Page 35 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
On the way to the parking lot, Sully stepped off the sidewalk and plucked a few of the tiny purple flowers growing wild in the lawn.
He presented one to each of his daughters. “Girls, these are called Toadflax.’”
“Toadflax?” Skyla repeated then giggled with her sister.
Then Sully turned to me. With a shy smile, he handed me a delicate bloom.
Something in his eyes struck me, and I experienced a flash of intuition—had he been looking for an excuse to give me flowers? Was that why he’d stopped for the impromptu botany lesson for the girls?
“How did you know what this was called,” I asked.
He shrugged and looked away, training his eyes on the girls though the parking lot wasn’t busy.
“Wildflowers were the only kind of flowers that ever grew in our yard. I used to look them up online to see what they were.”
“It’s very pretty,” I said. “I love wildflowers, too.”
His gaze slid to me again, the corners of his mouth tipping upward.
That mouth. I thought about itfartoo often, noticing the soft-looking lips and contemplating their varied expressions whenever we were together—and even when we weren’t. Sometimes, like right now for instance, I even thought about what it might be like to feel them on mine, to taste them, to—no. This time I was the one to look away because my cheeks and neck and chest were blazing hot and no doubt fire-red.
Thankfully the ice cream shop was our next stop.
True to form, Sully bought the girls sundaes far too large for them to eat and ordered a double cone for me in spite of my insistence I only wanted a small single scoop. After a valiant but futile protest, I laughed and ate every bite.
How was I supposed to return to a normal existence at the end of the summer—or begin an evenmoreaustere one at the monastery?
It shocked me how quickly I’d grown accustomed to Sully’s world of excess and indulgence.
Having never lived with anyone other than Mother, the bright, energetic, opulent Reece household had been a shock at first. It was so different from the dark, solemn, puritanical home where I’d grown up.
Life now was so busy, so… full. The past couple of months had been like a whirlwind as the girls and I traveled all over the small state and up to Boston, too, exploring and learning, taking in everything the beautiful New England summer had to offer.
We met other kids with their nannies at the beach, went on nature walks, and paid regular visits to the town’s resident lovebirds, Romeo and Juliet the swans, at the Harbor Park pond.
I had honestly never had a better time in my life. It was strange to think it would all end in a few weeks.
Perhaps it had been a horrible mistake to take the job and expose myself to all of this.
Now I’d know what I was missing.
But then, that was the point of this, wasn’t it? Tochangemy life, explore new paths, try new things, and find out what I liked and what I really wanted.
Mistake or not, I was here now. I might as well embrace all the opportunities and freedom this temporary new life had to offer.
Might as well enjoy the ride—and the ice cream.
When we arrived back in Eastport Bay, instead of driving straight to the mansion, Sully parked the Bentley Bentayga SUV in a parallel spot near one of the town’s swankiest shopping areas.
“What are we doing?” I asked.
“We want to go swimming,” Skyla reminded him.
“We’ll go swimming in just a little while,” Sully told his daughter as he adjusted the rearview mirror to see her. “But first we’re going to do a little shopping.”
Something in his tone sparked my suspicion. “For what?”
“I need a gift for my mother, and I heard these shops have really nice stuff.”
