Page 35 of Accidental Fiancé

“You put soda in bread?” Piper squeaked. “Eww.”

“Do you like toast?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Peanut butter? Jelly? Marshmallow crème?”

She frowned. “Marshmallow crème?”

I was aghast. “You have never given her toast with marshmallow crème?”

A low chuckle carried through him as he grabbed a muffin. “I do try to be a responsible parent, you know.”

“Well, since you have none here, I know where I’m going after I drop her off at Etta’s. First, my place for some tee shirts and leggings. Don’t make that face. I know we bought too many clothes yesterday, but sometimes, I need my cozies. Andthen the grocery store because your baking supplies are sorely lacking, sir.”

He passed me a credit card. “Anything you need, put it on there. I’m going to take this muffin to go. I’ll text you Etta’s address.” He kissed my cheek before realizing what he’d done. I could tell by the stunned look on his face and Piper’s giggle.

“Pop kissed you.”

I froze up.

His green eyes went wide but he forced a smile. “I kiss you before I leave, don’t I?” He kissed her on top of her head. “Thanks for the muffin. Gotta run!” He started for the door.

“That muffin has as much sugar as a cupcake by the way,” I called out after him. From around the corner, where Piper couldn’t see, he playfully flipped me off.

I sighed, wondering what the hell to think about all of it. But instead of having time to dwell, I had Piper on my hands. Just the two of us. Without any clue how to talk to a four-year-old and no one else around, I asked, “So, breakfast?”

“Peanut butter toast, please.”

“You got it, kiddo.” I set her up with a slice and one for myself. “You go to Etta’s for a while, and then what happens?” I probably should have asked Julian that before he left, but after that kiss, he nearly ran out the door. Not that I blamed him.

“Miss Carradine picks me up, and then we go swimming.”

A text from Julian lit my phone. The details of Piper’s usual day, along with addresses and scanned photo IDs of anyone involved. A good security measure, I supposed, though I had never considered what might be entailed in the daily life of a billionaire’s child. Was I part of her security team now?

Once we finished breakfast, Piper took me on a tour of her favorite parts of the mansion. Getting the Piper’s eye view of the place, I might have thought the mansion was a life support system for the pool because it was all she wanted to talk about.“…and this is where I do my flips. I can do three in a row. How many can you do?”

“I haven’t done flips in the water in a long time. But maybe this afternoon, I can try.”

“It’s okay if you’re scared. I was at first, too. But Miss Carradine will keep you safe. She was a limbic swimmer.”

“Do you mean Olympic?”

“That’s what I said.” She pointed out the slides—as if I couldn’t see them—and the hot tub, which she said was Julian’s favorite but it was too hot for her. The pool even had its own lazy river and wave maker. The place was her own little water park, so I didn’t blame her for wanting to stay there. But I had to insist that we get going, I didn’t want to be late the first day I was dropping her off. I wanted Etta to like me.

She didn’t.

I got Piper there on time and politely rang the bell to her Victorian-style home. The older woman gave me a stiff look when she answered the door. It might have been the over-starched clothes or the prim high collar on her blouse that caused it, but I doubted that. “And you are?”

“This is Maggie,” Piper introduced me. “My dad kisses her. She lives with us now.”

I could have died on the spot.

“It’s not what you think. Julian was just caught up in leaving for work. A kiss on the cheek as he’s leaving doesn’t… I mean, it’s not like… we’re not a thing. I’m just staying with him for a little while.”Why am I explaining myself to this woman? Stop talking. I smiled, silently praying to melt into the concrete porch.

A judgmental huff escaped the crone’s lips. “Very well, Piper. Come in.”

“Okay. Bye Maggie!” she said as she dashed past the old woman.

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