Let me just say I'm very proud of the collage I made for this chapter! :)

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That evening, our last in Calgary, we all dressed up in our best and Theodore took us out to a fancy Italian restaurant. Harry was honestly stunning in a black suit with a black velvet bowtie. If those girls from the zoo saw him now, I'm sure they'd be falling all over themselves. I almost was, but I wasn't going to admit it. Theodore was equally stunning and I could at least see that good looks ran in the family.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Theodore opened the car door for me while I gracefully slid out of the seat and Harry took notice. Theodore took the opportunity to instruct his son. "When you're with a woman, you should open the door for her and let her go first," which he did, again, ushering me through the entrance to the restaurant with his hand lightly touching my back. When we arrived at the table, Theodore instructed, "Now you pull out her chair like this." He did so and I sat down while Theodore scooted my chair in gently.

"Can I try? " Harry asked. I stood up again and stepped away from the table. Harry pulled the chair out exactly like Theodore did and then gently pushed the chair in for me.

"Why thank you," I said with a grateful smile.

I had been consistently surprised by Theodore during this trip, and that didn't change at dinner. "So, Harry, what have you been learning in school?" He asked.

Harry's face became enormously expressive. "Lots of things. I love math. We do multiplication and division, decimals, fractions. I love it all!"

"He's at about a sixth grade math level now," I told Theodore and he nodded appreciatively. It was still a bit strange for me to see him so...interactive. But I guess I was finally getting to know the real him after working for him for almost two months. I didn't know much about his line of work so maybe it had been a stressful time when he first hired me. He had wanted me to start as soon as possible, so it was obvious he needed help.

Harry continued, "We are reading and writing and I love every single book I read."

"That's great," Theodore answered, seeming quite genuine in his praise and Harry took notice with a grand smile.

"We're learning science," Harry kept going. "About bugs and animals and rocks and all that stuff." He took a few bites and then he blurted out, "And Jules told me about sex."

I huffed out a laugh and closed my eyes, shaking my head.

"Excuse me?" Theodore sat stunned.

I took a deep breath and explained, "Harry is a seventeen-year-old boy who knew nothing about his body and why it was changing and what it was doing...in certain...situations. I told him that everything happening with his body is very natural and then I showed him a very tasteful video about puberty." Heat was erupting in my cheeks as I spoke but I continued. "He needs to learn these things. Preferably from a parent." I cocked my head as a slight challenge to him.

"Well, um yes," he stumbled. "I assumed his nannies were talking to him about that...those things." It was comical to see Theodore embarrassed since was usually so in control.

I turned to Harry and said, "Remember how I said that it's not always the right time to talk about these things?" He nodded. "Well you can certainly talk to your father about them, but during dinner at a nice restaurant is not usually the place. But please feel free to fill him in more once we return to the hotel." I shot Theodore another pointed look, letting him know the ball was in his court.

We finished dinner in relative silence but it was still enjoyable with the abundant food and wine. We were all a little drowsy by the time we arrived at the hotel, but Harry didn't miss a beat.

"Did you and my mom have sex to have a baby?"

Once again, Theodore was stunned and I just chuckled, making myself comfortable on one of the sofas. I turned the TV on low and tried to let the boys talk. But I couldn't ignore it when I  heard Harry telling his father, "Jules told me that I can get married some day and have babies, too. I mean, my wife would have babies and I can be a dad."

"Oh really," Theodore said, pouring a glass of wine. He motioned to me, wondering if I wanted one and I nodded. "I don't know about that, Harry," he responded. "That might not happen for you."

I stood up and looked at him both with anger and curiosity. What would possess him to tell Harry something like that?

"Harry, take your pills and go to bed," he instructed when he saw the look on my face.

I tried to argue that it was only 7 PM, but Theodore shook his head. "He's had a busy day. He needs to sleep."

I relented, realizing that this would be a perfect time to talk to Theodore about some of my concerns. He was relaxed, we both had some wine, so hopefully he would open up to me about some of the things I needed to know. I gave Harry a hug goodnight and then sat back on the sofa and turned off the TV, facing out the window towards the waning sunlight of a summer evening in Calgary.

"Why did you tell Harry that?" I asked when Theodore took a seat beside me. "That he might not get married."

"Well, he is intellectually disabled," Theodore reasoned.

"Yes, and people with ID get married. It happens, maybe not all the time, but it definitely happens. And Harry is very high-functioning. Haven't you noticed a difference in him?"

He nodded. "I have. He's doing well, thanks to you." I smiled accepting the mild compliment. "I'm just concerned. I'm not sure if he has what it takes to be independent."

"He would if you would let me take him out more often. He's practically rotting away in that house. He's so curious and smart. I don't think it's fair to keep him locked up."

"Oh, now you're being a little over-dramatic, don't you think? I'm not keeping him locked up. He has what he needs. What else can I do for him?"

"Let him experience the world!" I snapped but then apologized. I didn't want this to turn into an argument.

"The world is a cold, unforgiving place, Ms. McGill," he said. "You and I both know that."

"If you insist on me calling you by your first name," I said. "Then I insist you call me Juliette." I didn't want him to call me Jules like Harry did.

"Very well, Juliette," he said smiling. "I fear for him, to be honest. I don't want him to learn fear and hatred."

"But you can't shelter him," I reasoned. "Every parent has to face that fear, the fear of exposing their children to the harsh reality of the world. You are doing him no favors by pretending the world doesn't exist. You have to teach him to be resilient. He's a remarkably sweet and thoughtful boy and I think he would learn to adapt if you gave him the chance."

"This is the very reason I hired you," he said with an affectionate look in his eyes. "You have an astonishing intuition about him. Somehow I felt that even before you met him."

"Thank you," was the only response I could muster to his surprising confession. I'd had him all wrong. He was harsh with me because he had been trying to protect Harry, so now maybe he just needed some gentle encouragement to let go, as all parents need to do when their children grow up.

"Who was Mary?" I asked as he poured another glass of wine for us both.

A fond look came over his face, a look of tenderness that I didn't know he possessed. My heart thawed a little more towards him, seeing him show his vulnerability to another person. "Mary was Harry's first nanny. She was with him until he was seven but then she accepted another offer and left us. It was a hard time for him."

"He said he loved her and he asked if she was his mom. So he doesn't remember his mother at all?"

Theodore shook his head. "She died when he was a baby. She had a heart condition," he said sadly.

"I'm so sorry."

"So Mary was a mother figure to him. I wish she could have stayed but like I said, she got a better offer."

"I can't imagine," I laughed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked as chuckle erupted from his throat.

"Good pay, nice digs, sweet boy. What more could a nanny ask for?"

For the first time since I'd met him, Theodore laughed a warm, hearty laugh and my god, he was handsome when he did. "Nice digs, huh?"

I shrugged, feeling the effects of the wine. It always made my tongue a little more loose, but wasn't that the case with most people? Here Theodore was, being more open and honest than he had ever been.

I couldn't think of a better situation in which to ask him some more serious questions. "Why did you lie to me about taking him to the doctor?"

He sighed in dismay. "I'm sorry about that. I assure you that I do keep regular communication with his pediatrician and he's well informed of how things are going with the boy."

"I just feel like I can't properly care for him if I don't know enough about him," I said, giving him a pleading look that may have resembled batting my eyelashes just a little too much and maybe tugging the top of my dress down to show a little cleavage. Again, I blamed the wine. "It would be helpful to know what his specific diagnosis is and what he's taking. I'm on your team, Theodore. I just wish you wouldn't keep those things from me. I love Harry like he's my own family."

"Yes," he said tenderly. "I can see that. How about if we talk some time after we get back home?"

Amazing! A little wine, a relaxing few days and a little finessing and I had him eating out of my hand. I was thrilled that I was finally going to be more informed. I'd accept that for now and maybe I'd gradually make enough progress to get him to allow Harry to leave the house more often.

"It's sweet how much you care for him," Theodore said, finishing his glass of wine. We had both drank more than we should have and I knew we were both feeling quite...happy. He slumped down next to me and said even more softly, "You're such a beautiful woman."

Oh.

"Oh, um thank you," I managed. It was a bit odd. Unexpected for sure. But not entirely unwelcome, if I was being honest. I didn't know whether it was the wine or if it was the fact that I'd noticed how incredibly handsome he was on numerous occasions but I felt no need to move away from him as he leaned closer. Before I realized what was actually happening, he had secured his lips over mine, tentatively, hesitating and waiting for my assent. I reached my hand to his chest and he moved in closer, turning his body so we held each other tightly while we kissed.

His mouth was skilled and his hands were adept at touching me. I slid my hand from his chest to his face, wanting to feel his rugged skin. It was surprisingly soft and supple. A soft hum emanated from his chest as he shifted his position to lean over me and carefully push me back onto the sofa. What began as an innocent sensual exploration quickly became heated as he kissed me more heavily, rolling his hips against mine.

I had a moment of clarity, realizing where he wanted this to go and it had been a long time since I'd had sex. But my rational mind told me things would be awkward if I let it happen. And it was rather unprofessional. Yes, I knew it happened, probably more often than I wanted to acknowledge, but I realized, even with my arousal at an all-time high, that this wasn't how I wanted things to go.

I broke the kiss and pushed against him lightly. He didn't take the hint but only started to move his mouth down my neck and to the sweet spot just under my ear. He was not playing fair, that's for sure.

"Theodore," I said, pushing him a little harder this time.

"What's the matter?" He asked, his eyes wild with desire above me and his own arousal evident between my thighs.

"We can't," I said carefully.

"Sure we can," he said. "Harry's asleep for the night. We won't be disturbed."

I pushed even harder and sat up, forcing him to move off of me. "No, I mean, we shouldn't and I don't want to."

"Now that's not true, Juliette," he said darkly. "I know you want to. I can feel your heart racing."

I shook my head. "Yes, my body wants to, and you're a very attractive man. I just wouldn't feel right about it."

"We're both adults, Juliette. We're not hurting anyone."

"I know," I said. "But like I said, I just don't feel right about it. I don't think it's appropriate for us to have that kind of relationship, especially when Harry is confused about a lot of things right now."

"This has nothing to do with Harry. He doesn't even have to know."

"Are you hearing me?" I said more strongly. "I don't feel right about it. End of story. I shouldn't have kissed you back at all. I apologize."

Theodore sat back, slightly exasperated. "Well, all I can say is that I hope you change your mind. I will leave my door open." Then he excused himself and went to his room.

"Well fuck, that was fun," I muttered, completely frustrated, sexually and otherwise.

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Surprised with that turn of events? Hope you enjoyed the update!