Page 39 of The Billionaire's Virgin

Chapter Thirteen

Reed

In the end, I had caved and gone home for an hour to shower and change. Doctor Farrow had been in to see me, and she had told me that it would be a few more hours before Jenna would wake up. With that in mind, I had left Jennifer by her bedside, and I had headed home to wash off the grime from my flight.

The moment I had walked into the apartment, I saw that everything was… not in disarray, but not everything was in its correct place. Jenna’s toys were strewn about a little and the coffee table lay at an angle to the side because obviously Taylor had forgotten to move it back to its correct spot. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. Jenna’s ‘mild’ fever had taken a sudden turn for the worse and Taylor had been too busy to see to the rest of the house.

For some reason, I couldn’t just leave everything as was. So I put away Jenna’s toys and moved the coffee table back to the center of the carpet. Once that was done, I headed to my room and showered quickly, hoping that I wouldn’t miss Jenna’s waking up. After I was done with my shower, I shaved quickly and put on a fresh pair of trousers and a t-shirt.

Feeling a little better, I headed to the kitchen to root around in the fridge. Apparently, Taylor had cooked only yesterday because the fridge was full of containers labeled with various different healthy snacks for Jenna. I reflected on what a good nanny she had been and how hard pressed I was going to be to try and find a new one. For a second, I mourned my spontaneous decision, but then I reminded myself where Jenna was and I justified my behavior. I ended up drinking a strong cup of coffee and heading back to the hospital again.

On my way to Jenna’s room, I happened to pass by the cafeteria, and I felt a jolt of shock when I caught sight of Taylor sitting at one of the tables there all by herself. It was close to five in the morning now, and I had dismissed her at around ten last night. Had she really spent the entire night in the hospital… for what? A part of me wanted to approach her and ask point blank, but I didn’t think engaging with her was the right idea.

For a crazy, irrational second, I wondered if I was in for the same hell I had gone through with Sofia. The stalking had started off so innocently at first that I had barely recognized it for what it really was. But then I remembered Jennifer telling me that Taylor was vastly different from Sofia and I took some comfort in that. Clearly my judgment wasn’t working very well, so I decided to rely on someone else’s for the time being.

When I walked into Jenna’s hospital room, I realized that Jennifer was in the bathroom. I could hear water running. Happy to have a moment alone with Jenna, I sat by her bedside and put my hand over hers. I noticed that she was stirring a lot… and that probably meant she was coming out of her long sleep. I put a little pressure on her hand and started talking to her.

“Hi, baby,” I said softly, hoping some part of her consciousness could hear me. “How are you, my darling? Everything went brilliantly. You were such a champ. All the doctors said so. I’m so proud of you. You are so very strong… like your grandmother.”

I kept talking. Sometimes I barely registered what I was saying; I just wanted her to hear my voice, and I was aware that Jenna was coming out of her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and I saw the dark brightness of her eyes. It made my heart sing, and I cracked the only real smile I’d felt in twenty-four hours.

“Daddy….” she said, and I felt moisture pool behind my eyes.

“I’m here, baby girl.”

“I feel… weird.”

“I know.” I nodded. “You’re going to feel weird for a little while. Does anything hurt?”

Jenna thought about that for a moment. Then she shook her head. “No… but I feel sleepy.”

“That’s good; you need to get your rest.”

“Where’s Taylor?” she asked, catching me by surprise.

I really shouldn’t have been surprised. It was natural for her to have expected Taylor to be here, but I just didn’t want to have to tell her right now.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, angel?”

“Where’s Taylor? I want her.”

A small insecure part of me felt threatened by that admission. Wasn’t I enough? Had I been so easily replaced? I reminded myself that I had no right to feel that way. I had chosen to get Jenna a nanny because I didn’t have the capabilities to look after her full time.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I said. “Taylor’s not here right now.”

Jenna frowned. “Where is she?”

“Uh…”

Her dark eyes bore into mine, and I knew I couldn’t lie to her anymore. I needed to tell her the truth. I had read somewhere that when your child asked you a question, it was always important to answer them honestly… even when it was hard.

“Sweetheart, Taylor’s gone, and she’s not coming back.”

“Why?” Jenna asked, and she looked visibly upset.

“Because she made a mistake, and that mistake hurt you very badly.”