Page 74 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

I rested my head against the stone wall and groaned. “It wasn’t at first. At least, I was convinced I didn’t want it to be. I mean, I’ve deliberately avoided things like this, these feelings and relationships,for so long, I’m not even sure what I want sometimes.”

Olivia didn’t comment. She just watched me with her head tilted and her eyes full of curiosity.

“But I almost killed one of my closest friends at your wedding just for talking to her, so…” I shrugged. “I guess I can safely say it’s serious. Although I haven’t told Mia that yet.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“I made a huge deal about her being younger in the beginning. After we got over that hurdle, I insisted that what we had was casual.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “Only for me to fold like a cheap lawn chair.”

Olivia laughed softly. “Is it hard for you to tell her how you feel?”

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I gazed blindly ahead. “Yes. I’m afraid we’ll lose her if I throw caution to the wind and start a full-blown romance and things go downhill. Poppy needs her.”

“I get that her being Poppy’s nanny complicates things, but it seems as ifyouneed her, too.” Olivia’s eyes roved over my face. “I don’t know you as well as Alex does, but I’ve been acquainted with you since our Harvard days. You’ve been different lately, Michael. You seem more relaxed and happy. I suspect that has something to do with Mia?”

I nodded.

“Your daughter’s needs are important, and I get putting them above yours, but don’t let a good thing slip through your fingers. I did once because I thought it was the right thing to do, and I almost lost the love of my life forever. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second chance. If you lose Mia—in the romantic sense—there’s no certainty you’ll get another chance with her.”

My eyes snapped to Olivia’s face. The thought of losing my chance with Mia forever made my chest tighten. She must have read my expression because she smiled. “You’ll just have to work around the complications and go for it.”

“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve never…”

Olivia blew out a breath. “No one ever does. It’s terrifying, but that’s because it matters so much. But it’s worth the risk.”

“If I mess this up…”

She snorted. “Michael, you’ve built an empire from the ground up, raised an incredible daughter as a single dad, and managed to keep my crazy, mischievous husband in line for years. You can tell a woman how you feel about her without messing it up.”

I grinned at the part about keeping Alex in line. She giggled, and soon we were both laughing. The tension that had me on edge ebbed away. “Thanks, Liv. Alex is a lucky man.”

She beamed and patted my arm. “Good luck.”

I watched her go back inside. She was right. A chance at something amazing with Mia was worth the risk.

31

MIA

We stepped off the elevator, and the silence between us was unbearable. The tension between Michael and me almost suffocated me in the car. I wasn’t sure if he had stayed quiet because Poppy was asleep or because he simply didn’t want to talk to me. I didn’t mind the latter because I certainly wasn’t in a chatting mood. I was still pissed at him for his behavior earlier. I was hurt, too. I couldn’t get his words out of my head.

“I didn’t bring you here to flirt with my friends.”

It wasn’t the words per se, but the way he’d said them. It was like he was reminding me that I didn’t belong. That I was just the nanny and not part of his world. Deep down, it was what I’d been fearing all along. What was a man like him doing with a girl like me? As my parents tended to emphasize, I just wasn’t good enough… for anything.

By the time we reached our adjoined suite doors, I wanted to cry again. Eyes on the floor, I willed my tears back and hurried ahead to my door. However, Michael picked up his pace and stepped in front of me to block my escape. I looked up at him with a frown.

He held a sleeping Poppy in one arm and pointed at his door with his free hand. My eyes narrowed to slits at his unspoken order. “No, thanks,” I said primly.

His jaw tightened as he turned to unlock his door. “Get inside, Mia. We’re going to talk.”

“How about you go ahead and get Poppy into bed? I’m going to mine.” He was my boss, but how dare he think he could give me orders like that?

“Mia…”

Ignoring the warning in his voice, I sidestepped him. However, I didn’t make it to my door. Before I even realized that Michael moved, my feet left the floor. My jaw dropped as I registered that he’d picked me up to carry me into his suite as if I were a bag of groceries.

“Michael!” I whisper-shouted because I didn’t want to wake Poppy. “Put me down.” The more I wiggled, the tighter he held on. As outraged as I was, I acknowledge how attractive it was that he was to be able to securely hold his sleeping child while carrying an adult. When he put me on my feet, I huffed my indignation, all the while trying to ignore how strong and incredibly hot he was.

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