Page 23 of One Night With The Nanny

“It was my understanding that Mr. Selby was married to Mr. Griffin,” Max said, his befuddled frown deepening.

Reid rolled his eyes and waved it off. “Dash is the husband Gavin has sex with. We made a pact when we were kids and we belong together. We just have no desire to see each other naked or even acknowledge each other’s genitals,” he explained simply.

“I see…” Max said, despite his shaking head and frowning. “But you aren’t legally married,” he confirmed and Reid nodded.

“Not legally, because that would be illegal. Gavin and Dash are deeply and happily in love and that’s everything I’ve ever wanted for us. We’re all happy now and I don’t have time or energy for a relationship of my own,” he admitted with another shrug.

“Ah.” Max bowed his head, then leaned close and kissed Reid’s cheek. “Now, I see. Have a good evening, Reid.”

Reid leaned away, eyeing Max warily. “Thank you.” He turned to the door, then paused. “Do you see?” he asked as he spun back around. “Because that kiss was a mistake and it can’t happen again. It’s great for your girls to see you being human and…normal, but I don’t want to disappoint them and I don’t want any mixed signals between us.” He waved between them, raising his brows hopefully.

There was a low, growling hum from Max as he stepped close and Reid braced himself as their cheeks brushed. He stifled a shiver as Max’s breath wafted against his ear and his neck.

“That was not a mistake and there are no mixed signals. I may be hopelessly lost when it comes to my girls, but I know when something is worth waiting for and I can be patient, Reid.”

“No. That’s not what I meant. I’m—” Reid tried to argue, but bit into his lip when Max shushed softly and kissed his cheek again.

“Goodnight. I await your instructions,” Max said as he reached around Reid and opened the door for him.

“Goodnight…” Reid wandered over the threshold, frowning at his feet before throwing a suspicious glare over his shoulder at Max. “We’ll talk later but don’t get any ideas. I’m serious, Max. We can be friends and nothing more. I don’t mess with the same man twice,” he warned, offering Max a final nod as he turned to go.

“We’ll see,” Max called after him and Reid didn’t appreciate how amused he sounded.

“No, we won’t.”

8

Reid’s response arrived in Max’s inbox at exactly 9:00 a.m. the next morning. His punctuality and dedication to order and his routine were charming. Max was tickled by Reid’s bossy professionalism as he settled in, reclining behind his desk in his Broad Street office.

“Let’s see what the Oracle of Briarwood Terrace reveals,” he said and blew on a cup of tea as he read.

“Call for a limo,” Max said loudly, closing the email and his laptop.

“Is everything alright?” Banks asked as he leaned into the room. “You have a meeting with Stan and —”

“Give them my apologies and reschedule, please.” Max stood and buttoned his coat. “Everything is fine, but I have matters to attend to at home and I need to think.”

“Very good, sir. I’ll reschedule your appointments and check in with you after you get home.”

“Thank you, Banks,” Max said, bowing as he headed out.

Reid had more than earned his reputation as an oracle. He had—in a few short hours—dissected and analyzed Max’s upbringing, his marriage, his psyche, and his children, and had rendered an impressively accurate and detailed summary. The blunt yet balanced review of Max’s history and his parenting had been hard to read at times, but Reid had also shown him a path forward and had given him cause to be optimistic.

In just one night!

Max had spent years and a fortune on therapy for himself and his girls, desperate to win them back. All it took was dinner and a little basketball on the back terrace for Reid to diagnose what the best professionals couldn’t. That was also what Reid had prescribed and that was exactly what Max was going to do.

He was whistling and felt like dancing by the time he arrived home. Max had the perfect father/daughter project to help him bond with Mia. It was just after noon, so he used the time until she returned from school to call Agnes for more background information, because he knew Mia would have questions and would expect Max to have done his research. And he wanted her to know he was taking this seriously.

“What’s this?” She took her AirPods out when she came home and spotted the pizza boxes on the counter.

“Dinner,” Max declared. “We haven’t had pizza together in a long time and I thought we could eat while you helped me plan and then perhaps, you could teach me how to shoot a basketball.”

“What are you planning?” She sounded wary but she rested her elbows on the island and nodded when Max held out a plate.

He set it in front of her. “I believe that Reid is intending—as you kids say—to ‘ghost’ me and I don’t want that to happen, but I don’t want to risk coming on too strong or scaring him. He’s a very driven and independent man and I like that about Reid,” he admitted.

“Okay…” She stared at Max and her lips pursed in confusion while he passed her a napkin and silverware. “Why do you think he’s going to ghost you?”

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