My siblings deserved the recognition. Vanessa, my older sister, was a clerk for a federal judge in Washington D.C., and my little brother, Troy, was just hired by NASA in Florida. At least I gave them a grandchild. Mind you, it wasn’t how they hoped, but they loved Chloe like she was the air they breathed. My siblings, though each married, had yet to fulfill my parents’ wish for more grandchildren. They and their spouses were more focused on their careers right now.
Miles angled his head to get a better look at my simple drawing. “You have talent.”
I didn’t argue with him. I was anxious for him to finish his story. I went back to absentmindedly drawing for Henry while he continued to color everything I drew.
Before Miles continued, I saw him flexing his fingers as if he was trying to prepare himself for the painful memories he was about to share with me. Once his fingers relaxed, he began again. “Sophie,” he said her name with such love, “was determined to be better than her family, our family,” he conceded. “Especially when it came to her husband and son. She wanted Henry to live a life outside of family secrets, lies, and propriety. I’ve always lived outside the ‘familial’ rules.” He smiled to himself, but it only lasted for a moment. His handsome face soon turned somber. “So . . .” he had to take a deep breath, “after the accident . . .” his voice cracked.
I had that urge again to reach out and comfort him, but this time I stopped before I made a fool of myself.
Miles steadied himself. “. . . my sister lived for a few hours.” A sheen of mist covered his eyes.
My free hand flew to my mouth.
“It was then,” he hurried to say what he needed to, “that I found out she and Kevin had made me the executor of their estate and guardian to Henry.”
Henry looked up at me and I brushed back his hair. My heart ached for him and his uncle.
“She made me swear I would bring him here and raise him better than she could. An impossible task.”
I wanted to ease his pain. I thought for a moment before leaning forward. “She paid you the highest compliment and honor. I would believe her.”
He too leaned forward with hope in his eyes that what I said was true. “Will you help me honor my sister’s last wishes?”
Chapter Six
I kept nervously staring up at Miles between each bite. He was doing the same. We hadn’t said much after our food had arrived and his plea for help. Meanwhile, Henry was enjoying his cheese pizza, at least what was making it into his mouth. He refused to let me cut it into smaller pieces. He wanted to eat it like a big boy. Thankfully, I had thought to tuck napkins into his collared shirt. I’d never seen a young child so properly or expensively dressed.
Miles set his veggie wrap down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I’ve frightened you.”
I lowered the spoon for my tomato soup and rested it in my half empty bowl. “Not at all. But you’ve given me a lot to think about.” Not that I didn’t feel the weight of what he was proposing, but it didn’t scare me. Scary was finding a note on your kitchen table from your husband announcing he was leaving, and you were on your own. I imagined Miles might be having some of those same feelings now. There was nothing as terrifying and wonderful as raising a child.
He cocked his head. “What are you thinking?”
I looked between him and Henry, who gave me a messy tomato sauce grin that melted my heart. My eyes landed on his uncle, who did some other things to my heart that scared me. I was kind of hoping my heart would stay permanently dormant where men were concerned. This way I was sure to never get it broken again. Miles’s thoughtful stare, however, had my heart skipping beats. I rubbed my heart, not sure what to think. It stung like a numb foot once you began to move it to get the blood flowing again. Was it wise to work for a man who elicited such a response?
“Well,” I bit my lip, “I have a few more questions.” That seemed like the easiest way to answer.
He leaned back. “You want more details about my sordid family affairs?”
“Yes, I mean no, I mean . . .” I sighed, feeling foolish.
Miles seemed to enjoy how flustered I was by the playful arch of his brow.
“What I meant to say was, I only need to know if it will impact my employment. If there is a custody dispute, I don’t want to be out of a job.” And from the little Miles had told me, I didn’t want him to lose Henry either—little Henry, whose eyes were becoming very heavy now that his belly was full.
I caught the poor baby mid nod and wiped his sweet face off before I placed him on my lap. His eyes fluttered several times, trying to fight off the sleep his body so desperately wanted. Miles and I both laughed softly at his feeble attempt to stay awake. I employed a tactic I used to use on Chloe when she was a toddler. I stroked Henry’s brow and nose until he could resist no longer and peacefully rested in my arms.
Miles’s gaze was filled with both admiration and envy. “You are a natural. Sophie was too. It was as if she was born to be a mother.”
I shifted Henry, pulling him closer to me. “It’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and why I need to know exactly what I’m getting into.”
He pressed his lips together. “And you shall know everything, but first, I suppose I should ask you a bit more about your own situation. Your daughter is twelve, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Where is her father? If you don’t mind me asking.”
My entire body tensed just thinking of Leland. “Supposedly Texas. Why?”
“You don’t know for sure?”
“He hasn’t exactly been involved in Chloe’s life, so it’s not relevant.” I couldn’t keep the bite out of my tone.
He put his hands up. “I apologize if I’ve hit a nerve. I’m only inquiring to see what limitations you have in case I were to move back to London.”
“What do you mean by ‘limitations’?”
“Well, if things work out the way I’m hoping they will, I would want you to continue to work for me there.”
I gasped. I had dreamt about visiting the UK since I read my first regency novel as a teen. I imagined garden parties with handsome, eligible men of good fortune (of course) who would want to be my suitors. That turned into a love affair with the BBC and PBS Masterpiece Theater. Both allowed me to be in love vicariously, not only with the handsome men that starred in their shows, but with the UK itself. I’d always thought one day, after Chloe had graduated from college, I might be able to save enough money to visit, but never had I thought about living there. And most definitely not with someone who I had already had some vicarious dates with.
Miles narrowed his eyes. “Would that be a problem for you?”
I sank back against the booth, careful not to jostle Henry too much. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. My mind was spinning with the possibility.
“Would your ex-husband prevent it?”
“I doubt it; besides, I have physical custody of Chloe.” Leland did have visitation rights, but if he ever took me to court, I would bring up the little matter of all the child support he owed.
“Is there someone else?”
“No,” I laughed.
Miles tilted his head. “You’re single?” He swallowed.
“Is that a problem?”
He drummed his fingers against the table. “I admit I was hoping you weren’t.”
“Why?” I was absolutely perplexed.
He stopped tapping his fingers and cleared his throat. “We are now getting to those scandalous details I promised.”
I was all ears.
“You asked before how you keep a baby a secret. In my mum’s case, you never tell anyone you’re pregnant and you leave town.”
“She told no one at all?”
“Not a soul. Not even her own parents.”
“Was she afraid?” I remember how scared I was to tell my parents I was pregnant. I knew how disappointed they would be, especially given who the father was. They hated Leland, for good reason.
He looked up a
s if he was consulting someone before he met my gaze. “She was ashamed,” he admitted heavily. “You see, she was my brother’s nanny.”
Oh. My eyes popped.
“Yes,” he responded to my reaction. “Quite scandalous, don’t you think?”
I remained still. Not sure how to respond to the rhetorical question.
He pressed on regardless. “The esteemed Baron Greaves,” Miles hissed, “was having a torrid love affair with his very young and beautiful nanny.” Miles began flexing his fingers again. “Mum, God rest her soul, loved him and didn’t want to cause him any complications,” he scoffed. “She took on the burden of raising me alone.”
That pricked my heart. “I’m sorry about your mother.”
He waved away my condolences, not wanting to dwell on it.
I didn’t press the issue further. “How did he find out about you then?” I hesitated to ask given his agitated state. It was apparent he didn’t think too highly of his father.
“Mum,” he sighed. “She always wanted what was best for me. We always managed to scrape by, but she said that wasn’t the life I was intended to lead. It was her wish that I attend Oxford and live my dream of becoming a writer. She made that happen,” he lowered his voice, “by telling my father the truth.”
“How did that go over?”
He laughed sardonically. “Not well, as you can imagine.”
I lowered my head. I could imagine all too well. Leland blamed the pregnancy on me. I broke up with him that night. If only I’d had the good sense to keep it that way. But no, he came crawling back with a tiny diamond ring begging me to marry him. I was so foolish and afraid. I wondered who would ever love me once I had a baby. Then, not even my own husband did. I promised myself after Leland left for the last time I would never think so little of myself again.
“Did he blame her?” I asked quietly.
“For keeping me from him, yes.”
My head tilted up, surprised by his response. “He wanted you?”
Miles shrugged, looking off into the distance. “Perhaps, but he disliked the inconvenience of a,” he lowered his voice, “bastard son. His wife, Imogen, was none too pleased.”
“Did they divorce?”
He barked out a laugh. “No darling, my father’s title and wealth were worth staying in a bloody loveless marriage. She was more put out that he hadn’t done a better job of keeping his philandering ways a secret.”
“So she knew the entire time he was unfaithful?”
“Of course she did.”
I hated being so nosy, but I was intrigued. “If she knew he was cheating and didn’t care, why did your father tell her about you?”
Miles let out a slow breath. “I’m not sure, perhaps for spite. He claimed to have loved my mother and was devastated when she disappeared. He always suspected that Imogen had driven her away.”
I stared down at Henry, trying to make sense of Miles’s sad tale, but I don’t think there was any sense to be had out of it.
“You are wondering why my father stayed, are you not?”
It bothered me that he could read me so well. I looked up and found him peering at me as if he too were concerned with how well he could read me. But his concern was quickly replaced with a warm smile.
“I am curious,” I admitted.
“Tradition and unwritten societal rules keep my father and Imogen miserably together. It is one of the reasons why Sophie sought out the American.”
“Did she love him?” fell out of my mouth.
“Very much. Kevin showed her a way of life she never knew. I hate that they both perished, but it was merciful they went together.” He clapped his hands and gave me a pointed look. “You are probably wondering why I’m sharing all this with you. I have good reasons for doing so. First, you need to know that as much as my siblings Amelia and Charles, and even their dear mother, Imogen, have made their arguments that they are better suited to raise young Henry, my father, for all his faults, has silenced them on the issue. Henry is to remain in my care as Sophie and Kevin wished.”
That was a relief if I decided to take this job. But what came out of his mouth next left me unsettled.
Miles leaned back and gripped the table all while tenderly looking at me holding his sweet nephew. “Aspen,” he whispered my name as if he wanted to keep it a secret for only himself just like I had imagined him doing many times in my dreams. It made me hold my breath, waiting to see if he would lean in next. When he did, I bit my lip. It drew his attention toward my mouth. I could almost feel this thumb gliding across my lower lip. He raised his hand almost as if he was imaging the same thing, but his hand dropped, and he steeled himself. “Aspen,” he spoke again, this time in less hushed tones. “I must admit you are fetching, very fetching, indeed.”
I swallowed hard and blinked an inordinate amount of times. Normally, I would have stopped him right there and told him I wasn’t interested, but the words never came. More disconcerting was there would have been no truth in them had they been spoken.
“If circumstances were different, I would have invited you to dinner for strictly personal reasons, but . . .” he forced himself to say, “I need to think about someone else for a change, like Sophie reminded me. I must think about Henry.” He sat up straight as a pin. “If you agree to work for me, I promise you we will have a purely business relationship. For the sake of Henry, I will not entangle myself in a scandal with his nanny.”
Every muscle in my face worked to create a full-scale frown.
Miles returned it with a pressed-lip smile. “Please do not take offense. I’m not implying that you would even entertain the thought. For all I know, I repulse you.”
I wish.
“I only want to be upfront with you. As such, I will require that as part of your contract, you will agree that there will be no romantic entanglements between us. This is as much for your protection as it is mine.”
There was no way to hold back the incredulous look on my face. “You must think very highly of yourself.” Now I was sounding like my old self.
He chuckled. “On the contrary, it is you I think highly of.”
I stared down at Henry’s angelic face, not sure how to respond. And, admittedly, I felt stupid. For a moment, I had let myself fall victim to his charm. Worse, I welcomed it.
“What do you say, Aspen, will you come work for me?”
I contemplated his offer while stroking Henry’s curls. My heart said I was meant to take care of this little boy. Almost like a voice that spoke to my heart pleading for me to. For a second, I thought it was Sophie. What a crazy thought.
But what about Henry’s uncle and his contract? Another little voice asked, why does that bother you? You don’t like men. Or do you? it taunted. Great, now even my subconscious was becoming prickly. But it was right. Maybe this was the perfect situation for me. More money, free rent, and a contract guaranteeing I wouldn’t have to worry about any unwanted advances. Unwanted? my annoying subconscious asked. Seriously, she and I were going to have a talk about her attitude.
I looked up and found Miles waiting anxiously for my reply. I flashed him a smile. “We are a match made in heaven.”
Miles’s shoulders dropped. “Darling, believe me, I wish we—”
“You misunderstand me,” I interrupted him before he made me second-guess myself. “I meant that ‘romantic entanglements,’ as you call them, have only caused me grief, so I avoid them at all costs.”
He released a heavy breath. “I should have known.”
“How could you have?”
“You remind me of someone close to my heart,” he admitted reluctantly. “But that is neither here nor there.” A sense of loss lingered in his words. “Do you accept my offer?”
“I do.”
Chapter Seven
“He’s making you sign a contract that says what?” Emma walked slowly beside me in the crisp morning toward the soccer field for warmups before the game. She had just finished puking behind her je
ep.
I carried the bag of soccer balls for her. Normally Sawyer would have, but one of his patients had an eye emergency this morning, so he was at their clinic in Carrington Cove. I was glad for the time with her. “That there will be no romantic entanglements,” I exaggerated, it was such a funny word, “between us.” I decided to leave out the reasons why for now. Someday I would share them all with my friends when there was more time.
Emma snorted. “What does that even mean?”
I shifted the heavy bag on my shoulder. “Basically, that we will have a business-only relationship.”
Emma blew into her hands to warm them up. It was chilly this morning. “Well, that’s too bad. From the way you two behaved last night, we all thought you might decide to play house instead.”
I stopped and set down the bag. “What are you talking about?”
She took ahold of me to steady herself. Her baby meant business. “The sexual tension at your table last night was crazy hot. It’s why we didn’t bother saying goodbye to you. The way he looked at you and the way you would blush and lean in was like watching a rom-com play out in real life. We all thought for sure you had finally met your match. That the dashing Brit would be the one to finally get to you.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.” I snatched up the bag and slung it over my back, offering my arm to Emma as a support.
Emma leaned into me. “You are such a liar.”
I totally was. “It doesn’t matter, because come Monday morning, I’m going to sign the contract his barrister is drawing up, and I’m going to make more money than I thought I ever would and give Chloe everything she needs,” my stupid voice cracked.
“Hey.” Emma rubbed my arm. “What happened last night?”
“Nothing,” I lied . . . again.
“Aspen, it’s me.”
I leaned my head on hers, so grateful for our years of friendship. “It’s just, I feel dumb. There was a moment when he admitted that he was attracted to me and wished he was free to ask me out. And maybe for a microsecond I kind of hoped he would.” After all, no one had ever called me fetching. It felt like more than telling someone they were beautiful. It was like saying you encompass my senses. Ugh, listen to me. I seriously needed to quit watching British regency period shows.
My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked Series Book 3) Page 5
