Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

The man was in a complete panic, not even noticing as Chloe slipped past him, her mind swirling with worry about Aaron. Without raising her head, she breezed right by and out the door. He dashed into the room and scooped Tim up in a tight hug, not saying a word, just clutching him close. Connor was trembling slightly. Deep down, he knew Tim probably wasn't in any real danger, but past scares felt like a Pandora's box had been opened, and he couldn't handle even the slightest chance of something happening to Tim.

Once he pulled himself together, he managed to ask, "Tim, where did you run off to just now?"

Tim looked up at Connor's face and felt a jolt of fear. He wasn't scared of anyone else in the family, just Connor. Not wanting to lie, he said, "I was playing hide and seek with Uncle Assistant."

Connor felt his anger flare up. He knew his son all too well, and the little twinkle in Tim's eyes gave away his playful mischief. This wasn't the first time Tim had pulled a stunt like this. There was that time at the mall with Isaac when Tim had hidden away, causing a full-blown lockdown. Poor Isaac, a grown man, was left wandering the aisles, searching and in tears. When they got home, Connor had given Tim a stern talking-to, but his uncles were always quick to jump to his defense. Just a few harsh words from Connor, and seeing Tim's teary eyes, they'd all rally around him. Especially Isaac, who earlier vowed to teach the little rascal a lesson, only to end up taking the blame, saying it was his fault for not keeping a closer eye on him.

Tim's knack for these pranks was undoubtedly fueled by his uncles' doting and overprotective nature. Without hesitation, Connor pulled down Tim's pants and gave his backside a few firm smacks. Connor had never laid a hand on Tim before. In fact, nobody had. At home, when they held him, they'd even remove their watches and rings, afraid of scratching him.

Tim was taken aback for a second, then the sting on his backside hit him, and he burst into tears. Chloe who hadn't gone far, stopped in her tracks at the sound of his cries For some reason, it tugged at her heart, making her feel an inexplicable urge to cry. But she knew it wasn't her place to step in on how a parent handles their child, so she kept moving.

Tears streamed down Tim's face as Connor asked, "Do you know what you did wrong? Are you going to hide like that again?"

Tim stubbornly refused to admit he was wrong. Connor's fear hadn't faded, and he gave Tim's bottom Other couple of firm swats. "Will you do it again?"

Still defiant, Tim started shouting, "Mommy, Mommy... I want Mommy..."

Hearing 'Mommy,' Connor froze, his hand hanging in mid-air. Tim had never asked for his mom before. The Shaw family had always tiptoed around the subject, respecting Connor's feelings. Tim had never asked who his mother was or why she wasn't around. noveldrama