Page 66 of Sexy Bad Daddy

“…But we’ll have to work around her school schedule in the fall. Shouldn’t be too hard, since you and Abby will start touring with me. Every single tour. So really, Evie’s going to be more of a house sitter. And duck sitter, apparently. Did we really adopt a duck?”

“Hang on.” I squirm out of his embrace and lift my hands into a T. “Time out. I’m sorry, I’m having a little trouble following you. Because I swear you’re talking like we’re a couple. Or, actually, a family. And that doesn’t make a lot of sense, considering I ruined your career and you just said you don’t want me to be your nanny anymore.”

“Honey, you didn’t ruin my career. I ruined my career by not being honest. With myself and with you. Although, to tell you the truth, I’m still the best golfer in the world, and Callum’s a fucking magic man when it comes to spinning stories, so hopefully we’ll be all right in a few months.

“It’ll help if, from this point forward, we can avoid scenarios where I’m standing knee-deep in muck and you’re puttering away in a golf cart while some psychopath tells the world he loves you. Not for the sponsors, either, but because I’m not sure I can handle going through that again.”

I shiver. In truth, I’ve been hiding from Peter as much as I’ve been avoiding Garrett. I haven’t yet figured out how to deal with the man.

“Do you love him?” Garrett’s studying my face like he’s trying to pull the answer from my features.

Closing my eyes, I shake my head. “I thought I did, when I was working for him. But eventually I realized I got caught up in the idea of playing house. Just like I did with you.”

“Are you saying you don’t love me?”

I shake my head again. “No. I do. I think. I mean, yes, I love you. I—”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that. Because I don’t want you to just play house with me.”

“If you’re about to throw some golf analogy at me…”

He laughs. “You’re never going to get away from the golf analogies, Erin.”

“I still have to deal with Peter. I’m pretty sure he’s the reason I’ve gotten fired from every single one of my nanny jobs. I need to—”

“He’s locked away,” Garrett says quietly. “He’s in a mental hospital in Ohio. My lawyer’s keeping tabs on him, though, and if he ever gets out, we’ll go straight to the police and file a restraining order. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Thank God. Still… “I’m sorry,” I say, dropping my gaze to the ground and toeing a clump of grass with my sneaker.

His arm reaches into my line of sight and he grabs my hand to pull me into an embrace again. “Why are you sorry now?”

I try to flap my hand, but it’s pinned to my side by his arms. “That whole thing never would have happened if I hadn’t convinced you to hire me.”

“This is true.”

I pause, waiting for him to expound. When he doesn’t, I lean away to look him in the face again. He smiles down at me and kisses my nose.

“Thank God you convinced me to hire you. Best decision I ever made. Well, second best.”

“What’s the first?”

“Deciding to fire you so you can be my wife.”

“Firing me is the …” My voice trails off as my brain fully digests what he said. “Are you … did you just ask me to marry you?”

“Maybe. Yeah, I guess I did. Sort of.”

I stare at him. I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open, too. His grin widens.

“Oh yeah, and I love you, too. I should have told you a long time ago. Weeks. Months. Hell, I’ve probably been in love with you since that night at the bar, when you tried so hard to blow me off.”

“I … I…”

“I plan to tell you on the regular now, so I hope you’re as into this relationship as I am,” he says.

“I ... I…”

“—on time.” Paynter’s voice drifts around the corner of the house, interrupting my brain’s inability to form a coherent thought, let alone an actual sentence. “And Chloe hates to be late to anything, let alone her own damn wedding. But I need the best man in order to—” He stops when he sees Garrett and I in an embrace. “Hey, you found your date,” he says. “Good. Now get the hell back here so I can get married.” And then he turns around and disappears behind the house again.

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