A Season for Seduction

NBA star and oil company heir Keylan “KJ” Kingsley is the ultimate player on and off the court. When a midgame scuffle leads to community service, he opts to devote his hours to his family’s cherished foundation. And once he meets no-nonsense charity executive Mia Ramirez, he’s driven to prove there’s more to him than the wary beauty believes.

Single mother Mia isn’t impressed by KJ’s wealth and fame. Her college sweetheart abandoned her—and their baby—to follow his hoop dreams. But KJ is a caring man beneath his superficial image, making an easy connection with her young son. Soon Mia plunges into a sensual relationship that ignites dreams of forever, until KJ returns to the court...and the headlines. Will the glare of celebrity blind them to the family that could be theirs by Christmas?

Mia was overwhelmed by all the emotions she was experiencing. Desire was one thing that she could handle. This was something else—a feeling of security, trust...family.

Mia felt Keylan’s hand rise from her shoulder and land in her hair, where he removed the clip and placed it on the small table that sat behind the sofa, allowing Mia’s hair to fall free.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, trying not to disturb Colby, who had his eyes closed.

“I prefer it this way. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked, running his fingers through her curls.

“No,” she uttered, looking up into his passion-filled eyes. She raised her chin, offering herself to him, and Keylan didn’t hesitate.

Keylan leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. He cupped Mia’s face with his right hand and the kiss became more passionate. Colby stirred and Keylan dropped his hand and leaned his forehead against hers. Mia whispered, “I thought I was in this alone.”

“Not hardly...”

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed the first installment in The Kingsleys of Texas series, Always My Baby. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the youngest member of the family, Keylan “KJ” Kingsley. Not all the Kingsley heirs accept the destiny set forward by their birth.

They say love and basketball don’t mix. In An Unexpected Holiday Gift, Keylan Kingsley and Mia Ramirez seem to agree. However, their undeniable attraction to each other and the developing bond between Keylan and Mia’s young son tells a very different story.

I love interacting with my readers, so please let me know how you liked Keylan and Mia’s story and look out for what’s in store for the only married Kingsley son. Let’s see if love and marriage can survive secrets and blackmail. You can follow and contact me on Facebook or Twitter, @KennersonBooks.

Peace and love,

Martha

An Unexpected Holiday Gift

Martha Kennerson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MARTHA KENNERSON’s love of reading and writing is a significant part of who she is, and she uses both to create the kinds of stories that touch your heart. Martha lives with her family in League City, Texas, and believes her current blessings are only matched by the struggle it took to achieve such happiness. To find out more about Martha and her journey, check out her website at marthakennerson.com.

I’d like to dedicate this book to my eight-year-old muse, Keylan. Thank you for not only letting me “borrow” your name for my hero, but also allowing me to share with the world parts of your personal journey. It’s such an honor to be able to show just how cool and special a kid with Down syndrome can be.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Keylan Kingsley walked in a circle, admiring his surroundings before coming to a stand in the middle of the large NBA-inspired gym outfitted with an oversize scoreboard and arena-style seating. Standing with his legs slightly apart, bouncing a basketball, he wore a black handmade Italian suit, a taupe-colored collarless shirt, black loafers and dark aviator sunglasses.

He looked up and scanned the ceiling, admiring all the banners that hung overhead; thirty of them, to be exact. They all represented championships won by various community leagues that this foundation supported. Keylan’s mind flashed back to a time when he’d played on one of those community championship teams and the memory made him smile.

“My, how time flies,” Keylan murmured to himself, placing the ball on the floor.

“Yes, it does. May I help you with something, Mr. Kingsley?” a sweet voice asked.

Keylan James Kingsley, or KJ, as he was known by his family, friends and legions of fans, was the youngest son and only heir to the Kingsley family’s billion-dollar oil and gas conglomerate who chose not to follow his siblings into the business. The twenty-six-year-old basketball star was a marquee player for the Houston Carriers.

Keylan turned toward the sound and his breath caught in his throat. He felt like he’d just been hit in the chest by a wayward basketball. Damn! She’s stunning...and fine, too. This might not be so bad, after all. “I certainly hope so, little momma,” he proclaimed, offering up a sexy smile, removing his sunglasses and placing them in the inside pocket of his jacket.

The beautiful woman standing several feet away wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt, both splattered with green and yellow paint. She rolled her eyes skyward, dropped her shoulders and placed her left hand on her hip. “I may be petite, Mr. Kingsley, but I’m certainly not your mother,” she replied. Her voice had a sharp edge to its tone.

Maybe I spoke too soon. “My apologies.” Keylan raised both hands in surrender. “You have me at a disadvantage. You know me but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure, although you do look familiar.”

“Mia Ramirez,” said the feisty, olive-skinned beauty.

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. You missed a spot,” he said, pointing at the pristine-white tennis shoes she wore.

Mia looked down briefly before returning her gaze to Keylan, where she gifted him with a wide smile that lit up her eyes. It was as if she’d just experienced a pleasant memory.

Wow! “So...is it Ms. or Mrs. Ramirez?” he asked with a slightly raised left eyebrow.

“I’m the foundation’s activities director. What can I do for you, Mr. Kingsley?” she replied, dropping her smile, clearly unwilling to answer his not so subtle question.

Keylan set his mouth in a tight line. His legendary charm clearly wasn’t having an effect on Mia Ramirez. By now he should have her number, address and be making plans to meet up later. He gave his head a slow shake, pushed out a quick breath and said, “I have some mandatory community service hours I need to—”

“Let me guess,” Mia interrupted, nodding as she slowly walked toward him. “You’d like me to work with your assistant or someone to set up some type of photo opportunity with the kids where you come in and present us with a check.” She stopped and stood two feet in front of Keylan.

“Well—”

“No, wait. I got it.” Mia held up her left index finger and her nose crinkled as though she’d just encountered a foul smell. “You have a couple of signed balls you want to give me to auction off for the proceeds. You get a photo op, the hours you need, of course, and I get a big check...literally.”

Mia might look like a kid with the cute high ponytail and minimal makeup she wore, but looks were deceiving. Keylan folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Mia. “Seems like you already have a set of brass ones. You certainly don’t need any additional balls from me.”

Mia’s mouth flew open but quickly closed as she matched his stance. They stood glaring at each other in silence. While Keylan liked Mia’s moxie, he didn’t know what angered him more: the fact that she’d made such judgmental assumptions about him or, given his time restraints lately and the fact that he hadn’t spent much time in a place he loved so much, that she had every right to question his sincerity. Keylan’s aunt Elizabeth ran their foundation and had been trying to get him to spend more time there for years.

Keylan dropped his arms. “Look, Ms....Mrs.... whatever—”

“Mia is fine,” she offered.

“I’m not here to put on some show and get out of doing my community service. In fact, until about—” he checked the time on his Bulgari Diagono watch “—eight minutes ago, I was really looking forward to spending time here...with the kids.”

Mia dropped her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Well, if you’re serious about putting in some real time here, we could always use a few extra reliable hands. I think our kids would love seeing you, too.”

“But clearly not you.” Keylan smirked.

“My personal feelings aren’t important. This is your family’s foundation...you can come and go as you please. Besides, you really don’t want to know what I think,” she murmured, turning to walk away.

“Oh, but I do,” he assured her.

Mia turned back to face Keylan and placed her fingertips in her pants’ pockets. “I wouldn’t want to insult my boss’s nephew right to his face.” She smirked.

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think? I’m a big boy—I can handle it.” Keylan leaned forward. “And I can keep a secret.” Keylan returned to his full height.

Mia smiled. “In my experience, Mr. Kingsley, men like you—”

Keylan tilted his head slightly to the right. “Men like me?” He ignored his buzzing cell phone.

“Yes, men too busy for their own good. Do you need to get that?” she said, gesturing toward his pocket with her head.

“No, please continue,” he insisted.

“Men that think the world revolves around them. Men that think they can simply smile, lie, buy or flirt their way out of doing the right thing. Men like that—” Mia mirrored his tilted head “—don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves, and they certainly don’t have time for a bunch of kids they don’t know whose families can’t afford to buy their child’s favorite sports player’s overpriced shoes that they had made overseas for three dollars.”

“Wow.” Keylan circled Mia, coming to stand behind her. He leaned forward, ignoring the sweet scent of vanilla radiating from her petite body and the rise and fall of her breasts making his crotch suddenly uncomfortable, and spoke softly. “Good thing I’m not one of those men.”

“We’ll see,” she said, taking a step forward and turning to face him. Keylan’s phone buzzed again. “You sure you don’t need to get that?”

Probably. However, I won’t give you the satisfaction. “No, I’m good. When and where do we start?”

“If you follow me to the office, we can go over the schedule.”

“After you.”

Mia turned and Keylan couldn’t help but admire her firm backside as his body reacted instantly. Calm down, boy...not just yet.

“Did you say something?” Mia asked and stopped, looking over her shoulders.

Did I say that out loud? “No, but what’s with the paint?”

Mia smirked. “We were painting one of the smaller rooms. It got...messy.”

“I guess you weren’t wearing those tennis shoes.”

“Nope, socks.” Mia started back toward her office.

“Wait. Why were you painting a room? I can’t believe my aunt wouldn’t hire someone to handle that for you.”

Mia laughed and the sound sent a strange feeling throughout his body. “It was more of a fun activity for the kids than a real painting job, but you’re right, your aunt wouldn’t have allowed such a thing to happen.”

“Now, that I can believe.” Keylan scanned the halls as they proceeded. “Some things never change.”

“Pardon me?”

“Thanksgiving was last week and this place is already decked out like Santa’s workshop, with Christmas still several weeks away. The Christmas tree at the front entrance is beautiful, by the way. I love all the kids’ ornaments on it.”

“Yes, the decorators were here first thing Friday morning.” Mia visibly forced a smile. “I’m just glad they used the stuff the kids made. They would have been very disappointed.”

* * *

Mia could feel Keylan’s eyes on her as they made their way down the quite long hall. She couldn’t understand how such an arrogant man, king of the playboys and known as an aggressive player on the basketball court, could have her body responding in a way it hadn’t in years. So what if he was tall, with a sun-kissed tan, and handsome beyond reason? Why had her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, and why had the sudden ache and weight of her breasts made Mia think she was wearing the wrong size bra?

It had been years since twenty-six-year-old Mia had been even remotely attracted to anyone. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like men; it was just that dating and sex wasn’t a priority of the mother to a four-year-old boy with Down syndrome. Mia hated the idea that it was Keylan that had awakened her dormant and sexually deprived body. To make things worse, she’d basically insulted her boss’s nephew to his face. Nice going, Mia.

Mia led Keylan into a midsize office several doors down from the gym. An oak desk with a salt finish sat on the right side of the room across from a large bay window that looked out over the playground. A dry-erase calendar on the wall behind Mia’s desk outlined the year-long activities that were in several different stages of planning.

“Please have a seat, Mr. Kingsley,” she said, taking a seat behind her desk.

The left wall of custom shelves was filled with a few personal photos and years of memorabilia from the many events and activities she’d conducted, along with awards she’d received during her tenure. “It’s Keylan, or KJ, if you prefer,” he said, admiring all the objects on her shelves. “How long have you worked for my family?”

“Almost five years,” she replied to his back, trying to ignore the way his perfectly cut suit draped his Greek-god-like physical form.

“I can’t believe we haven’t met before, especially since you’re the one who organized the annual three-on-three basketball tournaments, the charity bowling and the Holiday Toys for Tots drive. Those are our three biggest charity events.”

“I started right after you were drafted into the NBA. How do you know that I was the one who organized those events?” she asked, her forehead creased.

Keylan turned toward her, pointing at the awards she’d received from both the mayor of Houston and several city council members. “It says so right here.”

“Oh...yeah, well, I’m usually working the events, which means I’m too busy to enjoy them.” Mia shook her mouse to wake up her computer so she could check her emails. “If you can direct your attention to the whiteboard, we can see what we can do to get you the hours you need.”

Keylan folded his six-foot-five-inch frame and took a seat in one of the oval, white leather chairs in front of her desk. “Why weren’t you at last year’s toy drive event?”

“How do you know I wasn’t?”

“Because I was there and I would have remembered you.” He smiled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. “Plus, my mother and aunt personally thanked everyone there for all their hard work. So...why weren’t you there?”

“I only have to organize the toy drive. I’m not required to work it. Plus, I had other plans. Besides, I’m not a big fan of all the pomp and circumstance the holiday brings.”

Keylan sat forward. “What? You don’t like all the decorations, the lights, the parties, all those presents? Or is it a religious thing for you?”

“I take it you do.”

“Of course.”

“No, it’s not a religious thing,” she replied, shaking her head. “I think celebrating Christmas is fine—it’s just not my favorite time of year,” she explained.

“There’s got to be a story there,” he concluded.

“There isn’t, and my assistant, Sandra, prefers to work that particular event.”

“You call me, boss lady?” Sandra asked as she entered the room wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt with the words Kingsley Foundation printed in large red letters across it. She came to a quick stop after catching sight of Keylan.

“No. But since you’re here...Sandra White, this is—”

“KJ. I know who he is,” she replied, flipping her sandy-blond hair off her shoulder. Sandra looked at Mia as though she had insulted her intelligence.

“Pleased to meet you,” Keylan said, standing and offering his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Sandra accepted his hand, giving it a slow shake while smiling and batting her green eyes.

Mia’s phone rang as she stood, watching Sandra’s embarrassing display of amorous behavior.

“No worries, I’ll get the phone.” Mia rolled her eyes as she picked up the receiver. “Mia Ramirez.”

Sandra slowly withdrew her hand and smiled. “Can I get you anything, KJ? Coffee, tea, soda, my number?”

Keylan smiled. “Thanks, I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are,” Sandra offered, her smile widening.

“Sandra, Dr. Bissell’s assistant is on line one. Can you please take down the names of his guests for this weekend’s charity bowling tournament?”

“Sure. Nice meeting you, KJ,” she said, backing out of the office.

“Where were we?” Mia asked, not really expecting an answer.

“You were about to tell me why you don’t like Christmas.”

Mia frowned. “I never said I didn’t like Christmas, and we were about to review the schedule to see how we can accommodate your needs.”

A slow, sexy smile crawled across Keylan’s face and Mia quickly regretted the last words in her statement.

“I have a few ideas.”

“I bet you do,” she murmured.

Keylan pointed to the whiteboard. “I was referring to those two events.”

Mia prayed her face wasn’t as red as her nail polish. “Yes, of course. How many hours do you need?”

“Eighty.”

Mia reached for the tablet that sat on the edge of her desk but Keylan beat her to it. When his hand touched hers, their eyes collided and a shock of desire hit Mia like a runaway train. She slowly withdrew her hand and accepted the tablet. “Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mia cleared her throat. “So, you want to work the toy drive and the charity bowling tournament. If you work the whole time, for both of these events, you will earn sixteen hours.” She ran her fingers across the keys, making note of his request. “That leaves sixty-four hours that you’ll still need to earn.”

“I realize that, which is why I’d like to earn the rest of those hours working here.”

“Here.” Mia waved her hand in the air.

“Yes, here. It is my family’s foundation, remember. I’m thinking—” Keylan rubbed his hands together “—twenty hours a week.”

“Twenty...a week...here? Doing what exactly?” Other than making me crazy.

Keylan turned in his chair and looked at the whiteboard. “I was thinking I’d help out with the kids’ round-up.” He turned back to Mia and smiled.

“The kids’ round-up? Do you have any idea what that is...what’s required?”

Keylan sighed. “Believe it or not, I used to spend a lot of time here. Unless things have changed, this is helping with just about every activity you can think of with the kids. Helping with homework, story time for the little ones, sports—you name it.”

“No, nothing’s changed, that’s it. And how do you plan to make such a commitment with your busy professional and personal schedule?” No, you didn’t just say that out loud, Mia.

Keylan’s left eyebrow quirked and he smirked. “Why don’t you let me worry about my schedule?”

“Fine. When would you like to get started?”

“Well, according to the schedule, you have a group of kids about to have a basketball game in twenty minutes.”

“Those are the kids in our after-school Latch Key program. Coach Wanda and her kids would love having a NBA star in their midst.”

“Great.” Keylan raised his right hand and used his thumb to point behind him. “I’ll just go get changed.”

Mia checked her watch. “Will you be able to get back in time? It’s important to stay on schedule with these kids.”

Keylan frowned. “Where am I going?”

“You’ll want to go change.”

“The last time I checked, the locker rooms were on the other side of the gym,” he said, smiling. “I keep a change of clothes in my car.”

Mia smirked. “I bet you do.”

Keylan scratched his chin with his left thumb. “You’re determined to think the worst of me, aren’t you?” He shook his head. “Between my rehab and ever-changing practice schedule, I have to stay prepared.”

“Oh...” Nice going, Mia.

Keylan stood. “Should I go change?”

“Please.” Mia rose from her chair. “I know Coach Wanda will appreciate the help and I’m sure you’ll do a great job.”

“I’m not sure you really believe that but I guess we’ll see,” he said, heading out of the office.

Yes, we will.

Chapter 2

Keylan quickly changed into a pair of black-and-blue knee-length shorts, a blue T-shirt and his own branded black-and-blue sneakers. He passed a much smaller gym that had been retrofitted to accommodate young children with disabilities. The walls were padded from the floor halfway up the wall and half the floors were padded, as well. The basketball hoop had been lowered to five feet and the court was halved. Keylan remembered how proud he’d felt when his aunt decided to use all the recommendations he’d made for the specialized gym. He’d always known how important it was for all kids to have a safe place to play. The pictures he’d seen didn’t do the final project justice.

The sound of children’s laughter and a whistle being blown captured his attention. Keylan stood at the wood Dutch door, its top half open, and watched ten young children playing. Their laughter and exaggerated expressions of excitement stopped him short.

“May I help you, sir?” questioned a pretty young blonde holding a bright yellow ball.

“Hi, I’m Keylan Kingsley—”

“KJ, what are you doing over here?” Sandra asked. “I thought you were working with Coach Wanda.”

“I was until I ran across these cool kids,” he replied to an approaching Sandra before turning back to the laughing children. One little boy with a head full of curly brown hair caught his attention. He was trying to maneuver a ball twice his size and Keylan was impressed by his determination.

“Yes, they are. This is the Down’s class from our special needs school,” Sandra explained.

“I didn’t realize the Down’s class had gotten so big. I knew our foundation school was growing, but I had no idea just how much.”

“Yep, and that’s due in large part to the efforts of this wonderful lady,” she proudly proclaimed. “Coach Cathy Hooper, this is KJ. He plays for the Houston Carriers.”

“Yes, I know. Nice to meet you,” Coach Hooper said, her face flushed.

“The pleasure is mine,” he replied.

“KJ will be helping out here from time to time.” Sandra turned back to KJ. “Follow me. I’ll take you to Coach Wanda. She’s in the big gym.”

“Actually, I think I’d like to spend some time with these guys right now. Can you see if it’ll be okay for me to come by later this afternoon?”

“Sure.”

He turned to Coach Hooper and gifted her with a megawatt smile. “That is, if you don’t mind a little help?”

“Of course not. But are you sure you want to work with my kids?” She looked over her shoulder and laughed as several of the kids chased her assistant. Coach Hooper returned her attention to Keylan. “They’re beautiful, sweet and a whole lot of fun, but I’m not sure they’ll be interested in basketball.”

“They don’t have to be,” Keylan assured her. He reached across the door, unlocked it and let himself in. “We can do whatever they want, but I might surprise you with what I have in mind.”

“Well, welcome...”

“I guess I’ll go talk to Coach Wanda,” Sandra informed him as she turned to leave.

Keylan stood back and watched as six little boys, no more than six or seven years old, played their version of dodgeball. Three girls, roughly the same age as the boys, chased each other on large bouncy balls with handles. They all wore white foundation T-shirts, khaki shorts and tennis shoes, and laughed and played together as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

In the corner of the room Keylan spotted the small, curly-haired boy he’d noticed earlier. He couldn’t have been more than five years old. The boy stood with a ball nearly as big as he was, bouncing it against the wall. It was a game of catch that Keylan remembered playing often himself; only he’d used two basketballs.

Keylan tilted his head and smiled whenever the little boy lost control of the ball and would fall backward on the matted floor. The look of determination on the boy’s face made Keylan’s heart expand and he was filled with a sense of pride for the child whenever he caught the ball and stayed upright.

He walked over to the area where they played, knelt down on one knee and introduced himself to all of the children. The boys that had been tossing the ball back and forth were excited to meet him, as were the three girls. Keylan figured it was more curiosity about his height rather than the acknowledgment of him being a professional basketball player. However, the small boy wouldn’t come anywhere near Keylan. When all the children returned to their games under the watchful eye of Coach Hooper and her assistant, Keylan tried to talk to the little boy. To no avail.

He decided to take another approach. Keylan selected a basketball from the wire basket, laid his back flat on the floor and began tossing the ball he’d selected into the air with both hands. Before long he was joined on the mat by several of the children. Soon, all but the shy boy were on the mat, tossing their balls into the air. He stood back, holding his ball tightly to his chest and watching as Keylan tossed his from one hand to the other.

“Hi, my name is Keylan,” he introduced himself, looking at the little boy while continuing to toss the ball in the air.

The child remained quiet for several moments before finally saying, “I’m Colby.”

“Well, hello, Colby.” Keylan tossed his ball again, keeping his eyes on Colby. “How old are you?”

The little boy held up four fingers.

“He doesn’t talk much. He’s shy,” one of the older boys said.

Keylan caught his ball and sat up. “I see,” he replied before turning to face Colby. “Would you like to play a game? Maybe we can all play a game.” His eyes scanned the faces of the other children.

All the other kids stopped tossing their balls, sat up and gave Keylan their undivided attention. Coach Hooper came over and stood next to the seated children. “What do you have in mind, KJ?” she asked.

Keylan looked at the kids’ curious faces and smiled. “Do you guys know how to play basketball?”

Two of the older boys began rapidly nodding like bobblehead dolls as they raised their hands, singing “I do, I do...” as they jumped up and down.

“Wait a minute. Sit back down, please,” Keylan said.

“Excuse me, KJ, but I’m not sure these kids are ready—”

“Of course they are, for what I have in mind. Trust me.” Keylan gave her a confident smile. “Now, you two—James and David, right?” he asked, hoping he had remembered their names correctly.

They both nodded. “Yep, I’m David.”

“I’m James.”

“Okay, you two will be my assistants.” Both boys clapped. Keylan looked up at Coach Hooper. “I hope you don’t mind a little extra assistance?”

Coach Hooper laughed. “Not at all.”

One of the girls said she wanted to be the cheerleader, while the other two girls insisted that they play. Keylan assured everyone that they could take any role they liked. He turned to Colby. “Do you want to play?”

Before he could respond James said, “He don’t like to play with us...him too little.”

“He like to play by himself,” David added.

Keylan watched as Colby’s eyes scanned the faces of the other kids. He figured Colby was looking for some sort of encouragement from them. “Thank you, boys, but I think he’s just the right size and, if we ask him to play, he just might do it. What do you guys think?” Keylan asked, wanting the group to show some support. Some nodded and others shrugged.

“I happen to think Colby can handle anything you have in mind,” Coach Hooper offered.

“See, Colby, we all think you should play. So, do you want to try? It’s real easy,” Keylan promised. Colby nodded his head slowly as if he really wasn’t sure. “That’s great.”

Keylan stood and all the kids looked up at him in awe; his height really appeared to fascinate them. He was only happy no one seemed afraid of him. Not even Colby, who was now standing mere inches from him, which, for reasons he couldn’t explain, made Keylan smile.

“Coach Hooper, can you please get us five basketballs and three large tubs?”

“Sure.” She walked away with a confused look on her face.

“David, James, can you two please give Coach Hooper a hand?”

Both boys jumped up and ran behind Coach Hooper.

Keylan turned to the little cheerleader who was standing, practicing, and asked, “You sure you don’t want to play?”

“I’m sure,” she sang, shaking her imaginary pompoms.

David and James returned, both holding one side of a big blue tub with two basketballs inside. Coach Hooper was following behind them, holding the other two tubs. Keylan ran to offer assistance. The three tubs were placed in the center of the court ten feet apart. Keylan lined up three children in front of each bucket, approximately forty feet away from the bucket. Colby stood at the front of his line.

“Here’s what you’re going to do. Wait, how many of you know how to dribble a basketball? Hold up your hands.” Every hand flew up except Colby’s. “With one hand,” Keylan specified, bouncing the ball with his right hand.

Several hands lowered.

“Okay, everyone put your hands down. Before we do anything, I want you to practice dribbling.” He held a basketball in his left hand and raised his right. “You’ll use your fingertips to control the ball as you bounce it.” Keylan walked around, showing each child his technique.

“Nice job,” Coach Hooper cheered.

Keylan looked over his shoulders. “Thanks, Coach Hooper. I’ve done this a time or two. Do you have a whistle I can borrow?”

“Sure, you can have mine,” she offered, smiling as she removed the whistle that hung around her neck and handed it to him.

“Thank you,” he said. The corner of his mouth rose. Keylan was just as excited about the game he was about to teach the kids as he would be when he played himself. “Please toss me a couple more basketballs.”

Keylan caught the additional balls before turning his attention back to the kids. “Now, you’ll all practice dribbling...” he started to explain as he handed each child at the head of the line a ball “...until you hear me blow the whistle. When you do, pass the ball to the person behind you so everyone will have a chance to practice. Everyone understand?”

“Yes,” they all said in unison.

“Ready.” Keylan blew the whistle. “Go.”

The first three children started bouncing their balls, two with their right hand and one with his left. Keylan smiled as he walked up to each child, offering assistance on their form.

Colby was the only one that didn’t need assistance; his focus and ball handling surprised Keylan. But the bigger surprise was the connection he’d made with the child. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly but he knew there was something special about the boy. “Good job, Colby.” The boy smiled but kept his eyes on the ball as he continued to bounce it. After two rounds of practice, Keylan blew his whistle.

“Looks like we’re ready to go. Here’s how the game is played.” Keylan picked up a ball and demonstrated. “You’ll dribble the ball down to the tubs. Go as fast as you can while controlling it. Circle the tub and dribble back. Hand the ball to the next person in line and they’ll do the same. The first team back wins. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes,” all the kids replied—everyone except Colby.

“Here we go.” Keylan brought the whistle to his mouth.

“My team will win,” the boy declared loudly and with a confident smile.

* * *

Mia sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen, reading the same paragraph she’d read three times within the last forty-five minutes and still couldn’t comprehend. Her mind kept traveling to the extremely sexy but annoying man with his perfectly trimmed goatee and a smile that did crazy things to her body. She shook her head. Mia still couldn’t believe she had been so rude to the boss’s nephew. “Stop it.” Mia removed her eyeglasses, placed them on the desk and rubbed her eyes.

“Talking to yourself again, boss lady?” Sandra asked, walking into the office carrying two large cups of tea. “Time for a break...sweet tea with lemon.” She handed Mia a cup and a straw.

“Thanks, and I told you to stop calling me that,” she reminded, accepting the drink. Mia placed the straw in the cup and took a big pull. “Mmm, that’s good.”

Sandra took one of the seats in front of her desk. “So...” She took a drink of her tea, staring at Mia.

“So what?”

“You know what. What’s up with you and Mister Tall, Sexy and I’d Do Anything He Wants?” she asked, her eyebrows dancing.

Mia scowled. “Nothing’s up. He’s here for community service hours. That’s it.”

“If you ask me—”

“I didn’t,” she said, placing her tea on a coaster near her computer. “Now, where are we with finalizing the contract with the toy company? Their commitment to donating a hundred bikes is a critical part of our giveaway.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it, but you’ll have to tell me where we are with the contract.”

“Excuse me?” Mia’s brows snapped together.

“You’re the one still reviewing the contract,” she noted, pointing at Mia’s computer.

“Oh...” Mia glanced over her shoulder and looked at her computer. Is that what that is? “I guess I forgot.”

“I bet you did.” Sandra smirked and drained the last of her drink. “I’ll wait.” She placed her empty cup on the edge of Mia’s desk and sat back with her arms folded.

Mia turned to fully face her computer. She put her glasses on and quickly read through the paragraphs on the screen. “Looks good.” Mia hit a few keys before pushing the send button. “I just sent the electronically signed version back to you. Please send it out right away.”

“I’m on it, boss lady.” Mia glared at her. “Sorry.” Sandra stood, picked up her cup and turned to leave.

“Sandra, can you wait a minute?” Mia removed her glasses. She picked up her pen and started tapping it on the top of her desk.

Sandra stood in front of Mia’s desk. “What’s up?”

“Do you know how things are going?”

Sandra frowned. “With what?”

“You know what—Keylan and Coach Wanda’s class.”

Sandra’s frown deepened. “KJ’s not with Coach Wanda’s class. He’s with Coach Hooper’s class in the small gym. He’s helping out with ball time.”

“What!” Mia yelled, getting to her feet. She rounded her desk, heading out the door and down the hall.

Chapter 3

Mia stood just inside the doorway of the small gym, blinking to clear tears from her eyes. She wasn’t sure if what she was seeing and hearing was real. “What’s up?” Sandra asked, trying to catch her breath. “You ran out of the office so fast, I—”

Mia held up her index finger to stop her friend from speaking. Sandra turned toward the sounds and sights that held Mia’s attention. “Are they playing some kind of basketball game?” she asked, her eyebrows standing at attention.

“Looks that way,” Mia replied, slowly nodding. “Colby is actually talking to the other children.”

“Talking? It looks like he’s cheering his team on. I thought Coach Hooper said these guys weren’t ready for organized sports yet.”

“She did. I guess she was wrong...so was I, for that matter,” Mia admitted.

“Yes!” both women screamed, jumping up and down as they watched the last child on Colby’s team finish the task before anyone else, winning the game. Everyone cheered with excitement, even those children who were not on the winning team. Mia and Sandra walked over to where the children had gathered around Keylan. Sandra started giving high-fives to all the children. “That was great, you guys,” Mia said, smiling at all the excited faces staring up at her.

Colby ran over to Mia and threw his arms around her waist. “Mommy, I won.”

Mia knelt down and gave Colby a big hug as she fought back a fresh batch of tears. “I see that.” She kissed him on the forehead. “I’m so proud of my little man.”

Colby gave his mother another hug and a toothy grin before returning to his friends, who were now standing next to Coach Hooper and Sandra. “So Colby’s your son.”

Mia rose, wiped at her tears and looked up at Keylan. “Yes, he is.”

Keylan stood with his feet slightly apart, rolling a basketball between his hands. “What are you doing with these kids?”

“Playing basketball.” Keylan looked over his shoulder at the kids, who were now dribbling balls all over the court, and smirked. “Our version of it, anyway. Colby...that’s a great kid you got there.”

“Thank you.” Mia wrapped her arms around her waist. It was either a protective gesture or a nervous habit that she’d given up trying to break a long time ago. Keylan’s kind words and the excitement radiating from his body at playing with the kids had her heart doing flips. Not to mention the way the rest of her body was responding to his nearness. “You were supposed to be helping with the older kids.”

“I know, but when I passed by this gym and saw these guys, something drew me in.”

“They can have that effect on people,” she said, smiling.

Keylan gave Mia a half smile. “Do you mind if I—?”

“Key...lan,” Colby sang. “Key...lan.”

“Looks like I’m being summoned. Can we pick this up later when I’m done?”

“Key...lan,” Colby yelled, jumping up and down.

Mia’s eyes widened. She had never seen her son respond to anything or anyone in such a way.

“Demanding little dude. I guess he gets it from you,” he said with a sneer.

“He’s usually shy around strangers. Loud noises, inanimate objects that move or too much commotion makes him nervous...freaks him out.” Mia wondered if she looked as confused as she felt.

“Maybe it’s just me. Until later,” Keylan called over his shoulder, returning to Colby and the other children.

“Looks like Colby’s made a big new friend,” Sandra said, coming to stand next to Mia.

“Yeah, and that’s what I’m afraid of,” Mia replied, her forehead creased.

* * *

Keylan had showered, changed into his street clothes and was sitting on the bench in front of his locker, flipping through his phone messages, but found his ability to concentrate fleeting. He was still flying high from all the fun he’d had hanging with all those kids today, especially Colby. The way Colby seemed to come alive around him made his heart swell. His brilliant and very beautiful mother was making him crazy in ways no other woman had and that scared the hell out of him. All he could think about was Mia’s short but athletic legs, her small waist and ample breasts. Keylan had been so deep in thought that he didn’t hear his name being called. “KJ,” a raised baritone voice said before a quick punch landed on Keylan’s right shoulder. He looked up to find his cousin Travis smiling down at him.

Travis Kingsley looked like a fairer-skinned version of Keylan. A wildly successful cattle rancher, he was the only son of Keylan’s aunt Elizabeth. Travis served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the family’s foundation.

“You don’t want none of this, son,” Keylan replied, laughing, placing his phone down on the bench before the two men bumped fists.

“What are you doing here and what has you so engrossed in thought that you didn’t hear me coming? You know what Aunt Victoria always says,” Travis prompted.

“Always be aware of your surroundings,” they said in unison.

Keylan nodded. “How can I forget? She only drilled it in our heads for years.” The two men were more like brothers than cousins. After all, they’d all been raised together.

“So what’s going on? I hear you were working with our Down’s kids,” Travis asked. “I know how special that group is to you.”

“Yeah, they’re a really great bunch of kids. I had no idea we’d doubled our initial admission numbers.”

“I know, and while I appreciate you finally making time to stop by, I can’t help but wonder what prompted this visit, especially while you’re in the middle of your rehab.” Travis leaned against the locker, crossed his arms at his chest and his feet at the ankles.

“I can’t believe the story hasn’t been picked up by the media yet.” Keylan grabbed his phone and searched his name online. “Yep, it’s there.”

“What’s there?”

Keylan handed Travis his phone. He preferred for his cousin to read the articles for himself. “Man, that’s BS. Z’s reaction to that play was a flop. Everyone knows he made that fall look worse than it really was. Now you get suspended for three games, along with having to pay a fine and perform community service because of his punk-ass move.”

“I really don’t mind doing the service or paying the fine. Hell, I’ll even accept the three-game suspension, although I do find it excessive, especially since it won’t be imposed until next season. It’s being labeled a selfish bully on the court. I may be aggressive when I play, but I’m no selfish bully.”

“Since when do you give a damn about what people think?”

“Since now,” Keylan said, accepting his phone back from Travis.

“Now I see why you were so deep in thought when I came up. But there’s no better place to get your hours completed than in a place you help build and financially support.”

“Tell that to our activities director.” Keylan sat his phone on the bench next to his keys.

“Mia?” Travis’s eyes widened and he stood straight.

“She thinks I’m a rich and overprivileged playboy.”

Travis grimaced. “Well...”

“Okay, but she also thinks I’m only here going through the motions.”

“That’s because she doesn’t know your history here or the fact that you paid for that massive gym with your NBA money. I guess you failed to mention those facts.” Travis smiled. “She’s good people. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Keylan rose from the bench and placed his hands in his pockets. “Why the defense...she yours or something?”

A smile crawled across Travis’s face as he stood in silence for a moment. “Why? You interested or something?”

Keylan and his cousin had always been competitive when it came to sports and sometimes business, but never when it came to women. Blood was blood. As much as it bothered Keylan to lie to his cousin, if Travis had a thing for Mia, he would never know how much Keylan was attracted to her, too.

“You know she’s not my type...too short. Plus, she has a kid. I don’t date women with kids, although Colby really is cute and could use some KJs or at least some Jordans in his life. Those Velcro things she’s got on his feet are ridiculous.”

Travis gave Keylan a lopsided grin. “What?”

“You do like her.” Travis burst out laughing, slowly clapping his hands.

Keylan reached down and picked up his phone and keys. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Well...” Keylan said, trying but failing to look disinterested.

“Well, what?” Travis teased. Keylan glared at him. “No man, Mia is great, but she’s my friend and our employee. That’s all.”

“Really?”

“Really. But heed my warning—Mia’s not one to be toyed with,” Travis warned.

“I’m not looking to toy with anyone. Besides, she’s not—”

“Your type, so you’ve said. I’m not buying it.”

“If she’s so great, why didn’t you asked her out? Or have you? What, she turn you down?” Keylan laughed.

“She’s our employee, so no, I haven’t asked her out. If you’re not interested, why all the questions?”

Good question.

While Mia wasn’t the type of woman Keylan usually went for—tall, agreeable and strictly fun—the idea of Mia and Travis together annoyed the hell out of him. Keylan’s phone beeped and he was relieved by the interruption. He read his text. “What’s up with my mom? She’s texted me like ten times within the last thirty minutes.”

“She’s trying to confirm that you’ll be at the dinner meeting she scheduled tonight.”

“Why, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but it must be something big, because she sent James to give me a personal invite since I didn’t answer her twenty text messages.”

Keylan shook his head. “Man, my mother is something else. I’m surprised James hasn’t quit with all the crazy errands she makes him run.”

“James quit? Never. He’s been Aunt Victoria’s personal assistant since your dad died.” Travis’s forehead creased. “Did you ever wonder if he and your mom—?”

“Hell no,” Keylan admitted, shivering at the thought. “I wouldn’t want to know, either.”

“Me, either. Just send her a text and let her know you’ll be there tonight.”

Keylan sighed and obliged. “I swear, if this ends up being another one of her ‘When are you going to settle down and give me grandbabies?’ speeches, I’m going to get up and leave. It’s not like she’s the warm-and-fuzzy-grandmother type who wants grandkids she can boast about and hang out with. All she’s concerned about is having heirs to carry on her legacy.”

“So, back to you and Mia.”

A beautiful, sassy and very sexy woman with a really cool kid is the last thing I need in my life right now. “There is no me and Mia,” Keylan said, heading for the exit.

Chapter 4

Mia walked through the door of her three-bedroom bungalow behind her son, holding two bags of groceries and her son’s backpack. They walked through the living and dining room, passing an oversize, brown stress-leather sofa and a large bay window with a wide bench, to get to her grand, black-and-white gourmet kitchen that sat off her family room. “Good job, little man. Now place the milk on the table and go put your backpack away.”

“I no have it,” he replied, frowning, showing Mia his empty hands.

Mia smiled. “It’s by the front door. I dropped it next to Mommy’s purse.”

“Okeydoke,” he sang, running out of the kitchen.

Mia placed the grocery bags on her kitchen island. She looked around the room and her smile widened. Mia still couldn’t believe how great her remodel had turned out, especially after she’d fired her initial contractor for the rude remarks he’d continuously made about her son.

“Backpack’s up, Mommy. Colby big boy.”

“I know,” she confirmed as she put away her groceries. “How about beans, wieners and a salad for dinner?”

“No salad.” His face scrunched up.

“Yes, a little salad.”

“Call Keylan now?” he asked, jumping up and down.

“Colby, we talked about this already, son. Keylan is very busy right now.”

“I want to talk to Keylan now,” he insisted, his little hands fisted at his sides.

Mia sighed. “Mommy doesn’t have his number.” Colby ran from the room. “I guess I’m not winning Mommy of the Year again.” Mia looked over at the last award Colby had made for her that still hung on the information board in their kitchen.

Colby ran back into the kitchen, smiling. “I got it.”

“Got what?” she asked, her back turned away from her son as she opened the can of beans, pouring them into a small pot before she lit the fire on her gas stove under the pan.

“Keylan’s number.”

Mia turned around so fast she nearly gave them both whiplash. “What?”

“Keylan’s number,” he said, waving a business card in the air.

Mia took the card and read the handwritten message on the back. Call me anytime, little man. “Great,” she snapped.

Colby ran out of the kitchen again, only to return seconds later holding his mother’s cell phone. “Call Keylan.”

Mia exhaled noisily and turned on the fire under the pan of hot dogs. She accepted the phone, looked at the number and started dialing.

Please don’t answer...please don’t answer.

* * *

Keylan had just pulled his black Sienna Porsche into the large circular driveway of his aunt’s mini mansion when his phone rang. He looked at the number but didn’t recognize it. Since only a handful of people had his private number, he answered it.

“Keylan Kingsley.”

“Hello, Mr. Kingsley.” Keylan knew instantly who it was. The edge to her voice was very familiar.

“It’s Keylan or KJ, Mia,” he reminded her.

“You gave my son your business card.”

Keylan didn’t know if that was a statement or a question. He decided on the former. “I know. And I told him to call me whenever he wanted.”

“I really hope you’re not using my son to get to me because that would not only be despicable, but a waste of time.”

“My, my, aren’t we full of ourselves. Is it so hard to believe I could actually like your son, see something pretty special about him?”

“Well—”

“And, for the record, when I want a woman, I go to her. I don’t need to use anyone,” he said, trying to control his annoyance.

“I wanna talk to Keylan!” he heard the boy say in the background.

“May I speak with Colby, please?”

“Yes, of course. One moment please.” Her tone turned pleasant.

“Hi, Keylan!”

“Hello, buddy. How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“What are you doing?” Keylan was excited to hear Colby’s voice and curious about his answer.

“I’m talking to you.”

Keylan laughed. “Yes, you are. Did you want to tell or ask me something?”

“Come play with me tomorrow. I’ll be good. I promise!”

Keylan’s heart flipped. “Yes, buddy, I’ll come play with you tomorrow. I promise.”

“Okay...”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Keylan listened for a response but the phone fell silent. “I guess that’s that.”

Keylan put his phone in his pocket and exited the car. He made his way to his aunt Elizabeth’s front door. It always made him laugh, entering her mustard-color house through a bright white door. Keylan had raised his hand to knock when the door opened. Elizabeth Kingsley, his mother’s sister and only sibling, had raised her children alongside his mother’s after both their husbands had been killed in a plane crash.

“There’s my tall, handsome nephew,” Elizabeth said, pulling him into her outstretched arms.

“You say that about all of your nephews.” He stepped out of her arms and kissed her on the cheek. “Now, don’t you look sunny?” Keylan smiled, admiring the bright green, short-sleeved dress she wore with no shoes. Her wrinkle-free, fair skin, makeup-free, only accentuated her youthful image. Her shoulder-length, dark brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She looked nowhere near her fifty-two years.

“I know. Now, get in here. Everyone’s dining already. Your mother is losing her mind.”

They walked halfway down her white-marble hall and turned right into a large, bright, circular dining room with walls of gold leaf. His mother and cousin were seated at the large, sixteen-seat table that dominated the room.

“This is everyone?” With six kids in the family, Keylan wasn’t used to such a small gathering whenever his mother and aunt required their presences for dinner. “Where is everyone else?”

“This business dinner isn’t for everyone, just you and Travis.”

“Look who finally showed up.” Victoria Kingsley stood and crossed her arms. “Did all your time-keeping mechanisms fail you, son?” she asked, sarcastically glancing at his watch.

“Good to see you, too, Mother.” Keylan kissed her on both cheeks.

Victoria Kingsley, a tall, more slender version of her sister, the powerful matriarch of her family, looked more like someone’s thirty-year-old sister than a fifty-four-year-old mother of four adult men. The no-nonsense businesswoman could even be ruthless at times.

“Enough of the pleasantries, let’s get down to business.” Victoria sat at the table where several documents and a laptop were placed. Elizabeth sat next to her. Keylan sat across from his cousin.

“Victoria, can you at least wait until the dinner is on the table?” Elizabeth pleaded.

Victoria heaved a sigh, reached for the glass of wine in front of her and sat back in her chair. “Thank you. It’ll only take a few more minutes. You flew in here so fast, barking orders, I didn’t get to ask about the highlight of your day.” Elizabeth smiled like an excited child.

“This should be good,” Keylan interjected.

“Man, don’t start,” Travis said, shaking his head.

“Of course, just as long as you stick to the rules.” Elizabeth smiled. “Positives only, please.”

When Victoria and Elizabeth had been forced to raise their children alone and run their growing businesses together, they’d had to make several adjustments to their daily routine and find creative ways to make sure the relatives all remained close as possible. One way they’d done that was by sharing their daily highs and lows over nightly dinner.

Victoria returned her sister’s smile and placed her wineglass on the table. “This is my highlight. Seeing the son and nephew I don’t see nearly enough because they chose not to come work for our family business.” Victoria picked up her glass and raised it in the air as if she had just made a toast.

Elizabeth threw her head back and laughed. “You really can’t help yourself, can you? Well, it seems we share the same highlight, only for different reasons.”

“Surprise...surprise.” Victoria took a drink.

Travis raised his right hand. “I’ll go next. My highlight was seeing Romeo over there—” he pointed to Keylan “—tripping all over himself behind Mia.”

“Mia?” his mother and aunt echoed.

Keylan narrowed his eyes at his cousin before turning his attention back to the choir of two. “I was not tripping over Mia. I’ve never met her before and I think she has a really cool kid, is all.” Keylan picked up a glass of water and drank it down like he was a man just escaping the desert.

Travis smirked. “Yeah, she’s fine as hell, but one hard nut to crack.”

Keylan put down his empty glass a little harder than he intended. “What did you just say?” he demanded, feeling unexpected anger building inside him.

Travis jumped up, started laughing and clapping. “Told you. I told you.”

“Travis, behave yourself and stop teasing your cousin,” Elizabeth ordered, smiling. She’d always felt her and Victoria’s children were more like siblings than cousins.

“I can’t believe you fell for that, son.” Victoria shook her head as she took another sip of her wine.

Linda, Elizabeth’s longtime housekeeper, entered the room, rolling her service cart. She placed a plate with lamb chops, potatoes and greens in front of everyone before making her exit. Everyone bowed their head as Victoria blessed the food. “Now that the dinner has been served, can I please get back to my agenda?” Victoria asked her sister.

“Not yet. We obviously know Travis’s highlight of the day but I don’t know Keylan’s.” Elizabeth smiled.

Victoria sat back in her chair and raised her hands in surrender.

Keylan, who was now cutting his meat, could see the excitement and expectation on his aunt’s face. He could even see the interest in his mother’s eyes that she was trying to hide. He looked over at his cousin, who was waiting to pounce, and placed his knife and fork down.

“Yes, my highlight was meeting a really cool kid and his interesting mother.” Keylan turned to his cousin. “Happy?”

“Yep,” Travis acknowledged, placing a piece of meat in his mouth.

“Now may I continue?” Victoria asked to no one in particular.

“Of course.” Elizabeth began to dig into her food.

“The rest of the family already knows this, but we’re about to go to war with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the IRS!”

Chapter 5

Mia walked into her son’s bedroom and smiled at all the superheroes that greeted her entrance. A poster featuring all his favorite characters had been placed on the right wall where his bed sat. The round rug covered a large portion of the dark hardwood floor and a beanbag chair sat next to the window. Mia walked to the left side of the room and placed Colby’s laundry in his dresser drawers. She crossed the room to turn down the comforter when she heard her son running down the hall.

Colby ran into the room wearing his superhero pj’s and jumped on his bed. “Teeth all clean! See, Mommy?” He opened his mouth wide.

“I see. Good job.”

“Story time...” Colby leaped off the bed and went to select a book from the shelf under his window.

“Cat hat book,” he said, climbing back on the bed and handing it to Mia.

“It’s The Cat in the Hat, Colby,” she replied, accepting the book, kissing him on the head. “Under the covers you go.”

“Mommy, Keylan is coming tomorrow,” he said, smiling.

Mia’s heart jumped at the thought of seeing Keylan again. She sat next to her son on the bed. “Is he, now?” she said, opening the book.

“Yep. I can’t wait.”

“That’s great, son. Now, let’s start the story.”

Mia expected she’d have to read the book a few times before Colby fell asleep. He always found reasons to stay up past his bedtime. However, it seemed his excitement to see Keylan outweighed his need to stay awake. She kissed her sleeping son, put the book away and pulled his door closed, leaving it cracked open.

She made her way back to the kitchen, where she pulled out a bottle of Stella Rosa from the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. She took a sip before she started to clean the kitchen.

Mia had just finished loading the dinner dishes into the dishwasher when her cell phone rang. She looked at her phone and smiled. “Aunt Mavis, is everything all right?” Mia, born to a teenage mother who’d decided after few years that parenthood wasn’t for her, had been raised by her mother’s sister and her husband. She often found it ironic that she too had become a single mother; only she couldn’t imagine not raising her son.

“Of course it is. I was just checking in to see how my favorite niece and great-nephew are doing.”

Mia laughed. “We’re fine. Just as fine as we were when you called yesterday.”

“Well, a lot can happen in twenty-four hours,” she said matter-of-factly.

“You’re right. How’s Uncle Rudy?”

“He’s good for a seventy-five-year-old man,” she said, and offered a hearty laugh. “Have you thought about our gift?”

Mia heaved a sigh as she turned on the dishwasher. Topping off her wineglass before returning the bottle to the refrigerator, she turned off the lights and headed to her bedroom, making a brief detour to look in on her son.

“Auntie, we discussed this already.” She sat on her bed, took a drink from her glass before setting it on her nightstand. “I really appreciate the offer, but Colby and I won’t be joining you on your cruise.”

“I don’t understand why not. It’s not like you celebrate Christmas in a big fashion, anyway. Why not join us for an adventure on the sea? Lord knows you have the vacation days and you certainly could use an adventure.”

Mia could hear the irritation in her aunt’s voice at her unwillingness to take time off from work and have a little fun as she was always advising her to do. “First, it’s your fiftieth wedding anniversary, and second, it’s your fiftieth wedding anniversary.”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to share our cabin. Like you said, it is our anniversary and we need our privacy.”

“Eww...”

“Eww, child, you better pray you find a man where everything works at seventy-five except his hearing. He don’t have to hear to know what I need,” she said, laughing.

“TMI, Auntie.”

“Speaking of men...”

“We weren’t speaking of men, Auntie.” Mia took a sip of her wine.

“Well, we are now. You remember Curly Ellis, right? Well, he has a son that’s single—”

“Please don’t. I’m not looking—”

“Sometimes you don’t have a choice in the matter. Your heart makes the choice for you.”

“Yeah, we see how well that turned out last time,” she murmured.

“Yes, we do. You got a beautiful and very special son out the deal. It’s not your fault his father didn’t realize what gems he had in you two.”

Mia felt tears fill her eyes because she knew her aunt was right. Her ex, Louis, might have been an ass about the situation, but she had her son and a support system in her aunt and uncle that brought nothing but love and laughter to her life. While she’d often wondered what life would have been like, married to an NBA player and having a partner to help raise her son, she had never once regretted her decision to go it alone.

“You’re so right, Auntie, so why mess with a good thing?”

“Because Colby will grow into an independent young man who won’t want his spinster mother hanging around cramping his style.”

“Ouch...”

“I’m just keeping it real, as you young folks say. Besides, you need someone to love you the way you deserve to be loved, and Colby needs a father. Not a seventy-five-year-old father figure that can’t hear too good.”

“Uncle Rudy is great.” Mia ran her hand through her hair.

“I know he is and he’s mine. You need your own Rudy.”

“There aren’t too many like Uncle Rudy out there—plus, I’m scared of Colby getting hurt.”

“You mean you’re scared to get hurt again. Kids are resilient. Especially Colby. He’s already had to deal with so much in his young life, and he just keeps on keeping on. I just wish he’d come out of his shell more with people other than us.”

“Actually—”

“Actually...what?”

“He’s taken to talking to one of our volunteers.” Mia hoped her aunt would let it go at that but she knew better.

“Oh. Who?”

“Elizabeth Kingsley’s nephew, the NBA star.”

“KJ?” Mavis’s voice escalated.

“You know who he is?”

“Your uncle was a basketball coach with the school system for thirty years, remember?”

“Of course I remember. Well, they seem to have developed some kind of bond.”

“Hmm...”

“Hmm...what?”

“He’s single, right?” Mia could imagine all the thoughts flying through her aunt’s mind.

“I guess, if you mean he’s not married. Men like him are rarely single.”

“There you go again, generalizing.” It was a criticism Mavis had often leveled at Mia. “Not all professional athletes are butts like Louis. He just might prove you wrong. After all, you’ll be spending time with him—”

“Auntie, I told you—”

“And I told you.” The phone fell silent for several moments. “You like him.”

Mia pushed out a breath. “He’s all right.”

“I knew it.” Mia heard her aunt clapping. “Looks like your heart beat me to the punch.”

“Wait a minute. Yes, I think he’s attractive, but I also think he’s an arrogant playboy who dates leggy models and would have no interest in a package deal.”

“You’ll never know unless you ask.”

“No, thank you. Now, I’m going to go get ready for tomorrow. Thanks again for the vacation offer, but we’ll be just fine spending Christmas at home.”

“You’ll at least attend church, right?” Her aunt’s voice was stern.

“Just like always.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it...for now. Good night, beautiful one.”

“Back at you, Auntie.”

* * *

“What? We just got through dealing with the EPA,” Keylan proclaimed.

“I realize that, son,” Victoria replied, her irritation coming through loud and clear. “However, OSHA will soon be sending someone to investigate claims of worksite violations, and the IRS is moving up our annual audit.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Travis snarled.

“Be that as it may, we need to be prepared for another onset of bad press heading our way—and we don’t need any more,” she declared, leveling her attention on her son.

“What?” Keylan replied.

“You know what, Mr. Headline Grabber.” Victoria reached for her wineglass and took a sip.

“It’s not Keylan’s fault that the press likes to pick on him.” Elizabeth defended him.

Victoria looked at her sister and scrunched up her face.

“Thank you, Aunt Elizabeth.” Keylan smiled and winked at her while Travis rolled his eyes at the exchange.

“Oh, please, sis, stop coddling the boy—excuse me, the man.” Victoria turned her attention back to her son. “Don’t give the press anything else to write about. Between your suspension and now these new claims, we have enough to deal with.”

“What?” Elizabeth frowned and placed both hands over her heart. “Keylan, you were suspended?”

“Yes. Me and this other player were both playing pretty aggressively all night when we collided in the air when we were both going for the rebound. I landed pretty hard on top of him.”

“Well, accidents happen.” Elizabeth frowned.

“I know, Aunt Elizabeth, but according to the league, they thought I purposely came down hard on him.”

“It was a BS charge, too,” Travis offered.

“Thanks, cousin.”

“Victoria...” Elizabeth glared at her sister.

Keylan knew his aunt would expect his mother to fix his situation. She thought her sister could do anything and, usually, she could. However, not even the great Victoria Kingsley could make this go away.

“Don’t ‘Victoria’ me—talk to your favorite nephew.”

Keylan smiled, because no matter how much she loved all her nephews or how hard she tried to deny it, he knew his aunt had taken a special liking to him. “Don’t worry about it, Aunt Elizabeth. It’s only three games after I’m released to play again and eighty hours of community service. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Now, back to the subject at hand. I need everyone on their best behavior,” Victoria stated.

“That includes you, too, son.” Elizabeth smirked.

“Mom, you know I stay as far away from the media as I can get.”

“Yes, you do, but that won’t stop them from coming for you, so just be alert and stay careful.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Travis said.

“Keylan, darling, I’m going to be helping out at the office a little more, so I need for you to pick up the slack at the foundation. You’re going to be there anyway. Might as well make yourself useful.” Victoria’s eyes lased in on her sister.

“Well, I—”

“You what, son?” Her eyes bored into him. “Elizabeth’s right. You will be spending a great deal of time at our foundation, and I’m sure you have a few ideas about how we can expand the services we provide. Aren’t you the one always telling us we should do this and that to make the foundation better? Well, now’s your chance. Be the change you seek. Anyway, you’ll have Mia there to help you.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very helpful,” he declared sarcastically, trying to ignore the instant and relentless attraction he was feeling toward her.

Chapter 6

Mia pulled her gray Range Rover Sport, a splurge she’d allowed herself to take with her last holiday bonus, into her assigned parking spot of the Kingsley Foundation building. Parked in the executive space was a black Porsche; Mia knew who it had to belong to and her heart skipped several beats.

“Oh, no...”

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Colby asked, frowning.

“Nothing, honey. Get your backpack. You don’t want to be late.”

“I’m not late. I’m going to see Keylan.”

I know. Mia exited the car and helped Colby out. She ran her hand through his curly hair to clear his eyes. “You need a haircut.”

“No, Mommy.”

“Yes, son. Now tuck in your shirt.”

Colby tucked his white foundation shirt into his dark khaki shorts, put on his backpack and, with his head down, made his way up the walkway toward the door. “Slow down, Colby, and watch where you’re going.”

Ignoring his mother, Colby opened the front door and took off down the hall, heading to his class. Mia walked through the door in time to see Colby run directly into Keylan, who caught him before he hit the ground. “Whoa, slow down, little man, and watch where you’re going. Men, big and small, always walk with their heads held high. It commands respect and it shows confidence,” Keylan educated his young new friend.

“Colby, baby,” Mia called out, running to her son’s side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mommy.” His voice was stern and his chin rose. Mia knew how much he hated being treated like a baby.

Mia looked up at Keylan and offered him a half smile. “Sorry about that. He’s a little excited to get here today. You have to watch where you’re going, Colby. We talked about this,” she scolded.

“What’s confidence, Mommy?” Mia cut her eyes to Keylan before dropping them back to her son.

“It means you believe in yourself, in what you can do,” she explained.

“I’m confidence I can play with Keylan today,” he declared with a big smile.

Keylan grinned. “Yes, I will, but after school.”

“No, play now.” Colby stomped his foot and fisted his hands at his sides. Mia knew a full-blown tantrum would soon follow. It was something she rarely experienced and it was usually done in private.

“Colby—”

Keylan raised his hand to stop Mia’s intervention, knelt and held Colby’s gaze. “No,” he replied with a little more bass in his voice. “I said we’ll play after school. School first and, if you’re good...” Keylan gave a half smile as if he was prompting Colby.

Colby sighed, dropped his little shoulders and relaxed his hands. “I get to play with Keylan.”

“That’s right.” His voice had returned to its normal octave. Keylan ran his hand through Colby’s hair. “You need a haircut, little man.”

“Keylan can cut it.” Colby’s eyebrows stood at attention.

“Sure—”

Mia cleared her throat. “Time to get to class, son.”

Keylan stood. “See you later, man.”

“Bye, Keylan,” Colby called as he made his way down the hall toward his teacher, who was waving and greeting him with a friendly smile.

“Bye, son,” Mia whispered, suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

“I am—”

“I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t try to discipline my son.” Mia moved past Keylan and walked toward her office. The nerve of him.

“Good morning,” Sandra greeted, her eyes scanning Mia’s outfit: a Michael Kors camouflage short-sleeved scoop-necked dress and platform heels. “Where are you going?”

“Morning,” Mia replied, ignoring her question, walking into her office with Keylan on her heels.

Keylan crossed the office threshold and closed the door behind him. “Excuse me.”

Mia set her things on her desk and turned to face Keylan, her hands placed firmly on her hips. “You heard me. I’m perfectly capable of handling my son’s inappropriate behavior. I don’t need your help.”

Keylan slowly walked toward Mia. She couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked in his blue suit and she wanted to kick herself. “I wasn’t disciplining Colby. Discipline indicates some form of punishment has been imposed. What I did was simply educate him on a few facts about our male species and remind Colby of our deal, which allowed him to self-correct.”

Mia wrapped her arms around her waist and raised her chin slightly. “I could’ve handled it.” She knew she was overreacting but Colby’s growing infatuation with Keylan annoyed her.

“I’m sure you could have,” he said. The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

“What are you doing here so early?”

“My aunt Elizabeth asked me to cover a few things here for her, since I’ll be hanging out at the office for a few weeks.”

Lucky me. “Cover things like what, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Not at all. There are a couple of meetings she’d like me to take and I have a few ideas regarding some new programs and activities we’d like to explore.”

“New activities?”

There was a knock on the door and it opened slowly. “Good morning,” a soft voice called out.

Mia dropped her arms and took a step forward. “Miss Elizabeth, good morning.”

“Good morning, Mia, darling,” she replied, pulling her into a hug.

“Aunt Elizabeth, you’re early.” Keylan hugged his aunt and kissed her on the cheek. “You look lovely.”

Elizabeth looked down at her gray, pleated, short-sleeved Calvin Klein dress and smiled. “Thank you. Your mother insisted that I dress a little more conservative when I come into the office. But—” she pointed to her gray-and-hot-pink shoes with bows on the heels “—she can’t control everything.” She laughed.

Mia smiled and Keylan laughed. “She certainly tries. Good for you, Auntie.”

“Can I get you anything to drink? Tea perhaps?” Mia offered.

Elizabeth took a seat in one of the chairs facing Mia’s desk. Mia sat in the one next to hers while Keylan stood beside the desk, his hands in his pockets.

“No, I’ve had my fill. I just wanted to bring you up to date on a decision we’ve made.”

Mia’s eyes cut to Keylan’s. “Yes, your nephew was just bringing me up to speed on things.”

“With our company coming under siege by the government, my sister needs me to play a more active role. I do own half the company.” She crossed her legs at her ankles and gripped her crystal-encrusted handbag. “I know it’s hard to believe, but my sister has a few weaknesses that I help strengthen.”

“My mother weak? Not possible,” Keylan mocked.

“I must agree. Your sister’s the most intimidating person I’ve ever met,” Mia confessed.

Elizabeth laughed. “Our husbands, who were brothers, were intimidating. My sister is just about as weak as I am strong,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that. You’re one of the strongest people I know,” Mia declared while Keylan nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, my dear, but we all have our weaknesses or weak moments. The key is finding someone who’s there for us in those moments.” Mia’s and Keylan’s eyes collided. “With the death of our husbands, we became that for each other... That’s enough of that. I’ve asked Keylan to step in for me here so I can help Victoria. I’m leaving you in good hands.”

Mia angled her body more toward Elizabeth. “With all due respect, Miss Elizabeth, and no offense—” She looked up briefly at Keylan, who was slowly shaking his head. “What does he know about the daily operations of the foundation?”

The corners of Keylan’s mouth turned up as he leaned back against Mia’s desk, then slowly removed his hands from his pockets and raised them. “I assure you, Mia, my hands are quite capable.”

Elizabeth swatted Keylan’s hand. “Stop teasing Mia. My dear, I assure you my nephew is more than capable of running this place. After all, this foundation was his idea.” Elizabeth rose from her seat. “Now I’m going to go say hello to everyone before I head out. Walk with me, Keylan.”

His idea?

“Of course.” Keylan offered her his arm.

“Have a good day, my dear, and kiss that beautiful son of yours.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mia stood and watched as the Kingsleys took their exit. She walked around her desk, plopped down in her chair and kicked off her shoes. Crossing her arms on her desk, she dropped her head down.

“Mia?” Sandra called, walking into the office. “Are you all right?”

“Not even a little bit.” Mia raised her head. “Close the door.”

Sandra complied and took a seat. “What’s going on?”

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