Page 53 of One Night With The Nanny

“I don’t doubt that,” she said cheekily, earning an instant objection from Reid.

“You know how it takes a village to raise a child?” he asked and she nodded. “The whole village hurts when a family breaks up. That family can be something as small as one parent and the child could be a fur baby; I’ve seen a whole community come together when a child or a dog go missing. Friends, neighbors, parents, employees… And they all mourn when that family is separated or someone is lost. If you can save a family, you could be saving a lot more than a father and two little girls, you could be healing a community along with some old wounds and preventing future generations from inheriting the same trauma,” he explained.

There was a long silence before Mia gasped out a watery laugh. “I told you he was good.” She swiped Sophia’s wine glass out of her hand and took a large gulp.

“Mia, no!” Max complained while Sophia slapped at her hands and scolded her.

“Don’t get me into trouble. I do not let her drink at my place,” she told Max.

“I wouldn’t allow her to stay there if I didn’t trust you, and you,” he added to Mia.

Reid cheered softly. “You three are doing so awesome.” He leaned toward Mia. “It’s normal to sneak drinks and even get drunk a few times before you’re twenty-one. But we can talk, if you ever feel like you might have a problem or if you ever feel pressured to drink. I can also hook you up with cool people who aren’t me or find ways for you to get help anonymously, if you’d prefer that too,” he added in a whisper, making Mia roll her eyes and Sophia humphed into her glass.

“Fine. Mia was right about you.”

“I think you’re really cool too,” Reid replied, then smiled apologetically. “I don’t know your father that well, but why would you think he’d use you or your family like that? He’s trying to be more open now about who he is for you, but he hasn’t shown any interest in gaining publicity for himself or even mentioned his image once to me.”

There was an immediate change in Sophia: her posture straightened and her chin tipped back. “No, not like that. But his whole life—our life—was a great big lie because he had to be the perfect margrave with the perfect archduchess and the perfect little princesses. I didn’t see the point in playing along anymore when Ella quit and I refused to let my marriage and my children become part of the big lie. The best thing you ever did for us was hand the title over to Leo.”

“The lie?” Max asked, shaking his head. “What lie? I came out when Ella left and I never asked you to be perfect or to lie for me.”

“No!” She laughed wryly and waved her glass at him and then at Mia. “We were the lies. You never really cared about us when we were little and you barely noticed when Ella left because you never wanted her there.”

Max shook his head, sick to know that that was what she thought of him. “Is that what you really believe?” he asked, earning a hard snort from Sophia.

“You would have done something about her if you cared.”

“You were all I cared about,” Max said loudly, his voice rising with his temper. “You were why I married Ella and put up with all the…bullshit,” he said with a belligerent laugh. “I didn’t want any of it, but I did what they told me to do for twenty years because at least I had my princesses. But it did fall apart when Ella left,” he agreed. “You wouldn’t come home and Mia would barely look at me so I told them I was done, that it had cost me too much and that Leo could have it all.”

“That’s why you wanted to retire?” Sophia asked, earning a tight nod from Max.

“I wanted to abdicate immediately, but Leo and the Foundation’s board and attorneys talked me into a more gradual transition. I moved to the U.S. with you and Mia while Leo finished university and took over most of the responsibilities back home, in Austria.”

“I always thought it was the Foundation that wanted you to take a quieter role, because of the divorce and because you were gay.”

Max laughed. “Oh, they weren’t happy about any of that but it was Ella who brought the matter to a head. She’d had enough and the only way the Foundation would ever agree was if she became a liability. It was only a matter of time before there would be leaks in the media and I thought it would be better for both of us if it appeared that her affairs began after the divorce.”

“Wow…” Reid whistled at Max. “You must have been under an incredible amount of pressure.”

“That’s an understatement, but I don’t want to dwell on the strain of those years. In hindsight, I see that it was all for nothing and it cost me dearly,” he said with a nod at Sophia and Mia. “I’d rather focus on what can be repaired and how I can make it up to you.”

He used that as a segue so he could present the girls with their gifts and lighten the moment. Both Sophia and Mia were thrilled with their watches and traded them back and forth, unable to decide who liked which watch more. Dinner was delightful. Max had ordered sushi and the evening went a little later than they had intended. They had lost track of time, laughing and making plans.

But Max noticed that Reid had withdrawn and had become a spectator, encouraging and joking when it was expected of him, yet never committing or making any promises.

Max waited until Sophia had left, and Mia had said goodnight and turned up her music, to corner him in the kitchen. Reid was rinsing their wine glasses and putting them in the dishwasher and Max could see that he was preparing to make his exit.

“I told you tonight would be a piece of cake,” he said as he used his hip to shut it.

“It was touch and go in the beginning but I kept both of my feet on the floor and out of my mouth, thanks to you,” Max said, reaching for Reid.

“Okay. Before you get carried away and say something ridiculous—” he started, holding out a hand to keep Max at arm’s length.

“I think I have to,” Max warned as he caught Reid’s wrist and attempted to reel him in. “Look at how much you’ve done in less than a month.”

“Most of it was you, honestly,” Reid deflected, stepping to his left when his hip clipped the corner of the counter. “I just got you to open up and be yourself.”

“You’ve done so much more than that, Reid. I have a second chance with my girls and I’ve found the perfect man.”

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