Page 71 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

His lips quirked up at the corners. “So youdon’ttake a hint.”

She chewed on a potato wedge, grinning over at him. “Not always. Sometimes, I like to ignore them.”

“I won’t be confident my father will hand the reins over until he actually does.” Mitch shrugged. “That’s all.”

“But why wouldn’t he?”

Mitch crumpled a little, but he straightened quickly. “My father is…enigmatic. To say the least. He’s always put a lot of pressure on me as the first child, pressure my brother never got.”

“What sort of pressure?”

“To act a certain way…to be seen a certain way.” Mitch shook his head, dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. “It was a lot growing up, and it got so much worse after my mom died. I never understood why he tried to control my life so much. I hated it so much that I even vandalized one of his properties when I was sixteen. He told me I couldn’t date the girl in my music class, so I lashed out.”

Jules blinked. “Wow. Did he ever find out?”

Mitch shook his head. “And I’ve never told anyone. So…congratulations. You’ve got information for blackmail.”

“I solemnly swear I will not share this tantalizing vandalism tidbit.”

“Good.” Mitch stuffed another forkful of chicken in his mouth. After he chewed, he said, “Now you have to give me some blackmail tidbit.”

“Do I?”

He nodded. “It’s the rules of the penthouse.”

She hummed as she thought, tipping her head back and forth. She didn’t quite have anything as illegal or urchin-like as vandalism. But she did have something that called her whole stint as Noelle’s caregiver into question. “Fine. I’m not as capable of a caretaker as I probably seem.” She folded up her napkin, surprised by the way her chest tightened as she readied to spill the beans. “I worked as a nanny to help pay for college, and one of the kids I was watching fell and broke his leg on my watch.”

Mitch blinked. “And?”

“He went to the hospital, and I quit being a nanny.” She reached for her wine.

“That’s not blackmail worthy.”

“It is. Because I made it seem like it was his fault. But if I had been watching more closely—if I had been closer to him…”

He smirked, shaking his head. “No way. That stuff happens. Kids fall. It’s part of life.”

She sighed. “Well, you weren’t there. And honestly, the stress was too much. I’m constantly wondering if I’m going to hurt Noelle somehow.”

Mitch scoffed. “You arewonderfulwith her. Trust me—you are a hundred times better with her than I am.”

His words were sweet, but she still waved them off.

He was undeterred. “Have you ever noticed how fast she falls asleep inyourarms compared to mine?”

“Yeah, but that’s different,” Jules said.

She had nothing to follow it with when Mitch asked her, “How?” He smiled. “Just admit it. You’re great with her, and one child falling off a jungle gym does not make you incapable.”

Jules fought a grin as she forked some more vegetables into her mouth. He had a point. But more than that, she was touched by how deftly he’d fought to lift her spirits.

It had worked. And that sort of investment in her wellbeing was almost sexier than anything else about him.

15

JULES

Once dinner was cleared away and Noelle was up for another feeding and some playtime, Jules was buzzing with warmth and happiness. She hadn’t counted on loving these moments so much. The routine of waking up with Noelle, coming home to her after a day of work, and spending the evening in…a family.

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