Page 27 of The Billionaire's Accidental Daddy Duty
“Sophia, the one with the child development degree.”
“You mean Sarah.” She deadpanned. Casey was used to my inability to remember people’s names. “I’ll give her a call and see how soon she can get started. From what I remember, she was available to start this week. So maybe she can start Monday.”
“Thank you. That should work.”
“Isla will be happy to be back in the office. We’ve been chatting every day. She’s ready to get to work.”
“What did she say?” I sat up. Was it that unbearable to live with me? “Did she specifically say she wanted to leave?”
“She said she was ready to get to work. Declan, she didn’t sign up to be your nanny. You can’t keep her tucked away in your ivory tower forever.”
“Forever is a bit dramatic, don’t you think? What is that even supposed to mean?” I furrowed my brows. Yeah, Casey was my chief of staff because she got things done and didn’t take crap from me. That didn’t mean I liked it when she called me on my bullshit.
“When I suggested you call Isla, I meant for her to stay as your nanny for only a couple of nights. It’s been weeks. I know you, Declan. It’s commendable that you’ve managed to keep it in your pants this long. But it’s time you move on before your good intentions go out the window.”
How did she even know I hadn’t slept with Isla? “If you think this is about her, you’re wrong. I just wasn’t ready to leave Joey with a stranger. I’m not in the habit of sleeping with every woman I meet. Despite what the tabloids say, I do have standards and self-control.”
“Of course. My bad.” She let out a breath whichsounded a bit like a chuckle. “I’ll have Sarah report to your flat first thing Monday morning.”
“Lovely.” I hung up and tossed the phone on the seat.
For the rest of the ride home, I considered heading out to the Hamptons for the weekend while Isla collected her things and moved out. Spending some one-on-one time with Joey would be good for the two of us. A cold sensation rushed down my spine. I pushed the thought away because I still couldn’t wrap my head around being a single dad.
But Casey was right. I couldn’t bring Isla down with me by making her my anchor in all this. She deserved better. Come next week, she’d be out of my flat. And in a few months, I would be back in London and out of her life. This attraction I felt for her meant nothing.
A couple of blocks from my building, a pair of long legs caught my attention. More than anything else because I recognized who they belonged to. Isla turned off the sidewalk and into a small park crowded with other strollers and dogs. She found a bench and scooped up Joey into her arms. An odd fantasy unfurled in my mind’s eye. A scene I had never considered before—a family. I wasn’t the family type at all. I worked long hours, and most of them weren’t even near London. Hell at this point, Manhattan felt like home as much as London did.
And two months ago, Tokyo was beginning to feel familiar, too. The point was, I was a drifter, not someone who could wish for something as wholesome as a family. And how fucked up was it that I wanted Isla in that picture? The poor girl didn’t even know. All she had done was flash me her ass when she was drunk. This was a new level of creepy.
I grabbed my phone and texted my assistant to askher to schedule an appointment with Nicolas’s doctor. I needed to know for certain if Joey was my son. No more dragging my feet. That had to end right now. She replied immediately with a “Consider it done.”
There. That was progress—I had Perry double-timing it to find Harper and a paternity test scheduled. Now all I had to do was tell Isla I had to fire her again. Well, sort of. I had to let her go and face my fears alone. Despite the dread that settled in the pit of my stomach, I smiled at Isla and my son. I could get out of the car now and join them, but what would be the point of that? We weren’t exactly a family. We were strangers.
“Should I pull over?” Tommy asked.
“No, that’s fine.” I rubbed a hand over my cheek and sat back, letting the car window frame the garden with a happy Isla holding my baby.
As usual, it seemed, I was the outsider looking in. Isla had managed to waltz in and be comfortable with the huge responsibility I dumped on her. She took it all in stride and made the best of it.
Yearning mixed with want bubbled inside my chest as I watched her bounce Joey gently, then kiss his head. When she bent over to set him down, my cock twitched. That was the other side of this coin. This desire I felt for her was getting the best of me. No matter how hard I tried to stay away from her, it was always there. Isla lived rent free in my head—her voice and her smell.
“I know it’s last minute, but would you be able to drive us to the Hamptons this evening?”
“Not tonight. But first thing tomorrow, I’m free.I’m free all weekend if that’s what you need.”
“That’s exactly what I need.” I met his gaze in the rearview mirror and nodded once.
Yeah, a few days out of the house sounded like a good idea. Until Isla and her skimpy pajama sets moved out, it wasn’t safe to go home.
11
THE BEST NEWS
Isla
“He made the tabloids again.” I put up my phone and showed Joey a picture of his dad. “For…get this—doing nothing.”
He kicked his legs in excitement, and the whole stroller shook a bit. I took that as him showing interest in my story, so I decided to share some more. According to the article, there were speculations going around as to why Declan Noble hadn’t been seen in public lately. Of course, they knew he was in the States, but they still expected him to carry on with his social life, which he had in the past.
