Page 163 of The Nanny and the Hothead
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’m listening,” he answered, staring at a point beyond the man’s shoulders.
Seth exhaled a slow breath. “I don’t want what happened with you, me, and Holly to ruin what you’ve found with Charlotte.”
What the actual fuck!
The breath caught in his throat. He looked from Louise to Ines as the familiar buildup of rage twisted and snarled in his chest. “What have you told him? And what do you think you know about Charlotte and me?”
“Mitchell, it’s clear as day that you love her,” Louise answered. “And she loves you.”
He took a step back. “How would you know that?” he hissed as the muscles at the base of his neck knotted.
“Ralph ran into Charlotte early this morning, and the pair chatted for quite a while,” Louise replied.
If he wasn’t standing, he would have believed his heart had stopped beating. “Ralph spoke with Charlotte?”
“Yes,” Louise answered, her features softening. “When Ralph got back to Helping Hands, Seth had already arrived. He’d surprised me this morning by stopping by unannounced.” Louise and Seth shared a knowing look. “We had a lot to talk about. When Ralph joined us, he mentioned he’d spoken to Charlotte and indicated there was some turmoil between the two of you. It made sense to bring Seth into the conversation and tell him about her and what she meant to you and to Oscar.”
Mitch ran his hands down the scruff of his face. He didn’t have the energy to blow his top over Louise sharing his personal bullshit with Seth. All he cared about was Charlotte and how she was doing. “What did Ralph say about Charlotte? How did she look? Is she okay?”
“No, she’s not okay,” Louise replied sternly. “She told Ralph that she screwed up and kept something from you. She feels terrible about it. She explained that she tried to apologize and right the wrong. But you called her a liar, and you said she betrayed you.”
Yep, that was exactly what he’d done.
He paced in front of the cabin. “She got into a photography workshop in London.”
“And?” Louise pressed.
“And it starts at the same time that the book is due to Gwen and when we’d decided we would tell Oscar about our relationship,” he replied.
“That’s it?” Louise shot back. “That’s the reason you’re throwing away your happiness—a scheduling issue?”
“It’s not that simple. She lied to me,” he replied in a tight rasp.
“I doubt her motivation was to hurt you,” Louise answered. “In fact, I think she didn’t tell you because she wanted to protect you. She didn’t want to disappoint you.”
He pictured Charlotte’s beautiful face. He could hear the little sighs she made early in the morning when she wasn’t quite awake. He’d gather her into his arms and inhale her warm, strawberry scent. With her eyes closed, she’d stroke his cheek before falling back to sleep. Completely captivated, he’d watch her, drawing his fingertips along the curve of her neck.
Did he believe that she’d set out to break his heart?
He’d been so sure in his anger and so resolute in his rage that the only choice he had was to tell her to leave.
“I hurt you, Mitch. I hurt you, and I hurt Holly. And for that, I’m sorry,” Seth began. “You always burned so brightly. You were the star from the beginning. I know what I did was wrong, but I wanted a little piece of that for myself. I wanted to know what it was like to be adored like Mitch Elliott was. I became bitter, feeling like I was always playing second fiddle to you. I let jealousy guide my path. That, Mitch, is my greatest folly and my greatest regret.”
He knew Seth well enough to tell if the man was bullshitting.
He wasn’t.
But that voice in his head, those clawing, skeptical murmurs, wouldn’t allow him to believe it.
He hardened his demeanor. “Is that it? Is that your apology? You’re not perfect? You got jealous? Anything else to get off your chest?” he shot back, working to keep the emotion out of his voice.
“There is something else,” Seth replied, maneuvering his chair over the pebbled drive toward him. “You should know that Holly always loved you. She never stopped.”
Mitch shook his head. It was too much to take. “We were friends, Seth! Best friends! Why couldn’t you have come to me? I had no idea how you felt. I would have said something to the producers. I didn’t intentionally steal the spotlight. I never meant for you to feel like you were in my shadow.”
Pain marred Seth’s expression. “I know. And that’s why I’m here—because I owe it to you. I’ve watched every show you’ve done. I’ve read every book. I saw the guy, my best friend, full of zest and vitality, harden into a shell of a man. And I knew it was my fault. I hated who I’d become. When Holly and I saw Oscar’s blood work and learned I couldn’t be his father, I felt relief.”
“Why?” Mitch bit out.
