Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 611

Amelia hesitated, but Donna tugged her arm and whispered, “Ma’am, let Timmy and Mr. Packman have some time together. Timmy’s a smart kid. He knows how to judge people. You need to trust him. Let’s head upstairs.”

So Amelia ended up following Donna, glancing back at Timmy with every other step.

Timmy led the way while Ryan followed, taking his time with his long strides.

They stopped by a bench. Right as Timmy was about to sit, Ryan slipped off his jacket and laid it across the cold metal.

Timmy looked down at his thin pajama pants, realizing the bench would’ve been freezing. “Thanks,” he said politely, then climbed up to sit.

“You like my mom, don’t you?” Timmy asked, straight to the point.

Ryan sat beside him, stretching out his legs. “Yeah. I love her,” he said, calm as ever.

Timmy frowned a bit. He was still too young to really get what love meant. All he knew was that his dad used to say the same thing, but…

“Grown-ups say ‘I love you’ all the time, but then they stop loving just as fast. My dad was like that. He said he loved Mom, but he always did things that hurt her.”

Ryan turned the question back on him. “Do you love your mom, Timmy?”

“Of course,” Timmy answered right away.

“So what does love mean to you?”

Timmy thought hard for a second. “It means I want Mom to be happy and smile more. I don’t want her to cry when no one’s around. And I want to chase away anyone who’s mean to her.”

Ryan nodded. “I can do all that. And a whole lot more.”

Timmy looked up at him. “Can you promise you’ll love my mom like that forever?”

Ryan gave a faint, almost secret smile. “I’ve already loved her for a lifetime.”

Timmy scratched his head, confused. “What does that mean?”

Ryan didn’t explain. He just looked up at the moon as a cloud drifted past, cool light falling across his hand. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll love Amelia.”

Timmy went quiet. Okay, that was a pretty perfect answer.

He pressed his lips together, arms crossed, thinking hard. Mom seemed to like Uncle Ryan too. They were already holding hands…

“Alright!” After a moment, Timmy slapped his thigh, making up his mind. “You’re good for now. Whether you get to be my stepdad depends on how you do next! Lots of people want to date my mom, you know. If you ever make her sad, you’re out. I’ll take away all your points!”

Ryan looked at Timmy’s serious little face and held out his fist. “Deal.”

Timmy bumped his tiny fist against Ryan’s.

Ryan stood up. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

“I’m good.” He said no, but didn’t leave. “Walk me to the elevator?”

It was just a few steps, really.

Amelia closed the door behind her to walk him out. As soon as the door clicked, Ryan’s tall figure moved in close, his hands cupping her face as he kissed her—nothing like those light pecks before. This time, his kiss made her knees weak. She stumbled back, just about to hit the wall, when Ryan caught her and gently pressed her against it.

He kissed her for a long moment before finally letting her go.

Amelia’s face was so red, she couldn’t look at him. She heard a deep, warm chuckle from above and blushed even more.

Ryan brushed his thumb softly across her lips. His voice was low and rough. “Go inside. This is far enough.”

As soon as Amelia was safe inside, the tenderness in Ryan’s eyes disappeared.

He didn’t head for the elevator. Instead, he walked to the fire escape. There were a few fresh cigarette butts scattered on the ground.

Right then, his phone rang. It was Francisco.

“Mr. Packman, I’ve got some news. Yesterday, Clive bought the apartment right below Ms. Sadinton’s—paid double the market price.”

Ryan’s face didn’t change as he started down the stairs. “Got it.”