Page 55 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

“I haven’t seen him since. I was just doing Amber a favor, really. That blind date totally flopped.”

“Mmm-hmm,” was all I could get out because, for one, I was embarrassed by my outburst. Two, I was ecstatic that she hadn’t been dating. Was Lincoln right? Was I in love with Mia? My heart thudded violently at the thought as I gaped at her. I’d almost had a heart attack when I thought something bad had happened to her. I threatened to kill a man I’d never even met over her…

No…No. I cared about her, that was all. Swallowing hard, I looked her in the eyes. “Mia, tell me what happened.”

“You’re my boss…”

“Right now, I’m your friend.” How could I not be? How could I not care about her when she’d done wonders for my child? I’d always thought I provided Poppy enough emotional stability and room to express herself, but since Mia came into our lives, I’d watched my little girlflourish. I owed her big time, and paying her generously wasn’t enough. If she needed someone to talk to, as much as I usually avoided the emotional stuff, I’d be that someone.

Getting up, I offered a hand. “We don’t have to talk here. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Mia stared up at me as if she wanted to ask if I knew what I said. Of course, I was aware that I implied my home was hers. It was, and I hoped it stayed that way for as long as possible for my and my daughter’s sake.

Her expression softened when she looked at my offered hand, and she accepted. The moment my fingers wrapped around hers, I knew the professional line that had been drawn was getting blurrier by the second.

I sat quietly and watched Mia as she dug into a slice of her birthday cake. After we got home, she showered and met me in the kitchen. She looked slightly less distraught, but I didn’t pressure her into talking.

“I called my brother,” she said, breaking the silence. “He was livid that I didn’t answer his calls. After I apologized for causing him worry, he was pretty forgiving.”

I nodded and continued to watch her.

“I’m sorry about all the trouble tonight. I hate that you had to get Lincoln to come over so late.

“It’s fine. He didn’t mind.”

Lincoln left as soon as we got home, and he knew everything was alright.

“Mmmm.” Mia closed her eyes to savor a bit of cake. “Strawberry cheesecake. I love strawberriesandcheesecake.”

“I know,” I murmured, fighting the urge to stare at her mouth.

Her eyes flew open. “How do you know?”

“You told me during our yogurt clash,” I reminded her, my voice laced with amusement.

Flecks of pink formed on her cheeks, and her gaze slid away from me. I wondered what was going through her mind after my admission that I remembered our date in detail.

“I can’t believe you and Poppy got me a birthday cake,” she said.

My lips twisted into a wry smile at the way she swerved away from the topic of the night we met.

“Thank you.” She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I missed the surprise.” She glanced at me as she waved a hand over the cake.“I feel so bad. Was Poppy disappointed I didn’t come home for the party?”

“She’ll be fine. It was my fault for not mentioning it to you.”

“If you had, I would have stayed here and told Mom where to shove her so-called birthday dinner,” she grumbled.

My eyebrows shot up, and she grinned sheepishly. “Well, actually, I wouldn’t have had the guts to do that. I would have come up with a convincing excuse not to go, though.”

“So, something happened at dinner with your family?” I asked, since we were on the subject. Her shoulders hunched and that sadness from earlier shadowed her features. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

Pushing her empty plate aside, she turned to me. Those sad eyes meeting mine were like daggers to my heart. I hated seeing the typically bubbly Mia like this. “I feel so stupid. I showed up at my parents, pretending to be the daughter they wanted. I wore a suit and put my hair in achignonfor goodness’ sake.”

Her disgusted scoff almost made me smile.

“I became mymother,and that still didn’t please them. What does a girl have to do to get a little approval from her folks?”

She blew out a dramatic sigh and threw her hands up. “It sucks to be the black sheep. Do you think your aunt Neddy is up for adopting a twenty-two-year-old? I like her. She’s the mother I’ve always wanted.”

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