Page 88 of If You Give a Single Dad a Nanny

“The painting you bought at my art show,” I say softly as I follow behind.

“It’s perfect,” he says in awe.

The piece he purchased is of two daisies—one red, one white.

It’s the last piece I painted for my collection a few days after I went with Dylan and Lola to the Family Craft Corner class and had dinner at their house for the first time. The white daisy represents Lola’s innocence and purity, and the red daisy was inspired by my romantic feelings for Dylan. It’s even more special because of Lola’s role as a daisy in her school play.

“What’s it called?”

“Love’s Beginning,” I say softly. “I never intended to sell this one.”

“Why did you then?”

“Because Gavin advertised that there would be seven pieces in the collection. I figured if I set the price high enough, no one would buy it, and I could keep it.”

“How much?”

“You should know. You bought it,” I remind him.

“I had my assistant take care of the payment,” he says.

“Oh, I see.” I’m a little nervous to tell him now. “It was ninety grand,” I admit with a sympathetic look.

He places my hands in his. “I would have paid a million dollars for a Marlow Taylor original. But for this particular piece, I’d give up everything. It’s priceless because I’ll think of you and Lola every time I see it. You’ve brought color into our lives both literally and figuratively, and there isn’t a version of our future without you.”

Dylan’s declaration leaves me blinking up at him in shock, taking a moment to realize I’m not dreaming. The intensity of his gaze is proof that he means every single word.

“You and Lola are my entire world,” he says as he clasps my hands tighter. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together because—” Dylan’s phone goes off in his pocket. He ignores it, but it goes off again as soon as it stops.

“Dammit,” he mutters when he checks it. “I’m so sorry, it’s Harrison.”

“You should answer it,” I encourage him.

“Hello?” He listens intently, his face scrunching up into a scowl. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Yeah, I’m joining now.”

He hangs up and gives me an apprehensive look.

“Is everything okay?” I question.

“There’s a time-sensitive issue with the Vanburen project. I have to get on a call with our team to figure out the best course of action.” He motions toward his office upstairs.

I cup his cheek with my hand. “Go take care of your work emergency. When you’ve finished, come over to my place and we’ll continue our conversation. I’m not going anywhere,” I promise him.

“Marlow, you mean everything to me.” He places a kiss on my temple before jogging up the stairs to his office.

As Dylan climbs the stairs, I’m left feeling uncertain about my future. Part of me is questioning my initial decision about the residency, and I’m wondering if there’s a possibility for us to make this work.

The only thing I can say for certain is that I have no doubt that Dylan will be by my side for whatever comes next.

32

DYLAN

“THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK, everyone,” I say with a weary expression. “Take the day off, and I’ll see you all in the office tomorrow morning.”

I had to pull an all-nighter, collaborating with Harrison and my team over a conference call. We’re set to break ground on the Vanburen development next month but encountered a particular roadblock that required an overwhelming volume of financial paperwork. We had to submit it by 8:00 a.m. to prevent further delays.

Lola spent the night at my parents’ house, and they dropped her off at school this morning.

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