Page 43 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“Louisa is too a real cat!”

“Yeah! It’s not her fault she’s sensitive to rudeness,” chimed in Marcus, keeping a safe distance from the cat from hell.

“I bet I can make her purr,” claimed Luke, putting a hand out to stroke her under the chin, only to pull it back when she swiped at it with a snarl.

“That settles it. That animal is not fit to be in this house, Aunt Fee,” I declared.

“Nonsense! She’s such a sweet little thing,” argued my aunt, and to our surprise, the cat allowed her to stroke her.

“Umm, I think she only likes females,” said Tia hesitantly. “She has always allowed us to pet her in the shelter.”

“And Derek. She lets him pet her, too,” added Maddie.

“Then send her to stupid Derek’s house,” I muttered.

All three females glared at me until I gave in with ill grace.

“Fine! You can have her, but keep her out of my way.”

I settled down on the couch and kept a wary eye on the unpredictable females around me. God help me, now there were four of them. The Donovan men were outnumbered.

Tia had bought thoughtful presents for everyone. I bristled in disapproval as my brothers kissed her enthusiastically. Really, they were just books. There was no reason to make such a big deal out of it. I wondered what she had bought for me. Then, I checked myself. I wanted nothing from her. And I was going to give her nothing but an envelope with a Christmas bonus. That should show her her real place.

When it was my turn, she handed me a flat gift-wrapped square.

“It’s just something small that you can keep on your table at work or in your study,” she said nervously.

Oh, good! She had bought me a table calendar. Lovely! While my useless brothers got signed first editions.

I ripped open the package and froze in shock when I saw what it was.

“This… this is…”

“It’s me! Daddy, look! It’s me and Louisa,” exclaimed Maddie in delight.

It was an oil painting of Maddie hugging Louisa. A very life-like painting, and better than any photograph.

“It’s beautiful,” I said hoarsely.

It was. The artist had captured the sheer joy and love that was my daughter. This was how I always pictured Maddie in my mind. That same grin, that same sparkle in her eyes. This was my gorgeous baby girl captured on canvas.

My eyes prickled as I stared at the painting, and finally, I looked up to see Tia biting her lower lip nervously.

“I love it, Tia. Thank you. I’m going to treasure this forever.”

Her expression lightened and she gave me a small smile.

“Derek promised it would look real, and it did,” said Maddie, admiring herself.

“Who is this Derek we’ve been hearing about all evening?” asked Aunt Fee.

“He’s Tia’s friend,” replied Maddie.

“Her boyfriend,” I clarified bitterly.

Tia’s eyes widened as she stared at me in surprise.

“Derek is an old friend from college. He’s an upcoming artist who’s showing in a gallery in Greenwich Village, but he’s definitely not my boyfriend,” she said, looking slightly confused.

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