The next morning, I woke with a start, pushing myself up in bed. I looked around groggily, and then my heart jolted.
Oh my God.
Then I remembered I wasn’t at my place.
Looking at the nightstand, I grabbed my phone to check the time. It was eight o’clock. I sprang from the bed, heading directly to the en suite bathroom. I was smiling as I got in the shower. Starting the warm spray, I soaped up quickly, and I also rinsed my mouth. When I stepped out of the shower, I was surprised to find toothpaste and a toothbrush in the medicine cabinet above the sink. I brushed my teeth until I had a minty flavor in my mouth.
My mind raced as I remembered our kiss last night. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I pretend it didn’t happen? That kiss was still making me swoon. But that didn’t mean I didn’t feel guilty for breaking my own rule. I had it in place for a reason. I took pride in my job as a teacher, and boundaries were important to me. And I felt like, even though Paisley wasn’t at my school, Tate was my boss, and I needed to remember that.
Oh, who was I kidding? Not only had we kissed, but I’d flirted with him. Part of me wanted to talk to him and ask him to look for another nanny, but I felt even guiltier at the thought of leaving Paisley and Tate in the lurch. I could imagine her eyes filled with disappointment, and my stomach turned into a tight knot.
I mulled this over some more as I dressed in yesterday’s clothes, but I didn’t reach any conclusions. I was far too sleepy for that.
When I left the room, I heard Paisley’s and Tate’s voices coming from the kitchen. They were early birds, both of them, even on the weekend. I didn’t want to disturb their time together, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye, so I poked my head in the kitchen.
My heart gave a mighty sigh. Tate was cooking again, but there was something different about him this morning. For one, he wasn’t wearing a dress shirt. He was wearing a T-shirt like the one he’d given me for last night—and he looked glorious. The contours of his muscles were visible, and I couldn’t help remembering last night.
Heat coursed through me, and I shook my head as if that could do anything to dispel the memory.
‘Knock, knock,’ I said in a cheery voice, tapping against the doorframe.
To my surprise, there was someone else inside the kitchen too. A woman. She had dark brown hair styled in loose curls and deep green eyes, like Paisley’s. She was wearing a beach dress with a pattern of yellow daisies and a pendant with an infinity knot hanging on a black thread. I loved her style.
“Good morning,” she said. “I’m Reese, Paisley’s aunt and Tate’s favorite cousin.”
“Hi! Nice to meet you.”
I shook her hand briefly before glancing at Tate behind her. The second we made eye contact, the heat in my body magnified. Sweet Lord, I’d thought I could forget our kiss? Well, I was completely wrong. I was on edge just because we were in the same room.
The sound of a phone vibrating filled the air. Reese groaned.
“Sorry. I’ll step in the other room to answer this.”
Tate looked after her with a troubled expression as she left the kitchen.
‘When did you two get up?’ I asked.
‘An hour ago,’ said Paisley.
‘She always wakes up early.’ Tate’s tone indicated that he’d like to sleep in on the weekends, but here he was making breakfast for his daughter. It was adorable.
‘I’m making waffles,’ he said. I couldn’t help but laugh again.
He shrugged. ‘Saturday’s waffle day, but sometimes Paisley convinces me to also make them during the week. We have more time on weekends, so that’s why I prefer to do elaborate breakfasts either Saturday or Sunday.’
I realized what seemed different about him today. He was more relaxed because he didn’t have to go to work.
‘Look, I don’t want to disturb you two. Thanks for letting me sleep here. I texted someone from my building, and the elevator is working, so…’
‘You’re not disturbing us, Lexi,’ Tate said. ‘We’d love to have you, but I understand if you’d prefer to leave.’
He looked straight at me. His gaze was hard and intense with a silent question.
I licked my lower lip, drawing in a sharp breath when I realized he’d dropped his glance to my mouth. I did want waffles, and to spend time with Tate and Paisley, even though I knew it wasn’t smart to linger outside my work hours. But I couldn’t help myself.
“Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase,” Paisley said.
Shucks. I couldn’t say no to her when she looked at me like that.
‘The waffles win again,’ I said, dashing into the kitchen.
Tate looked at me triumphantly.
“Yay!” Paisley screeched. This girl was winning my heart.
There were no plates on the kitchen island, so I headed straight to the cabinet next to the stove, where I knew they were stored. Paisley dashed off to her bedroom, saying she wanted to get her coloring book.
‘How did you sleep?’ Tate asked me.
I hesitated while reaching for the plates and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His gaze was trained on me.
‘I slept well, thank you.’
‘At least one of us did, then.’
I turned to him. My breath caught. ‘You didn’t?’
‘Hell no. All I could think about was you lying one floor above me, wearing my shirt.’
I grinned, whispering back, ‘How do you know I didn’t sleep naked?’
Oh my God. My flirtiness was getting worse! Something about him made me impulsive, especially after the kiss.
A growl reverberated in his throat.
“I didn’t. I was joking.”
He straightened up, and so did I. We both glanced at the living room, but there was no sign of Paisley.
I was blushing. Tate looked from one cheek to the other, satisfaction clear on his features.
Well, well. He likes to make me blush, huh?
He was playing with fire, because I could be full of mischief when I wanted to.
And right now, I really, really wanted to. But I reined myself in. I had to at least try.
‘Don’t burn the waffles, mister,’ I warned, pointing to the stove with a half smile.
He focused his attention on the pan while I took out the plates. When I turned around, I brushed against him. It was a tiny touch, my arm against his torso, but heat curled through me, tugging at my nerve endings.
Holy shit. What’s happening? Chemistry like this didn’t exist in real life. I’d never felt it with anyone.
Paisley returned with her coloring book and sat in the chair at the kitchen island. I set the plates, and Tate immediately came with waffles, putting three on each plate. I brought the honey, maple syrup, Nutella, and fruit from the fridge, having learned quickly where everything was because I prepared snacks every day for Paisley.
As I cut an apple in two, intending to dice it, I felt Tate come up next to me. He stood a few inches away, but my body was already on hyperalert, feeling his nearness.
‘Paisley, what do you want on your waffles?’ I asked.
‘Nutella and banana,’ she said cheerfully, and I was about to cut the banana on the waffle when she added, ‘No, not like that. Daddy, can you show her? He always makes the funniest shapes with waffles on the weekend.’
‘Paisley, I only do that when it’s two of us,’ he said.
Paisley frowned. ‘But we like Lexi.’
I sighed, hugging the little mouse, and my heart felt like it was about to burst when she hugged me right back. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’
Tearing herself from my arms, she looked at Tate. ‘We like her, don’t we, Daddy?’
He looked at me, a corner of his mouth lifting. ‘Yes. We like her very much.’
I licked my lower lip, pointing to the waffle, hoping to distract him from my blush. ‘Okay. Show me what you can do.’
Amusement danced in his eyes.
“What’s your favorite place in Chicago?” he asked.
“The Millennium Ferris Wheel. And believe it or not, I’ve never been on it. You want to draw that?”
“Nah. My skills aren’t that good.”
He took the plate in front of him, along with the banana, the bowl of grapes, Nutella, and whipped cream. Seriously, this man was every woman’s dream.
Well… my dream at least.
He moved his hands quickly, and I couldn’t exactly tell what he was doing, but when he shoved the plate back to Paisley, I realized he’d made a smiley face. It was quite good. He’d smeared the Nutella on the waffle and used the grapes as eyes and slices of banana as a mouth. He’d made a halo of hair around them with whipped cream. I couldn’t help but laugh, looking up at him.
He pointed at me. ‘Don’t laugh.’
‘It’s an appreciative laugh,’ I said. I was melting because this serious, take-charge guy could be a total goof around his daughter.
And he’s an excellent kisser, a voice said at the back of my head. I had a hunch that the more I tried to forget that, the more clearly I’d remember it.
‘Do I get to have a special waffle?’ I asked, batting my eyelashes.
‘Yeah, Daddy. Make one for Lexi,’ Paisley said, clapping her hands, looking between us.
Tate sobered up, and my heart leaped in my throat, wondering if I’d overstepped in some way. Paisley also went a bit still, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. ‘That’s Daddy’s serious face,’ she said in a whisper.
‘I know,’ I whispered back.
‘But he doesn’t mean it.’
The next second, Tate’s expression morphed, and a huge grin spread on his face. ‘All right. I’ll do a waffle for you, but you do mine,’ he said.
‘But you’re not allowed to make one that looks the same as mine,’ Paisley said.
I raised a brow. ‘Oh, okay. We have rules. Anything else I should know?’
Tate looked at me as if he was laughing at the private joke but didn’t say anything aloud.
I glanced at the waffle, thinking what I could do. Looking at the chopped banana, I got an idea. I arranged grapes on one side of the waffle, left the middle empty, then put three banana slices on one edge before I proudly presented it to him. He was still working on mine, but he stopped, glancing at his plate and frowning.
‘What’s that supposed to be?’
‘That’s the lake, beach, and the grapes are skyscrapers,’ I said cheerfully.
Paisley pushed herself up on her chair and looked closer at my waffle. Then she glanced up at her dad. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then both of them burst out laughing with so much joy that I couldn’t help but join in, even though I knew they were laughing at me. The ease between the two of them and their closeness was melting my heart.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘I guess you’ll get better with practice.’
‘Okay. Let’s see how you do,’ I said in a challenging voice.
A few minutes later, he pushed my plate to me, and I had to admit it was much better. He’d made yet another smiley face, but this one I recognized. This was the emoji that made sexy eyes. To Paisley, it probably meant nothing, but I felt my cheeks heat up.
‘You’re cheating, Dad. That’s another smiley face,’ Paisley said.
“Exactly. It doesn’t count,’ I added.
He kept his eyes trained on me, but I didn’t look away.
“Dad, when is Aunt Reese finishing her call?” Paisley asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Is everyone in your family an early riser on Saturday?” I inquired.
Tate shrugged. “Not really, but Reese needed some company.”
“Did something happen?”
“Her ex-fiancé is giving her headaches,” he replied in a harsh tone.
And his door is always open to his family, huh? This was completely unexpected.
“That’s it, I turned my phone to airplane mode,” Reese announced, entering the kitchen.
Sitting next to Paisley, she helped herself to a mouthful of her niece’s waffle.
“Tate, you make the best waffles.” She sighed with appreciation. “When is everyone else arriving?”
“Probably not until lunch,” Tate said.
Paisley turned to look straight at me, pushing herself up onto her feet, and standing on the chair. She pointed one forefinger at me.
“Lexi! We’re having a barbecue. Pleaaaaaase stay. I want everyone to meet you.”
She was adorable.
Before I had a chance to reply, Tate intervened.
“Paisley, Lexi is free on weekends. She’s only here this morning because there was a power outage and it wasn’t safe for her to go back home. Now, sit back down in your chair before you fall.”
A knot formed in my stomach. He was right, of course. I was the nanny, not part of the family. I had to keep that front and center in mind. I’d only been here two weeks, and we’d kissed. And now I was swooning because he’d made me a waffle. I was on a very slippery slope.
“But our cookouts are fun,” Reese put in. “Do you have plans for today?”
‘I’m meeting a friend in the afternoon. But now, I was going to go home and get something to read, a blanket, and maybe picnic out at the beach in front of my building. I don’t have anything planned for lunch.’
“Then stay. Besides, you might need intel about your employer,” she said with a wink.
“What?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“He ran off a lot of nannies because he’s so demanding.”
Tate groaned. “Reese!”
“He should be,” I replied. “They’re caring for his daughter, after all.”
“Pleaaaaase,” Paisley repeated as she slowly sat back down in her chair.
I pressed my lips together before bursting into laughter. I really couldn’t say no to her, huh? Not when she stared with those pleading eyes. I couldn’t disappoint her.
“Okay. If it’s not an inconvenience to anyone, I’ll stay,” I said.
“It’s not. Lexi, let’s step outside the kitchen for a minute,” Tate said.
My heart was hammering in my chest. I nodded, carefully getting up from my seat and walking ahead of him. I felt his gaze on me every step of the way.
We rounded the corner to the TV area so we were out of sight.
“Sorry about Paisley. She’s not too clear on boundaries. Neither is Reese, apparently.”
I shook my head, fiddling with my thumbs. “Should I go? I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
He stepped right in front of me, eyes hard and unrelenting. “You’re not overstaying. But I meant what I said. The weekend is your free time. I don’t expect you to stay. But I’d love it if you did.”
“Really? Well, I can’t say no to Paisley anyway. I can’t resist her.”
“But you can resist me?” he asked in a flirty tone.
“I think I’m doing a better job of that, yes,” I replied in an equally flirty tone.
“I see.”
“Daaaaaad, are you scaring Lexi off?” Paisley called from the kitchen.
I chuckled as Tate said loudly, “No, I’m not.”
“So she’s staying?”
He looked at me intently. I squirmed in my spot, nodding.
“Yes, she is,” he announced loudly before adding in a whisper, “And you and I will find a quiet moment alone to talk about last night.”
