Page 41 of The Billionaire's Accidental Daddy Duty
“Don’t be.” She wrapped her arms around my waist. “I like this side of you.”
“What side is that?”
“Less grumpy, more hands-on.” She laughed.
“I’m glad I amuse you. Maybe later, I can show you how hands-on I can be.” I glanced up over her head and spotted Tommy making his way to us in the Escalade. “He’s here.”
Isla turned to face him and brace her hand on the stroller. Then I heard a familiar and most annoying sound—clicks, like a camera taking a burst of shots. What the hell?This sort of thing only happened in the UK on a Saturday night. Not in Manhattan in the middle of the day.
“Fuck me.” I swung the stroller around so Joey would be shielded from the lens, then gestured for Tommy to come help us.
He jumped the curb right in front of us, climbed out, and chased after the photographer. Good man. I used the time we had to help Isla and Joey into the SUV.
“Who was that?” Isla climbed over the baby carrier strapped to the backseat and buckled Joey in. “Did he take a picture of us?”
“Several. So much for keeping this whole thing under wraps.” I shifted my body to look behind us. Tommy met my gaze and shook his head once. He didn’t get the film.
“It can’t be that bad.”
I glanced up and glared at the huge clinic sign, thinking about all the shots that asshole got of us. Isla and I making out in front of a clinic with a baby in a stroller. Isla was new at this and had no idea how bad this story could get. The tabloids needed big scandalous headlines. They were not going to report on the fact that I looked happy or that I was out and about with my family. They were going to go for the jugular. I was used to this. But Isla wasn’t. Worst of all, now they also had a picture of my son.
Wherever Harper was, she wasn’t going to be happy about seeing her son’s face all over social media. Fuck my life.
16
MR. NOBLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU
Isla
“Does she look suspicious to you?” Declan leaned on the kitchen counter eyeing the new nanny on the other side of the apartment.
“Joey seems to like her.” I squeezed his arm to reassure him. Sarah was Mary Poppins material. “She has a master’s degree in child psychology. She’s perfect. One question, though.” I walked around him to stand between him and Sarah, then whispered, “She’s British. Why?”
“I thought a British nanny would be more appropriate.”
“What’s wrong with American nannies?”
“Absolutely nothing.” He reached for my waist and nuzzled my neck.
I melted into him. “Don’t change the subject. You’re going to make us late.” I pushed him away from me. Still feeling a bit dizzy, I turned around in place looking for my computer bag.
“We have plenty of time. Tommy will be here shortly.Besides, you can’t be late if you’re with me.” He wrapped his arms around me, cocking his head to look me in the eyes. The implication of his words hit me like a bucket of ice water. “What?” He smiled at me.
“Omigod.” I placed a hand on my forehead. “It’s going to look really bad when people find out that not only have I been promoted from admin to lead programmer, I’m also dating the big boss. They’re going to think I slept my way in.” Which couldn’t be further from the truth. I negotiated my way to a promotion when Declan needed a nanny. Then I slept with the big boss. Shit. That wasn’t a good look, either.
“When you say it like that, it makes it sound like I’m going around handing out promotions in exchange for sex.” He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing. “Nicolas won’t care, but the board of directors are a bunch of judgmental assholes. They’re not going to be happy.”
“Which will make Nicolas’s life extra difficult.” I braced a hip on the counter. “Maybe if he hadn’t meddled, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“I quite like that he meddled.” His gaze shifted to a giggling Joey, then back to me.
“Me too.” I bit my lower lip. “Louisa and I started talking.”
“Really? Good for you.” He stepped closer, genuinely happy I had conquered my fear.
“The Nicolas I knew never would’ve bothered with such nonsense.” He chuckled. “That old chap is truly in love.”
“He is. But we can’t tell them about us. Or anyone else for that matter. Can you promise me we’ll keep this a secret? At least until you return to theUK.”
