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“Thank you,” he said tightly before he turned slightly and he called out. “Christian! Come here please.”
It was only a second later when I could hear the sound of a door opening followed by the sound of little feet on the floor. My heart shot up through my throat at the sight of the little boy. He could have been Jeremy’s twin. Holy fuck.
They both had light brown hair. They both had blue eyes. They both had the same cheekbones and facial structure. The only difference, his eyes were shaped a bit differently, and I suspected they matched his own mother. Just like Jeremy’s eyes matched mine. If you put these kids side by side and ran a facial recognition program, you would easily get a ninety percent match.
Fuck, there was no way in hell Liam wasn’t going to be able to figure out Jeremy was his. Sure, some kids looked alike, especially at a younger age like this, but come on. This was a terrible idea.
“Christian, this is Jasmine and her son Jeremy,” he made the introduction as if we were business colleges.
“Hi Christian. It’s nice to meet you,” I said as I took the boy in more.
He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. They were both ironed, and they looked very clean for a little boy. Jeremy was still wearing his pajamas from last night. He looked very disheveled compared to Christian.
“It is nice to meet you,” Christian said in a very proper voice as he held his little hand out to me.
I took his hand in mine, and it felt like I was in another world over here. He was so polite and proper. He was only three, he should be running around and having fun.
“Jeremy, do you want to say hi?” I asked as I turned to look at my own son who was still hiding behind me.
“Hi,” he said softly, and I knew it was going to take some time to get him comfortable enough to come out of his shell.
“Christian, why don’t you take Jeremy up to your room and show him around?” Liam suggested, but based on the tone to his voice it wasn’t a subtle suggestion. Apparently, easing them into each other wasn’t his style.
“Yes Daddy,” Christian said, but he didn’t seem too happy about the idea either. Great, we were off to a terrible start.
I felt Jeremy’s hand within mine tighten. He didn’t want to go anywhere, but I knew he needed to get used to being around Christian. I also needed to speak with Liam about what schedule he had Christian on and what being a nanny would look like for him. I bent down so I was eye level with my son.
“Can you go upstairs and see Christian’s room for me? I need to speak with Liam, and afterwards, we can check out your new room.”
I knew some people would say bargaining with your child wasn’t how you parent, but I didn’t like ignoring what he felt. He was only three sure, but he was also a person, and he had the right to feel whatever he needed to feel.
“Okay Mommy,” he gave in, and I gave him a warm smile.
“I’ll be up real soon,” I promised.
He reluctantly let go of my hand and followed behind Christian over to the stairs, and I watched as he disappeared from my view. I turned my attention to Liam and the look on his face stayed the same. Stoney. He didn’t seem happy to have me here which was weird considering he invited me to be here. All of this was his idea.
“I wrote Christian’s schedule down for you to follow,” he started as he made his way towards the kitchen.
I followed after him, and I was hoping the schedule wouldn’t be too bad. He grabbed the piece of paper on the island, and he handed it to me. I couldn’t help my eyes from bulging out at the sight of it. Holy fuck, this was insane. It was like every minute of his day was planned out. From six thirty in the morning until seven o’clock at night, Christian’s day was planned out. What time he ate, what he normally ate, what time he napped, bath time, snack times, and what he can have. It was nuts.
Don’t get me wrong, I had no problem with a schedule and sure Jeremy had a schedule, but it was loose. God, if this was what Liam was like. If this house was always to look like this. If Christian was always dressed in clothes that looked like he was going to church. There was no way I would be able to live like this. To co-parent with someone this anal and controlling, I dodged a massive bullet.
Liam
“Imakesurehesticks with that schedule, and I expect for you to do the same,” I informed her.
I knew to an outsider it would look strict. However, having Christian on a set schedule was the only way I could ensure he was looked after properly for when I wasn’t around. It was mostly to ensure my parents wouldn’t do something that I didn’t approve of. As long as they have a schedule, they stick with it, and I don’t have to worry about what Christian was eating or if he was sleeping enough.
“I will make sure to stick with it,” she said with a tight smile, and I knew she wasn’t impressed by the schedule, but that was too bad. I was paying her to do a job, and I wasn’t going to compromise because we slept together one night.
Before I could get another word out, my phone was ringing. I reached into my pocket to pull it out and saw that it was Janice, my secretary. She was more like a personal secretary because she took the calls even when she wasn’t in the office. She was a Godsend, because I would not be able to get anything done during the day or weekends if I had to field calls all day or have to listen to voicemails come Monday morning.
“Yes Janice?” I answered.
I held no interest in making small talk or pleasantries at the moment. She would be more than used to it by now, and she never took it personally.
“I received an urgent call from Don Peters. He says it’s vital that you meet with him today. He will be coming to your office within the hour.”
