The Rejected Wife: Chapter 27

“So, you adopted her?”

“The proudest day of my life.” Tenderness and joy fill my chest. ‘The DNA test proved she was mine. I established my paternity in court and filed for custody. But since I couldn’t track down her mother, adopting her secured my parental rights. Of course, I’d have done it even if the DNA test had been negative.’

Her face gentles. “That’s really noble of you.”

I shake my head. “No, it isn’t. Thanks to Serene, I went from someone selfish and focused only on my pleasures, to realizing I am not the center of the universe. It made me grow up.” I chuckle in a self-deprecating fashion. “I found myself responsible for another person. It was a wake-up call.”

“Children can do that to you, huh?”

I laugh. “You know about that, of course.”

She half-smiles. “Were you upset that you couldn’t meet her mother?”

Her tone is casual but something in her eyes tells me my answer is important to her. “I don’t remember her. Don’t recognize her name. She’s a stranger to me. So, no.” I shrug. “I realize that answer might make me sound callous. And you’re probably thinking I had a one-night stand I don’t recall. I admit, I considered the possibility and discarded it. I might have been self-absorbed, but I do recall every woman I slept with. And I always, always wrapped it up.”

She winces. I curse myself. Why the hell did I have to talk about women I’ve been with?

“I’ve mentioned it to you before and I’ll do so again. None of them meant anything to me. After I met you, I realized how meaningless those encounters had been. And then, not having you in my life made me realize what a fool I’d been. Will you please forgive me for what I did that day?”

She looks away. Her forehead furrows. “You had a big emotional upheaval. Of course, you weren’t thinking straight. And I know, more than anyone, that a child comes first. Anyway, all that is water under the bridge.” She straightens and pastes a smile on her face, which tells me, she doesn’t completely believe that. But for now, I let it go.

Once she joins me as Serene’s nanny, I’ll have time to convince her, through my actions, that I hadn’t forgotten about her, even though I hadn’t called her in the last year. I hope.

“As her nanny, you’ll be entitled to £10,000 per month.” Needing her to stay, I throw out triple what I paid the last nanny. “What do you say?”

She seems taken aback. “I think I’ll enjoy being Serene’s nanny,” she says slowly. “She’s such an adorable little girl. She reminds me of why I wanted to be a nanny in the first place.”

“And why did you want to become a nanny?”

“Is this part of the interview? Thought you already offered me the job?” There’s a tinge of amusement in her eyes.

Ha. This is a different side of Cilla. She seems to have matured in the last year. She was already confident but now, she’s more poised.

“You do have the job. I simply would love to find out more about you.”

“Oh.” She digests that. “It was after I completed university and found, despite a degree, all I was being offered were unpaid internship roles. I was running out of money, had student debts, and felt like the only way out was asking my brother for a loan. And I didn’t want to do that.”

“Your independence is important to you.”

“It is.” She tips up her chin. “At twenty-one, that translated into a lot of anger against the system. I wanted to change the world, but damn, it felt like I couldn’t do that without money. That really pissed me off. A friend of mine was volunteering with special needs children. I decided to do the same. It seemed like a good idea. Better than being jobless and getting upset.

‘My first hour there, and my mindset shifted. It put my own life in perspective. There were these kids, taking pleasure in small things, despite the odds they were facing. And I was angry at what—? Not being able to find a job? That’s when I decided I wanted to work with kids.”

I look at her closely. “And you called me noble?”

She thinks that over. “I suppose, in that sense, I share your view. It’s not me caring for the kids, which I am, of course, but it’s also them doing me a favor by letting me care for them, you know? My life is richer for the experience. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

There’s silence. Her words sink in. The truth in them resonates within the deepest parts of me. Places I didn’t know existed—hidden parts of me that react only to her.

The air between us swirls with unsaid emotions. The hair on the nape of my neck rises. I want to reach over this desk, pull her into my lap, and kiss her senseless. I want to push her onto her front on my desk and bury my throbbing cock inside her sweet pussy. I want to—not take her for granted. I want to show her the respect she deserves for being Serene’s nanny. She hasn’t even started the position, and I’m already screwing it up.

I give myself a mental shake, slide my phone out of my pocket, and pull up my bank app. “The position comes with the apartment over the garage. You’ll also have access to the car in the garage, which you can use for both Serene and your personal needs. Are you good with starting immediately?” I glance at her to find a quizzical expression on her features.

“Is that important? That I move into the apartment?” She doesn’t seem fazed that I asked her to start immediately. Score for me.

“I need you to be here all day, and also on the nights I need to be on conference calls with people in other time zones.” I shrug. Not completely the truth. My partners and vendors will change their times to suit mine, but there’s no reason for her to know that.

“It would save you rent money,” I point out.

She nods slowly. “It would.”

“You’re taking care of my daughter. I want to ensure you don’t have to worry about paying your bills, so you can focus on her completely.”

I slide my phone to her across the desk. ‘Key in the details of your bank account, please, so I can transfer the money for your first month of employment.’

She hesitates. “That figure you quoted is too much. Not that I don’t appreciate it. Childcare professionals are undervalued for what they do. Still”—she purses her lips—“it feels like an inflated amount.”

“Your role is second only to mine in her life. As her nanny, you’ll not only take care of her, but you’ll be responsible for her mental and emotional well-being, something I know you’ll be great at.”

She swallows, seemingly moved by my words. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

I cut the air with my hand. “Only saying the truth. I saw you with her today. It’s the first time she’s allowed anyone else, other than me, to bathe her.”

“Oh?” She seems taken aback.

“Not any of her previous nannies, and not even my friends’ wives. You are the only other person she’s allowed close enough for that. So yeah, I know you’re the right person for the job.”

“Oh!” She fans herself. “You’re making me emotional.”

Her eyes glitter. Seeing the tears in her eyes is a special kind of hell. Perhaps, becoming a father has made me more sensitive to other’s feelings. But even if it were not for that, I wouldn’t be able to bear causing her any more distress. I already upset her deeply when I asked her to leave my penthouse that day.

But I was too distracted with Serene’s arrival to notice the impact my words had on Priscilla. Perhaps my reasons were justified. I did have to focus on my daughter. But could I have found a way to have both in my life…?

I push aside my misgivings. My time with the Marines has taught me to live in the present. She’s here under my roof now, and I’m going to find every way possible to keep her in my life.

She refers to her phone, fills out the details on mine, then slides the device back to me. I transfer the money to her immediately. Some of the tension rolls off my shoulders. That’s a done deal. She can’t back out now.

Her phone pings with a notification. She glances at it, then directs a glance at me. “You paid me already?”

“You’ve been out of a job for a few months, I assume?”

She nods, a strange look on her features.

“You must have bills to pay. This should help.”

I could have paid her a lot more, but then, she’d likely pay off her bills too quickly. And that’d mean she wouldn’t need to be Serene’s nanny anymore. And yes, this makes me a calculating bastard—guess I’m not completely reformed—but with this figure I’m paying her, she’ll be able to pay off debts, and save, and have enough to not have to compromise her lifestyle.

She hesitates, then jerks her chin. “Thank you.”

“It’s me who should be thanking you for reconsidering the role. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

Our gazes meet and hold. Like clockwork, that ever-present chemistry between us flares. My balls harden. Goddamn, how am I going to get through keeping up this professional façade? Especially since, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was grateful she accepted the role of Serene’s nanny. It’s going to make a huge difference to both Serene’s life and mine. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to upset Priscilla or scare her off. Not until she’s had a chance to get to know me better. Not until she realizes I’ve changed. I’ve gone from being the person who couldn’t even refer to my daughter as a child when she first arrived, to my world revolving around a smile from her.

‘My lawyer will be in touch with a Non-Disclosure Agreement and your employment contract.”

She laughs. “You paid me already, before asking me to sign the agreement.”

“I already told you, I trust you.”

She swallows, and her eyes widen. She seems both taken aback but also happy that I said that. “Thank you for saying that.”

Once again, the air between us grows heavy, charged with everything we’ve said and everything we haven’t. My heart pounds, loud and insistent, echoing in my ears. I drink her in, every inch of her, awash in the quiet miracle that she’s here. That from this moment on, I get to see her every day. And maybe—if I’m lucky, if I find a way—for the rest of my life.

Color smears her cheeks. She makes a small sound at the back of her throat. One which tightens my belly. It makes me realize how much I want this woman. How I’d do anything to have her back in my life. Get it together. Don’t screw it up before she’s even started the job. Show her the respect she deserves.

I rise to my feet, indicating the meeting is over.

She interprets my move and, turning, walks out of the study and toward the kitchen. I follow her. She picks up her purse from the breakfast counter and turns to me. ‘Thanks again for this opportunity. You won’t regret it.’