Page 52 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
No. No, no no.I slammed a hand on the steering wheel, letting out a loud, frustrated noise.
All my fears had come true. I’d become the cliché of the single dad with a crush on the nanny. Only “crush” didn’t seem quite the right word in this situation.
If it had beenonlyabout how she looked in yoga pants—or a bikini—andholy shit, how that woman filled out a bikini—it would be one thing. I could handle it. After all, I’d been around lots of beautiful, sexy women and been married to a supermodel.
But Angelina was alluring in a whole different way. Her voice, her gentle nature, her sense of humor, her kindness, her innocence, her unique view of the world. I could go on listing her attributes until the English language ran out of words.
It had gotten to the point all I wanted to do was be with her, bask in her sweetness, and yes, in her mind-scrambling beauty.
But I couldn’t do that, or at least Ishouldn’t.Not with how the girls were thriving under her care. I’d never seen them so happy. And especially not after that near-miss on Family Fun Day when I’d experienced the legitimate fear she’d leave us because of my stupid mouth.
I’d been as careful as possible since then. I couldn’t mess up again. I had to find a way to get over this…whateverit was that kept her on my mind during most of my waking hours and made her the star of all my dreams at night.
Probably should lay off the romance books. I’d started reading them long before meeting Angelina after Anouk had informed me I had “a lot to learn” when it came to romance. I figured, what better way to learn than to read books about what women liked and wanted writtenbywomen for women to read?
But now I couldn’t help but think of Angelina in place of the main female character in every book, no matter how the author might describe the woman on the page.
Anyway, this had to be the best timing for a guys’ night outever. A night of talking sports and swapping war stories could only do me good.
Stepping into Padraig’s, I saw a passing waitress who told me to sit wherever I wanted. I chose a booth with a good view of the TV screens, ordered a seltzer, and waited for Wilder to arrive.
About fifteen minutes later, the former jock/former SEAL stepped through the pub’s front door.
Spotting him, I lifted a hand so Wilder could locate me.
As I watched the tall, jacked security expert make his way to the booth, I noticed several heads turning.
The female oneskeptturning, following his progress, and I was reminded of Angelina’s words. “I remember him.”
I was stunned by a rush of competitive adrenaline. Wilder Lowewasn’tthe kind of guy women overlooked or easily forgot, but it bothered me that Angelina had noticed my friend enough to remember his nameandwhat he did for a living.
Of course she was like that with everyone. She paid attention when people spoke. Shelistenedinstead of just nodding her head, waiting for her turn to talk.
Wilder reached the table, giving me a big smile and a quick back slap-bro hug combo before taking the booth seat opposite mine.
“How’s it going? How’s the training coming along?”
“Good. Good,” I said. “I’m at the point where I need to be. Just gotta keep my mind on the game, you know? How’s business?”
“Great,” Wilder said. “Too good, actually. If you ever want to retire and get into the personal security business, you’re hired. I’ve got more requests for bodyguards than I can handle. I’m even taking on some clients myself again until I can cover the gap.”
I laughed. “Well, we’ll see how this fight goes. I might bereadyto retire after going twelve with Travis Diggs.”
Wilder laughed in commiseration. “He’s no joke, that’s for sure. I’m sure you saw he’s got a warm-up fight tomorrow night?”
“Yeah. Pretty gutsy, scheduling that while he’s training for me. He knows I’m gonna watch the tape.”
“‘Gutsy’ is one word. ‘Overconfident’ is another. Stupid, too. I wouldn’t give youanyadvantage if I were him. So how are the girls? Any great escapes lately?”
I chuckled. “Not one. You did a solid job. Though I could probably leave the doors unlocked these days and not worry about it. Their behavior’s gotten way better lately.”
“Oh yeah? They get used to the new living arrangements?”
“That… and I hired a nanny. She’s amazing with them. They’re like different kids. They absolutely love her.”
Wilder studied me with an amused half-smile. “What doyouthink of her?”
Shrugging, I looked away at a TV screen, making my tone as blasé as possible. “I like her. She’s good with them. And she’s… nice.”
