Page 20 of The Billionaire and the Nanny: Part 2

Zayden

The sun filtersin through the blinds, waking me up slowly. It’s hazy in the room. I have to think for a minute about what I did last night, where I went, who did I end up with. That dreaded feeling of looking down to see who’s sleeping next to me is replaced with relief.

Bailey.

We did it again.

She shifts around, her long nude body writhing against mine in sleep, then we both hear it—an annoyed, raspy wail from far away. She sits up suddenly, her blonde hair mussed up over her face. “Shit.” Scrambling off the sofa, she nearly trips over the throw blanket’s fringed edges, grabs her shirt and panties and runs off without aword.

I lay on the couch looking up while she tends to the baby upstairs.

It’s not a terrible feeling, I realize with a shock. Waking up to a woman in the silent aftermath, as she runs off to take care of your child. There’s peace and contentment, and for a moment, semblance of a family, but it’s not real. It’s an illusion. She’s the nanny, Olivia is a daughter I never wanted, and the ethereal quality of the morning quickly evaporates.

I gather my shit and head upstairs. No staff is coming by today. I need a shower, a shave, and I should get the heck out of here before I seek out Bailey again. After telling her we couldn’t have sex again, we had sex again. And what’s more, she seemed to love every second of it. Like she knew I’d weaken, wouldn’t be able to follow through, and I hate feeling thatway.

I stop at the baby’s room to peek inside to find Olivia sitting in the same T-shirt in the rocking chair holding the little midget that looks like me. There’s something maternal and peaceful about it, I don’t know why I’ve been so scared of the tiny human. She’s actually really cute the way she drinks from her bottle and leans against Bailey’s chest, probably listening to her heartbeat the way I did last night.

“Looks like everybody wants you,” I sigh, leaning against thewall.

Bailey smirks at me. “She was crying a long time,” she says in a sexy, throaty voice that’s soft with sleep. Her crossed legs bounce to a rhythm for the baby’s sake. Gorgeous legs, gorgeous woman. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear her in time. We should have a baby monitor downstairs.”

We don’t. We don’t because I didn’t want to hear crying in any part of the house, but it wasn’t so bad hearing her when I awoke. And what if something had happened to her? We wouldn’t have known and I’d have felt guilty if something would’ve been wrong. “I’ll order one,” I say matter-of-factly.

Bailey glances up at me with a grateful look. “I thought you didn’t wantto—”

“I said I’ll order one.” I glare at her. The baby examines me like I’m a stranger watching her have breakfast. Because I am a stranger watching her have breakfast. I walk into the room and sit on the floor eye level with her on Bailey’s lap. Damn, she’s not cute, she’s beautiful. Of course she is. I mostly only sleep with beautiful women. “I have to say, she’s a very pretty baby. Of course, she is, she’s got my genes.” I try to turn it into a joke as the discomfort ripples throughme.

That can’t be my child.

Can’tbe.

Bailey smirks at me. “I’m sure her mama is just as beautiful.” Weird of Bailey to defend the mother, even though she knows she’s in jail somewhere. I guess that’s what I get for sounding smug, though I was kidding.

“Is she?” Bailey asks again, pushing menow.

I don’t answer. I don’t answer because she’s trying to get me to talk about it, but I don’t want to. I didn’t know Olivia’s mother very long, and it still bothers me knowing that she lied. I turn the tables around, let her answer the questions. “The baby’s taken to you, huh?”

Bailey stares at me, wondering why I brushed her off. Then she shrugs and gives Olivia an affectionate glance. “Yeah. We were strangers at first, but I think I’ve grown on her. Now we’re thick as thieves. Right, pumpkin?” She tickles the baby who smiles, as she bites on the bottle’s nipple.

“You look like you’ve been a big sister before. Have you?” Iask.

“Never.” An air of darkness shadows herface.

“Sorry to hear. I was a big brother once.” Wonder if we have something in common. Wonder lots of things about her, actually.

She shakes her head. Olivia reaches out to touch my hair, but I back away. She goes back to holding her bottle. “I’m an only child. My mom…she suffered lots of miscarriages over the years.”

“That must have been tough,” I offer awkwardly. That must really suck, to hope for the best and life lets you down over and over. I can relate in so many ways, and there’s my common ground withher.

“Thanks, it’s okay. She finally carried my little brother to full term, but he died at birth,” she says introspectively, still staring at Olivia. For a second, I can’t move. We have more in common than I originally thought. Maybe I was drawn to Bailey for more than just her spunk in that interviewroom.

“So, you’re not an only child, then,” I say. “You’re a big sister who lost her sibling.”

She nods sadly. “I guess. And the desire to be a big sister stuck with me, too, which is why I signed up with the nanny agency. Perhaps I thought being around little ones would quell that little nagging voice in myhead.”

“Wow, that must be tough.” I scratch at my eyebrow. I imagine Bailey as a little girl anxiously awaiting the arrival of her little brother only to lose him before she could ever rock the big sister role. Watching her with Olivia, as Olivia finishes her bottle then cuddles warmly against Bailey, memories hit me out of nowhere.

As Bailey goes on talking about friends with large families and how she was always jealous of them and wanted a big family when she grew up, I see my baby brother, Callum, in my mind’s eye. Callum was two years younger than me. I adored him. Some kids find their younger siblings annoying, but I was in love with this kid. He had a happy smile and always wanted to show me what he coulddo.

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