AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Right,” Ben said, and Jade grinned at Ben and ruffled his hair.
She was so good with him. When my mom had suggested this au pair company, I’d been against it. Having a nanny spend all her time with Ben, rather than me being there, had gone against my grain. She stood and looked at me, her smile fading, but it didn’t drain from her eyes. “Good morning.”
“Thank you for joining us,” I said. “Did you manage to work it out?”
“I did,” she said.
“Good,” I said, nodding. “Let’s get the car loaded.”
I walked past Jade. Her perfume wrapped around me and pushed into my nostrils, and my body hummed with a sudden desire for her. I pushed the feeling firmly aside––she was here as Ben’s nanny, so I could work on this trip, thanks to my stupid brother. That was what I had to focus on. I couldn’t risk falling for Jade, no matter what I did or how well we fit together the other night.
My driver loaded all the bags into our car and took us to the airport. All the way, Ben babbled to Jade.
“Have you been to Aspen before?”
“I haven’t. This is my first time.”
“It’s really great,” Ben said. “Dad has the biggest house, with so many rooms, and the room I sleep in has its own bathroom, and I have a whole playroom there, too. My best friend also lives there. His name is Alex. We play together when we visit Aspen. He actually lives in Miami. Have you been to Miami?”
“I haven’t been anywhere else than here,” Jade admitted.
“Oh…well, you’ll get to see Aspen, and it’s really cool. Dad can teach you how to ski, right, Dad?”
Before I could answer, Ben kept going, rattling on like he hadn’t talked in years and he was trying to catch up. It was adorable.
What was even sweeter was how Jade had all the patience in the world for him, listening to every word he said as if it was the most important conversation. She answered every question if he allowed her a chance to speak between all his ramblings, and his excitement at sharing things with her was palpable.
When I’d hired Jade, it had been because Ben had responded so well to her, but I hadn’t really seen how they were around each other until now. I realized now that it had been a good choice. Better than I’d expected––I was glad Jade hadn’t decided to quit, after all.
What would she be like as a mother?
The thought hit me so hard that it left me reeling.
How could I think that about her? She was the nanny. I couldn’t wonder if she could fill the role of Ben’s mother. That would mean she would be my wife, which was a dangerous thing to think about.
Jade was wonderful, but love wasn’t for me, and I couldn’t let myself get distracted when I knew where I was headed. Ben and I had a good thing going. The last thing I wanted was to make a crazy decision, follow my heart instead of my head, and screw it all up. I’d done it once, which hadn’t played out very well for me.
We finally arrived at the airport, and I was relieved. The fuss to get on the plane would distract me from thinking crazy things, and a glass of bourbon on the flight would set me straight.
9
JADE
EverythingaboutAaron’slifewas different from anything I’d known. I’d grown up going camping with family, staying in tents, and making bonfires every night. I was used to renting a small holiday home at the beach if my family had had a good year or celebrating Christmas at home, because being together was all that mattered. It wasn’t about what we could afford.
My mom had always told me memories couldn’t be bought, and no amount of money could make up for the experiences we created as a family.
She was right about all of that, but when we arrived at what Aaron called his “hunting cabin,” my jaw dropped.
The “cabin” was more like a lodge, with eight bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, two living rooms, three entertainment rooms, and a bunch of other things like a sauna and a cinema that I couldn’t even wrap my mind around.
It wasn’t ski season in Aspen––the summer was winding down, and the slopes, although covered in snow, weren’t open. Aaron hadn’t come here to ski. He’d come here to spend time with his son and escape the demands of everyday life.
I wasn’t used to living in the lap of luxury like this. Working at the penthouse was one thing, but this…
“Is your room okay?” Aaron asked after my bags had been taken to one of the eight rooms.
“It’s…great,” I said. There were no words to describe the incredible room, with its wooden furniture, fur rugs, soft duvet covers, and thick, velvet curtains that could keep out the daylight and plunge the room into total darkness. My bathroom alone was bigger than my entire apartment in Seattle, and the bathtub was so big I was sure I could swim in it if I wanted to.
