Chapter 67

**Chapter 67**

“A habit? Seriously?” I called after him. “Then maybe don’t make me go out to a fancy restaurant with you and your family. I really don’t want to.”

He didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he climbed back into the backseat of the car and slammed the door shut behind him. I walked straight to my front door, feeling a mix of emotions. As I reached into my bag, I pulled out my set of keys.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open, peering into my dark house with a sigh.

I turned back to check on the car. It was still there. He always waited until I was safely inside before driving away. It was one of the things I appreciated about him.

What I appreciated about Gavin Landry made me think that maybe he really did care.

As soon as I got inside the car, it drove off. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. My whole body shook, and I held on tightly to the seat.

He wrapped his coat tightly around me, taking a deep breath. It smelled just like him.

The next day, Matt asked, “What are we going to practice today?” as we stepped outside. We had just finished his homework, and I had promised to help him with his practice.

We decided to go outside for some extra training.

“I was thinking we could practice defense,” I said. “I think you need to learn how to better protect yourself in case of an emergency. A surprise attack could happen at any moment.”

**“Our warriors are the best; they would never let any rogues into our borders,”** Matt said proudly.

**“Maybe so, but you can never be too careful, Master Matthew,”** I replied.

He smirked but didn’t argue. I showed him some of the new moves I had been practicing in my self-defense classes. He watched closely and then mimicked the moves almost perfectly. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how well he picked them up.

“Wow,” I said as he blocked my attack yet again. It felt like the hundredth time. “You are really good at this.”

“Defense was one of the things my father taught me,” he explained.

with a shrug. “He also said I needed to be prepared for anything.”

“Well, he’s a wise man,” I replied, reaching for a water bottle from the ice bucket I had set out for our training session. I handed it to Matt, who was stretching nearby.

I poured myself a glass of water and then took one for Matt too.

“He is,” Matt said, thinking carefully. “He’s the best when he’s around.”

I looked at him with understanding.

“Do you wish he was here?” I asked.

“Could he be around more often?”

He looked down at the water bottle, absentmindedly playing with the cap.

“It would be nice,” he said softly. “But I understand that he’s busy…”

—

**Chapter 67**

I placed my hand…

on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry, Matt,” I said sincerely.

He stared at the water bottle, his gaze fixed. I could see that something was bothering him. I wondered if it was something serious.

He still had to deal with his father, or maybe it was something else entirely.

“Is there something else wrong?” I asked.

He looked a little shy, and his cheeks turned pink.

“Kind of,” he murmured.

“I might have gotten in trouble at school today… and now they want to have a parent-teacher conference.”

“Does Gavin know?” I asked.

Matt shook his head and looked up at me.

“He’ll be so mad.”

Matt spoke quietly, his voice barely a whisper. “If he finds out, I can’t tell him.”

The other person responded, “Well, if you don’t tell him, what will you do? Your teachers are expecting your parent to be there.”

He nodded and took a deep breath.

“I was wondering if maybe you could be my mom for the conference…”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“But Matt, I’m not your mom,” I reminded him.

“Just pretend for the conference!” he said quickly.

“Your father would kill us both if he found out about this,” I replied, shaking my head. “I can’t risk my job.”

“You’re not going to get fired, Judy. You’re the first tutor I actually like. My dad won’t risk losing you,” Matt said to me. “Please, Judy. He won’t have to know if we don’t tell him.”

Matt’s face showed worry. “If he finds out about me getting in trouble, he’ll disown me.”

I smiled at him. “He would never do that, Matt. I promise.”

“I can’t lose him…” Matt’s voice trembled, and I could see the panic in his eyes.

“Please, help me…”

I looked into his pleading, desperate eyes and felt a strong tug at my heart for the young boy. I sighed, contemplating what to do. Finally, I nodded.

“Okay, I’ll help you, Matt. I’ll pretend to be your mother.”