Milllionaire Dad, Nanny Needed!

by Susan Meier

  Audra sucked in a breath, amazed at how tempted she was to consider a suggestion that was incredibly wrong. He was too damned much like the man who had jilted her. And she’d learned her lesson. Dominic might be correct in saying that David had made her happy, but he’d skipped over the fact that she was a serious woman. She couldn’t have uncomplicated relationships with men like her ex and Dominic. Anytime she got involved with a man she liked, she would always fall in love.

  And that was the biggest reason of all to stay away from Dominic. She would fall head over heels and he would amuse himself for a few weeks or months and then move on.

  No, thanks.

  “Have fun tonight,” she said, grabbing Joshua’s bottle and heading for the door. “And try not to stay out too late.”

  Joshua awakened four times that night. Obviously frightened and confused by another change of home and caregiver, the baby sobbed pitifully. Her heart breaking for the little boy who was experiencing his third change of homes in as many months, Audra rocked him, sang to him, cuddled and soothed him. It was 5:00 a.m. when they both fell into a deep sleep. So when Joshua’s crying awakened her again, she groaned.

  Sympathetic with the baby, she forced her eyes open only to discover it was morning. She popped up off her pillow, glancing at the clock. It was nine!

  Throwing back the covers, she rolled out of bed and ran to the nursery. “Good morning,” she sang, refusing to let herself be tired or listless when this baby so desperately needed love and understanding.

  “We’ve got some stuff to do, and I’m not entirely sure what order to do it in.” She kissed his forehead and then checked his diaper. Realizing he needed a change, she reached for one of the throw-away diapers in the drawer of the changing table beside the crib.

  “For all my experience with my nieces, I’ve never kept a baby overnight. When I babysat for my sisters, I always left when they returned home.”

  Done with his diaper, she lifted Joshua off the changing table. He blinked at her as she carried him out into the hall.

  “Which means I’ve never handled a morning routine. Here’s where we are right now. You need a bottle and probably a bath, but I also need to shower.”

  Having slept in a loose T-shirt and ankle-length pajama bottoms, she didn’t feel uncomfortable walking through the house to the kitchen. “Since we both need things, I’m going to use what I call the airplane theory. The stewardess always says if a plane’s in trouble and the oxygen masks drop, put on your own mask first, then you can help your child.”

  Joshua tilted his head as if trying to understand, but also as if growing accustomed to her. Her heart ached for him. He desperately needed someone, but it was wrong for him to be attaching to her. In a few weeks she’d be gone. She hoped Dominic wouldn’t take forever to grow accustomed to him and get involved with him.

  She kissed the baby. “That means I shower first, but I can’t desert you while I shower, so we’re going to enlist some help.”

  She bumped the swinging door open with her hip. Joyce Irwin, the weekend cook, sat on a stool at the center island. “Good morning, Joyce.”

  The short, thin brunette slid from her seat. She clapped her hands together with glee and her green eyes sparkled. “Oh! You have the little one!”

  Audra winced. “Yes, but I need some help.”

  Joyce glanced at Audra’s sleep-disheveled hair, rumpled T-shirt and pajama bottoms and nodded. “Your mom filled me in that we were to pitch in and do anything you asked. Do you want me to feed him while you shower?”

  “Could you? He’ll be occupied eating so he won’t cry.”

  Joyce reached for Joshua. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Twenty tops.”

  “Take your time. I raised a boy and a girl and have two grandkids. I’m a pro.”

  Audra said, “Thanks.” But passing Joshua to the cook, she had a sudden vision of Joshua being raised by servants, getting his good-night kiss from whoever was in charge of putting him to bed that night, and it filled her with unbelievable sadness.

  Telling herself not to think like that, she raced out of the kitchen and up the first two halls, but as she turned the corner for the third, she plowed into Dominic.

  “Whoa!” he caught her by the shoulders and steadied her before setting her away from himself, his hands still loosely holding her.

  Even on a Saturday morning, Dominic’s first trip downstairs was made fully dressed in iron-creased trousers and an oxford cloth shirt—while she stood before him in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, suddenly feeling like Cinderella. She might not be sweeping ashes for a wicked stepmother, but living with Dominic she would constantly be reminded of their different stations in life. Worse, the warmth of his hands on her shoulders seeped through her thin T-shirt and to her skin, sending a rush of heat through her entire body and causing her breathing to stop.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  She took one long breath to jump-start her lungs and, as calmly as she could, she stepped out of his hold. “Joshua and I had a long night. We just got up. I left him with Mrs. Irwin. So I could shower and dress.” The accountant in her, the part that was always pulled together and capable, couldn’t resist explaining why she looked so out of sorts. “That’s why I’m—” She motioned to her big T-shirt and worn pajama bottoms with her hand. “Still in my nightclothes.”

  “Okay.” In one word he managed to convey that he was both confused and amused by her explanation.

  She wanted to shake herself silly. She didn’t need to explain herself to him. She was a CPA. A professional. She wasn’t Cinderella, tongue-tied with the prince.

  And he wasn’t Prince Charming. The prince she remembered from her storybooks would have picked up on the fact that she and Joshua had had a difficult night. He would have been concerned. Dominic should be concerned.

  She stepped into his space again, angry that he’d missed the obvious. “The baby had a little trouble adjusting.”

  The light in Dominic’s eyes softened. “I don’t doubt it. Poor kid.”

  Okay. Sympathy. That was good. He wasn’t totally indifferent. He had probably just missed her first mention of the baby having a long night. Or maybe he hadn’t understood it. “Anyway, now that you’re here, you can relieve Joyce.”

  His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Relieve Joyce?”

  “Take Joshua from her.”

  “Can’t. I have an informal business meeting at the club.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. I thought we went over this last night. This is why I hired you.”

  A voice inside her head told her to back off. She’d had a rough night and very little sleep, and he obviously had plans. Plans that were probably made long before he got the baby. Plus, pushing him into spending time with Joshua wasn’t really her business.

  The opposing voice told her it might not be her business, but Joshua was his child now and she couldn’t bear to think of the baby living life without love, being kissed by servants, ignored by his family.

  She listened to the second voice.

  “Yes, we did go over this last night, and I thought you understood that you’re Joshua’s primary love giver.”

  To her complete amazement, he looked at his watch as if what she’d said was of little consequence. “Can we finish this later?”

  She drew in a disbelieving breath. “No! Dominic, at some point—”

  He brushed past her. “I’m late. We’ll talk when I get home.”

  Stepping into the backseat of his car, Dominic wished he hadn’t called for his driver. Audra had made him so angry that he desperately wanted to slam a door. Now he couldn’t.

  Didn’t she realize how hard this was for him? Didn’t she see how much responsibility and work had already been thrust upon him? Didn’t she understand he had so much to do that he was barely treading water? Didn’t she own a real pair of pajamas?

  The car door clicked shut
behind him. His driver slid behind the steering wheel and Dominic burst out laughing. She was annoying, persistent, ill-informed—and so adorable he had wanted to flirt with her until she couldn’t resist him. But she was also right. No matter how busy he was, he had a child to raise.

  He had to get involved in Joshua’s life, but as soon as he thought of spending time with him, he froze. He had absolutely no idea what to do with a baby. Worse, Peter was the strong, smart one. The one who should serve as Joshua’s example. It didn’t seem fair that Peter’s little boy was stuck with second best. The guy who wasn’t even sure how to hold him properly was the one who would teach him about life.

  But Dominic knew the world wasn’t always fair. Like it or not, he had to be more than a dad in name only. Maybe instead of teasing Audra, flirting with her or fighting, what he should be doing is taking advantage of her expertise while she was with him and Joshua.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AS JOSHUA woke from his nap that afternoon, the nursery door opened and Dominic walked in. Still furious with him, Audra wanted to lambaste him, but before she could open her mouth to speak, he handed her a bouquet of flowers.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She tried to say, “That’s okay,” because an apology always warranted a second chance in Mary Greene’s family. But looking at the bouquet of roses and daisies, an unlikely combination that for some damned reason or another made her happy, she was suddenly speechless. She hadn’t been given flowers in a year. Not since her fiancé. She had literally forgotten how much fun it was to have someone think of her.

  Joshua’s crying jolted her back to reality.

  “Oh, honey! I’m sorry!” She’d been so surprised by the flowers she’d forgotten the baby.

  Dominic took a breath and hesitantly faced the crib. “I’ll get him.”

  Audra’s mouth fell open as Dominic leaned down to lift Joshua. “Hey, now. What’s all this crying about?” He settled the baby’s bottom on his forearm and grimaced. “My sleeve is now saturated.”

  “He had a long nap. His diaper is probably soaked.”

  “No ‘probably’ about it.”

  Audra reached for the baby but stopped herself. If their disagreement had led him to a change of heart, if he was really going to be the kind of dad this little boy needed, then he could start now.

  “The diapers are in the top drawer of the changing table.”

  Panic flared in his eyes. “You’re not going to change him?”

  “Diaper changing is good bonding time.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “My sister sang to her kids when she changed their diapers. When I babysat I realized singing’s a good way to get everybody’s mind off the messy business and onto something fun.”

  “I’m not singing to a baby.”

  “It’ll be fun.” She set the flowers on a handy table. “After I get a vase I’ll teach you some cute songs—”

  “Let me rephrase that. I’m not singing in front of anybody. Not even Joshua. I have a wickedly awful voice.”

  “No, singing career for you, huh?”

  “Unless you want dogs in three states to howl.”

  She laughed. “The pitch that can only be heard by dog ears. You must be bad.”

  He handed Joshua to her and wouldn’t meet her eyes as he said, “And I don’t know how to change a diaper.”

  She figured as much. But she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. “That’s okay. I’ll teach you.”

  Rather than her offer reassuring Dominic, it seemed to panic him further. “How about if I go to my room, put on a clean shirt, send a maid with a vase, and come back for playtime?”

  She wanted him to stay, but even she could see that changing a diaper the very first time he came into the nursery had overwhelmed him. Still, he’d said he would come back. This time yesterday, the wet shirt would have been an excuse for him to leave for good. Having him say he would return was progress.

  “Okay.”

  Dominic left the room, and Audra kissed the baby’s nose. “You’re going to have playtime with your new daddy.”

  She laid the baby on the changing table, quickly realized he was a little worse off than she’d first imagined and headed for the bathroom. Holding the naked baby with one arm, she put the baby tub in the bathtub and started the warm water for him. Within seconds Joshua was up to his tummy in soap suds, happily slapping the water.

  “Audra?”

  “In here.”

  Dominic appeared at the door, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, his short dark hair disheveled just enough to be sexy, his dark eyes sparkling with their ever-present glimmer of mischief.

  Tingles of warmth exploded in her stomach just from looking at him. He was cute. He was sexy. And now it appeared that he was owning up to his responsibilities with the baby. A natural urge to flirt with him bubbled up in her, but she squelched it. His willingness to spend a little time with the baby didn’t translate to change in every area of his life. She couldn’t get involved with Dominic. Flirting was out of the question.

  Plus, he wasn’t here for her. He was in the nursery to be with the baby. The most important thing in his life should be this little boy.

  “He’s already had a minute to play, so I’ll just wash him up and bring him to the nursery.”

  Dominic said, “Okay,” and stepped back, out of the bathroom.

  Audra quickly washed Joshua, rolled him in a soft terry cloth baby towel and carried him into the nursery. “Would you like to dress him?”

  “You’re doing fine without me.”

  Once again she decided his refusal had more to do with inexperience than lack of desire, but she also realized that if he didn’t stop making excuses, he might never grow accustomed to holding and caring for this child. And he had to. Joshua had been bounced from home to home since his parents’ deaths Now he was in his permanent home, but yet another primary caregiver, Audra, would be leaving. Dominic had to get involved with Joshua so the baby would have one stable, consistent, committed person in his life.

  She turned away and made her voice as casual as possible as she said, “Okay. I’ll dress him. Then you read to him.”

  “Great.”

  She faced him again, confused by his quick acquiescence. She’d expected to have to persuade him. Instead, he’d easily agreed. The corners of his mouth tipped up sexily. His eyes sparkled. But there was something different about this smile than the ones he’d given her Friday night. Today he wasn’t flirting. He was simply being himself. The Dominic her mother had always described. Fun. Friendly. Flirty. But not flirting. If stepping away from the baby when he was uncomfortable was his way of saying he wouldn’t even try doing what he didn’t know how to do, then his smile right now said he would do the things he was comfortable doing.

  Accepting that, Audra dressed Joshua in a soft, one-piece romper with a train appliqué on the front, as Dominic browsed through the box of books they’d retrieved from Marsha’s mom. When the last snap was snapped, she gave Joshua a teething ring before she handed him to Dominic.

  Baby on his arm, he sat on the rocker. “All right, Joshua, we’re going to read about a little train engine that goes up a mountain,” he said, glancing through the pages.

  Audra stifled a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay.

  She hoped.

  Turning away, she frowned. She wasn’t one to put much stock in a wishy-washy emotion like hope. She was more of a planner. And the logical, organized accountant in her decided that since she couldn’t force him to learn what to do with the baby, her only choice was to make sure Dominic spent enough time in Johsua’s company that when her month of nannying was up, Dominic would at least be accustomed to the baby he now had to raise.

  When Audra brought Joshua to the dinner table on Saturday night, Dominic frowned. “Isn’t he a little young for filet mignon?”

  She laughed, trying not to gawk around the gorgeous formal dining room, which was about the size of Audra’
s entire apartment. The high ceiling with three chandeliers placed equidistant above the gleaming mahogany table quietly spoke of the Manelli wealth. A long black, yellow and beige Oriental rug protected the marble floor. Pale-yellow walls accented the wainscoting. The yellow in the China pattern laid out on the table matched the walls.

  Dominic stood at the head of the long table, where two dinner places had been set, and Audra noticed something she’d never seen before. Dominic was incredibly alone. Dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt and tie, he looked like a lonely prince, aching for love that he couldn’t find.

  Luckily she had enough sense to remind herself that he wasn’t alone. Not only did he have myriad friends, but he also had a baby to raise.

  “I didn’t bring him for the filet mignon. I brought him for family time.”

  “You and I aren’t family.”

  “No, but you and Joshua are.” She glanced around. Not seeing the high chair she’d bought on Friday afternoon, she walked over to Dominic. “Take him a second while I go scout out the high chair.”

  Without thinking, she casually handed the wriggling baby to Dominic, and Dominic almost dropped him.

  Realizing he hadn’t been ready to take him, Audra said, “Sorry.”

  He said, “That’s okay,” but his mouth tightened in annoyance.

  He was either seriously angry that she’d brought the baby to dinner or that she’d handed Joshua to him when he was unprepared to take him. Audra couldn’t tell. Deciding that his irritation would pass—though she didn’t want to leave him alone any longer than was necessary—she scrambled to the kitchen.

  She found the high chair, carried it to the dining room, put it by his chair and said, “Set him in it,” as she walked to the place set for her, to the right of Dominic.

  He stood motionless for a few seconds. Then he smiled. He stepped in close and whispered in her ear, “Why don’t you do it?”