Nanny for the Millionaire's Twins

But she didn’t seem to understand. Because she was one of those innocently sweet people, she didn’t realize that just being around her tempted him.

He sighed. Sometimes the best way to handle a problem was just to handle it. Say the thing that was on his mind, make her understand.

He set down his soup spoon. “Look. I know my mom told you the story of me and the twins’ mom.”

“A little.”

“Well, then let me fill you in on the rest. Liliah was a selfish, ruthless pain in the butt.”

She laughed.

He snorted in derision. “You can laugh because she didn’t leave you with twins.”

“But you’re handling it all very well.”

He tossed his napkin to the table. “No. I’m not. Not really. I’m handling things because I have you here. Without you I wouldn’t even have swings or a play yard.”

“I’m sure Gwen would have—”

“Stop!”

Her face froze and he felt like kicking himself but he kept going. “I have a chip on my shoulder a mile wide when it comes to women. You shouldn’t even want to be my friend. And I most certainly don’t want to get to like you too much because you’re committed to somebody else. So stop. Stop talking to me. Stop being nice to me. Stop trying to make us a family and just be a nanny.”

The kitchen became so quiet the drop of a penny would have sounded like the crack of a rifle.

Then Sam began to squawk.

“He shouldn’t be up from his nap already!” She bounced from her seat, as if grateful for the interruption. “I’ll change him and rock him back to sleep but then I have to get going.”

He heard the shiver of tears in her voice and wanted to curse himself, but really this was for the best. “You have plans for the day?”

She turned. “It’s Saturday. It’s my day to visit Jason.”

Not only had he unloaded on her when he could have been so much nicer in the way he redirected their relationship, but also he’d done it on the day she had to visit her fiancé. He’d known she was going but somehow he hadn’t put it all together in his head.

Great. Just great. He had such wonderful timing with her.

He lifted himself off his chair. “You go on. You shouldn’t have even helped me this morning. You should have showered and gone. This is the kind of stuff I don’t want you to do.” He tried a smile. “Okay? I want to be fair to you, but I also want you to be fair to yourself.”

She quietly said, “Okay,” and went to her room. By the time he was done rocking Sam back to sleep, she was gone.

* * *

Tory was so hurt, so wounded, she didn’t even turn on the radio of the old green car her mom let her use, as she drove to the personal care facility.

She understood what Chance had said. They were growing close. But she thought they were becoming friends. What was wrong with being friends?

Apparently a lot, since he’d basically told her that he wanted nothing to do with her—and it had hurt.

Really hurt.

It felt a lot like a dagger in the heart.

She’d grown accustomed to eating with him. She’d grown accustomed to chitchatting as they dressed and fed the kids. And, she had to admit, she waited for him to come home from work every night.

Like a wife.

She struggled not to groan out loud. She liked him.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Oh, how she liked him.

But he was right. There could be nothing between them. She knew that better than he did. Staying away from each other really was the right thing to do.

So why did it hurt so much?

By the time she got to the personal care facility, it was almost two o’clock. She wasn’t surprised to see Jason’s parents in his room. They visited from ten until two every day and were probably about to say goodbye until tomorrow.

“Hey.”

Jason’s mom, Emily, turned from the window. “Hey.” She walked over and gave Tory a kiss on the cheek. “We wondered where you were.”

Guilt snaked through her. If Chance hadn’t all but booted her out of the house she would have been even later.

Still, they’d had “the talk” and he’d made her see they were getting too close, closer than a boss and nanny should be when one of them was in a committed relationship. He’d done that favor for Jason as much as for her and himself.

So she wouldn’t wallow in guilt. She would simply handle things better from here on out. She smiled at Emily. “I have a job. That’s why I didn’t get here until now.”