Page 44 of Bully Wolf's Nanny
There were no options.
Because as it turned out, plenty of laws existed to protect human rights in shifter affairs. It was a gray area, governed over by both species, answerable to both. Given how much interbreeding there was and the relative power of shifters, of course it was only right that the humans involved with them would have protection.
Protections such as greater legal rights to their children.
It was an old law, enacted right after the height of tensions with the humans, where shifter supremacy was not only a possibility, but a very real probability for a few years. When the dust had settled, the Shifter Accord formed, and peace nominally declared, the shifters had agreed to certain rights being given to humans to prevent shifter children being taken from human parents.
As it turned out, the law was able to override any legal agreement between Nicolas and Francesca. Unless he wanted a legal battle on his hands, one that he would certainly lose, it was in his best interest to allow Francesca to stay and be a mother to Gracie.
Not even Rick had been able to find a loophole from his fancy hotel in Europe.
So Francesca was living in his house, laying claim to his daughter, and pushing out the only woman he wanted anywhere near his child. And he was powerless to stop her.
He wasn’t used to feeling powerless. And he didn’t like it.
He was spending more and more nights in the woods as a wolf, stalking through the trees, hunting with his brothers. It helped to relieve some of the tension. None of them were happyabout Francesca’s reappearance. Felix could see what it was doing to him. Dane had no issues sharing his opinion.
“She’s a gold-digging harpy and you should kick her out on her ass.”
Nicolas couldn’t disagree. Not when Francesca kept ‘accidentally’ bumping into him in the corridors wearing nothing but a lacy negligee. Or when she would lean over his arm to pick up Gracie, pushing her breasts into his side. Not when she kept wearing that damnable pheromone perfume.
And through it all, Daisy floated, a marble statue. Utterly impenetrable. He had tried to talk to her, tried to reignite the spark of what they had started in New York, but she wouldn’t let him. She had utterly iced him out.
He could see the pain clear in her eyes, the struggle. He knew she was hurting. He knew she wanted nothing more than for them to be together. He had given her every opportunity to tell him. He had made it clear, several times, that Francesca’s presence meant nothing. That he wanted her.
It was the same response every time.
“I’m your employee, Nicolas. I’m here to do my job. Nothing more. It’s best for Gracie if nothing else happens.”
It was clear that whatever it was her heart wanted, she would not bow to it. She had drawn her line in the sand, and he was not to cross it.
And after everything that they had been through, after everything that he had done to her, he could hardly be surprised. He had left her, all those years ago, in the cruelest of ways. Of course she would now clam up at the merest hint of having to go through that pain again.
It was his fault. And nothing he could say or do would change her mind.
It wouldn’t stop him from trying.
An upcoming two-week trip to New York meant that he only had one more night in Silvermist, and he wanted to make the most of it. He had asked Daisy to join him and Francesca for dinner that night. If he had to go, he wanted to lay down the law as clearly as possible, lest Francesca get any ideas while he was away. As it was, she had tutted when he mentioned Daisy would be joining them. Daisy had taken to eating her meals in the kitchen with Thea, and Francesca was firmly of the opinion that the staff shouldn’t eat with them.
Nicolas didn’t give a single shit about Francesca’s opinions.
“This food is simply lovely, Nicolas, I’m so glad you took my advice and got the private chef in.Propercuisine really makes a difference, don’t you think?”
Daisy’s fork paused over her food, but she ignored the jibe and carried on silently eating.
Nicolas wasn’t so easy.
“I actually prefer home-cooked food,” he said. “I get enough of this fancy shit in New York.”
Francesca giggled, pressing her perfectly manicured hand to her lips. “Oh, you boys! You’ll eat anything so long as it’s hot!”
He didn’t bother responding, only arched one aristocratic eyebrow at her.
“So wheredidyou learn to cook, Daisy?” Francesca tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I suppose you had to learn, being a single mother and all. I just haveso muchrespect for you, raising that little girl all by yourself after her father ran off.”
“Thank you,” Daisy said, not looking up from her food. Nicolas’s jaw clenched.
“Cheating, was he? Men cheat so often, it’s such a shame, but it’s just in their nature, really, isn’t it? Especially when their girlfriends are too busy looking after a baby to get their hair done, or wash their clothes, or put on makeup. Oh! Not that I’m saying that’s what happened with you, of course,” Francesca said with fake concern. “Gosh, how rude of me!”
