Six months later

Zoe was sitting in front of me with her legs crossed on the floor. I had a bunch of her hair in my hands that I was brushing with one hand and holding in place with the other. Zoe, the big reader, was reading a book silently in front of me, holding still.

“Your mommy’s going to pick you up from school tonight, okay? You’re staying with her. She doesn’t have a shift tonight,” I said, looping the hairband around her ponytail now. She had the same slick dark hair as her mother that shone the more I brushed it.

Zoe whipped around when I was done. “Oh? What are you doing tonight, Aunty Lily?” she asked, in her most grown up voice.

“I’m busy,” I said, a smile forming on the sides of my mouth.

“You have a date with Casper!” she accused me playfully, and I stood up. My new apartment was three times the size of my previous student one, and I still wasn’t used to it. There was too much room here now, and I was hoping that Marla and Zoe might move in with me soon. Marla kept ignoring the idea. She was convinced for some strange reason that she would be invading my privacy if they moved in. As though Zoe didn’t spend enough time with me already!

The truth was that I was still a little scared. Still a little afraid of where my relationship with Casper was going. I hoped that if Marla and Zoe moved in with me, I would be less tempted to move in with him. He had suggested it a few times, dropped a few hints, and when I kept ignoring them, he simply bought me this apartment on the pretext of company accommodation. So, I had to accept.

Zoe followed me around the house now as I started packing her lunch box.

“Aunty Lily! You have a date with Casper?” Zoe was excited.

I smiled at her and tipped my head in her direction.

Zoe and Casper had hit it off the moment they met, although I was still careful to make sure that they didn’t meet very often. He had met her two or maybe three times already and Marla only once. But he was always sure to bring presents and give her all the attention a young girl craves. The result was that Zoe couldn’t stop talking about him and was excited every time she sensed that I was going to see him.

The truth was that I was afraid of my feelings for Casper and the hold he had on me, which only grew stronger as time passed. I was afraid of him hurting me. I couldn’t admit how attached I was to him. I couldn’t bring myself to trust him. We were in a no-labels relationship, and even though he wanted me to move in with him, I was still holding back. I still wasn’t sure.

“Okay, we have to go now. I’ll be late for work, and you’ll miss your bus,” I said, picking up Zoe’s bag from next to the door. She came bounding toward me, and together we took the elevator down to the ground floor. I had my own car now, one of my many company perks.

“Did you and Casper save those trees yet?” Zoe asked, as we made our way to my shiny new car. I had told her about the forest in Nevada where Argent Energy was about to build a base. I was the consultant environmentalist on the project, trying to come up with a plan to best work on the contract and not destroy any of the natural habitat and cause minimal damage to the environment. I had been working on it for the past four months as my first major single-handed project.

“It’s still going on, Zoe. There’s a lot of work to do,” I said to her, as we put on our seatbelts.

“I’m sure you will both be able to do it. Casper can do anything.” Zoe was beaming, smiling as she thought about her superhero. I only smiled at her. She was right, though. When I expected resistance from him, he had allowed me to do my work in peace. With no interference. This job was more rewarding than I had anticipated.

“When can I see him again?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts. I drew in a deep breath. I wasn’t ready yet. I still had a nagging feeling that I needed to give this relationship some more time before I completely let him into my life. Before I allowed him to become a part of Marla and Zoe’s lives.

“Soon, baby. Maybe in a couple of weeks. We could go for dinner,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road.

Zoe sighed, clearly not satisfied with that answer, and she fell into contemplative silence.

“I like Casper, Aunty Lily. You should like him, too,” she said, and I burst out laughing.

“Of course, I like him,” I said, shaking my head at her.

“Is he your boyfriend?” she was quick to ask, and I rolled my eyes.

“Now, Zoe, sweetheart, you know that’s a personal question, and what have we discussed about boundaries?” I said, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The truth was that I didn’t know if he was my boyfriend. I knew he was my boss and we slept together, and he’d bought me an apartment and a car and showered me with gifts. But was I his girlfriend? Casper Argent was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. He wasn’t the kind of guy who had girlfriends. He took lovers. And he had taken me. Expecting anything more from him would be foolishness, and I would have nobody else to blame but me for the heartache to follow.