Page 18 of Finding Redemption

“No, she stayed over with Bella last night.They had a sleepover and then spent the morning playing with lightsabers in the backyard.”I couldn’t help smiling at the memory.Watching the two of them together never failed to soothe something deep in my dark soul.“I called Riah after we got to the hospital and you were being tended to.She rushed over to the apartment to pack you a few things, but she’s back with Bella now.She volunteered to help me out until I can find a new nanny.”

“Oh.”She gave me a grim smile.“Do you use an agency or something?”

“Yes, but obviously, they weren’t the cream of the crop.”I shifted my shoulders so I could look at her better.With the city lights shining through the window, she was cast in a halo.Her head must have been aching because her eyes were slightly squinted against the brightness.“Actually, I have someone in mind.But I’m not sure if she will be interested.”

“It doesn’t cost you anything to ask,” she said with a lift of one shoulder.

I soaked in the sight of her for another moment before speaking again.“You’re right.I have a proposal for you.”

“Wait, me?”Her surprised laugh was musical, but when she realized I was serious, she scoffed.“You would not want me, Paxton.I have no experience taking care of kids.I’m a waitress and a birthday-party princess.”

You have no idea what I want, kitten.

I bit back the words, knowing the little pet name would upset her.Instead, I told her the truth.“Riah has given you a stellar recommendation, and Bella also voiced her approval of my choice.Just to be clear, Riah has never liked any of the previous nannies.”

Brooke couldn’t hide her flinch.“Oh.”

“What’s that about?”I demanded, not liking the sudden tension in her shoulders.She was squinting a little more, and without thinking, I reached out to squeeze the back of her neck.

She went stiff under my touch, but when I continued the massage, she let her head fall forward and released a breathy moan.My body’s reaction to that sexy sound was instant and intense.Fuck.

“Brooke?”I couldn’t let it go, no matter how good it felt to touch her.“Is something going on with you and Riah?Did the two of you argue?”

She leaned into my hand for another moment before shrugging me away.Reluctantly, I pulled back.

“I haven’t spoken to her since before the party,” she dismissed, keeping her face turned toward the side window.

“That doesn’t tell me anything.”She shrank back into the seat without speaking.“Come on, Brooke.Talk to me.Riah has done nothing but talk about you since you moved in with her.She was happy, and I was glad to see her coming out of her shell a little.That was because of you.I know it, because I saw your influence firsthand yesterday.”

In the reflection in the window, I watched as she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

“And you were a fierce little thing when we first met, stepping between Riah and me without hesitation.You didn’t blink before you lit into me.It was refreshing as hell.”

And hot.So goddamn hot.

I’d replayed it over and over in my head all night.She was tiny and young—fucking hell, was she young—but not a single inch of her looked childlike.She had the body of a goddess, the perfect amount of curves that a man craved.Everything I didn’t even know I would want until I set eyes on her.

Brooke was the complete opposite of the type of woman I was normally attracted to, but it wasn’t just the outside package that had snared my attention.It was her fire.Her passion while protecting her friend.Her sassy-as-fuck mouth.Her gentle yet firm handling of Bella as she reassured her everything would be okay.Her absolute kindness that radiated out of her from head to toe.

That was the kind of person I wanted in my daughter’s life.She would make a great nanny and companion for Bella.

“Bella likes you.She’s liked exactly zero of the previous nannies.Tolerated them, yes.Liked them, not even for a minute.She was kind of heartbroken when you left without saying goodbye.”

Her heavy exhale made me feel guilty, but not enough to be sorry.I could see every emotion that flitted across her face from the reflection in the window.I wasn’t above using her kind heart against her to get what I wanted.Making Bella happy was my number one goal.I’d made a promise the moment she was placed in my arms, and I would never break it.

With Brooke, everyone would be happy.Bella.Sariah.Me.

Probably Luck too.

I just had to hunt him down and drag his no-doubt-drunk ass into a shower before dropping him into his room at my house.I’d tried calling him when I first got Brooke to the hospital, just as a courtesy to let him know what was going on with his niece.But he hadn’t answered.Which told me loud and clear he’d left the party the night before and gotten wasted.

Typical Luck behavior from seven years before.But he’d cleaned up his act when Bella came along.He hadn’t gotten drunk since she was in diapers.But the ghosts of his past had hit him hard.

“I have a job,” Brooke said with a sigh.“Two of them, in fact.”

“Do either of them offer you benefits like health insurance?”Her silence was answer enough.“I provide all my staff with a full package of benefits that include health and dental insurance, as well as retirement.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

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