Page 56 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

Little Noelle must have been more of a head trip than she realized, because with all these people jammed in around them, all she wanted to do was take Noelle and go back to the safety of Mitch’s penthouse.

There was a loud commotion up front as someone shouted, “What do you mean, you’re closing? I’ve been waiting for hours!” At the shout, everyone turned to see what was going on and Jules strained to hear the reply, but the other woman spoke too quietly. “I realize that it’s snowing. I’m not an idiot!” came the same voice again. As one, people started getting up and heading for the door without waiting for instructions. Most didn’t look happy, and Jules couldn’t blame them. They’d come here hoping to get some help and now they were being turned away. So why wasn’t she upset?

“Should we?” Mitch asked her. When he looked at her, there was no trace of joking.

She swallowed, looking down at little Noelle. The girl blinked lazily, looking around the room, occasionally yawning or stretching. Christmas was less than a week away and even if they were able to, the more time she spent in this drab building, the more the idea of leaving an innocent baby with a bunch of overworked, irritated strangers didn’t sit well with her. Who would feed her? Who would change her diaper on time? Would she get the attention she needed? Babies her age benefitted from touch and human interactions.

The office was rapidly emptying out and Jules jerked her head into a nod, covering Mitch’s hand with her own. “We can’t leave her here if there’s no one available to give her the care she needs, especially at Christmas. It would be too cruel.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Mitch glanced around the room, then jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

Jules buttoned up her coat and followed him out of the office as he placed a quick call to the driver. Frigid wind blasted them again once they hit the pavement. A few moments later, the sedan pulled up, and Mitch opened the back door. The sleek, leather insides were warm and toasty when they eased Noelle into the car seat. She fussed a little as they strapped her in, but once the car was in motion she quieted.

“Wow.” Mitch raked a hand through his hair as he slowed for the first stoplight. “I’m not sure what I was expecting but that wasn’t it. And I’ll admit that I’m not altogether sure what we’re doing isn’t kidnapping.”

Jules froze at that. “Is it kidnapping if they’re closing and not offering assistance?”

Mitch had his phone out and was making a call instead of answering her. Holding up his finger for her to wait, he blew out a breath. “Donovan, Mitch here. I need to run something by you.”

Jules keyed in quickly that he was speaking with his lawyer as she listened to Mitch’s side of the conversation laying out how they found Noelle and attempted to bring her to Children and Family Services.

“Yes, I realize this is highly unorthodox, but what the hell do you want me to do? We weren’t going to abandon her again. Hold on, I’ll ask.” He paused and looked to Jules. “How old do you think she is?”

Jules looked down at Noelle. “Well, she can hold her head well, so I’d say maybe three months?”

Mitch nodded. “Did you hear that? Yeah. Three months give or take. Yes, of course. I definitely want to avoid being arrested for kidnapping. Yes. Got it. Thanks and keep in touch.”

Disconnecting the call, he huffed out a breath. “Well, the good news is that his sister works in family law, and he’s going to call her to see what we need to do to have temporary custody of Noelle until Children and Family Services can take her.”

“Okay. That’s good. Avoiding kidnapping charges would be ideal, but I still think we made the right decision. After all, the note said we should give her a good Christmas.”

“We can at least do that,” Mitch agreed, glancing over at her. There was something definite in his blue eyes, like they’d just shaken hands.

They’d take care of her for a little longer. Just until the weather cleared enough and the authorities could come get her. Silence fell over the car as Jules worked through what the next step might look like. She’d just spent the night at Mitch’s penthouse, but that wasn’t a feasible option for the long-term…even though she wished she could go back there and curl up in that luxurious king bed until the end of time. If that was the guest room, what was his bedroom like?

One night in his penthouse and she was willing to abandon her own life and fall into his lap of luxury. It wasn’t just the amenities. Mitch was the type of man she wanted to know more about. Their night together was a blur of conversation and caring for the baby, but it didn’t seem right for it to end now.

But it had to. Because soon enough, she’d return to her own life, in her own apartment, alone. But she’d remember their time together for years to come. At least until her mother found out. Then the lectures would begin. Rich playboys were never the right choice because it would always end in heartbreak, her mother would remind her. And meeting Mitch seemed like the capstone of this lesson she’d been learning her entire life.

Just because they’d stumbled upon Noelle together didn’t mean they had to take care of her together.

It was time for her to go home.

“You know, I think I can handle things from here,” she said. “I can take her back to my place and keep an eye on her. I know you’ve probably got a lot going on as the COO and being short-staffed at the hotel.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Between the two of us, I’ve got more experience with kids. So it’ll be easier for me. I’ll keep prepping for the gala, too. Does the hotel have a list of local sitters or nannies?”

“We do. I’ll have it for you tomorrow. And I can send you whatever you need—”

She waved him off, feeling slightly disappointed in her own suggestion but knowing it was the right path. She needed to get back into her own orbit. No basking in his expensive cologne or ogling his impossible view. “We packed most of her stuff into the car, so I’ll take what’s there and figure out the rest.”

“You’repositive?”

“Yeah. I don’t live too far from here—you can just drop me off. I’ll work from home and send you drafts of any design changes and the proposed program, and then plan on returning to the hotel Thursday to supervise the actual setup in the ballroom.”

Mitch nodded, but doubt clouded his face. “Okay. Just let us know where to go.”

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