Page 26 of The Billionaire's Accidental Daddy Duty
In the short time I’d known her, I’d become addicted to her energy. Joey loved her, too. More and more, I foundmyself leaving the office early just so I could spend the afternoon with the two of them. Was that the reason why I kept dragging my feet when it came to finding a permanent nanny? Casey had sent me three well-qualified people, but they all felt wrong. They were not as warm or full of life like Isla. Joey needed someone like that.
Ineeded someone like that.
I scrolled through more photos of them at the park. The sun on their happy faces made the tightness in my chest unravel. In the back of my head, buried in the deep recess of my mind, a tiny voice told me I should get on with it already—find Harper, get a permanent nanny, and let Isla go. Even though that was the last thing I wanted to do. When she was around, having a brand-new baby didn’t scare the shit out of me.
The tabloids would have a field day with that bit of juicy news. Declan Noble was afraid of a tiny baby. I’d bet Isla could come up with a better tagline—something witty and funny.
“Mr. Noble.” My new assistant’s voice boomed in the intercom. “You have a call on line two. It’s the investigator you hired.”
“Thanks, I got it,” I said loud enough for her to hear me from her desk and picked up the call. “Declan here.”
“Mr. Noble, it’s Perry.”
“Do you have news for me?” I sat forward, heart beating fast.
Last week, I had asked Nicolas to recommend a good private investigator. I’d also asked him for a doctor who could do a paternity test—quietly. Nicolas had his assistant put a short list together for me. He didn’t even ask why I needed aPI or a DNA test. I supposed he sensed I needed space. I called Perry a few days later and asked him to find Harper Sokol for me. I gave him her Instagram account. Apparently, that was all he needed to get the ball rolling. Another reason why I didn’t do social media.
Getting someone to track Harper’s whereabouts had been easy. But reaching out to Nicolas’s doctor to get a paternity test was way harder because as much as having a kid scared me, losing Joey scared me even more. That was the thing with my new situation. I had never in my life been this terrified. And that included the time I went cliff diving in Mexico to get over my fear of heights. One thing at a time. Harper first, then I could see about that test. Until I found Joey’s mom, if he was mine or not was irrelevant.
“Yes and no.” The sound of papers shuffling came through while Perry breathed heavily into the speaker. “I did confirm Harper has not left the state. However, I have not been able to pinpoint her whereabouts. It’s like the Earth opened up and swallowed her.”
I furrowed my brows at him even though he couldn’t see me. “Do you think she’s in trouble?”
If Harper was in some sort of trouble, it would make sense why she would take off and leave our baby behind with someone who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger to her. Harper and I weren’t exactly friends. We weren’t even fuck buddies. Sure, we had spent a whole night in bed together, but I wasn’t the only guy she’d been with that evening. I rubbed the side of my face as I remembered that day and how it all got started. She had been having sex with another guy when I met her at the Crucible. I knew this because I watched them for quite a while before shecame over to me. I never said I was a saint. The thing about the tabloids and the stuff they print—they weren’t always wrong.
“My gut feeling says yes. I’ll work that angle and report back as soon as I have something.”
“Yes, please do that. I need to find her this week.” If all went well, my contract in the States would be over in a month or so. I needed Joey’s situation resolved before then. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“No problem, Mr. Noble.”
“Cheers.” I hung up.
What the hell was Harper into? Why didn’t she ask me for help? If she trusted me enough to leave Joey with me, why not straight up tell me what she needed? I raked a hand through my hair, shooting a glance at the clock. Was lunchtime too early to go home?
I rose to my feet then sat back down. No doubt Joey was taking a nap. Isla liked to take that time to catch up on the projects she was due to inherit when she returned to the office. I tried not to think about what that would mean for me. I liked having her home. Even if I spent most of my time avoiding alone time with her. Things were light and causal when Joey was in the mix. Dinners were the highlight of my day when we would cook together and then watch Joey make a mess of his meal.
The problem was when he went down for the night, and Isla and I were left alone. Every time it was just the two of us, a raw energy would begin to build until it was too unbearable for me to be in the same room as her. Our one encounter outside the guest bathroom didn’t help matters. I was coming out of my suite after a long day and ran into her in the hallway. Literally, our bodies collided while I wore nothing but apair of pajama pants and her a silky white tee that left nothing to the imagination.
And I meant nothing. I’d bet I could draw her tits from memory.
I groaned and sat back in my executive chair, my cock stiffening in my pants, which was the exact same reaction I had that night while a sleepy Isla pressed her tight body against me. Shit. I needed to find a nanny sooner rather than later. As much as I wanted her near me, this situation with Isla couldn’t continue. I wasn’t being fair with her. More than that, I was being a selfish asshole because a part of me didn’t want to let her go.
“She doesn’t belong with you.” I gritted my teeth.
“I’m sorry. What was that?” My assistant shot to her feet and darted toward my office door.
“No, not you. I just remember I have to leave for a meeting. I won’t be back the rest of the day.” I shut my laptop and stuffed it in my computer bag. “Have a good weekend. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Thank you. You, too.” She smiled politely as she stepped back to let me through.
So what if the sexual tension between Isla and I made things awkward? Our time was almost up. With the biggest grin on my face, I texted my driver and headed out to meet him in the lobby. I climbed in the back seat of the SUV and called Casey. For once, I was ringing her at a decent hour. She answered immediately.
“You’re finally ready to pull the trigger on the nanny?” Like me, she was never in the mood for pleasantries.
“Yes.” I rested my elbow on the door and pinched the bridge of my nose. Why did it hurt to saythat?
“Which one?”
