Page 44 of Desiring Boss Daddy (Cascade Mountain)

“Like just a few dishes?” he joked, shutting his door as gently as he could manage. “That shit took us forever.”

“And think of how much time you saved your staff from not having to scour them,” I reminded him, popping the back hatch open and retrieving the remnants of our picnic and the bouquet of wildflowers Collins had insisted on bringing home. Graham didn’t answer me, whispering softly instead to a slumbering Collins as he unfastened the buckles on her car seat. I wanted to pause a little longer and try to make out what sweet words he was telling his daughter. He was so sweet with her that it made my heart constrict. He really was a good father, even if he thought he could do better.

I didn’t see the woman waiting for us by the door of the manor until I was already walking up the stairs to the porch. I’d been too busy thinking up ways to empower Graham more and to show him just what he meant to his daughter that I hadn’t even registered Hank’s quiet growl of warning as he strained against his short leash.

I almost stumbled back down the stairs in surprise, barely catching myself at the last moment—the wildflower bouquet scattered at my feet.

“Do you need something, ma’am?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest for some reason. The fact was, nobody should’ve been waiting outside this house. Not in the deepening evening light, not when there were still staff members inside who would have either welcomed her inside or sent her on her way. There wasn’t even a car in the driveway.

“I’m here for Collins,” she said.

The first conclusion my mind tried to leap toward was that it was one of the nanny candidates I’d vetted for Graham. He’d contacted all of them to let them know the position was closed, but maybe there was someone trying to show they’d go the extra mile for the job.

“Apologies for the misunderstanding,” I said. “That position is no longer available.”

The woman cut a look at me. “Excuse me?”

I swallowed, ill at ease without knowing why. “You said you’re here for Collins, but the nanny position that had been open for a time is now closed. Sorry if you’ve been inconvenienced by coming out here.”

She looked me up and down—an assessment that made me feel naked and vulnerable. There was something really wrong, and while part of me wanted to turn around and warn Graham to get Collins away from here, the rest of me wanted to keep my eyes on this threat.

“So, what? You’re the one who filled that position?” She snorted. “Typical. I can also guess which positions Graham’s been filling you in.”

“You need to leave,” I said, my voice shaking. “Immediately. Or I’ll call the police.” Hank, sensing my upset, snarled.

“No need,” she cooed. “I’ve already called them, and they’re on their way here to help me serve papers. I’m getting my daughter back. I’m her mother. Josie.”

19

Graham

Plenty of people might call me paranoid, but no one would ever accuse me of being careless.

When I straightened up with a sleeping Collins in my arms to see someone lurking in the shadows in front of my house, it only took me a couple of seconds to decide how to respond. My family and friends knew to call before coming to visit, and Heather’s body language—frozen in place—told me she was frightened and confused.

That was more than enough evidence for me.

I deployed my in-house security with a touch of a number combination on my phone while still holding my daughter in my arms. The last thing I wanted right now was for Collins to wake up or for whoever was at the door to make a move before I responded.

Dressed all in black, the security team flowed like shadows through the side yard to me. These were men and women I trusted with my life and entrusted my daughter’s life to as well. I handed Collins over without hesitation.

“Take her in through the back,” I said. “And put her in bed. Don’t wake her, and don’t let anyone see. Call the police. This is not a drill.”

“All done,” the masked and camouflaged man in front of me said gruffly, cradling Collins to his body like she was his own child. My heart hammered in my chest. “You know what to do if you need us to escalate.”

“As do you,” I assured him before striding toward the house as if my own personal team of ninjas wasn’t spiriting away my daughter.

That’s when I noticed—amid all my paranoia and cold panic—the person at the door was a woman. Another heart-stopping moment before I realized it was Josie, the mother of my child.

“Fuck,” I gritted out to the security team. “Stand down. Everyone stand down. There isn’t a threat here.”

As quickly as they’d materialized, the team melted away again. They were efficient; I’d give them that. But I’d overreacted. Just like I always did with all things concerning Collins.

“Josie, what the fuck are you doing here?” I asked. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Stand aside,” Josie said to Heather, fixing her uncanny eyes on me. They had never let me feel comfortable throughout the duration of our relationship, though back then, I had chalked it up to a new relationship with restless attraction. “The person I actually want to talk to is here.”

“You’re not welcome here, Josie,” I said. “You have minutes to get off this property, or you will be taken into custody for trespassing, at the very least. The police are on their way.”

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