Page 93 of The Billionaire's Virgin

And yet, staring into her big dark eyes, how could I look at her and shake my head? How could I tell her that I couldn’t promise her that? It was just as bad as telling her that I couldn’t or wouldn’t be there for her.

“I promise,” I said, with my hands tied.

Jenna smiled and took another cookie from the plate between us. I felt my appetite slip away as I realized how complicated things could get if it didn’t work out between Reed and me.

After we had finished our juice and tea, I got out a special coloring book that I had brought for Jenna, and she spread out on her bedroom floor surrounded by her coloring pencils and started to color. I went into the living room and started tidying up. I was barely concentrating on anything I was doing, however. My mind kept going back to the conversation I’d had with Jenna.

When Reed finally came home, I had made my decision, and now I just had to tell him. He looked at me with a bright smile.

“Where’s Jenna?”

“In her room coloring,” I replied.

“Good,” Reed said, as he pulled me towards him and kissed me hard on the lips.

Smiling, I chuckled and pushed him away. “Stop that,” I said. “Jenna could walk in on us at any moment.”

“We’d hear her coming.”

“Do you want something to eat?”

“No, I had a late lunch, so I’m good for a few hours,” Reed said. “I was thinking we could have a little outing this coming weekend, just the three of us? What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea.” I nodded. “For the next weekend.”

“I meant this weekend,” Reed said, wrinkling his brows together.

I bit my lip. “I think that you should spend some quality time with Jenna this weekend, without me.”

Reed frowned. “Why would we do that?” he asked. “Jenna loves it when you’re around.”

“Which is why she’s starting fantasizing about me being her mother.”

“Oh,” Reed said. “She brought it up again today, huh?”

“I think this whole living situation has got her thinking overtime too,” I admitted. “She’s confused, Reed, and she’s vulnerable right now. She’s craved a mother all her life and seeing us together all the time, it’s sending her the wrong message.”

Reed looked a little puzzled. “We are together though,” he pointed out.

“And the minute we tell her that, she’s going to start planning our wedding,” I pointed out. “She’s going to invest in the idea of the three of us as a family and… if it doesn’t work out between us, then we risk doing real damage to her.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Reed asked.

“I think it’s time for me to move back to my apartment,” I said.

“But—”

“I was never meant to be a live-in nanny,” I pointed out. “And this was only meant to be temporary, just until the situation with Sofia was handled. And now that it’s handled, I don’t see the need for me to continue to stay here.”

I saw the conflict in Reed’s eyes, and it looked like he was going to argue with me. A small, selfish part of me actually wished he would. But then he nodded once. “Okay,” he said. “If you think that’s best.”

“I do.”

“It’s not going to be the same around here without you,” Reed sighed.

“You’ll get over it.” I smiled.

“We’re not… breaking up, are we?” Reed asked suddenly.

“Of course not,” I said emphatically. “I love you. This is not a breakup. This is just to make sure Jenna’s not confused about things. She has to understand that you and she are family, and I’m just… the nanny.”

“But you aren’t just the nanny.”

I smiled. “Thank you for saying so, but for now I think she needs to be clear on that… until we know exactly where this relationship is headed. It’s the best way to protect her feelings.”

Reed wrapped his arms around me and kissed me gently on the lips. “I know you’re right,” he said. “I just wish you weren’t.”

I smiled sadly and nodded. “Me too.”