Page 70 of Unwrapping Romance

“Yes, you do. She lives here now, Jack. She needs a little girl’s room of pink walls, curtains, and white furniture.”

“How much did you spend at the toy store?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter. You can afford it.”

“What about Christmas?”

“There are other things you can buy her. I have a plan.”

“Jesus Christ, Sierra.” I ran my hand down my face. “I’ll call Gretchen and see if she’ll babysit tonight. I want to go out to dinner. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Probably not. I’m sure Ellie will be excited to show Gretchen her new toys.”

I pulled my phone out and dialed Gretchen’s number.

“Hi, Mr. Atlas.”

“Hi, Gretchen. I know this is extremely short notice, but can you come over and babysit Ellie while I go out to dinner?”

“Sure. When do you want me to come over?”

“In about an hour.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.”

“Gretchen agreed to babysit. Go get ready,” I told Sierra. “I’ll tell Ellie we’re going out.”

Walking into the living room, Ellie sat in the middle of the floor, surrounded by toys and holding a Barbie.

“Do you like my new Barbie?” She held it up.

“She’s really cool. Listen, Ellie. Sierra and I are going out to dinner, and Gretchen is going to come over and play with you and your new toys.”

“Okay. I want to play with that.” She pointed to the large box that housed a kitchen set.

“I’m sure that has to be assembled. I’ll try to do it tomorrow. Deal?”

“Okay, Daddy.”

My phone pinged. Pulling it from my pocket as I walked up the stairs, I had a text from my housekeeper.

“Hi, Jack. I’m heading back to New York tomorrow and will return to work Monday morning.”

“Thank God. There have been some changes at the house. I’ll explain when I see you on Monday. Can you please be here before I leave for the office?”

“Yes. I’ll make sure I’m there.”

“My housekeeper just texted me. She’s back tomorrow, and she’ll be here first thing Monday morning,” I said to Sierra as I walked into the bedroom and saw the large Louis Vuitton box sitting on the bed.

“Okay. I can’t wait to meet her. Did you tell her about Ellie?”

“No. I will on Monday. I got a call from my father today. He wants to go to dinner tomorrow night.”

“He’s in New York?” Her brows furrowed.

“He’ll be in later tonight. I’m going to have to tell him about Ellie.”

“Why don’t you have him and his fiancée here for dinner? You can have it catered.” She smiled. “That way, he can meet his granddaughter.”

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