Page 63 of Nanny for the Bossy Billionaire

He’s particularly fascinated by the elephants, giraffes, and flamingos. He asks Reid to buy some for their home zoo. A request to which Reid acquiesces.

I hope he just said yes to placate Ethan until he forgets, but I fear that he’s actually serious about introducing elephants and giraffes onto his estate. Really, I wouldn’t put it past him.

It’s a wonderful day. I can’t help but feel like a family. I know I’m not Ethan’s mother and I never will be, but I like that the three of us are together having a good time.

When we get home later, in the evening, Ethan is pooped. I put him down for a nap and he passes out almost immediately.

Reid and I then take the opportunity to escape to Reid’s room for some adult activity. But when we get there, we realize we are just as tired as Ethan. So, instead, we lie in bed holding each other.

If I died like this, I think I would be fine with it. Reid has unexpectedly become my happy place. With him I feel safe. Our relationship isn’t without its tumult, but ultimately, I know he has my back. Knowing the number of people who have let me down in my life, that’s very important to me.

I will take whatever the future has in store for us if it means I can enjoy moments like this, even if it’s just for a little while longer.

22

REID

Against my better judgment, here I sit, in a coffee shop waiting for June. She was supposed to have gotten off her flight from Texas about two hours ago. So she should be here by now.

I hate coffee and June knows this. Yet, she chose for us to meet at a coffee shop. This tells me that this meeting will probably be adversarial.

I’m only doing this because of what Naomi said. She had a point. If Ethan grows up and finds out that I kept his mother from him, I’m having a hard time picturing he and I being on good terms after that.

Ethan is the only blood family I have left. The idea of an estrangement between us, even in the distant future, isn’t something I want to entertain. That’s why I’m here. If it were up to me, neither I nor Ethan would clap eyes on June for the rest of our lives. However, whether I like it or not, she is his mother.

Even if I wanted to, I can’t keep them apart forever. Ethan will grow up one day and she will be free to reach out to him.

As the tea I ordered brews on the table in front of me, I look at the watch on my wrist. June is 10 minutes late. This coffee shop is nice enough with its comfortable seating, modern and warm decor, but I can’t stand the smell of coffee that hangs in the air.

I’m about to give up and leave when the bell above the door rings and June walks in.

She looks well. Much better than when last I saw her in person. She had been running herself so ragged that she looked like a strung out crack addict most of the time.

She has cut her brown hair into a stark bob. Her makeup is immaculate, like it used to be when we first met, and she’s wearing a power suit and heels.

Her eyes scan the room. When they settle on me, the frown on her face deepens and she walks in my direction.

She pulls out the chair across the table from me and sits.

“Reid, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Yes,” is all I give her.

“So how have you been?”

I sigh. “We both know you don’t care how I’ve been. Can we get to the point? The sooner you say what you have to say, the sooner this can all be over.”

Her jaw flexes and she takes a breath. “I would like to be back in Ethan’s life.”

“I know that.”

“Okay. Well, then I won’t beat around the bush. What do I have to do to get you to agree to shared custody?”

A laugh bursts out of me. “Shared custody is totally out of the question.”

“Reid, you can’t do this. You can’t keep me from my son forever.”

“I can do whatever the hell I want, especially when it concerns Ethan. As far as I know, you are not good for him. So there’s absolutely no way I will agree for you to have him unsupervised.”

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