Page 15 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
“Good to meet you in person, Sully. I’ve seen all your fights. I’m a big fan.”
“Oh yeah? That’s cool. Thanks for watching. I guess that makes you one of the reasons I’ve got this place.”
I gestured to the soaring two-story foyer and the grand staircase curving up to the second floor. “Now I just need to make it four-and-five-year-old proof.”
The security expert chuckled. “I think we can handle that. What did you have in mind?”
“Come on into the kitchen. We’ll talk in there.” I turned and started leading Wilder through the house. “I was just making a protein shake. Want something? You have breakfast yet?”
“Hours ago,” Wilder said. “I get up early. What are you drinking?”
“Whey protein with almond milk, almond butter, and a mix of berries.”
“Sounds good. Maybe I will have one.”
We continued talking as I added ingredients to the blender and ran it.
“I definitely want cameras in all the rooms, so I can keep an eye on my girls even if I’m somewhere else in the house. I need to get back to training,” I said. “I have a full gym here on the lower floor, but they’re not gonna want to stay in there with me all the time. And I need some sort of system that’ll let me know when a door or window opens—from theinsideas well as outside.”
My new greatest fear was that the girls would slip out of the house while I was asleep at night and get snatched up by some lowlife. They’d gotten up several times last night, which was probably why they were still sleeping this morning.
Wilder nodded, making a note in the phone he’d pulled from his pocket. “Surprised the house didn’t have that already.”
“Well, the people who owned it before me were old. They’d lived here forever, and they had a whole houseful of servants to watch over things.”
“You don’t have any help?” Wilder looked around, evaluating the massive space. “Pretty big place for one guy to take care of.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve got a cleaning service coming a couple times a week now—my next-door neighbor runs it.”
“Cinda Wessex? Yeah, I’ve heard her company does a great job. She and I went to school together here in Eastport Bay.”
“Cool. Yeah, it’s been great so far. To tell you the truth, I haven’t had a chance to hire anyone else yet or even figure out what I need. I bought the place a year or so ago, but I’ve been on the road so much, I haven’t spent much time here.”
“I remember. You were going pretty steadily there for a good number of years. You taking some time off now? I’ve been seeing that kid Travis Diggs trash-talking on TV, trying to get you to give him a shot at the title.”
I cringed. Diggs and his constant goading to take him on were my least favorite topics of conversation. But it couldn’t be avoided for much longer.
“I’m gonna see how long I can put him off. I’m trying to give my girls some stability, you know? I’ve got them full-time for the next three months, and I don’t want to drag them around from hotel room to hotel room. I’m still not even sure how all this is gonna work.”
“Have you looked into getting a live-in nanny or an au pair? You’ve got plenty of room to put someone up,” Wilder said.
“I could definitely use some help. You know of someone?”
Though I didn’t know Wilder Lowe well, I had an instant liking for him. He inspired a sense of trust.
I also liked what I’d read about his background—we could relate on the levels of athletics and the rigors of grueling training routines.
In fact, what he’d been through as a Navy SEAL probably surpassed even what I had to put my body through in preparation for every prize fight.
“Do you have a sister or something?” I asked.
“Me? No. I’ve got three brothers—none of them are ‘nanny material.’” He laughed.
“That’s right. A couple of them play in the NFL, right?”
“Yep. And the youngest is playing college ball.”
“How come you never went pro?” I asked. “Your college record was outstanding.”
