Page 23 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“I’ll stay with her for a bit. You go and talk to Tia before she goes to bed,” whispered Aunt Fee.

I kissed Maddie goodnight and helped a drowsy Tia to her feet. She looked exhausted as I led her out of the room. I shut the door behind us and looked up and down the corridor to make sure we were alone.

Before she realized what was happening, I picked Tia up in my arms and began walking to her room, which was a few doors down from Maddie’s. I had insisted on having Maddie close to me, instead of on another floor as Natalie had preferred, and I had never been more grateful for that decision.

Tia could stay in the same room as yesterday, since Maddie was used to sleeping alone in her bedroom. Meanwhile, I couldkeep an eye on her and make sure Marcus didn’t go to her room to harass her. He wouldn’t dare to do such a thing when I was right next door. I completely ignored the fact that my brother was not the kind of man who made advances on unwilling women.

I pushed open Tia’s door with my elbow and went in. I set her on the bed gently and took off her shoes and glasses before I covered her with the duvet. Then, I checked that the mini-fridge had been restocked in case she felt hungry in the middle of the night. I couldn’t resist dropping a soft kiss on her forehead before I left the room, shutting the door gently behind me.

CHAPTER 11

TIA

Iwoke up to the feeling of being watched. My eyes flew open in fear.

Had my brother found me so easily?

But when I scrambled for my glasses and put them on, I realized that it was only Maddie. She was curled up under the covers next to me and was watching me sleep.

“Good morning,” I murmured, reaching out to stroke her cheek. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I asked Ramsay, the butler. You don’t snore at all. My daddy snores like a lion,” she informed me, with a giggle.

“Everyone snores at some point in their life, honey. Why are you up so early?”

She shrugged.

“The birds woke me up. Aunt Fee says I’m not allowed to wake anyone, except Daddy. But I didn’t think you’d mind. Do you want to watch cartoons?”

She looked very comfortable for a child who had only met me the day before. I wondered if Leo was okay with her fraternizing with the enemy, but it wasn’t as if I was hurting Maddie. If he didn’t like it, he could take a flying leap into the Hudson, I thought defiantly. I could definitely use some cartoon therapy after my ordeal.

I brushed my teeth and freshened up a little. I was still in my green dress, and it now looked rather worse for wear. Celine had promised to send me some clothes today. I hoped they got here soon. We watched Peppa Pig for an hour, and then Maddie said she was hungry.

“Let’s go downstairs,” I suggested.

“No, the staff hasn’t set up the breakfast room yet. But if you call Ramsay on the intercom, he will take our order.”

“Okay. What do you want to eat?”

“Do you like french toast?” she asked.

“I love it!”

I called the butler on the intercom feeling slightly awkward about making extra work for him, but he was happy to deliver our breakfast. Maddie and I were oinking and snorting at each other when he brought up a tray full of delicious French toast, with coffee on the side. He also handed me a small bag containing jeans and a couple of tees, courtesy of Celine. I took it from him gratefully and escaped to the bathroom for a quick shower and change while Maddie had breakfast in bed with Peppa.

The clothes were slightly tight for me because Celine was a size smaller than me, but I could squeeze into them with a bit of effort. I stared at myself in the mirror critically. The grey Rolling Stones t-shirt clung to my boobs, but it couldn’t be helped. And the dusty blue jeans didn’t give me a muffin top, which was a huge relief.

When I came out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see Leo perched on the side of my bed eating my French toast. I gave him the side eye as I poured myself some coffee. When did my room become the Donovan family’s common room, I wondered, eyeing Leo and the plate in his hand grumpily.

“Good morning,” he said, sounding far too cheerful for a man who had to wear a suit at this ungodly hour.

I opened my mouth to reply politely, but politeness was beyond me when I was so hungry.

“That’s my breakfast,” I pointed out.

Leo held the French toast out to me with a smile, and I snatched the plate from his hand.

“All done,” announced Maddie, setting her plate down. “I’m going to see if Aunt Fee is up.”

---