Page 48 of Backup Plan

Dolores apparently understood the assignment.

Two loft beds sit in my office now, one with a shark comforter and sheets and the other with dinosaurs.

Instead of desks beneath the beds, there are little play stations. One station is a gaming zone with a small television hung under it and two kid-sized chairs pointed at it with a Nintendo Switch and several game options. The other is a reading nook with bean bag chairs, a bookshelf, and cushions. I can guess which will get more use. There are also curtains hung along the bottom of the loft so the boys can pull them down and feel like they’re in a fort. In the center of the room is a huge car track rug, and there are bins already filled with toy cars and action figures.

All in all, Dolores killed it.

“Mom, can we, can we, can we?” Sammy shouts as he picks up one of the Switch remotes.

“Go for it, boys,” she says. She looks at me and lowers her voice. “You’re spoiling my boys.”

“And you,” I say, already knowing without even looking that Dolores somehow transformed the guest room for Penny. “They’re going through a hard time, too. Might as well give them some joy. Shall we take a look at your room?”

She raises a brow. The boys can’t hear us over their heated discussion for which game they should play first, but she keeps her voice low and just for me anyway. “I’m not staying with you?”

I chuckle, knowing she’s just joking around. “Any weekend they’re at your ex’s.”

Her lips tip up. “Looking forward to it.”

So am I.

We walk to the room next door, and I peek in before she does.

Jesus, Dolores is getting a raise.

The bed is made with luxury hotel comfort, from the extra pillows to the soft blankets to the plush towels folded in a little basket toward the foot of the bed. Fresh flowers sit on the bedside table along with a small selection of books, and a new recliner rocking chair is in the corner with a table beside it that has an assortment of candles on it with another blanket draped over the chair.

It even smells good in here. A soft, sweet scent. Vanilla, maybe. The whole room gives off a relaxing, indulgent, sexy vibe. It very nearly makes me want to take this room and give her mine, but I’m guessing the boys will want her close.

As fun as their room—and their new playroom, which I didn’t even ask for—is here in my home, it’s still not their home. It’s a transition, and we can make it as fun as we want…but they’re still going through something that will leave them emotionally scarred. If I can help ease that transition, well, I suppose I’m happy to do it.

She looks over at me, and she closes the gap separating us until she’s close enough to press her lips to mine. “Thank you for this, Liam. It’s incredible, and you didn’t have to do any of it.”

I run my knuckles along her jawline. “You deserve to be pampered. And to be fair, I just issued the instructions. Dolores somehow executed to perfection.”

“She did.” She loops her arms around my neck, and I hug her back. “Thank you for everything.”

I lean down and breathe her in, and then I pull back. Her kids are right in the next room, and no matter how much I want it, I need to give her space. I’m sure she’s not ready for the kids to know there’s sort of something more than friendship between us, any more than either of us are in any position to label what it is.

“Can I get you a drink?” I ask, and she nods.

We peek in on the boys, who are in a mad game of Mario Kart, and then we head toward my kitchen.

“The climbing wall is actually amazing. Think it can hold my weight?” she asks, and I laugh as I nod at it.

“Be my guest.”

She walks over and climbs a few levels until her head is about to bump the ceiling, laughing the entire time before she climbs back down.

It’s fun and carefree and hot as hell.

I peer into the fridge, not really sure what sort of drink she wants.

“If there’s any food or drinks you want stocked, just make a list and I can get it ordered,” I say.

“The boys like a cup of milk before bed. Do you have milk?”

I nod.