Page 64 of Faking it with the Billionaire
I put my phone away and hurry upstairs to get showered and dressed so that I can accompany Lia and Bristol on their outing.
“You don’t have to come with us,” Lia says. “I promise I can handle Bristol on my own for a day.”
Is that what she thinks? That I’m spying on the nanny or something? Of course, that would imply that she doesn’t know I’m joining her, and I don’t make a habit of stalking Lia and Bristol.
“I know, but I like spending time with you guys.” I’m confident Mitchell could handle any situation with Bristol, but he’s driving them to the zoo, not accompanying them throughout the entire park. “It’s really no bother.”
“Don’t you have work to do?” Lia asks, her brow pinched.
She’s asking too many questions, and I’m grateful when my cell phone interrupts us. Except it’s my sister. And I haven’t talked to her since before I started working for Kyler.
“Hey, Amber,” I say, and I can already feel the prickly heat of electricity coming from the other line.
“You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone! And now you’re engaged?”
I suck in a sharp breath. This isn’t a conversation I want to have in front of Bristol, although she’s bound to find out eventually. She and the nanny may have missed Kyler’s big announcement on the ice when he got down on one knee, but word travels fast in this city.
And the moment Lia hears the news, she’s bound to comment on it. Which means I should squash it far before she gets wind any other way. Except she isn’t supposed to know what Kyler and I have is fake.
I groan. This has gotten out of hand and far too complicated. I don’t want to disappoint Bristol or put her in the middle, making her think that I’m going to be her mother one day. That isn’t fair to her.
But Kyler should never have suggested it, either.
We’re both to blame. It’s not entirely his fault. I went along with it.
“It’s kind of a new thing,” I say, feeling Lia’s stare on me. She’s ready to go, and now they’re waiting on me. “Can I call you back?”
“Fine, but you owe me details. Even the juicy, filthy ones!”
I end the call with my sister and follow the girls out to the vehicle. Mitchell is already back at the house after dropping Kyler off for practice this morning.
“Where to?” Mitchell asks as Bristol climbs into the backseat, and I make sure she’s buckled before securing my own seatbelt. I let the nanny sit up front. For some reason, it feels natural, sitting next to Bristol, like she’s my daughter.
It’s also the best way for me to protect her; by keeping her close.
We spend much of the day exploring the zoo, filling up on popcorn and sweets before returning to the house to make dinner. Mitchell swings by to pick up Kyler on our way home from the zoo.
He yanks open the back door, surprised to see us all stuffed inside. I scoot over, squeezing up against Kyler. Not that I mind.
“What were you guys up to today?” Kyler asks, yanking his seatbelt on while Mitchell pulls back out through the lot and into traffic.
“We went to the zoo,” Bristol proclaims, shoving her penguin across my lap for her dad to see. She doesn’t relinquish it into his hands, though, gripping it tightly before bringing it back to rub noses with.
“I’ll bet you two spoiled my little Bristol.”
“I’m not little,” Bristol says, staring at him pointedly.
“Of course. I’m sorry. My mistake,” Kyler says with a wry grin. He shifts in the backseat to get comfortable, but he’s tall, and his legs are up to his knees. The front seat is typically shoved all the way forward when we get in, making Lia push it back. I suppose I now see why.
“How was your day?” I ask, nudging him.
“Good. Practice went well. Nothing too exciting. Yours?” He glances at me with a genuine smile, and my stomach flutters. It’s hard to keep the feelings straight, the ones that aren’t real, when he looks at me as if nothing else matters, and his eyes stare straight into my soul.
My breath catches in my throat. “Just an ordinary day at the zoo.” I want to talk to him about Amber calling and how Lia is bound to overhear the gossip. We need to address this before Bristol hears about it.
He must sense my hesitation because his brow knits, and he reaches for my hand, intertwining our fingers together.
We’re not on display. Lia isn’t watching, and we’re far from the stadium, his teammates, and the hockey wives.
