Page 48 of The Rejected Wife

"I heard you’re still looking?”

The groove between his eyebrows deepens. “How did you find out?” His forehead clears. "Wait. You’re the person Aura referred for the childcare position?"

I nod. “You are still looking to fill the position, aren’t you?”

A light seems to come on in his eyes. Bit by bit, his shoulders unclench. Huh. Apparently, he was taken aback to see me and wasn’t sure why I was here.

“I know, I turned it down then, but?—”

He raises his hand. “Say no more. You’re here; that’s what matters.”

“Oh.” I swallow; my throat tight. He’s not making me feel more uncomfortable than I already do. There’s no cold distance, no wounded pride, no trace of anger from the last time I turned down his job offer. And he’s not gloating, not throwing it in my face that I’ve changed my mind. Instead, he’s making it feel like I’m doing him a favor by asking for the role.

“You’re making this awfully easy.” I’m unable to keep the suspicion out of my voice.

He must catch it, for his lips quirk. “No games. I promise.” He holds up his hands. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’ve been drowning, trying to take care of Serene while also doing my job, and?—"

"Papa.”A small child toddles over to us, her little legs unsteady but determined.

His whole presence shifts—suddenly alert, protective. And then… Oh, my God. Something washes over him—love, raw and tender—and it changes everything about the way he holds himself. It steals the breath from my lungs and sends my heart stumbling in my chest.

This…this is the man I thought I knew—who Ididknow—briefly. This is the man who captivated me. This is the man I glimpsed under the harsh, unforgiving, demeanor when I first met him.

He turns and, bending down, hoists the little girl up in his arms. The sight of that little poppet in those massive arms, nestled against his massive chest, turns my insides to mush and sends my ovaries into hyperdrive.Sweet Mother of Divine Timing. Now I know, I really did make a mistake coming here. Seeing him hold that little child fills my insides with all kinds of weird longing.

I take in the tiny tot with the cloud of chestnut curls surrounding her cherubic face. I can spot the traces of the infant whose nappy I changed that day.

Serene looks at me with her big brown eyes which seem to have turned more golden since I last saw them. You can see through to her soul. Innocent. Nothing to hide.

Unlike his heterochromatic gaze which hints at secrets—layers upon layers. You know, there’s a heart somewhere inside…but you need to chip away to get to it.

The memories of that day at his penthouse would catch me unaware, in my weakest moments; when I wondered how they were. How he’d coped. If he’d found the mother of the child. If he was together with the mother—which I learned at the lunch, he was not. If the child was definitely his?And now, I know.

The shape of her eyes is even more similar to his. That’s what I thought the first time I saw the little girl, and the resemblance is even stronger now. Now that she’s older, she reminds me of him even more. The angle of her stubborn jaw and the tiny nose… All of that is a lot like his.

She may be the cutest child I've ever seen. I can't tell you how many times I've heard parents say that about their own child, and I always resist rolling my eyes. Every parent thinks their child is the cutest one ever. But in this case, without the blinders that parents wear, I can objectively say, she's absolutely adorable.

Of course, seeing Tyler in the flesh is nothing compared to the images of him I’ve carried in my mind. He’s bigger, brawnier, larger-than-life, than I remember. And the chemistry between us… It affects me in a way that turns my memories into pale imitations of this inferno that thrums between us.

Taking in the protective way in which he holds the child, it’s clear, he loves her.

Steeling myself against Tyler’s appeal was bad enough. Add Serene to the mix, and I know, I won’t escape unscathed. I’ll lose my heart to both of them, and I can’t afford that. Not when he only sees me as a nanny. Not when I want more from him. I thought I’d be able to protect myself against his appeal but seeing him—seeing both of them together—tells me I don’t stand a chance. If I have an iota of self-preservation left, I’m going to get out of here.

“Umm…Maybethis wasn’t a good idea.” I am about to step back when the munchkin lurches from his arms toward me.

25

Tyler

"Mama!" Serene dives toward Priscilla, and my heart jumps into my throat.

"No, Serene—" I cry out, but she's made up her mind.

To her credit, Priscilla opens her arms and catches Serene. She wraps her arms about the little girl and brings her close. The two look at each other—Serene with her little chin tipped up and her lips slightly parted, and Priscilla with a slightly shocked look in her warm brown eyes.

Her eyes…How they’ve haunted me. How they made an impact on me when I first met her.

How she instinctively trusted me, and not only because I’d rescued her purse when it’d gotten caught between the doors of the train on the tube. It was how she looked at me with openness.

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