Tiraz swallowed the mouthful of egg he’d just bitten into. “I’m not rushing you out of here, Violet. The two of you are welcome here until something definite can be decided. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want you here.”
“You haven’t made me feel unwanted,” she rushed to assure him. “I just…like
standing on my own two feet.”
“What kind of work do you usually do? Maybe I can be of some help. I’m
friendly with quite a few businesses around town.”
“Any type of office work would be nice, but I’m not that great with bookkeeping.
I’m more into filing, typing, and managing schedules. Like an office assistant or secretarial type of job.”
“I’ll speak to a few people and see if anyone is hiring. But even if you get a job, you should still stay at least a month or two and save so you aren’t struggling.”
And if he had anything to say about it, before she was ready to move out, he’d have convinced her to become his mate. He’d seen interest in her gaze before so he didn’t think he’d have to try too hard to get her to agree, but women could be unpredictable, or so he’d discovered since coming to Earth. He finished his breakfast and his coffee and hurried to get changed so he could take Simon to school. The trick would be convincing Violet to stay home so he could get a little shopping done for Valentine’s Day.
He pulled on his favorite jeans then grabbed a pinstripe button down out of his closet. He tugged a black wool sweater over it then put on his socks and boots. In the bathroom, he rubbed a little gel between his hands and tried to tame the spiky mess that was standing up all over his head. His particular race never needed to shave, for which he was eternally grateful. After adding a splash of cologne, he snatched his wallet and keys from the dresser and went back to the little family waiting for him.
“I can take Simon today, if you’d like to rest around here,” he said, hoping she’d agree.
Violet smiled. “That’s so sweet of you, but I really want to go with him today. I thought we could park and help him carry his favors and cards to his classroom.”
“I’m not sure who’s more excited about his party. Him or you.”
“Probably him.” Violet laughed. “But I have to admit, I’m pretty excited too.
He’s never been able to participate in a class party. He even missed the Christmas gift exchange because I knew I couldn’t afford anything. I’ve been a pretty rotten mom.”
Simon wrapped his arms around her legs. “No, you haven’t. You’re the best
mom ever.”
He watched tears gather in her eyes and knew Simon’s words were exactly what she’d needed to hear. Tiraz might not have known them long, but he had to agree with Simon’s assessment. Violet did everything for her son. She lived and breathed for him.
No decision was ever made without him in mind, even when she’d gone a date with Zarin. She’d done it in an effort to find Simon a father. Tiraz wasn’t even sure if she liked Zarin, or if she’d just gone out with him because she’d thought Simon liked him.
“Well, if Simon is going to be on time, we’d better head out,” Tiraz said.
Simon put on his jacket and grabbed his backpack before rushing to the door, leaving Violet to pick up the sacks of goodies. Tiraz offered to take them, but she shook her head and hurried out the door. He locked up and found them waiting in the elevator.
The car ride to the school was uneventful, but parking was something of a
nightmare. It seemed half the school’s parents decided to walk their children to class today. Once Tiraz found a place to park, what seemed like miles from the school, he took the bags from Violet so she could hold Simon’s hand. They checked in at the front office and made their way to his classroom, with plenty of kids pointing and whispering as they passed. A glance at Simon showed the kid looked proud as hell, and Tiraz wondered why.
Simon’s classroom was decorated for Valentine’s Day and kids were already
inside. The teacher hurried over to greet them, a smile on her face.
“You must be Tiraz,” she said, holding out her hand.
Tiraz transferred the bags to one hand so he could shake hers. “Yes, I am, but how did you know that?”
“Oh, Simon has talked about you non-stop. He said you’re going to marry his
mother. I must say, he’s been quite excited about getting a new dad.”
Violet gasped, but Tiraz jumped in before she could say anything.
“Simon is a great kid,” Tiraz said. “Any male would be lucky to call him their son. We’ve brought some goodies for the class. I know they were supposed to be turned in yesterday, but we decided to make our own goodie bags for the class last night.”
“Oh, the kids will love getting more than one goodie bag! Another parent had the same idea and brought hers in this morning too.”
Violet bent down to kiss Simon on the cheek and Tiraz gave him a hug before
handing the sacks to the teacher and backing out of the classroom. Once Simon was happily chatting with his friends, he escorted Violet out of the building, his hand at her waist all the way to the car.
“I’m so sorry!” she said. “I had no idea Simon was saying such things. I’ll be sure to talk to him tonight.”
“He called me daddy at the zoo.”
Her eyes widened. “Tiraz, I…”
He placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t apologize for him. Having him call me daddy was the greatest feeling in the world. I know I said that I would help you find a suitable mate, but I’d like you to at least consider me.”
“But at the dating agency, you said that you didn’t want to get married.”
“And I didn’t.” Tiraz grinned. “And then Simon and you barreled into my life.
The more time I spend with the two of you, the more I don’t want you to go. I didn’t like the idea of you going on a date with Zarin, but I was the one who set it up so I couldn’t very well tell you not to go. As Simon and I walked through the zoo, I realized what was missing in my life was right under my nose. You, Violet. Simon and you are what’s missing in my life.”
“Tiraz, I…Are you sure you don’t just want a family and any family will do?”
“I love how sweet and funny Simon is, and how absolutely adorable he is when he concentrates really hard on something. I love your cooking; it’s like you cook from the heart; all of your joy is put into whatever meal you’re creating. I love the way you laugh and it lights up your eyes, and the little crease between your brows when you’re worried.”
Tears gathered in her eyes and she nodded. “All right, Tiraz. Why don’t we see where the road takes us? We’ll go out tonight as planned, and maybe we can have another date soon. I know I see you every day, but other than the few short hours Simon is in school, we aren’t alone to get to know one another better.”
“Dates are important.” He smiled. “Thank you for letting me date you, Violet.”
She smiled and her cheeks flushed.
He held the car door open for her and then closed it after she’d fastened her seatbelt. As he slid behind the wheel, he realized that he’d just had a major win. She hadn’t agreed to become his mate, but she’d agreed that they could pursue a
relationship, and that was more than he’d had when he got out of bed this morning.
“I had planned to do a little shopping today. Would you mind if we stopped by the mall?”
“I don’t think the stores open for another hour.”
“What about coffee? Want to go get a cup of coffee while we wait on the mall to open? Or would you prefer to go back home?”
“A coffee date?” she asked.
“If you want to look at it that way.” He smiled. “I don’t have a problem calling it a date.”
“In that case, I want a peanut butter fudge brownie too, which means you have to go to Espress Yourself.”
Tiraz nodded. “I know the place.”
He smiled a little. He more than just knew the place. His brother owned it, along with two more just like it in other surrounding towns. Gryf had been fascinated with coffee since his first swallow of the dark brew, and once he’d learned how things worked on Earth, he’d decided to start his own business. Of course, he hired humans to manage the locations and had a fully human staff. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t hire an alien if they applied, but most races that had settled on Earth considered themselves too good to brew a cup of coffee for a paycheck.
Instead of pulling around back and parking in his usual place, he took a spot by the door. Ushering Violet inside, they were able to walk right up to the counter and place their order. He smiled at her rather complicated drink. Skinny, vanilla, half-caf latte. He just ordered black coffee, the strongest they had.
“That can’t be good for you,” Violet said as they waited for their drinks.
“And that frou-frou thing you ordered is?”
She narrowed her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with my drink order.”
Tiraz laughed. “I like to keep things simple, but I’mhappy you ordered
something you’ll enjoy. I’m sorry I only have black coffee at home for you.”
“I’ve been putting a little milk and sugar in it.”
“But that’s not the way you usually drink it, is it?”
She shook her head. “I like flavored creamer. I tend to rotate between three different ones. I can just pick some up when we go to the store. We should probably plan on doing that tomorrow.”
“You should have said something sooner. I’d have been happy to take you to the store on the way home from dropping Simon off any morning this week.”
“It’s fine.” She shrugged. “I don’t have to have it; I just like it.”
Their order was called and Tiraz picked it up and carried it over to their table.
He set her drink and the paper sack with her brownie down in front of her and reclaimed his seat with his black coffee. He watched as she closed her eyes and smiled as she took a bite of her treat, and he wanted to put that look on her face in a more intimate setting. Would she let him kiss her tonight?
Violet was different from anyone he’d been with before. He wasn’t in it just to get her into bed; he wanted to be by her side for the long haul. She probably tasted like ripe strawberries or something equally sweet. And if she made faces like that when she was under him, then he’d know he was doing something right.
Violet polished off her brownie and took a long swallow of her latte before
licking her lips. She was killing him and she didn’t even know it. He’d never met a woman so sensual, especially one who didn’t realize the power she wielded. The women he usually dated were seductive, but they were also deceitful. They’d do anything to land the position of his wife, and here he was willing to give it to Violet and she wanted time to think it over.
Of course, they hadn’t discussed his considerable wealth or the benefits of being his wife. Perhaps if she knew what he could offer her, could offer Simon, then maybe she wouldn’t drag things out quite so long. Not that he didn’t want to date her. He looked forward to their outings, but he’d be just as happy, if not happier, going out with her as his wife.
“Do you really think you can help me find a job?” she asked.
“I can’t make any promises, but it’s no trouble for me to make a few phone calls and see if anything pops up. If things go well with us, if you decide to become my mate, would you still want to work?”
She tipped her head to the side as she thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think I would want to work full-time because I miss so much with Simon when I’m working, but working a few hours a day might be nice. It would get me out of the house and give me some spending money.”
He toyed with his coffee cup. “You know, we’ve never discussed my financial
situation, and if you’re even considering becoming mine, you should probably know my net worth. You’ve seen the penthouse and the car, and I told you about the jobs I pick up here and there, but what I didn’t tell you was how very well they pay. My job on my world was considered a high ranking position and paid handsomely. The
conversion rate of my money to the dollar was…generous.”
“You don’t have to tell me, Tiraz. I don’t care what you’re worth, not as far as money goes. What I care about is the type of person you are, and I already know you’re honorable and kind. Simon would be lucky to have you as a father, and I’d be lucky to be your wife. But it’s a serious commitment to make, and I just want to make sure I’m not making a mistake.”
He tried to ignore the pinch to his heart when she said being with him might be a mistake. How could she not see how incredible they were together? And all three of them? They made the perfect family. A family he hoped she would like to expand at some point.
“I think the mall is open now, if you’re ready?” he asked.
She nodded and followed him to the car. The mall wasn’t very far away and it only took them about ten minutes to get there. With it being so early, they practically had front door parking. Tiraz took a chance and reached for her hand as they walked through the mall entrance, his fingers curling around hers.
“Was there something in particular you wanted to buy?” she asked as they
neared the mall map.
“It’s a secret.”
She smiled. “How very mysterious. Well, I can just walk the mall and browse for a while. Do you want to meet somewhere at a particular time?”
Tiraz pulled out his wallet and handed her a few hundred dollars. “I want you to go shopping and buy whatever you want, or anything you may need. And don’t even think about not taking the money. I agreed to hire you to cook for me and I have yet to pay you anything, so consider it part of your salary if you won’t accept it any other way.”
She reluctantly took the money from him and looked like she thought it might bite.
“Meet me in the food court whenever you’re finished shopping. It won’t take me long to pick up the things I need, but I want you to take as much time as you need. We have three hours until we have to pick up Simon, so if you want to spend that entire time in the mall, I’m okay with that.”
“It’s too much, Tiraz,” she said softly. “Even if I consider it my salary, I’ve only cooked a few meals for you. Mostly, you’ve taken us out to eat.”
Tiraz took a chance and cupped her cheek, leaning down until he’d captured her gaze. “Let me take care of you, Violet. I know that you’re a strong, independent woman who likes to make her own way in the world, but just this once, let someone help.”