isn’t a great bet and I’m sure she knows that.”
“That is none of your business.” Konstantin knew he was a good bet and Emma would come to learn that as well.
That was all that mattered.
Jerome Leeds frowned. “I care about Mikhail.”
“And I am glad to hear that. He deserves to have the people in his life care about him,” Konstantin said honestly. “But he and Emma are my family. As long as you understand that, we will have no trouble between us.”
The threat was there and Konstantin did nothing to soften it.
“Just don’t hurt her again,” the teacher had the temerity to instruct him. “She’s a special person and I think you must be the reason she was so closed off to dating. She deserves to have the people in her life care about her too.”
The younger man was speaking about things that he had no right to even mention, but Konstantin did not disagree with what he said. So, he chose not to take umbrage.
“She does.” Konstantin smiled at his son as the young boy finished talking to his mother. “As I said, they are both my family and I will watch out for them now.”
“That’s good to know, Mr. Merikov.”
Konstantin didn’t correct the other man’s address. He rarely felt the need to point out his royal status. He knew who he was. Random strangers, or even his son’s teacher who would be in that capacity for only the next few weeks, did not need to.
