The Heir's Secret Thoughts: Please Be My Mom

After moving back to my hometown to embrace the slow life, I opened a small convenience store right across from the local elementary school.

My days consisted of bingewatching Netflix behind the counter and dealing with kids. Around noon, a little boy walked in and stared a hole right through me.

I opened my mouth to ask what he wanted, but a voice suddenly echoed in my head. [Is this the woman dad is going to marry? She's not even pretty.

Why would dad like her?] [Those livestream comments said that if dad marries her, I'll get bullied for years.

Even if I break her legs and cripple her when I grow up, that means I won't be a good kid anymore.] [But she has so many Takis and hot dogs on the roller. I really want some.

What do I do?] My stomach dropped. An image of my own legs getting snapped in half flashed through my mind. "Um, hi.

Did you know my dad doesn't wipe his butt after he poops?" the kid asked, his face dead serious. Chapter 1 "Huh?" I snapped back to reality.

I was so caught up in the phantom pain of my broken legs that I totally missed what he actually said. "I'm telling the truth. My dad is super gross.

He doesn't wash his hands after using the bathroom, and he doesn't wipe his butt. He doesn't like taking showers either, and he never brushes his teeth.

He's a really disgusting person!" The kid babbled this nonsense while his eyes remained glued to the hot dog roller on the counter.

He licked his lips over and over, swallowing hard. [My teacher said nobody likes gross people.] [I made dad sound so disgusting, she definitely won't like him anymore, right?] [But if she marries dad, does that mean I get to eat Takis and hot dogs every single day?] [No, no, no!

The livestream comments said she's an evil stepmom. Super evil. I can't let her marry dad!] On the outside, he played it cool. Inside, the kid was spiraling.

I smirked. "Your dad is that gross? Well, what a shame. I have a thing for gross guys." Let's see how he handles that after calling me ugly in his head.

Teasing him aside, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank god I could hear this kid's inner monologue.

Becoming his stepmom and getting my legs broken sounded like an absolute nightmare. Beads of sweat popped up on the little guy's forehead.

His tiny fists grabbed handfuls of his school uniform shirt. "Why are you like this?" he squeaked, his voice cracking. "I just told you my dad is gross!" Panic spiked in my chest as his eyes welled up.

Making a kid cry was not on my agenda today. "Graham? Are you here to pick up Takis off the floor again?" "He totally is.

No dropped snacks in the classroom, so he came to the store to scrounge." "Watch out, lady.

He's definitely trying to steal your snacks!" Five or six kids swarmed into the store, their voices overlapping in a noisy chorus.

Graham pressed his back against the wall at the sight of them, slid toward the door, and bolted out of sight. "You guys know him?" I asked. "That's Graham. He's in our class.

He's so broke he can't even afford his own snacks, so he sneaks around eating the Takis I drop on the floor." The chubby kid waved a fresh bag in his hand and slapped two bucks on the counter. "Lady, he even picked up my empty chip bags to lick them.

Graham is a total beggar!" A little girl grabbed a pack of ramen snacks and handed me a dollar. Was his family really that poor?

Chapter 2 The school bell rang, and the swarm of kids scattered like a kicked anthill. I stood up to close the glass door. Glancing across the street, I spotted Graham.

He sat in the very front row of his classroom, his desk perfectly aligned with my store entrance. The second our eyes met, his head snapped down. By noon, he was back.

He didn't come inside this time, just hovered by the door like a tiny security guard. [I have to keep an eye on her. If dad shows up, I'll tell him she hit me.

She's a bad woman.] [Those livestream comments said that if dad marries her, I'll get bullied for years.

Even if I break her legs and cripple her when I grow up, that means I won't be a good kid anymore.] [As long as dad doesn't see her, he can't marry her. I want to be a good kid.

I don't want to hit people. But I don't want to get hit either.] [Man, those hot dogs smell so good, though.] The kid's mental chatter was giving me a headache.

I grabbed a bamboo skewer, stabbed a plump, splitopen hot dog from the roller, and held it out to him. "On the house." I couldn't imagine being so broke that eating floorsnacks seemed like a solid life choice.

Then again, remembering my own childhood… yeah, I got it.

He sniffed the air, his eyes tracking the sausage. "I don't have any money." "I said it's on the house." I practically shoved the hot dog into his face. "I—" Graham started, but his teeth sank right into the meat.

Savory juices coated his lips. He clamped his mouth shut, chewing aggressively, swallowing whatever protest he had lined up. [This is amazing.

It's way better than the Beef Wellington our Michelinstarred chef makes at home.] [If she just promises not to hit me, I could have unlimited hot dogs.] [Are those livestream comments lying?

She gave me a free hot dog. She doesn't seem like an evil woman.] The kid was so hungry he was hallucinating. Michelinstarred chefs? Beef Wellington? Sure, buddy.

Still, the nerve of those supposed internet commenters. Me? An evil stepmom? Please. "Look, if you want hot dogs, just swing by after school," I told him. "I'll hook you up.

Just don't eat too many, or you'll get a stomachache." The leftover sausages had to be tossed at the end of the day anyway.

Throwing them in the trash was just a waste. "For… for free?" Graham gripped the greasy bamboo skewer, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. "Yeah, free. They're leftovers.

If you don't eat them, they go in the dumpster." He didn't say another word. He just carefully tucked the empty skewer into his pocket and walked away.

But from that day on, he showed up like clockwork every afternoon when school let out, ready to clear out my leftover stock. "Fresh out of hot dogs today. Try these.

I opened the bag and couldn't finish them." I tossed a halffull bag of potato chips onto the counter.

If he kept housing processed meat every day, he was going to get sick. "You drink Coke? I bought the big bottle by mistake, and it's going flat. Want these ramen snacks?

I bought the wrong flavor." It didn't matter what I threw his way. He demolished everything, looking like he'd just won the lottery. [Coke is incredible.

Way better than that gross bird's nest soup.] [Wow, ramen snacks are so crunchy and savory.

That fancy artisan pasta I had last night was garbage compared to this!] [Oh man, what do I do? I kind of want her to marry dad now. She's amazing.

She has all the best snacks.] [No! Pull it together, Graham. The livestream comments warned me about this.

It's a trap.] [She's just trying to buy my love so she can become my stepmom.] He aggressively crunched on his chips, his inner monologue running a mile a minute.

I just leaned against the counter, swiping aimlessly on my phone, eavesdropping on every single ridiculous thought.

Chapter 3 "Lady, did you know?" "Nope." I leaned across the counter, purposely stringing him along. His face flushed. "I haven't even finished yet!" "Okay, okay.

Spill." "Did you know my dad actually sucks? He's always working. Even when he eats.

He's so busy he can't even remember my birthday or my mom's birthday." "My mom always said he wasn't a good man. He has a terrible temper, too.

All he has to do is glare, and his whole team of Wall Street lawyers is too scared to say a word." "So, lady." He pivoted, zeroing in on the one topic I hated most. "Do you have a husband?" "No," I snapped, tossing a rag onto the counter.

His eyes darted around the store. "Well, if you ever look for a husband, definitely don't pick someone like my dad.

My mom said marrying him was the biggest regret of her entire life." [I laid it on pretty thick.

She definitely won't like dad now, right?] [But Maxine said dad is the most powerful man ever, and he always gets whatever he wants.] [What do I do?

What if dad forces her to marry him?] Every single time Graham stepped foot in my store, his mind was stuck on a loop of me becoming his stepmom.

For over a month, he relentlessly trashtalked his dad just to ruin the guy's image.

I was practically getting a stress rash just listening to it. "Teagan, why don't you get a real job?" "I'm working right now.

Running this store is a job." "Teagan, why don't you get a husband?" "Because I'm terrified of ending up with a guy as gross as your dad!" Over time, we fell into an easy rhythm.

He dropped the 'lady' and just used my name, and I started calling him little bro. "How about I introduce you to a super hot guy?

My uncle is incredibly handsome!" Once the kid figured out I didn't even have a boyfriend, he took it upon himself to play matchmaker. I brushed it off. "Teagan!

Teagan, come out here!" The very next morning, right after homeroom, Graham was banging on my glass door. "And this is…?" I gestured to the person next to him. "My uncle!

Isn't he handsome?

As long as you give him a free hot dog, he agreed to be your boyfriend." Graham practically vibrated with excitement. [If she gets a boyfriend, dad can't bring her home.] [Aunt is way better than stepmom, and I still get unlimited snacks.] His internal monologue was even more chaotic.

I stared at the "uncle". "How old is he? Has he even finished middle school?" This kid was going to get me arrested.

The teenage boy beside him picked nervously at his cuticles. "I'm an eighth grader.

Graham said you were single and dragged me over here." "He said older women are lucky, and marrying you is like winning the lottery." I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright.

I don't date little kids." I turned around, grabbed two bags of Takis, and shoved one into each of their hands. "The hot dogs aren't ready yet.

Get back to class." The second they saw the snacks, they ripped the bags open. "Let me try yours." "Here, trade you." The two of them trudged slowly back toward the school gates, swapping handfuls of junk food.

Watching them walk away, I let out a long breath. Broke kids really just hung out with other broke kids. Neither of them could even afford their own snacks.

Chapter 4 "Teagan, look who I brought." It was late Friday evening when Graham finally showed up. "About time, kid.

I was two seconds away from tossing these in the trash," I called out.

I pushed the glass door open, a hot dog slathered in sweet chili sauce in each hand, and stopped dead in my tracks. The guy standing next to Graham was easily sixfoottwo.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist—built like an absolute model. He had sharp features, striking eyes, and a slight smirk tugging at his lips. Gorgeous. "Teagan, this is my cousin, Reid.

He just dropped out of the Ivy League and moved back yesterday.

Everyone says he's a trust fund baby who only knows how to drive sports cars and throw parties!" Graham planted his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out. "So, what do you think?

Do you want him to be your boyfriend? His family is insanely rich!" I narrowed my eyes. "Where are you digging up these relatives? Trust fund baby?

You can't even afford a bag of Takis." "How is your cousin rich?" The guy was undeniably attractive, but I had watched way too many true crime documentaries.

A billionaire heir falling for a convenience store clerk? Not happening. I shifted my glare to the towering guy. "Look, man. Aren't you a little too old to be scamming kids?

Let me spell it out for you." "This kid is dirt poor. Don't even think about taking advantage of him. And don't try to scam me, either.

My bank account is practically empty." Ignoring the stunned look on Reid's face, I grabbed Graham by the back of his collar and hauled him into the store. "Stop claiming random strangers on the street as your relatives," I scolded the kid. "If you get kidnapped, you're not coming back." "Teagan, he really is my cousin!

I'm not lying!" Graham's voice cracked. [Teagan didn't like my uncle, and she doesn't like my cousin.

Is she really going to marry dad?] [Parentteacher conferences are coming up, and the teacher specifically called dad to come to school this time.

What am I going to do?] [The livestream comments said she's only being nice to me so she can get close to dad. Once she's my stepmom, she won't care about me anymore.

She'll only care about her own kids!] While Graham's internal meltdown went into overdrive, the tall guy stepped into the store. The bell above the door jingled. "Hi.

I'm Reid, Graham's cousin. Graham has told me a lot about you.

He said you take great care of him and always give him food." "I came specifically to thank you." Reid reached a hand inside his tailored jacket. "Save your breath," I cut him off. "Since you're actually his cousin, this works out perfectly.

Go back and tell his parents that no matter how tight money is, they need to give Graham a little allowance." "He's a kid.

It's pathetic watching him drool over everyone else's snacks. You were a kid once.

You should know how that feels." I originally wanted to lay into Graham's dad directly, but I didn't want to freak the kid out.

After all, Graham's biggest fear was me meeting his dad and becoming his evil stepmom. Reid's brow furrowed. "Are you misunderstanding something?

Graham is the future heir of his family's corporation." "His family has everything they could ever want. How is he pathetic?" I scoffed. "Keep lying.

Do you know this kid used to eat floordogs? Scrounging for dropped food?" "If his family is so loaded, why is he starving for junk food?

He had never even tried Takis or ramen snacks before. He had his very first sip of Coke right here in this store." My throat tightened.

I thought my own childhood was rough, but Graham's situation was breaking my heart.

Chapter 5 "Teagan, you're fundamentally misunderstanding the situation." Reid's expression shifted, the playful smirk dissolving into something tight and uncomfortable. "Graham was raised by our grandparents.

They are… incredibly strict." "His diet is mapped out to the calorie by a private nutritionist.

He's never been allowed to touch anything off the approved list." He dragged a hand through his hair. "They thought they were setting him up for peak health.

None of us realized he was doing this at school." He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen against my pointofsale terminal. [Cash App received: $5,000.] "That covers what you've fed him so far.

Thank you for looking out for him." He pocketed his phone. "The kid has it rough. But you were right—kids just want junk food." "Are you crazy?

This is way too much!" I stared at the screen, my jaw dropping. Okay, so Graham really was a trust fund baby. The guy casually dropped five grand like it was spare change.

Over the past few months, the kid had maybe eaten fifty bucks' worth of leftover hot dogs. "Keep the change as an open tab for his future snacks.

Think of it as a down payment on fixing my own childhood trauma, too." He turned and walked out the door, leaving me frozen behind the counter. "Teagan, why won't you let my cousin be your boyfriend?" Graham pressed his face against the glass, watching Reid's sports car peel away.

I leaned on the counter and exhaled. "Because I'm broke, kid. I don't belong in that tax bracket." "Just spend all his money until he's broke too.

Problem solved." Graham blinked his massive eyes at me. "Alright, enough about him. You talk about your dad every single day.

What does he even look like?" If Reid was dropping thousands on snacks, this kid's family was insanely connected.

If his billionaire dad randomly decided to show up and make my life miserable, I needed a face to match the threat so I could run the other way. "My dad is ugly. So, so ugly.

If you looked at him, you'd scream!" Graham’s voice pitched up, his small hands gripping the edge of the counter until his knuckles turned white. [What do I do?

Is she going to go find him?] [She really does want to be my stepmom!

I can't let her see dad's face!] [I'm never coming back here again!] I opened my mouth to set the record straight, but Graham was already sprinting out the door.

After that, the kid vanished. He didn't show up for days. "Hey, is Graham in class?" I flagged down the chubby kid when he came in for his afternoon Takis.

He shook his head. "Hasn't been here all week.

Teacher said he's sick." "Nuhuh," the tall kid next to him chimed in. "Cleo said he's just refusing to come to school." What the hell was going on with him?

Was he actually sick, or was something else happening? My foot tapped a restless rhythm against the floorboards the entire afternoon.

I couldn't even focus on the new season of Bridgerton.

I had taken Reid's money and stocked an entire shelf with premium imported snacks, just waiting for Graham to come back and wreck his teeth on them.

And now the kid was ghosting me. "Are you the owner of this establishment?" I looked up. A man in a razorsharp, bespoke charcoal suit stood in the doorway.

He looked incredibly familiar. "I am Dominic, Graham's father.

I understand my son has been frequenting this store." His cold gaze swept over the cheap linoleum floor, the snack racks, and finally, me. So this was the infamous dad.

No wonder he looked familiar—he was literally a scaledup, heavily intimidating version of Graham.

Dominic caught me analyzing his face, and his brows pulled into a harsh line. "I do not care what your underlying motive is for approaching Graham, but you will bury it." He adjusted his immaculate cuffs, his voice completely devoid of warmth. "Do not engage with my son again, in any capacity.

If you do, the consequences will not be pleasant." Chapter 6 I wanted to snap back, but the words died in my throat.

I just stood there, paralyzed, while Dominic finished shredding me and walked out. Graham showed up at school the next day, but he never stepped foot in my store.

He stayed glued to his desk, staring blankly at his textbooks. Whenever I peeked through the glass door, he didn't even flinch. I figured we were done.

That our weird little friendship was over. But that night, as I flipped the lock on the front door and the streetlights flickered on, a shadow fell over my sneakers.

Graham stood right behind me, dead silent. "Jesus, kid! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my pulse hammer against my ribs.

His tiny hands were balled into fists, his knuckles stark white. "You're marrying my dad, aren't you? He came to the school the other day. You two met.

I know you did." [I thought she was my best friend. Why is she stealing my dad?] [The livestream comments were right all along.

She just used me to get close to him.] [If I hadn't eaten her snacks… if I hadn't hung out at her store, dad never would have come here. They never would have met.

He never would have liked her.] [She's evil! I hate her!] Graham kept his face totally blank, a terrifying miniature replica of his father's icy glare.

But inside, the kid was having a fullblown mental breakdown. "What are you even talking about?" I crouched down to his eye level. "Yeah, your dad came here, but he basically threatened me." "He told me to stay the hell away from you, or he'd make my life miserable." The guy had practically held a metaphorical gun to my head.

That was supposed to be flirting?

I know billionaire CEOs are supposed to be intense, but that was straightup psychotic. "You're lying!" Graham yelled. "Dad told me after the parentteacher conference!

He said he's getting married!" [The livestream comments said dad fell for the owner of the supermarket.

They said it was love at first sight.] [They said it was true love and that they'd live happily ever after.

And that I'm just in the way!] [I'm going to have to walk on eggshells around my new stepmom forever. She's going to beat me. She's going to scream at me.

She'll probably stab me with those bamboo skewers!] [Teagan has hundreds of those hot dog skewers. She could stab me forever.] I stared at him, my brain stalling out.

What the actual hell was he talking about? "Graham, I promise you, I am not marrying your dad. I run a dingy little corner bodega. I'm not some big supermarket owner.

Your dad isn't blind." Graham sniffled, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

He took a few steps back and squinted up at my faded plastic sign. "A convenience store isn't the same thing as a supermarket?" he asked, his voice wavering. "Not even close.

A bodega is tiny. A supermarket is massive." I stepped out onto the sidewalk beside him, staring up at my own crappy signage. And then it hit me.

Literally one block down from the elementary school was a massive, highend chain supermarket. And my rinkydink store was just caught in the crossfire.

The kid had targeted the wrong store owner! A massive wave of relief washed over me. My legs were safe.

Nobody was getting their bones snapped today. "I'm sorry," Graham whispered. [I got it completely wrong.

The livestream comments meant a huge grocery store, not this tiny place.] [I feel so bad.

If Teagan knew all the awful things I was thinking about her, she'd hate me forever.] [I'm getting a stepmom. I'm going to get beat up.

And I'm going to turn into a bad kid because of it!] "Look, Graham.

Your dad getting married isn't automatically a disaster." I had actually Googled the owner of that chain supermarket out of pure boredom once.

She was a powerhouse CEO, universally respected in the industry. She didn't seem like the type to abuse her stepson. "But everyone online says stepmoms are pure evil.

They said she's going to torture me." Graham's voice broke, tears finally spilling over his lashes. "I'm scared." Chapter 7 I crouched down, meeting him eyetoeye. "Look, there are good people and bad people everywhere.

Stepmoms are the same." "If she actually bullies you, you come straight to me.

I'll help you figure something out, okay?" His shoulders finally dropped, the tension draining out of his rigid posture. "If she doesn't hit me, can I still come find you?" "Duh, of course." I pinched his cheek.

His dad was probably too busy wedding planning to pay attention to him anyway. I figured I'd feed him while I could.

I hadn't even touched the stash of premium imported snacks I bought with his cousin's money.

But after I prepped the snacks and stocked the drinks, Graham never showed up again. "Graham transferred out last week." "The teacher said he went to some crazy expensive prep school.

They even have horses." "Graham is a rich kid. It's so weird.

If he's a rich kid, why couldn't he afford his own Takis?" It took five kids shouting over each other for me to finally piece the story together.

Sending Graham to this regular public school had been his grandparents' call.

Now that they were out of the picture and Dominic was remarrying, the billionaire dad was calling all the shots.

He moved Graham to the most elite private academy in the city and relocated their entire household. Well, damn. The kid was missing out on the good snacks.

Without Graham haunting the bodega, the store felt way too quiet. My mind kept drifting back to him.

I pictured his eyes locked onto the hot dog roller, the way he practically drooled over a bag of chips, and the pure envy on his face when he stared at the loaded snack racks.

I wondered if he was finally allowed to eat junk food. Sure, it was zero nutrition and pure processed garbage. But kids don't care about macros.

They just want the dopamine hit of a salty snack, especially when everyone else has one and they don't. I completely got it.

Half the reason I opened this bodega was to feed my own inner child. When you grow up with nothing, you spend your adult life overcompensating.

That afternoon, I dragged a whiteboard onto the sidewalk.

Anyone who passed a test or did a good deed got a free bag of snacks on the house. "Miss, I rescued a stray kitten today!" "Miss, I helped an old lady cross the street last night!" "Miss, I got a 59 on my math test.

Does that count?" The kids swarmed the store like locusts. I was handing out dozens of bags of Takis a day.

In record time, I completely burned through the five grand Reid gave me. "Do you know where Graham is?" I was rubbing my temples, calculating the cost of restocking the shelves, when Reid crashed through the front door. "Graham ran away from home last night.

We've ripped the entire city apart looking for him. Have you seen him?" Reid looked exhausted. Dark, bruisedlooking circles hung under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept a wink