Page 22 of One Night With The Nanny

“Yes, but is it appropriate for her to see her father…”

“Kissing another adult?” Reid supplied, earning an answering blush from Max.

He clasped his hands behind his back again, but his neck stretched and his shoulders hunched as he squirmed. “That, and it’s generally best to maintain a certain degree of composure and dignity around one’s children, I believe,” Max continued, making Reid’s eyes roll.

“That’s your problem.”

“What’s my problem? What am I doing wrong?” Max asked warily as he came around the sofa and gestured for Reid to take a seat.

Reid shook his head. “I think it’s all that composure and dignity. You might have overdone it.” He didn’t trust himself that close to Max. “I’ll make some notes and email them to you. I should get going.”

“Going? But we…” Max looked back toward the door and where they had kissed. “Do you have to?”

“Yes,” Reid said firmly. “We’ve made some good progress here and I think it’s best if I leave before we do something I’ll regret.”

“Why are you so sure you’ll regret it?” Max countered, taking Reid’s hand and raising it to his lips. “Stay and tell me what else Mia said and let me thank you for tonight. You have no idea how wonderful it was to see Sophia—and Mia kissed me!”

“That was really special for you, wasn’t it?” Reid asked softly, noting the way Max sucked in a breath and his shaky nod.

“The last time she kissed me…” he swiped at his eyes as he locked it all up and shook his head. “She was five and she was on the carousel in Central Park. It was just before her mother moved out and Mia understood that the marriage was over.”

“I’m so sorry,” Reid said sincerely. “We had a pretty deep chat while you were on the phone and one of the things Mia struggles with is the fact that she doesn’t know who you are.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Max replied and drew back, his posture becoming defensive as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Reid had seen Sophia do the exact same thing just five minutes earlier and wondered if she’d learned it from Max. “I’m not so certain that it is and I think it might be the root of your problem.

“How can that be?” Max laughed incredulously. “I have always been here for Mia, just as I was for Sophia. We always had a housekeeper and a nanny because I didn’t know a thing about children or how to raise them, but I was always there to make sure they received the best care. And I did all the things their nannies and doctors recommended. I read to them every night, when Sophia was still with us, and I took them to the park and we had tea parties…”

“Did they ever see you laugh or cry? Did you ever tell them about your childhood or show them the things you’re passionate about?”

Max’s confusion was practically palpable. “I may have laughed now and then,” he said as he stalled. “But crying in front of them? I don’t cry very often but that would have been distressing, would it not? And I don’t know what I could have told them about my childhood. It was…rather dismal,” he mused, more to himself. “I never saw my parents until I was a young man and I had no siblings. I went to school and I had tutors and then university—but I don’t want to tell them about most of that!—and then I married their mother.”

“Wow,” Reid whispered, awed at how emotionally stunted Max was, not understanding how sad that sounded. “I think that’s what we need to work on. I’ll make those notes and email you in the morning. We’ll find a way to turn this around,” he said confidently.

“Why can’t we talk about this now? Why do you have to go?” Max asked quickly. “Stay and tell me what Mia said,” he pleaded, tugging again at Reid’s sympathy. He was clearly very lonely and willing to do anything for his girls.

“Sorry,” Reid said, immediately closing the door on any thoughts he had of staying and comforting Max. That was asking for trouble and Reid had too many good reasons for keeping a man out of his own life. Especially a man like Max who was used to the world catering to his every whim. “I want to get home and give this some thought. Pace and scribble in my notebook, you know?”

“You can pace here and I have plenty of notebooks,” Max argued and Reid gave him a hard look.

“We both know that’s not happening if I stay.”

“Fine,” Max conceded with a smile, shedding his confusion and vulnerability as he took Reid’s hand again. “Would that be so terrible? We could…enjoy ourselves, and then you could tell me what you and Mia talked about and what I need to do to fix this.”

“That will not be happening. Ever,” Reid added, yanking his hand free and stuffing it in his pocket. He couldn’t think when Max did that.

“Why?” Max complained, his hands went behind his back, clasped calmly as he studied Reid. “We both know it will be incredible and I like you. I don’t like anyone except my girls and my assistant, Banks,” he added, making Reid snort.

“That’s…flattering and I appreciate that,” Reid said, stepping back and around the table and sofa. “But I have strict rules and I don’t get involved with men. And definitely not the ones who need my help and know my friends and family,” he stated, earning a puzzled frown from Max as he followed.

“I don’t understand. Isn’t it a good thing that we have friends in common and your other friends seem to like me?”

Reid pushed out a hard breath as he took his coat off the hook by the door, pausing before pulling it on. “Not when Agnes Cameron is one of those friends. And the thing is, I’m already married and everything’s just the way I want it. I refuse to risk all the work I’ve—we’ve—done by getting into something messy with a prince, of all fucking things,” he said with a wry chuckle. “I’ve managed to keep everything neat and tidy for close to forty years and I don’t intend to change that any time soon.” He gave Max a decisive nod before sliding his arm into one of the sleeves.

“You’re married?” Max replied, causing Reid to snort as he buttoned his coat.

“Yes. I’ve been happily married to Gavin since… I don’t know, high school,” he said absently and shrugged.

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