Page 47 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“What? Why?”

“Do you need me to spell it out? Because Maddie’s sick. Tia refused to leave her alone all night.”

“She wouldn’t be alone. We’re all here for Maddie,” I argued.

“Tell that to your girlfriend,” groused Marcus, who didn’t sound too happy to have to fill in for Tia.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” was my automatic reply, but Marcus merely snorted in derision.

“Then stop kissing her all the time. The staff is taking bets on when you’re going to ask her to marry you.”

“How do you know this?” I asked, furious at this invasion of my privacy.

“Luke told me.”

“And did he put an end to it?”

“Who do you think is running the betting book?” asked Marcus laconically. “Look, as riveting as your personal life is, I need to rescue a pair of jocks from getting beaten up by Celine.And you need to do something about Monani before he becomes a problem, Leo. Laters.”

I wondered what kind of woman Celine was that she had my brother running around like her personal errand boy. But Marcus was right. I had to do something about Tia’s brother. First, I had to check on Maddie.

I raced up the stairs and found Tia curled up in a rocking chair next to Maddie’s bed. She sat up hastily when I entered.

“How is she?” I asked softly.

“The fever has broken, and she’s finally asleep,” whispered Tia.

“Why are you still here, Tia?”

She was dressed in her usual jeans and tee, but she had full makeup on. Which meant that she had changed her mind about going out at the very last minute.

“I couldn’t leave Maddie when she was sick, Leo. I’d worry about her all night, and that wouldn’t be fun for anyone,” she explained.

“You can still go, Tia. I’ll have my chauffeur drop you off.”

“Umm, in what universe? We’ll be stuck on the road for hours,” she exclaimed.

“Fine! Then I can have you airlifted,” I said stubbornly. “We have a helipad on the grounds.”

“And have the pilot land me on top of the big ball? Because there’s nowhere else to land at this point. Every square inch of Times Square will be covered with people. Relax, Leo. I can always go out another night.”

I let out a heartfelt sigh. The last thing I wanted was for Tia to feel trapped at home with Maddie and me. I remember how much Natalie used to hate that.

“We cannot encroach on your time off, Tia.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next family I work for,” she said lightly.

I was surprised by the wave of possessiveness that swept over me. There would be no other family! She was ours!

Down, Dino,I scolded myself. This wasn’t the Stone Age. Tia could work wherever she liked, even if I hated the very idea.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was missing something. Why wasn’t she more upset? Natalie would sulk for hours if she had to stay home and look after her own baby. So why was Tia so blasé about it?

“Why aren’t you more upset about this situation?” I asked slowly.

She looked at me as if I was an idiot, and maybe I was.

“Because I love Maddie, you moron. I’d never be able to go out and dance the night away knowing she needs me. She’s a small child! What if her temp rises again? What if she’s uncomfortable and needs me to change her? Or sing to her. Or just hold her until she feels better. I know she has all of you, but I want to be there for her as well. This isn’t such a big deal, and I don’t know why you’re making it out to be one.”

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