Part of the Family
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Free BWWM Romance
Chapter 1: Nanny Troubles
Chapter 2: An Unfortunate Meeting
Chapter 3: Apology Accepted
Chapter 4: The New Nanny Project
Chapter 5: The Dinner Meeting
Chapter 6: Date Night
Chapter 7: A Deepening Desire
Chapter 8: Mixing Business with Pleasure
Chapter 9: Family Time
Chapter 10: The Call
Chapter 11: Sleepover
Chapter 12: Hunger
Chapter 13: The Reckoning
Chapter 14: Sexy Times
Chapter 15: Christmas Confessions
Bonus Book
Prologue
Chapter 1 - The Acceptance Letter
Chapter 2 - On Schedule
Chapter 3 - A Crazy Idea
Chapter 4 - The Agreement
Chapter 5 - Acclimation
Chapter 6 - Rediscovery
Chapter 7 - More Than Touch
Chapter 8 - The Truth
Chapter 9 - Past Demons
Chapter 10 - A Healing Touch
About the Author
Publishers Notes
Table of Contents
Title Page
Free BWWM Romance
Chapter 1: Nanny Troubles
Chapter 2: An Unfortunate Meeting
Chapter 3: Apology Accepted
Chapter 4: The New Nanny Project
Chapter 5: The Dinner Meeting
Chapter 6: Date Night
Chapter 7: A Deepening Desire
Chapter 8: Mixing Business with Pleasure
Chapter 9: Family Time
Chapter 10: The Call
Chapter 11: Sleepover
Chapter 12: Hunger
Chapter 13: The Reckoning
Chapter 14: Sexy Times
Chapter 15: Christmas Confessions
Bonus Book
Prologue
Chapter 1 - The Acceptance Letter
Chapter 2 - On Schedule
Chapter 3 - A Crazy Idea
Chapter 4 - The Agreement
Chapter 5 - Acclimation
Chapter 6 - Rediscovery
Chapter 7 - More Than Touch
Chapter 8 - The Truth
Chapter 9 - Past Demons
Chapter 10 - A Healing Touch
About the Author
Publishers Notes
Part of the Family
Cristina Grenier
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Chapter 1: Nanny Troubles
The cheerful sounds of a children’s television show greeted Everett Morgan’s ears as he walked into his kitchen from the garage. He listened for a moment, a smile creasing his cheeks as he heard his three-year-old singing along in his own inimitable fashion. The child’s voice was high and sweet, and something loosened in his father’s chest as he dropped his briefcase on the table and followed the sound into the den. The tableau couldn’t have been more serene. Danny sat cross-legged the requisite distance from the television while his nanny sat on the love seat with her legs tucked under her, smiling at him as he sang. Neither of them noticed him, and Ev let himself relax for the first time since he had walked out of the house at five in the morning.
His company, EM Media, was growing fast, and Ev found himself spending more and more time at the office or on trips than he did at home. He knew when this trend had begun. When his wife died, a day after the birth of their son, he had been devastated, and had withdrawn from society for almost a year, letting others run his company. But when the CFO pointed out that the company was beginning to show signs of strain from his lack of leadership, and that a financial loss was inevitable if he didn’t get his act together, Ev was forced to put away his grief and get back to work. And the work had been slogging, hard work, involving long hours in his office in one meeting after another, to evening engagements to schmooze the people he wanted to work with, to extended trips abroad.
In all of that, his son had become more of a second thought than a priority. He had managed to find a suitable nanny for the baby with the help of his mother-in-law, who lived half a continent away. Ev would never ask her to uproot her life for her grandchild when the boy had a perfectly good parent on hand. Even if said parent was a basket case most of the time. And then, three months ago, his nanny had retired and moved to a gated senior citizen community in Florida, leaving Ev once again with a small boy and a big job. This time he had had no family to help in his nanny search, but his secretary did what she did best and found him a young woman who needed the work, liked children, and was pleasant to the eye. Now Danny had adult supervision and companionship while Ev was at work, and he did his best to be a good father to his son when he was home.
He walked forward slowly, watching Danny clap to the beat of the song they had just started on the screen. The nanny, Cindy, must have caught sight of him because she looked up suddenly, and her cheeks turned a soft pink. Ev knew what that was about, and the part of him that was no longer in lust mode understood her embarrassment, and in fact, shared it. He had not been with anyone for three months before Danny was born, and in the first two years after his wife passed, he had been too wounded to even notice the many women who openly ogled him and vied for his attention. Then in this last year he saw a way to help him get past the loneliness that Dani’s absence had brought with it. He began sleeping with any woman willing to open her legs to him, trying to fuck away the yawning abyss inside him. And apparently, unbeknownst to him, there had been a line. Cindy had only been the last in a string of them in recent weeks.
“Hi, Mr. Morgan.” Cindy’s voice was sweet and soft, just like her. “Danny, your daddy’s home, baby.”
She turned her eyes away to look at the little boy who turned his head and then rose and ran screaming to leap into his father’s arms.
“Daddy! Daddy! You home?” Danny asked the same question every evening, as though he couldn’t believe Ev had not left him alone.
Ev inhaled Danny’s baby scent, and squeezed him gently as the son he loved more than anyone in the world hugged him tight. It was these moments, few though they were, that made him keep going, that made him not give in to the desire to just crawl into some convenient hole and hide forever. He had loved Dani with his whole soul, and he had been so angry when she died that for a time he had been afraid he would take it out on the tiny baby. Danny, named after his mother, had stolen his heart the first time they had let Ev hold him. Now he couldn’t imagine his world without the boy who was dropping butterfly kisses across Ev’s cheeks to his lips, where he left a smacking kiss.
“How’s my big boy today, huh?”
Ev looked into his son’s bright blue eyes and smiled, letting the stresses of the day roll off his shoulders completely.
“Cindy and me watching TV, Daddy.”
“I see that, buddy. What are you watching?”
“Sesame Street.”
"Have you had supper yet?”
The little boy nodded. “Mmhm..spaghetti and sauce.”
Ev looked down at Cindy, whose eyes had returned to the television, and noted the very short shorts she wore, and the cotton blouse that hid nothing under it. He inhaled sharply, swallowing the mixture of annoyance and regret that bubbled inside him. He would have to let her go. She couldn’t stay here, a constant reminder that he had no willpower when it came to women, even women who should be off limits. And it didn’t help that she flaunted her sexuality as casually as she did her red-painted toenails. She was bad for him, but more, she was worse for his son,
who was getting no mental stimulation apart from what the television offered him.
He walked with Danny in his arms back into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Spaghetti and sauce did not appeal to him. Putting Danny on a chair, he rummaged about in the refrigerator until he found some leftover steak in gravy, a little rice and some steamed broccoli. Pulling them out, he arranged them on a plate and while they heated up in the microwave, he pulled out the rest of the salad from the day before as well. Splashing some balsamic vinaigrette on it, he tossed it, planning to offer some to his son, who loved salad. Once his food was ready, he took everything to the table, along with a baby fork and an extra plate. He slid two cubes of steak, chopped up finely, and a spoonful of salad onto the smaller plate and pushed it towards Danny.
“Here ya go, buddy. Help Daddy with dinner.”
The little boy grinned. They both enjoyed the evening ritual, whenever Ev was home. He’d pretend he couldn’t finish his meal, and share a little bit with the boy. It wouldn’t hurt him — Danny was very active, and would burn off the few calories quickly — and it was their special thing. Maybe some day, they’d actually also cook the meals together. Ev could hope, and he did.
Once dinner was done, Ev washed the few things he’d used and stacked them in the dishwasher to dry, and then turned again to his son.
“Ready for a piggyback ride?”
Danny giggled happily and raised his arms to be picked up. Ev swung him over his shoulders, slotting the child's legs on either side of his head, and chuckled when Danny said,
“Gee up, horsey!”
He listened to his son’s happy giggles as he hopped with him up to his bedroom, where he dropped him on the bed so he bounced. The laughter made his heart swell with love, and ache with loneliness. He shoved away the feelings and sat down, turning so his son could help him remove his jacket and unbutton his shirt. Then Danny rolled over, lying flat on his back, and watched as Ev sauntered into the ensuite bathroom before snagging the remote and turning on the television. In his room, the channels were more educational, even if they were above the boy’s level. But he would love the animals and the landscapes of the BBC specials which Ev had cued up for him to watch.
His cellphone rang as he was stepping back into the bedroom, wrapped in a robe. He reached for it, and put his fingers to his lips, so Danny knew to turn the volume down. The volume stayed up, and when Ev looked over, Danny was on his belly apparently dozing. He turned the sound down himself.
“Everett Morgan.”
“Well thank God you made it home! I wondered when I left earlier how late you’d stay at the office.”
Ev laughed, sitting on the end of the bed and dragging a hand though his still-damp hair.
“I had to get through all that paperwork on my desk,” he said. “I have a taskmaster for an executive assistant. She takes no prisoners.” He chuckled when his secretary laughed at his teasing. “Thanks for working so hard today. We both know the contract isn’t in the bag until all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed. And I couldn’t have sent it off by courier as I left without you, Del.”
“Does that mean I’m getting an extra bonus for Christmas?” Delores Baines laughed in his ear.
“You need a longer honeymoon? I’ll foot the bill.”
“Everett Morgan, you will do no such thing!” she said, her voice high with indignation. “First of all, it’s not your call, since you’re not the man I married — and thank God for that! Second of all, you spend far too much money on your workers as it is. You don’t need to be giving out extra bonuses.” She took a breath before adding, “You know I was just kidding, right?”
Ev grinned. He knew she had been joking, but he liked to pull her leg. His secretary had been with him through thick and thin these ten years, and he couldn’t imagine doing his job without her.
“What do you mean thank God I’m not your husband?” He feigned outrage, hiding his laughter.
“You know very well I wouldn’t have stood a chance with you, first of all, and you’ve become such a…” she hesitated, and Ev sobered.
Del had become his friend as well as his secretary, and she was not normally the one to hold her tongue, but he knew she still thought he was grieving over Dani’s death, despite his horndog behavior, and she tried never to bring it up.
“Go on,” he said, “you can say it. I know. I’m what your friends like to call a ‘man ho’.”
“Your words, not mine, boss.” Her voice was carefully neutral.
Ev sighed. She was right, and he knew it. Still, he didn’t want to dwell on his shortcomings right now. He had a bedtime story to read, and a few extra phone calls to make before he called it a night.
“So, did you just want to berate me, or was there an actual reason that you called?” He chuckled as he said it, to take the sting out of the words.
“You know I’d never disturb you at home without a cause, boss,” she said, not at all offended. “I wanted to remind you about the Hope For All event on Sunday evening. I know you. You’re either going to get so bogged down in work that you won’t remember, or you’ll go away for a night and the heavens will open and stop you coming back. So please don’t go anywhere this weekend, and try to get your work done tonight.”
Ev laughed again. Del knew him too well. It was a pity there wasn’t even one single solitary spark between them, even though she was a beautiful woman. From the day he had hired her, he had known she was a force to be reckoned with, and as their working relationship grew, he discovered he preferred her as a friend than as a lover. He appreciated that she never made a pass at him, and never once presumed on her special relationship with him to curry favor or make demands.
“Thanks, Del. Remind me to give my executive assistant a day off next week, will you? She’s working flat out, even on her weekend.”
She ignored him, which made him grin. “Good night, boss. Kiss Danny for me, and see you Monday.”
“Goodnight, Del. Have a great weekend.”
The phone call over, Ev looked over to where his son lay on the bed. Danny had inexplicably fallen asleep. Ev would have to wake him for the bedtime story. What the hell had they done to wear him out so much that he couldn’t stay awake for the last ritual of his day? He never missed story time, and in fact always had his chosen book prepped and ready for reading. Sliding on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Ev picked up the sleeping boy and strode with him down the hall to his bedroom, laying him gently on the little bed with its raised sides. Cindy had apparently been in already as the book lay on the nightstand, and the lights were turned down low. Danny wasn’t even in his pajamas, but he was clearly out for the count.
Ev sighed. He supposed he’d better let the boy sleep. The books he’d read early on said growing children needed lots of sleep, and as it was still only fairly recently that Danny slept for more than six hours before he woke again, Ev figured he wouldn’t mess with that. He tucked in his sleeping son, kissed his brow, and went in search of the nanny. She was in the kitchen holding the bottle of wine he had opened two nights before. There were two glasses on the counter, and she turned as he approached and opened the bottle, ready to pour. Something ugly stirred in his chest. He stopped her.
“No wine for me, thanks, and I’d rather you not have any either.”
He walked around to where she stood at the island and took the bottle from her, closing it and putting it back in the refrigerator. He could feel her eyes on him, and when he turned again she was staring at him with a mixture of dread, anger, and desire on her pretty face. Ev cursed silently. This was his fault. He should never have given in to her seduction two nights ago. He wasn’t that man, no matter how many women he slept with. He was way better than sleeping with a twenty-something whom he had hired to look after his son in his own house.
“Look, Cindy,” he began, sighing heavily, “I owe you an apology. I should never have slept with you. That’s not who I am. I didn’t hire you to be my playmate. I hired you to c
are for my son. And to be honest, you’ve not been doing too good a job of it. Danny needs more than someone to wash and feed him. He needs to be engaged, to be challenged intellectually, to be socialized. When was the last time you took him out of the house?”
She stared at him sullenly before she answered. “Today. I took him to the park.”
“Have you ever taken him to the library? To the children’s museum? Down to the harbor? Where do you take him, aside from the park? And when you’re home with him, what do you do with him, aside from feed and bathe him?”
Ev could see that the questions were coming at her faster than she could formulate answers for them. That was most likely because the answers were ‘no’ to the first ones and ‘nothing’ to the last one. His anger grew, but not at her. He was angry that he had been such a piss poor excuse for a father that he had allowed himself to forget that his child came first, so much so that the nanny now thought she could initiate cuddle times with him over a drink while his son slept. Which reminded him…
“We missed story time tonight because he was out like a light when I finished my shower. What’s that about?” Ev suspected he knew, but he wanted her to be the one to say it.
“I guess he was tired. I told you I took him to the park.”
Ev could hear the defensiveness in her voice, see it in the way she shifted her body to square her shoulders in readiness for battle.
“Did he have an afternoon nap?”
She looked away from his eyes before replying. “We were at the park for a little while. Then when we got home it was time for dinner. After his bath we went in to watch TV till you got home.”
“So he didn’t have a nap. And you stayed in the park for longer than normal.” Ev shook his head in disgust. “This is unacceptable, Cindy. I’m not paying you good money to take my kid to the park and wear him out so you can spend time in my bed. I don’t need a live-in fuck buddy. I need someone who can be fully responsible for a small child, someone who will place his needs above her own desires. It’s clear that that person isn’t you.”