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Only he doesn’t say no. Instead, he says, “How soon can you start?”
CHAPTER7
Roman
o o o
Idecide I’ve made a colossal mistake shortly after nine a.m. the following day. I’m already late to a meeting, and Madison isn’t here.
Scraping my fingers through my hair, I snatch the remote off the side and lower the volume on the TV. I’m glad Leo’s having fun, but if I have to hear the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune one more time, I’m going to lose the will to live.
Leo pouts, which would be significantly cuter if he didn’t have chocolate spread all over his face. “Daddy!”
“Sorry, bud.” I ruffle my hand through his dark curls and then pull out my phone. I’m going to have to arrange alternate childcare — which is most often provided by my Mom, only she lives up in Albany and can’t just get here at the drop of a hat. That means finding someone else, which I don’t like at all. I need to know the person who will be spending all day with my son. I need to trust them.
Just as I’m about to make the call, a knock rattles through my penthouse. I clench my jaw, marching to the door and swinging it open in frustration.
Madison smiles gingerly on the other side, her blonde hair glossy over her shoulders and a flask of aromatic coffee in her hand. “Sorry I’m late. Two-hour drive and all that.”
I throw her an icy glare as I step aside. It’s a poor excuse, especially since Brandon only lives a few blocks away. “You couldn’t have stayed with your brother?”
“Absolutely not. I’m still not his biggest fan.”
I scoff at the immaturity, a pang of concern shooting through me. Is this really the woman I want around Leo?
But then I remember how desperate she’d looked yesterday. Her resumé was pristine, and I even called the last agency she worked with only to get a glowing character reference. Other than her tardiness, I’m not able to find a valid reason to turn down the opportunity, and I can’t keep making my mother come down here because I’m not content with even one nanny in New York.
She’s the only person who feels right for my son. I have to try.
“Fine. Then I’ll have the suite downstairs prepared for you, and you’ll stay there free of charge to prevent this from happening again.” Fastening my watch around my wrist, I lead her down the hallway.
She glances around as though she’s never seen a nice place before, though her own parents’ house in the Hamptons is gorgeous. Still, I’ve spent a lot of money making this penthouse sleek and modern, and her disbelieving gawks make me feel proud.
“I’ll stay… here? In this building?”
I cock my brow. “Is that an issue?”
“No, I guess not…” She clutches her purse strap as we stop at the end of the hall.
My usual tentativeness jitters through me. I always have an issue introducing Leo, perhaps because he feels like my weak spot. There’s nothing in the world that can hurt me anymore, but he makes me vulnerable. He makes me human.
“I’m late for a meeting, so this is going to have to be quick. I’ve left some papers on the coffee table for you to sign — your contract and your NDA. I’d like you to keep a record of your day-to-day activities, just so I know what the two of you get up to while I’m gone.”
“Of course,” she nods, peeking beyond the wall into my open-plan kitchen and living area. It’s a huge, open space with the jutting skyline of New York visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her eyes could land on any number of things, but they go straight to Leo.
Her demeanor seems to soften, a warmth I’ve never been lucky enough to receive from her coloring her features. “It’s going to take some getting used to… Roman Sterling, a father.”
“Is it that difficult to believe?” Secretly, I’m afraid of the answer, though I don’t know why. Isn’t this why I hide him, so people don’t see me as anything other than the level-headed, successful CEO I pretend to be during my day-to-day work?
Being a businessman is simple, and that means people don’t look for more. Being a father reveals too much. It tells people I’m a different man when I come home than in the office. It suggests I’m restricted because my first worry is not my job but my family.
And then there are the questions bound to come up about Leo’s mother, a woman I don’t particularly enjoy thinking about. Leo hasn’t seen her since he was two months old, the day she dropped him off at my door and never came back. It’s easier to pretend she doesn’t exist but I’m not foolish enough to believe people would let me if this became public knowledge.
Perhaps I don’t want Madison, of all people, to see me in a different light. I liked how it felt to be dragged into her kiss, even though I knew it was only a sly way of getting back at her brother. I liked that, for just a moment, I was neither the untouchable billionaire nor the exhausted single father.
I was just a man she wanted to kiss. Uncomplicated and untethered.
Pathetic, Roman.I shake the foolish thoughts away as she replies.
