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Rays of gentle daylight warmed the edges of his curtains, and he was surprised it was already morning.
Wow. She’d stayed the night.
For some reason, he hadn’t expected that of her, and it made him grin stupidly as he pulled on his jeans and T-shirt and padded down the hall.
When he opened Beau’s door, though, he felt a little guilty. It was the first time he’d slept in his own room for weeks. Hopefully, she wasn’t freaked out that he wasn’t on the floor next to her crib. As soon as she spotted him, the fussing stopped. She reached for him, demanding to be picked up. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her in amazement. It was the first time she’d reached for him, but then it was also the first time she’d needed to. Usually, he didn’t leave her alone in a room if he could help it.
“Me? You want me?” A weird warmth lit in his chest. That must mean he was doing something right. Although if she was insecurely attached she’d probably go to anyone. He’d have to test it out and see if she put her arms up for other people, too, or if it was just for him.
He changed her diaper and brought her down to the kitchen to warm up her bottle, hoping Juliet would sleep a while longer. He had to force himself not to rush the baby through her bottle and felt like a jerk both for abandoning Juliet, and for abandoning Beau alone in her room overnight.
Maybe this was too complicated. He had enough going on in his life without starting a new relationship. Then again, Juliet had made it clear a relationship wasn’t what she was after. Although if that was the case, why had she stayed overnight? Maybe it didn’t mean anything to her, even though it did to him—especially after what they’d done last night. It wasn’t the most hard-core session he’d ever done, but he felt like they’d connected more than just on a carnal level. She’d kind of blown his mind. She was so fucking responsive.
Beau held his finger, staring up into his eyes as she drank her formula. So trusting. He sighed, feeling his heart tug the way it had more and more lately. Beau needed him and his full attention. Juliet would end up stealing bits of his attention away if they got involved. That was probably a bad idea.
When Beau was almost finished her bottle, the front gate buzzer went off. He’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts and the sight of Beau’s chubby fingers, that he hadn’t given any thought to today.
Shit.
His mind raced through his mental calendar. He carried Beau to the control panel for the gate. There was a woman he didn’t recognize standing there, and he drew a complete blank. She was young, dressed tidily, and had kind brown eyes.
He pressed the intercom button. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, my name is Tabitha Denman. I have an interview with William Ellis at eight.”
Will blinked at her image on the screen trying to figure out why he might be interviewing her—and why at his house?
Oh, shit. That was right, Konstantin’s wife, Varushka, had said she’d made arrangements for this woman to come by today. It had completely slipped his mind.
“Yes, of course, Ms. Denman. Please come up.” He buzzed the gate open and watched her walk through. She had a very determined gait, like she meant business. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. If she was too uptight, it wouldn’t be good for Beau, and the woman wouldn’t last a week around him.
It was weird to think that if he hired her, this stranger could be living under his roof within the week.
Maybe he didn’t really need a nanny.
Maybe he could just keep bringing Beau to work with him.
No, he couldn’t do that.
Maybe he could just work from home and let Grant run everything at ground level.
But his club . . .
He looked down at Beau, who was gazing up at him with big, trusting eyes. Was hiring a nanny bad for her attachment? How did other parents bring themselves to go to work with this much guilt and worry hanging over their heads?
Parents . . .
God, if he did keep her, he’d be someone’s father. Even though he’d built a business from the ground up, he still felt like he wasn’t old enough to wear that title.
He ran a hand through his hair, wishing he’d have time to shower in the few minutes it would take for Ms. Denman to get to the door. He probably reeked of sex. He ran his tongue over his teeth.
Too late now.
As Ms. Denman ascended the front stairs, he opened the door and let her in.
“Hi, I’m Tabitha.” She smiled pleasantly at him, then at the baby. “This must be Beauxbatons! How old is she?”
“We just call her Beau. She’s almost five months. I’m William, by the way.” He closed the door behind her and gestured for her to go into the great room then quickly redirected her to the kitchen when he spotted some of Juliet’s clothes on the floor.
